Category: Speeches

  • MiDavies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    MiDavies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by MiDavies on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions his Department and NHS England have had with the National Information Board on developing a digital maternity tool as recommended in the National Maternity Review.

    Ben Gummer

    To date there have been no formal discussions with the National Information Board (NIB) in relation to developing a maternity digital tool. Baroness Cumberlege, Chair of the National Maternity Review, has been a member of the NIB since December 2015. We understand that Baroness Cumberlege has had informal discussions with the NIB Chair regarding the Maternity Review.

    The digital technology workstream for the implementation of the maternity review will support the rollout of patient-held digital maternity records and the development of a digital tool to support expectant parents with access to improved information to support their pregnancy, choice and connection to peers.

    This work will embed the ambitions outlined by the NIB in relation to supporting greater self-care through digital services and tools, paper-free at the point of care.

  • David Anderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    David Anderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2016-05-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the implications for his policies are of the position of the US State Department on Ethiopia’s use of anti-terror legislation to detain politicians and protestors, set out in its press release of 29 April 2016; and if he will make a statement.

    James Duddridge

    The UK Government is aware of both the European parliament’s Motion for a Resolution on the situation in Ethiopia and the UN special rapporteurs’ report on Ethiopia’s alleged use of force against protestors in Oromia. We remain deeply concerned about the handling of demonstrations in Oromia and the reported deaths of a number of protestors, and have repeatedly made representations to the Ethiopian Government over the ongoing situation in that region. Justine Greening, the Secretary of State for International Development, raised our concerns with Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn on 21 January, as did I, with the Ethiopian Foreign Minister, Dr Tedros, at the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa on 27 January. Our Ambassador also raised the issue with Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn on 26 April. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and raise our concerns with the Ethiopian government, including on the use of force.

    We will continue to work with our partners, including the US, in urging the Ethiopian government to use restraint in their handling of the protests in Oromia.

  • Tom Watson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Tom Watson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2016-06-28.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Prime Minister’s Oral Statement of 27 June 2016, Official Report, column 23, how much funding has been allocated to the new EU Unit.

    Mr Oliver Letwin

    A new EU unit will be set up in Whitehall, bringing together officials and policy expertise from across the Cabinet Office, Treasury, Foreign Office and BIS. It will be based in the Cabinet Office and report to the Cabinet on delivering the outcome of the referendum, advising on transitional issues and exploring objectively options for our future relationship with Europe and the rest of the world from outside the EU. The funding for the unit is yet to be determined.

  • Martyn Day – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Martyn Day – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Martyn Day on 2016-09-08.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the implications for small businesses of his Department’s plans to introduce quarterly digital tax returns by 2020.

    Jane Ellison

    The Government launched the Making Tax Digital consultations on 15 August. The consultations included an initial impact assessment alongside an overview of the potential costs and savings. This initial assessment shows a reduction in businesses’ on-going administrative costs in the medium term; these proposals do not mean four tax returns a year.

    The Government will publish an updated assessment in the Tax Information and Impact Note to be published alongside draft legislation

    These reforms will bring the tax system into the 21st Century, contributing to HM Revenue and Customs’ overall target to reduce administrative burdens for business by £400m.

  • Debbie Abrahams – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Debbie Abrahams – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Debbie Abrahams on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether (a) officials of his Department, (b) representatives of NHS bodies or (c) researchers funded by his Department will be attending the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium in November 2015.

    George Freeman

    No officials from the Department plan to attend San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium in December 2015. The Department does not hold information centrally on planned attendance at this event by NHS representatives or researchers supported fully or in part by funding from the Department.

  • Mark Hendrick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Mark Hendrick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2015-12-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his Department’s target is for time taken to respond to letters and emails from hon. Members; what the average time taken by his Department to respond to such letters and emails is; and how many such letters and emails received between 1 January and 30 September 2015 remained unanswered after eight weeks.

    Mr David Lidington

    Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Ministers aim to respond to all correspondence from Honourable Members within 20 working days of receipt. However, due to the complex nature of certain items of correspondence, it is not always possible to meet this deadline.

    FCO Ministers responded to around 81 per cent of correspondence from parliamentarians between 1 January and 30 September 2015 within 20 working days. During this period, FCO Ministers sent a total of 5702 letters to Members of Parliament, Peers and Members of the Public.

    Detailed information on the average time taken to respond to correspondence is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

  • Tommy Sheppard – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Tommy Sheppard – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tommy Sheppard on 2016-01-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average time a person waited after applying to a hardship fund to receive funding was in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland and (c) Edinburgh in the last 12 months.

    Priti Patel

    The information is not available at the level requested and could only be provided at disproportionate costs.

    The Department has, however, published information on the number of hardship applications and awards for Jobseekers Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance which can be accessed via the link below.

    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/jsa-and-esa-hardship-applications-and-awards-apr-2012-to-jun-2015

    “

  • 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 2016-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many times (a) gold, (b) silver and (c) bronze command suites were opened in each prison in each of the last three years.

