Category: Speeches

  • Lisa Cameron – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lisa Cameron – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lisa Cameron on 2016-09-02.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if his Department will conduct a spillover analysis to examine the international effects of UK tax policy of a similar character to those undertaken by the governments of the Netherlands and Ireland.

    Jane Ellison

    The government has no current plans to conduct a spillover analysis, which it does not believe would be a useful exercise.

    The government is committed to a competitive and fair tax system, and has led international efforts to tackle tax evasion and avoidance while supporting developing countries to implement tax reforms. Through the G20 we have commissioned the international organisations to develop toolkits to assist developing countries to implement the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) outcomes as well as funding assistance to help developing country tax authorities tackle multinational tax avoidance.

    The UK is a founder member of the Addis Tax Initiative, which commits the UK to double its Overseas Development Assistance spend on tax capacity building by 2020 and to work to make international tax reform more accessible to developing countries.

  • Clive Efford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Clive Efford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Clive Efford on 2016-10-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he has received representations on whether Greenwich Clinical Commissioning Group was quorate at its meeting of 29 June 2016 when it awarded the contract for musculoskeletal services to Circle Holdings PLC; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The procurement of local health services by means of competitive tendering is a matter for the local National Health Service.

    The Department has not received any representations on the matter of whether Greenwich Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) was quorate at its meeting of 29 June 2016 when it awarded the contract for musculoskeletal services to Circle Health.

    We are informed by NHS England that the CCG follows standard NHS procurement procedures and these procedures were followed for this procurement.

  • Mims Davies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Mims Davies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mims Davies on 2015-11-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many public access defibrillators there are in (a) England and Wales and (b) public buildings in England.

    Jane Ellison

    This information is not collected centrally.

    Following our 2015 Budget commitment on defibrillators, we have awarded the British Heart Foundation £1 million to make public access defibrillators and coronary pulmonary resuscitation training more widely available in communities across England.

    The provision of defibrillators in Wales is a matter for the Welsh Government.

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2015-12-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, on how many occasions a special adviser in his Department accompanied a Minister on an overseas trip since May 2015.

    Justin Tomlinson

    There have been 4 occasions since May 2015, where a DWP Special Adviser has accompanied a Minister on an overseas trip.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-01-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of changes to personal injury law and procedure announced in the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015 on the number of litigants in person in personal injury claims; and if he will make a statement.

    Dominic Raab

    The Government received and analysed data from numerous sources when formulating the announcement in the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement. We will continue to work with a wide range of stakeholders including other Government Departments, solicitors and insurers in taking forward the new reform package. The Government will consult on the detail of these measures in due course. The consultation will be accompanied by an impact assessment.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-02-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans his Department has to make high-dose prostate therapy available on the NHS.

    Jane Ellison

    Intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) is commissioned by NHS England. NHS England’s commitment was to ensure that a minimum of 24% of patients requiring radical radiotherapy had access to inverse planned IMRT from April 2013, and this has been achieved nationally.

  • Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he plans to take to ensure that the expansion of parenting programmes will be integrated with local transformation plans for children and young people’s mental health services.

    Alistair Burt

    The Government has accepted the recommendation in the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health, published February 2016, to review the best way to ensure the expansion of the parenting programme announced by the Prime Minister in his Life Chances speech. The Department for Work and Pensions is currently considering how to implement this and further thought will be given as to how it fits with local plans for the transformation of children’s and young people’s mental health services.

    It is for local areas to consider and commission services based on the needs of their local population. In general, family support is the responsibility of local government. Local Transformation Plans produced in each area of the country set out how they plan to meet the full spectrum of needs of children and young people with mental health problems, and what services should be put in place to address these. The Children and Young Peoples Improving Access to Psychological Therapies Programme, which is being expanded to cover the whole country and extended into other clinical areas including meeting the needs of children aged 0-5, already includes parenting programmes for children with conduct disorders.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-03-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will conduct a new review of the case for recommending a pardon for Dic Penderyn.

    Dominic Raab

    By convention, the Secretary of State for Justice only recommends the exercise of the Royal Prerogative of Mercy to grant a free pardon where evidence has come to light which demonstrates conclusively that the convicted individual was innocent and where all of the relevant appeal mechanisms have been exhausted.

    As far as I am aware, no approach has been made either to the Court of Appeal or to the Criminal Cases Review Commission to appeal or review the conviction of Dic Penderyn. In light of that, it would not be appropriate for the Secretary of State for Justice to consider whether to recommend to Her Majesty The Queen that she exercise the Royal Prerogative of Mercy.

  • Robert Flello – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Robert Flello – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Flello on 2016-04-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to reduce HGV testing waiting lists at Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency testing centres.

    Andrew Jones

    The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency is reducing vocational waiting times by recruiting more examiners, improving its forecasting model to better match resource with demand and redeploying examiners from lower wait centres to those with higher waiting times.

  • David Simpson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    David Simpson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Simpson on 2016-06-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that increases in the number of foreign, high-fee-paying students does not jeopardise access by UK students to places at their local university.

    Joseph Johnson

    International students are not in competition for places with British students. The UK is the second most popular destination for international students, and those coming here to study count towards our education exports. International students pay fees to fund their places, and also bring other benefits including providing diversity on our campuses.