Category: Speeches

  • Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-06-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much was spent on non-payroll staff in his Department in 2015-16.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is unable to confirm the amount spent on non-payroll staff in 2015-16 until the 2015-16 Accounts have been signed off and the National Audit Office has completed its audit. This information should be available after 6 July 2016 at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications .

    In 2014-15 the FCO spent £5.9m on non payroll staff – a 24% reduction from the previous year.

    “

  • Nusrat Ghani – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Nusrat Ghani – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nusrat Ghani on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans are in place for the proposed fare increase due on 1 January 2017 to directly fund improvements on the GTR network.

    Paul Maynard

    We have capped the rail fares we regulate at inflation (Retail Price Index) since 2014, and will continue to do so for the life of this parliament. This means those fares we regulate will not rise by more than1.9% in 2017. Limiting fares increases to inflation-only means that industry revenues keep track, but do not out-pace, the impact of inflation on their costs. Our current investment programme is the largest since the Victorian era and requires funding from both taxpayers and farepayers. As part of this, the GTR Franchise Agreement contains obligations requiring the franchisee to make significant improvements at stations and on trains through the life of the franchise. On the Thameslink network alone that means £1.6billion of new trains which started to be introduced earlier this summer and Gatwick Express has also benefited from new trains. During this time of major investment we are also clear that at the same time we must deliver a more joined up approach to running the trains and tracks and make things work better for the travelling public. That is why My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State has just announced a package of measure including a £20milion fund and the appointment of one of Britain’s most experienced rail industry figures to get the service running back as it should.

  • Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-10-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Department for International Development will provide funding to the United Nations Population Fund in 2017.

    Lord Bates

    The Department of International Development values the work of the UN Population Fund (UNPF), therefore we have guaranteed it £20 million of funding for the financial year 2016/2017. This funding is provided with the request that the UNPF works across the UN system on reform: to accelerate progress and to deliver improved results on the ground.

  • Mark Hendrick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Mark Hendrick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2015-10-29.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Written Statement of 16 July 2015 by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Cabinet Office, HCWS 127, on individual electoral registration, how much of the funding referred to in that statement has been allocated to each electoral registration office in England.

    John Penrose

    In total 103 Local Authorities in England are receiving additional funding to help target their remaining carry forward entries. Almost £570,000 of funding was allocated directly to 53 English authorities where carry forward entries accounted for over 5%, as a proportion of their registers, in May 2015. 59 Local Authorities in England, including 9 which had already received a direct allocation, successfully submitted bids for additional funding, sharing just over £450,000.

    The attached table sets out all 103 English authoritieswhich are receiving additional funding directly and those whhich submitted successful bids along with the total amount they are receiving.

  • Fiona Bruce – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Fiona Bruce – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona Bruce on 2015-11-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the report, Four Nations: How evidence based are alcohol policies across the UK, published by the Alliance for Useful Evidence in November 2015, if the Government will provide a single, clear, easy-to-access, up-to-date source of information on the full range of alcohol policies and programmes in each area of the UK.

    Mike Penning

    We will build on the 2012 Alcohol Strategy to tackle alcohol as a driver of crime and support people to stay healthy, whilst working with partners at a local and national level to reduce the impact of alcohol misuse. Alcohol licensing and policy is devolved to Scotland and Northern Ireland. We have no plans to provide the requested information on a UK wide basis.

  • Ian Lavery – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Ian Lavery – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Lavery on 2016-01-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Government plans to set a levy of at least three per cent of gross working premium on insurers to fund the Diffuse Mesothelioma Payments Scheme.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The levy will be set at a figure estimated to meet the cost of the Diffuse Mesothelioma Payment Scheme for 2015/16. This figure falls within industry expectations and below 3 per cent of employers’ liability gross written premium.

    A Ministerial written statement (HCWS460) was tabled in the House of Commons on 12 January 2016 and provides details of the Diffuse Mesothelioma Payment Scheme levy for 2015/16.

  • Sarah Wollaston – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Sarah Wollaston – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Wollaston on 2016-01-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department has taken to improve access to mental health services for children who have (a) been the victims of abuse and (b) experienced other trauma.

    Alistair Burt

    The information needed to link individuals who have experienced various forms of trauma with those who have experienced mental health problems is not collected centrally.

    We are committed to improving child and adolescent mental health services, which is why we are investing an additional £1.4 billion in services for children and young people with mental health problems over the course of this Parliament. The guidance issued by NHS England in August last year on Local Transformation Plans for children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing specified that the plans should address the full spectrum of need including those with particular vulnerability to mental health problems such as those who have been sexually abused or exploited. The bespoke assurance process that was undertaken by NHS England will therefore have addressed the extent to which this has been addressed in local plans.

    NHS England has commissioned a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the Local Transformation Plans, in order to support policy makers, local commissioners and services to understand and use the data that is contained within the plans to drive further improvements. Local Transformation Plans will be reviewed from a narrative, analytical and financial perspective, with thematic reviews carried out in key focus areas that align with Future in Mind principles.

    Sensitive and routine enquiry will be introduced in targeted health services, such as sexual health clinics and mental health services, to help identify those children who have been subjected to abuse and other traumatic experiences.

    NHS England also published a Commissioning Framework for Adult and Paediatric Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) Services in August 2015 which outlines the core services in SARCs and referral pathways to other services. These are now being rolled out throughout England and should lead to improved services for those who have experienced sexual assault, including children and young people.

  • Michael Dugher – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Michael Dugher – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Dugher on 2016-02-23.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many publicly-funded jobs relating directly to the Northern Powerhouse there are in (a) Barnsley East constituency, (b) Barnsley, (c) Yorkshire and the Humber, (d) London and (e) other regions of England.

    Greg Hands

    The latest regional public sector employment survey figures are available online at: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/pse/public-sector-employment/q3-2015/index.html, the figures for Barnsley and Barnsley East can be found in the Annual Population Survey (Oct 2014-Sep 2015): https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/default.asp.

  • Debbie Abrahams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Debbie Abrahams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Debbie Abrahams on 2016-03-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department spent on consultancy costs examining possible proposals for the future of the Access to Work scheme.

    Justin Tomlinson

    Following an internal review of Access to Work, a number of changes and customer service improvements were announced in March 2015. In support of our next stage of continuous improvement of Access to Work, we have commissioned independent business analysts to provide expert advice on how Access to Work can best deliver the Government’s ambition to increase numbers supported by the scheme by 65% over the course of the Parliament, and beyond.

    This work is still on-going and details of the contract can be found at https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/e06d7b31-1135-42c9-a81b-854984be1137

    “

  • Rebecca Long Bailey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Rebecca Long Bailey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rebecca Long Bailey on 2016-04-21.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the total receipts from Government asset sales were in each financial year from 1986 to 2009.

    Greg Hands

    Reporting on asset sales is made on a financial year basis in departmental accounts. Details of any specific historic asset sales can be found in announcements made at the time of sale.