Category: Speeches

  • Will Quince – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Will Quince – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Will Quince on 2016-09-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of those provisions in the Consumer Rights Act 2015 which relate to rail passengers claiming compensation.

    Paul Maynard

    We want to strengthen the rights of rail passengers to get compensation for poor service. The Consumer Rights Act will allow rail passengers to challenge compensation amounts awarded for delays and cancellations where the train operator is at fault.

    Train operators’ existing compensation schemes will continue to provide the main means of redress for passengers after 1 October 2016, when the Act comes into force for all transport providers. We will continue to work with train operators to improve their compensation schemes.

  • Alison Thewliss – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Alison Thewliss – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison Thewliss on 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take steps to ensure that universal credit claimants are not sanctioned in the period between accepting an offer of employment and starting employment.

    Priti Patel

    Universal Credit claimants, who are expected to look for work, must take all reasonable action they can to become employed. Any requirements placed on the claimant will be based on a discussion with their work coach, taking into account the individual’s circumstances, including any offer of employment they may have received.

  • Alex Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Alex Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2015-12-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Pet Travel Scheme Regulations.

    George Eustice

    The pets checkers (carriers or agents) which carry out checks to ensure pets animals are compliant with Pet Travel Scheme rules are audited by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) and the results show that they are performing satisfactorily. In 2014, APHA audited close to 6,000 pets. Of these only 0.9% of the pets were found not to comply with the entry rules. These pets were either detained until their compliance could be established, re-exported or placed into quarantine.

  • Baroness Pinnock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Baroness Pinnock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Pinnock on 2016-01-20.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether the necessity to ensure that private finance initiative hospitals retain maximum use is distorting the siting of full accident and emergency and consultant-led maternity units.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    Decisions on reconfiguration are for local commissioners based on identification of local need. NHS England published Planning, assuring and delivering service change for patients on 29 October 2015, a copy of which is attached, providing refreshed guidance for those considering, and involved in, service reconfiguration.

    The guidance makes clear that any proposal for service reconfiguration must satisfy the Government’s four tests for change:

    (i) strong public and patient engagement;

    (ii) consistency with current and prospective need for patient choice;

    (iii) a clear clinical evidence base; and

    (iv) support for proposals from clinical commissioners.

    The guidance includes that commissioners should build proposals by identifying the range of service change options that could improve outcomes within available resources; and that proposals should be clear about the impact of the proposed changes on outcomes for patients.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 4 February 2016 to Question 25004, (a) for how many days (a) HMS Daring, (b) HMS Dauntless, (c) HMS Diamond, (d) HMS Dragon, (e) HMS Defender and (f) HMS Duncan were deployed on operations and (b) in which theatre they were so deployed in (i) 2011, (ii) 2012, (iii) 2013 and (iv) 2014.

    Penny Mordaunt

    The information requested is provided below. In answering this question, I have defined ‘deployed on operations’ as times away from UK waters for extended periods.

    In 2011, the Type 42 Destroyers were deployed on operations. No Type 45 Destroyer was deployed away from the UK.

    2012

    Ship

    Deployment

    Number of Days

    HMS DARING

    Operation Kipion: Gulf Region

    210

    HMS DAUNTLESS

    Atlantic Patrol Tasking (South)

    209

    HMS DIAMOND

    Operation Kipion: Gulf Region

    191

    2013

    Ship

    Deployment

    Number of Days

    HMS DRAGON

    Operation Kipion: Gulf Region

    254

    HMS DARING

    Global Deployment

    277

    2014

    Ship

    Deployment

    Number of Days

    HMS DIAMOND

    Operation Recsyr: protecting and escorting ships transporting chemicals from Syria

    163

    HMS DEFENDER

    Operation Kipion: Gulf Region

    193

    HMS DRAGON

    Atlantic Patrol Tasking (South)

    198

    When not deployed on operations, all Type 45 ships would have undertaken activities such as sea trials, training, engagement, provisioning or been in a maintenance period.

  • Dan Jarvis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Dan Jarvis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-03-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to ensure that all supply agencies offer supply teachers’ pay and conditions at the same rate as national teachers’ pay.

    Nick Gibb

    Schools and local authorities are responsible for the recruitment of their supply teachers which includes deciding whether to use private agencies to recruit and manage them. If a supply teacher is employed by a private agency, this is a private commercial arrangement between the school and the agency, and the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD) does not apply. The agency can also decide the rate of pay and conditions of employment.

    If agencies do not appear to be complying with legislation they can be investigated by the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate (EASI). The EASI is part of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and has powers to investigate agencies for possible breaches of the law and to prosecute them where there is sufficient evidence. The EASI works with agencies, employers and workers to make sure that employment rights are complied with, particularly for vulnerable workers.

    Conditions for agency workers have been improved through the Agency Workers Regulations (AWR) and supply teachers are entitled to the same pay and employment conditions they would be entitled to receive if they were employed directly by a maintained school or academy. This is subject to a qualifying period of 12 continuous calendar weeks working in the same role with the same school or local authority. The Regulations can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/employing-agency-supply-teachers

    “

  • Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-04-11.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to his Department’s discussion paper on options for supporting English regional airports from the impacts of air passenger duty devolution, published in July 2015, what advice he has received from the European Commission on the compliance of the options in that paper with state aid rules; and whether he plans to issue an update to that discussion paper.

    Damian Hinds

    The Government is carefully considering the responses received to the discussion paper on options to support English regional airports from the impacts of air passenger duty devolution and will respond in due course.

    The options contained in the discussion paper could each be taken forward in a variety of ways. Any proposals brought forward will be compliant with EU law and the European Commission will be consulted, if required.

  • Gavin Shuker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Gavin Shuker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Shuker on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in Pakistan on increasing trade between the UK and (a) Pakistan and (b) Azad Kashmir.

    Anna Soubry

    I have held no discussions with the Federal Minister for Commerce of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Engineer Khurram Dastgir Khan, about increasing trade between the UK and Pakistan or Pakistan Administered Kashmir.

  • Fiona Mactaggart – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Fiona Mactaggart – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona Mactaggart on 2016-06-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which schools in Slough are partner schools for Teach First.

    Nick Gibb

    Teach First currently has two cohorts of trainees participating in its two year Leadership Development Programme in Slough. They are placed in the following schools:

    • Foxborough Primary School

    • Marish Primary School

    • Montem Academy

    • St Anthony’s Catholic Primary School

    • St Ethelbert’s Catholic Primary School

    • Slough and Eton Church of England Business and Enterprise College

    • Wexham Court Primary School

    • Willow Primary School

  • Craig Tracey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Craig Tracey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Tracey on 2016-09-13.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether students aged over 18 years in higher education are separately identified as an element in the sub-national population and household projections by the Office of National Statistics.

    Chris Skidmore

    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.