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Category: Speeches

  • Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2016-02-29.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, of the schools that had their admission arrangements objected to in (1) 2014, and (2) 2015, what was the average number of School Admissions Code breaches found in each case.

    Lord Nash

    In 2013/14 the total number of objections upheld and partially upheld was 99, out of 161 determinations published. In 2014/15 the number was 159, out of 260 determinations published.

    We do not record data on the number of breaches found in individual cases.

  • Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-03-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the human rights situation in Indonesia.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    Our Embassy in Jakarta engages with a wide range of Indonesian civil society organisations and regularly seeks their assessments of the human rights situation. Indonesia has a strong tradition of religious diversity and tolerance but there has been a rise in recent years of localised instances of inter- and intra-religious conflict and examples where the rights of religious and other minority groups have not been protected.

    We will continue to raise our concerns on these important issues with the Indonesian authorities.

  • Peter Kyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Peter Kyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2016-04-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the rationale is for the extended exemption of the travel sector from the provisions of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 (Commencement No. 3, Transitional Provisions, Savings and Consequential Amendments) (Amendment) Order 2016.

    Claire Perry

    Last year we consulted on an exemption from certain provisions of the Consumer Rights Act for rail, aviation and maritime transport. We have listened to the views we have received, and have decided not to seek a permanent exemption for these sectors.

    The temporary exemption for rail only, which will last for one year until October 2017, will allow the industry time to move to a more consistent compensation scheme.

  • Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-06-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many students on (a) nursing, (b) midwifery and (c) Allied Health Professional courses successfully returned to their studies after benefitting from the NHS Bursary maternity award in the last five years for which figures are available.

    Ben Gummer

    The following table shows the number of students on nursing, midwifery and Allied Health Professional courses who were in receipt of the NHS Bursary maternity award in each of the last three academic years and those who have subsequently returned to their studies following a period of maternity leave. Information prior to 2013/14 is not available.

    Academic Year1

    Professional Group

    Students in receipt of the NHS Bursary maternity award

    Students returning from a period of maternity leave

    2013/14

    Allied Health Professional

    55

    49

    Midwifery

    99

    92

    Nursing

    633

    558

    2013/14 Total

    787

    699

    2014/15

    Allied Health Professional

    50

    40

    Midwifery

    80

    56

    Nursing

    581

    444

    2014/15 Total2

    711

    540

    2015/16

    Allied Health Professional

    56

    6

    Midwifery

    72

    4

    Nursing

    473

    59

    2015/16 Total2

    601

    69

    Grand Total

    2,528

    1,702

    Source: NHS Business Services Authority

    Notes

    1 Standard academic year (i.e. September to the following August)

    2 The count for these academic years is as at 14 June 2016. There are likely to be further students who commence, or return from a period of maternity leave after this date

  • Robert Neill – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Robert Neill – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Neill on 2016-09-06.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he plans to take in relation to SI 1995 No. 2262 to ensure that the interest rate on late payments of compensation in relation to compulsory purchase does not become negative.

    Mr David Gauke

    The Treasury has been working closely with the Department for Communities and Local Government to prepare a new Statutory Instrument to amend the Acquisition of Land (Rate of Interest after Entry) Regulations 1995. The new Statutory Instrument introduces a 0% floor for the interest rate on compensation paid after entry. The Statutory Instrument was laid on 7 September and will come into effect before the next reference day on 30 September 2016.

  • Mark Prisk – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Mark Prisk – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Prisk on 2016-10-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to establish equality of pension provision for surviving spouses of police officers across England and Wales.

    Brandon Lewis

    On 18 January 2016, the Police Pensions Regulations 1987 and the Police (Injury Benefit) Regulations 2006 were amended to allow widows, widowers and civil partners of police officers in England and Wales who have died on duty and who qualified for a survivor pension after 1 April 2015 to continue to receive their survivors’ benefits for life. There are no plans to extend this policy.

  • Alex Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Alex Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2015-11-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effect of the starter homes policy on access to (a) home ownership and (b) affordable rented accommodation in (i) London and the South East and (ii) England.

    Brandon Lewis

    Evidence shows that young first time buyers have been priced out of home ownership. Since the early 1990s, the proportion of under 40s who are homeowners in England has declined by over a third from 62% in 1993/4 to 39% in 2013/14. The Housing and Planning Bill will require local planning authorities to promote Starter Homes and ensure Starter Homes are included on all suitable, reasonably-sized developments in future.

  • Richard Arkless – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Richard Arkless – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Arkless on 2015-12-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent progress has been made with the US and Scottish Governments on lifting the US import ban on haggis.

    George Eustice

    The United States does not accept imports of haggis containing sheep lungs. Former Secretary of State for Defra, Owen Paterson, lobbied US authorities during his visit in 2014 and the Government continues to encourage the US to adjust its ban on UK haggis. Scottish haggis producers are developing a US-specific recipe to allow them to access the market once the wider EU negotiations on lifting the Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy restrictions on EU lamb are concluded.

  • Tim Loughton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Tim Loughton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2016-01-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what contingency arrangements her Department has made for the eventuality of a majority leave vote in the upcoming EU referendum.

    James Brokenshire

    The Government is fighting hard to fix the aspects of our EU membership that cause so much frustration in Britain – so we get a better deal for our country and secure our future. Departments are appropriately resourced to support the Government’s priorities in Europe, including the renegotiation and referendum.

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

    Baroness Randerson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Randerson on 2016-02-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the collaborative commissioning arrangements for new hepatitis C medicines outlined in the report by NHS England Improving Value for Patients from Specialised Care, Commissioning Intentions 2016/2017 for Prescribed Specialist Services will include plans to ensure that the areas covered by Operational Delivery Networks and Clinical Commissioning Groups are coterminous.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    NHS England has been supporting Operational Delivery Networks (ODNs) to identify the clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) that are relevant to their geography.

    In many cases boundaries are co-terminous and this will assist in communications. Where this is not the case, this will mean that CCGs, ODNs, and NHS England commissioning hubs will work across a wider footprint to collaborate on relevant matters.