Category: Speeches

  • Andy Slaughter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andy Slaughter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2015-12-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if his Department will make representations to the Israeli government about the proposed demolition of the Israeli Arab village of Umm-al-hiran.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The Embassy in Tel Aviv has raised the issue of demolition of the villages of Um-il-Hiran and Ateer with the Ministry of Justice and the Arab Affairs Officer at the Prime Minister’s office. The Embassy continues to monitor the situation closely and demonstrates concern by regularly visiting Bedouin communities in the Negev.

  • 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 2016-01-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much has been spent on (a) maintenance of and (b) upgrade works for (i) Tornado, (ii) Typhoon and (iii) Reaper drones in each of the last six years.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The costs of maintenance and capability upgrades for Tornado, Typhoon and the Reaper Unmanned Air System, in each of the last six financial years, are shown in the table below.

    Financial year (£ million)

    2009-10

    2010-11

    2011-12

    2012-13

    2013-14

    2014-15

    Tornado: capability upgrade work

    87.2

    69.3

    33.3

    28.9

    58.2

    45.6

    Tornado: maintenance

    311.0

    303.8

    369.7

    344.2

    247.7

    184.9

    Typhoon: capability upgrade work

    0

    0

    0

    0

    66.8

    178.4

    Typhoon: maintenance

    392.7

    475.3

    499.6

    294.8

    313.1

    460.2

    Reaper: maintenance

    4.8

    4.8

    4.8

    9.8

    27.1

    23.5

    Reaper: capability upgrade work

    0.2

    0.4

    0.4

    0.6

    1.3

    1.3

    Note: Costs for all platforms are extracted from the equipment support programme budget.

    “

  • Paul Scully – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Paul Scully – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Scully on 2016-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with housing associations on flexibility on the mandatory 20 per cent discount for the section 106 starter homes.

    Brandon Lewis

    Ministers have had discussions with many different organisations regarding the Government’s commitment to build 200,000 Starter Homes to help young, first time buyers into home ownership. The 20 per cent discount on a starter home is a minimum discount and any increase will be negotiated locally. Legislation is currently being taken forward through the Housing and Planning Bill to bring these commitments into effect.

  • Lord Wasserman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Wasserman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Wasserman on 2016-03-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Statement by the Minister of State for Policing, Crime and Criminal Justice, Mr Mike Penning, on 17 December 2015 (HCWS426), when they will be able to provide further details on the allocation of the £38 million of New Transformation Funding to incentivise and facilitate transformation in policing, to invest in cross-force specialist capabilities, to exploit new technology and to improve how the UK responds to changing threats.

    Lord Bates

    The 2016/17 police funding settlement includes new transformation funding to incentivise and facilitate transformation in policing.

    As set out in the Minister for Policing, Fire, Criminal Justice and Victims’ Written Ministerial Statement of 4 February which accompanied the 2016/17 Final Police Grant Report, the indicative size of New Transformation Funding in 2016/17 is £37.8 million.

    Detailed plans are being developed and more information will be provided in due course.

  • Christina Rees – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Christina Rees – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christina Rees on 2016-04-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, on how many occasions court cases have been listed in the same time slot as another case since 2010.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2016-05-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to ensure that NICE guidance is followed in the use of faecal microbiota transplants in the treatment of recurrent Clostridium difficile.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has produced guidance on faecal microbiota transplant for recurrent Clostridium difficile infection under the interventional procedure programme. This programme makes recommendations about the safety of the procedures and how well they work. However the guidance does not constitute a direction to National Health Service trusts to provide the interventions. Decisions about whether to provide a treatment are taken locally.

  • Ann Coffey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Ann Coffey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ann Coffey on 2016-07-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to publish the implementation plan and monitoring framework for the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

    Sarah Newton

    While there are no plans to publish an additional plan or monitoring framework, the Government has several mechanisms overseeing implementation and monitoring of the Modern Slavery Act and Strategy. The Inter-Departmental Group for Modern Slavery, chaired by the Hoe Secretary, publishes an annual report on Government work to tackle modern slavery. The Modern Slavery Threat Group chaired by the National Policing Lead, oversees the operational response. And the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner will publish his first annual report about the UK’s response this Autumn.

  • Jim Fitzpatrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Fitzpatrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many audiology services there are in England.

    David Mowat

    Comprehensive data on the number of audiology services in England is not collected.

    NHS England has no current plans to introduce financial incentives for the achievement of Improving Quality in Physiological Services (IQIPS) accreditation.

    As of 1 September, there are 39 organisations with IQIPS accreditation for audiology, covering 28 adult and 21 paediatric audiology services. If an organisation is accredited for both adult and paediatric audiology, United Kingdom Accreditation Service considers that one accreditation.

    In Commissioning Services for People with Hearing Loss: A framework for clinical commissioning groups, published in July, NHS England strongly encourages clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to expect providers to have completed the IQIPS self-assessment tool and applied for accreditation with UKAS, and achieve accreditation within the duration of their contract. This is reflected in the model service specification for adults.

    In the contract for Genomics Medicines Centres, Annex M requires National Health Service trusts nominated as Lead Organisations and Local Delivery Partners to be working towards diagnostic accreditation across all available schemes, including IQIPS.

    NHS England is also working with the Care Quality Commission to agree the use of scientific and diagnostic schemes as an information source for inspection purposes, as set out in their latest strategy.

    We currently have no plans to introduce mandatory accreditation of audiology services in England.

  • Lord Grocott – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Grocott – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Grocott on 2015-10-29.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they define (1) a fatal, and (2) a non-fatal, motion, or amendment to a motion, relating to a statutory instrument.

    Baroness Stowell of Beeston

    The Companion to the Standing Orders distinguishes between amendments to approval motions whose effect is to withhold the agreement of the House to an affirmative instrument, and amendments or motions that do not prevent approval of the instrument (Companion to the Standing Orders, Para. 10.14). The terms “fatal” and “non-fatal” do not appear.

    The amendments in the name of Baroness Meacher and Baroness Hollis of Heigham passed by the House on 26 October withheld the House’s agreement to the Tax Credits (Income Thresholds and Determination of Rates) Regulations 2015.

  • Tim Loughton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Tim Loughton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2015-11-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what measures she has implemented in response to the recommendations of the review panel overseeing the VCS Transitions Grant Programme which made its report in February 2011.

    Edward Timpson

    The Independent Review Panel of the grant transition programme was commissioned in 2011. The aim of the Independent Review Panel was to inform advice put to the Secretary of State. We do not publish advice given to Ministers.

    The advice of the Independent ReviewPanel informed the allocation process of awarding grants to the Voluntary and Community Sector in 2011-13. A ‘lessons learned’ exercise has been part of each subsequent grants allocation round. Guidance regarding the allocation of grants is reviewed routinely to ensure that it is robust and fit for purpose.