Category: Speeches

  • Phil Boswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Phil Boswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Phil Boswell on 2016-02-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policy on apprenticeships of the finding of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in its report, Engineered in Britain, published in December 2015, on the number of manufacturers who would be encouraged to take on more apprentices if the Government provided £3,000 to any person who completed their apprenticeship.

    Nick Boles

    Apprenticeships are paid jobs. In October 2015 we increased the apprenticeship National Minimum Wage by over 20% to £3.30 per hour for apprentices aged under 19 and those aged 19 and over in the first year of their apprenticeship. Most employers pay more than this. The average gross hourly pay received by apprentices in England is £6.31 an hour for Level 2 and 3 apprentices and £9.69 for higher apprentices.

    Apprenticeships have excellent wage returns for individuals over their working life. These add up to between £48,000 and £74,000 for level 2 apprenticeships and between £77,000 and £117,000 for level 3 apprentices. Those completing an apprenticeship at level 4 or above could earn £150,000 more on average over their lifetime.

    These are the right long-term financial incentives for individuals to support the growth of apprenticeships towards 3 million new starts by 2020.

  • 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 2016-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to implement recommendation 12 in the executive summary of Public Health England’s March 2015 report entitled, Public mental health leadership and workforce development framework, on supporting increased access to a range of mental health promotion training for frontline public health practitioners.

    Alistair Burt

    Public Health England (PHE) has been collating practice examples of mental health promotion training available for frontline public health practitioners. Information will help inform the commissioning of training locally. PHE is working with the Royal Society for Public Health and other partners to identify gaps in mental health promotion training provision and opportunities to fill these gaps, such as developing e-learning training modules.

    At a local level, PHE centres are working with Health Education England (HEE) colleagues to identify and co-ordinate provision of training to practitioners and identify needs and training opportunities.

    PHE contributed to the Mental Health Task Force report and has integrated the priority of increasing the training within the Taskforce’s recommendations. Work will be led by HEE, supported by PHE.

  • Baroness Buscombe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Baroness Buscombe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Buscombe on 2016-04-28.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 22 April (HL7592), notwithstanding the British Nationality Act 1981, on what basis they are continuing to grant British citizenship to EU migrants who already possess citizenship of another EU member state.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    British Nationality legislation is set out in the British Nationality Act 1981, and so decisions to grant or refuse citizenship must be made in accordance with that legislation. The 1981 Act does not differentiate between nationals of EU and non-EU countries: citizenship is granted where a person fulfils the statutory requirements.

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-06-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many requests for paper-based reviews for employment and support allowance were submitted in each year since 2009-10; and how many of those claims were (a) accepted and (b) rejected.

    Priti Patel

    The information you have requested is not available.

    The decision as to whether a paper-based review is appropriate is made by the Healthcare Professional. Their decision on whether to do so is based on evidence provided by the claimant to support their claim including all medical evidence from the claimant’s GP, hospital doctor or other appropriate clinicians.

  • Richard Graham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Richard Graham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Graham on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effect of the introduction of the apprenticeship levy on companies which pay into other industry levy schemes.

    Robert Halfon

    The apprenticeship levy will enable us to improve the technical and professional skills of the workforce. It will encourage employers to invest in their apprentices and take on more, by putting apprenticeship funding in their hands. The apprenticeship levy is economy wide. It will apply to all employers with a pay bill over £3,000,000 including those who already pay into an existing levy.

    We are aware that industry is concerned about the potential impact of paying two levies. We are working with the relevant Industry Training Boards for the construction, engineering construction and film industries. They will consult their members on potential future changes to their existing arrangements.

  • Kelvin Hopkins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Kelvin Hopkins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kelvin Hopkins on 2016-10-19.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has made an assessment of the effect on the manufacturing industry of the depreciation of sterling since the EU referendum; and if he will make a statement.

    Simon Kirby

    The UK has an inflation target, not an exchange rate target, and the Government does not express a view on the level of the exchange rate. Manufacturing output has grown 6% since 2010, and has seen significant growth in key areas such as car production and aerospace.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Greg Mulholland – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-10-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on security of Médecins Sans Frontières clinics in areas of conflict.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    It is essential that there is a rigorous process to determine the circumstances surrounding the airstrike on the Médecins Sans Frontières trauma centre in Kunduz in order to prevent something like this occurring again. We await the conclusions of the investigations currently being undertaken by NATO and by the Governments of the United States and Afghanistan, and any lessons that these offer. The UK Government has high regard for Médecins Sans Frontières and the work they undertake around the world.

    We are also aware of reports of alleged violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) in Yemen by the Saudi Arabia-led Coalition – including alleged airstrikes resulting in civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure – and take them very seriously. We have raised our concerns with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates and have received repeated assurances that they are complying with IHL. We continue to engage with them on those assurances. We are also concerned by reports of alleged IHL violations by Houthi-Saleh forces, including the use of schools and hospitals for military purposes; and the targeting of aid workers and restrictions on humanitarian access. We have also raised our concerns with the Houthis on the importance of compliance with IHL and international human rights law.

  • Lord Storey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Storey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2015-11-25.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of how the religious character of a faith school will be maintained if the school is converted into an academy.

    Lord Nash

    When a faith school becomes an academy it retains its religious character by virtue of Section 6 of the Academies Act 2010. The academy’s religious character is protected through provisions within the academy’s funding agreement with the Secretary of State and the academy trust’s articles of association. Once a faith school becomes an academy any change to its religious character would only take place with the consent of the relevant religious body and the Secretary of State.

  • Nick Thomas-Symonds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Nick Thomas-Symonds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Thomas-Symonds on 2015-11-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the survey published in November 2015 by Cancer Research UK which found that only 19 per cent of women aged from 50 to 64 were aware that the main purpose of the national cervical screening programme is to prevent cervical cancer.

    Jane Ellison

    NHS Screening Programmes are committed to giving people information to support them to make an informed choice about whether or not to take up the offer of screening. There is a group dedicated to researching, developing and evaluating information for those invited for screening, and service users and providers are involved at all stages.

    The NHS Screening Programmes aim to provide clarity in the leaflets and information given to people.

    The NHS Screening Programmes will continue to work closely with voluntary sector groups like Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust and with NHS Choices to help raise awareness of the intentions of the programmes.

  • Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-01-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proposals, if any, they have made, and what further action they will take, to ensure that the voices of women are heard in all future negotiations about Syria.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We have consistently urged the UN Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, as well as representatives of the moderate Syrian opposition to ensure that women are fully represented in negotiations with the Syrian regime. This was the case at the Geneva peace talks two years ago where women were represented on the opposition negotiating team. Further UN-brokered talks between the Syrian regime and opposition are planned for late January; we and our partners will continue to encourage the opposition and organisers to involve women fully in the process.