Category: Speeches

  • Mike Kane – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Mike Kane – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Kane on 2016-03-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the level of hotel use to house asylum seekers is in each local authority area.

    James Brokenshire

    Under the COMPASS contracts, providers are allowed to use contingency accommodation to cope with unanticipated increase in demand, but we have made clear to providers that this is only ever acceptable in exceptional situations and asylum seekers must be moved to appropriate longer term accommodation as soon as possible. Providers will inform local authorities about short term contingency accommodation prior to its use.

    Our records indicate that there are currently 22 hotels in use across 10 local authorities. This is provisional management information that is subject to daily change. It has not been assured to the standard of Official Statistics

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ahmed on 2016-04-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they keep statistics of how many British citizens have been excluded from travelling to the US under HR158 of the Visa Waiver Programme Improvement and Terrorist Prevention Act 2015; and if so, how many have been so excluded; and whether they are aware of any British Parliamentarians being refused entry under that rule.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    US immigration processes – including the collection of statistics – are a matter for the US authorities. A number of Members of Parliament have raised this issue on behalf of their constituents and we are aware of at least one Parliamentarian affected by the new legislation. We have raised the importance of clearly communicating changes to immigration policy with the US administration, and remain in close contact with the US Embassy in order to avoid inconvenience to British nationals travelling to the US.

  • Jess Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jess Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2016-06-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to paragraph 1.37e of the Educational Excellence Everywhere White Paper, what the total budget in each year of the Spending Review period will be for the Excellence in Leadership Fund.

    Nick Gibb

    The Department’s White Paper Educational Excellence Everywhere stated that we would launch an Excellence in Leadership Fund to encourage the best Multi-Academy Trusts and other providers to develop innovative ways of boosting leadership, particularly in areas of most need. The Fund will help to better support schools to develop a strong and diverse set of school and system leaders, through specific activity aimed at groups that are still under-represented in leadership positions. Further information about the timing and budget for the Excellence in Leadership Fund will be made available in due course.

  • Jamie Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Jamie Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will provide assurances that the North West Coast Connections Project will include underground cables through the Lake District National Park.

    Jesse Norman

    It will be for the developer to bring forward an application for consent for their proposal for examination by the Planning Inspectorate. My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State will take the decision on the application and it would not be appropriate for him to comment on the merits of the project in advance of his decision.

    The application for the Project will be considered as part of the appropriate consent process which will take account of any Government policies and guidance, including that set out in National Policy Statements and other material considerations. Overarching National Policy Statement for Energy (EN-1) sets out policy for energy developments proposed within nationally designated landscapes.

  • Jeff Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jeff Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeff Smith on 2016-10-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many GPs in England have a specialism in mental health.

    David Mowat

    This information is not collected by the Department.

  • Lisa Cameron – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lisa Cameron – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lisa Cameron on 2015-11-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of people diagnosed with anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa requested and were granted access to local specialist mental health in-patient beds in the last year for which figures are available.

    Alistair Burt

    This information is not held centrally.

    The Government is providing additional funding to reduce waiting times and enhance or develop evidence based community eating disorder services, so that fewer young people will need admission to hospital as they will receive treatment closer to home.

  • Julie Cooper – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Julie Cooper – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Cooper on 2015-11-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to extend the hours of social workers and other professionals required to support doctors in their new working arrangements to meet the Government’s aspiration for a seven day a week NHS.

    Alistair Burt

    Local authorities are already working with their local health service partners towards ensuring appropriate 7 day 24 hour social work cover. Out of hours social services and emergency duty services are already in place and some local authorities are employing social workers along with occupational therapists to work at weekends to manage safe hospital discharge and other requirements such as equipment provision, to ensure people have appropriate and timely support to leave hospital.

    We recognise that providing high quality urgent and emergency services seven days a week requires far more than just doctors to be present, and that nurses, diagnostic staff, and other allied health professionals all play an invaluable role in caring for patients. It will be for local providers and their Local Education and Training Boards to develop workforce plans for delivering seven day services in hospitals which will make the best use of staff skills and expertise. While there may be additional staff needed, we are working with NHS England to make sure we have the workforce we need, including looking at new working patterns and roles such as physician associates.

  • Anne-Marie Trevelyan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Anne-Marie Trevelyan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne-Marie Trevelyan on 2016-01-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many claimants have had their asylum claim rejected in each month since May 2010.

    James Brokenshire

    The Home Office publishes data on asylum initial decisions in Table as_01q (Asylum data tables Volume 1) of the quarterly Immigration Statistics release.

    A copy of the latest release, Immigration Statistics April – June 2015, is available from:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office/series/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release

    Initial decisions do not necessarily relate to applications made in the same period and exclude the outcome of appeals or other subsequent decisions.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-02-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will discuss freedom of religion with his Iranian counterpart.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    I discuss many issues with my Iranian counterparts. I have repeatedly called on the Iranian Government to end all persecution of individuals on the basis of their faith, and to guarantee the human rights of all Iranians, regardless of belief, and I will continue to do so.

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect on NHS (a) services and (b) governance of NHS England’s decision to discontinue the role of national clinical director for neurology services from March 2016; and if he will make a statement.

    Jane Ellison

    Sir Bruce Keogh, NHS England’s Medical Director, has undertaken a review of the National Clinical Director (NCD) resource designed to focus clinical advisory resources on areas where major programmes of work are currently being taking forward, or areas identified as priorities for improvement. As a result of the review, NHS England has proposed to change the way in which clinical advice is received in speciality areas in the future.

    Where there will no longer be a specific NCD role, NHS England will secure expert clinical advice from its clinical networks and through its relationships with professional bodies and by appointing clinical advisors. For neurology it is planned that access to advice will be through clinical leads and members of the NHS England-funded neurology clinical networks, the Neurology Clinical Reference Group and Royal Colleges. It is expected that these new arrangements will be in place from 1 April 2016.