    Andrew Selous

    Violence in prisons has increased in recent years. The nature of offenders currently in custody and the widespread availability of new psychoactive substances have both contributed to making prisons less safe. There is no single, simple solution to the problems we face but we are making progress.

    We have launched a two year Violence Reduction project to help us to gain a better understanding of the causes and characteristics of violence in prisons and to strengthen the handling of this. We are also trialing the use of body worn cameras in prisons, training sniffer dogs to detect new psychoactive substances and have made it an offence to smuggle new psychoactive substances into prison. However, ultimately the only way to reduce violence in our prisons is to give governors and those who work in prisons the tools necessary to more effectively reform and rehabilitate offenders, which we are determined to see through.

    The safety of staff and prisoners is a priority. Gold Command is opened in order to deal with incidents as quickly and safely as possible. Not all incidents turn out to be serious, but Gold Command is opened as a precaution when incidents are regarded as potentially serious.

    Tables 1, 2 and 3 show the number of times Gold Command has been opened in each of the past three years by prison.

    The decision to open Silver Command is made at the local level. Data regarding Silver Command openings is not held centrally, and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

    There is no “Bronze Command suite” within NOMS incident response procedures.

    Table 1: Number of times Gold Command Suite opened by prison in 2013

    Prison

    Number of Incidents

    Aylesbury

    2

    Cardiff

    1

    Doncaster

    2

    Elmley

    1

    Everthorpe

    2

    Featherstone

    1

    Full Sutton

    1

    Garth

    1

    Gartree

    1

    Glen Parva

    4

    Haverigg

    1

    Hewell

    2

    High Down

    2

    Holme House

    1

    Hull

    3

    Isis

    1

    Lewes

    1

    Lincoln

    2

    Lindholme

    3

    Long Lartin

    3

    Maidstone

    1

    Moorland

    2

    Morton Hall

    1

    National – Industrial Action

    1

    Northumberland

    1

    Onley

    1

    Pentonville

    1

    Peterborough

    1

    Preston

    1

    Ranby

    1

    Risley

    2

    Rye Hill

    1

    Stafford

    1

    Stocken

    3

    Swaleside

    1

    Swinfen Hall

    6

    Warren Hill

    1

    Wayland

    1

    Wealstun

    2

    Wetherby

    3

    Wolds

    1

    Woodhill

    1

    Wormwood Scrubs

    1

    Wymott

    1

    Table 2: Number of times Gold Command Suite opened by prison in 2014

    Prison

    Number of Incidents

    Altcourse

    2

    Aylesbury

    1

    Brinsford

    1

    Bristol

    1

    Bullingdon

    3

    Cardiff

    1

    Channings Wood

    2

    Chelmsford

    1

    Cookham Wood

    1

    Deerbolt

    3

    Doncaster

    1

    Elmley

    1

    Garth

    1

    Glen Parva

    7

    Harmondsworth

    1

    Haslar

    1

    Haverigg

    3

    Highpoint

    1

    Holme House

    1

    Humber

    4

    Leeds

    1

    Lincoln

    1

    Lindholme

    3

    Littlehey

    1

    Moorland

    3

    Morton Hall

    1

    National – Industrial Action

    1

    Northumberland

    2

    Norwich

    1

    Nottingham

    1

    Oakwood

    1

    Onley

    1

    Portland

    1

    Preston

    2

    Ranby

    3

    Rochester

    3

    Rye Hill

    1

    Stoke Heath

    1

    Swaleside

    4

    Swansea

    1

    Swinfen Hall

    3

    Wayland

    3

    Winchester

    2

    Table 3: Number of times Gold Command Suite opened by prison in 2015

    Prison

    Number of Incidents

    Brinsford

    1

    Deerbolt

    3

    Doncaster

    2

    Dovegate

    1

    Durham

    1

    Featherstone

    2

    Garth

    3

    Gartree

    1

    Glen Parva

    3

    Haverigg

    2

    Highdown

    2

    Highpoint

    2

    Hull

    1

    Humber

    3

    Isis

    3

    Isle of Wight

    1

    Lancaster Farms

    1

    Leeds

    2

    Leicester

    5

    Lewes

    1

    Lincoln

    2

    Lindholme

    3

    Liverpool

    2

    Long Lartin

    1

    Lowdham Grange

    1

    Manchester

    1

    Morton Hall

    1

    Nottingham

    2

    Onley

    1

    Pentonville

    2

    Portland

    1

    Ranby

    1

    Rochester

    1

    Stocken

    3

    Swaleside

    5

    Swinfen Hall

    2

    The Mount

    2

    Wandsworth

    5

    Wayland

    3

    Werrington

    1

    Whatton

    1

    Whitemoor

    1

    Woodhill

    1
  • Keith Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Keith Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2016-03-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of Type 2 diabetics manage their condition with (a) insulin injections and (b) insulin tablets.

    Jane Ellison

    Information is not collected centrally on the number of people prescribed a medicine or the medical condition being treated.

  • Patrick Grady – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Patrick Grady – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) deportation and (b) forced removal processes were halted after the intended deportee had boarded their deportation flight and before that flight had departed in each year since 2010.

    James Brokenshire

    This information could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.