Category: Speeches

  • Lord Jopling – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Leader of the House of Lords

    Lord Jopling – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Leader of the House of Lords

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Jopling on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Leader of the House how many Questions for Written Answer were put to each Government department and answered within the target 10 working days in each month in the 2015–16 Session, together with the relevant percentages in each case.

    Baroness Stowell of Beeston

    In line with the practice established in the last session, following the commitment made by my predecessor (HL Deb 8 May 2014, col 1575), I will continue to publish annually the performance of departments on their promptness in dealing with Questions for Written Answer. My office will also continue to work with all departments to ensure prompt and comprehensive responses to all Questions for Written Answer.

    The statistics for the 2014-15 session are available as a Written Statement (HLWS39). I will shortly publish data on departmental performance for the 2015-16 session.

  • Tom Watson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Tom Watson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2016-07-12.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of how effective his Department has been in promoting the advancement of disabled members of staff.

    Ben Gummer

    Diversity and inclusion is a key priority for the Civil Service and for the Cabinet Office. The Executive Committee of the Cabinet Office recently commissioned work on a departmental diversity and inclusion strategy, which will be published this month. This strategy promotes a more inclusive culture in the department through key strands of work on leadership, declaration data, supporting those from under-represented groups and promoting the work of the employee diversity networks. A key aim of the strategy is to promote the advancement of those from all under-represented groups, including disabled members of staff.

    The Cabinet Office promotes a number of cross Government talent schemes to disabled staff, to accelerate their promotion to Senior Civil Service roles. This includes Civil Service wide talent schemes such the Future Leaders Scheme (aimed at G6&7 staff) and the Senior Leaders Scheme (aimed at SCS Pay Band 1). Additionally, it promotes development schemes aimed specifically at BAME and disabled staff including the Accelerate talent programme (for SCS) and the Positive Action Pathway (for staff below SCS).

    The Cabinet Office has a well established Disability Network staffed by volunteers, which promotes and supports the work of employees with disabilities. In addition, the Cabinet Office recently created the The Disability Action Group, which is a sub-committee of the Cabinet Office Executive Committee and reports to the Permanent Secretary and the Director General Disability Champion on disability confidence and inclusion in the Cabinet Office. The group ensures civil service wide initiatives are acted upon and that our people with a disability are considered in any building, technology or change projects.

  • Patrick Grady – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Patrick Grady – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the government of Sudan on the use of funds earmarked under the Khartoum Process by Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The EU has made absolutely clear that no funding will be provided to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). We have raised our concerns about the use of the RSF to manage migration directly with the Government of Sudan, most recently during the visit of the UK Special Representative for Sudan and South Sudan to Khartoum in September.

  • David Amess – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    David Amess – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Amess on 2015-11-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2015 to Question 13645, (a) how and (b) by whom each head teacher was selected to work with her Department on improving the provision of PSHE in schools; and if she will make a statement.

    Edward Timpson

    The Department for Education regularly speaks to a wide range of head teachers, academy chief executives, teachers and subject associations. We invited a group of headteachers and PSHE practitioners to work with us on improving the quality of PSHE.

    These individuals were selected because of the high quality provision in their schools. The list of contributors will be known when the report is published.

  • Robert Jenrick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Robert Jenrick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Jenrick on 2015-12-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what information his Department holds on whether planning consent has been granted for a new traveller site situated in a conservation area within England since 2010.

    Brandon Lewis

    The Department does not hold the information requested. Although we collect quarterly data from local planning authorities on the planning decisions that they have made – including on new traveller sites – information is not collected on whether such decisions relate to sites within a conservation area.

  • Gareth Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Gareth Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-01-26.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people have taken part in the National Citizen Service (NCS) in each of the last five years; how many people he estimates will take part in the NCS in the next three years; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Rob Wilson

    Whilst the most recent figures for 2015 have not yet been confirmed, the table below shows numbers of National Citizen Service participants since the programme began in 2011.

    Year

    Number of NCS Participants

    2011

    8,434

    2012

    26,003

    2013

    39,566

    2014

    57,789

    2015

    To be published in 2016

    We have ambitious targets for the next three years, on a trajectory to deliver 300,000 participants per year in 2019. We are committed to extending the benefits of NCS to as many young people and communities as possible, by providing a place for every young person who wants one.

  • Lord Truscott – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Lord Truscott – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Truscott on 2016-02-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in the light of the experience in Oklahoma in the US, they plan to commission a detailed study into the potential correlation between fracking in the UK and more frequent earthquakes.

    Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

    Waste water re-injection in the US has been linked to seismic activity, but this technique has not been proposed in the UK and the Environment Agency will not permit re-injection of waste water into any formation at this stage.

    In the UK, we have over 50 years’ experience regulating the onshore oil and gas industry. Our regulator regime is robust and we have strong controls in place to mitigate the risk of any seismic activity in the UK.

  • Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-03-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 4 March 2016 to Question 29233, how much of the annual allocation of £130 million for carers’ breaks has been spent so far in 2015-16.

    Alistair Burt

    Every local area is required to set out in their Better Care Fund the plan for the level of resource that will be dedicated to carer-specific support, including how it has met its minimum contributions for funding towards carers’ breaks. Delivery against these plans is a matter for local determination.

  • Vicky Foxcroft – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Vicky Foxcroft – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Vicky Foxcroft on 2016-04-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what safeguards are in place to ensure that patients are not removed from patient registers without their prior knowledge.

    Alistair Burt

    Where a general practitioner (GP) practice wishes to remove a patient from their list the contract, between the practice and NHS England, requires practices to have reasonable grounds for doing so. The contract also requires practices to have notified the patient in the preceding 12 months that they are at risk of removal from the list and explained the reasons for this.

    Practices must notify NHS England and the patient of the intended removal and the reasons for the removal. It is the responsibility of NHS England to notify the patient that they will be, or have been, removed from their practice’s list of patients. Removal from the list will take place on the eighth day after NHS England receive notification of the removal or the date on which NHS England are notified that the patient has registered with another GP practice.

    Where a patient is receiving treatment at intervals of less than seven days, the removal will take place on the eighth day after treatment is no longer needed or the date on which NHS England receives notification that the patient has registered with another practice.

  • Lord Patten – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Lord Patten – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2016-05-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Evans of Bowes Park on 4 May (HL8001), whether they have requested that the taskforce set up by Universities UK includes members of those minorities subject to harassment and hate crime, representatives of the relevant law and order agencies, and independent members with no direct university involvement.

    Baroness Evans of Bowes Park

    The taskforce, established by Universities UK, is looking at all forms of violence and harassment affecting students. Its task is to bring together students, university experts and external organisations to consider the current evidence and what universities are currently doing to address issues of harassment and hate crime, including anti-Semitism, and what more needs to be done.

    The taskforce have had meetings with or received evidence from a wide range of organisations which includes the Union of Jewish Students, Rape Crisis, Tell Mama and Stonewall. In regards to anti-Semitism, the Taskforce has also received evidence from the Jewish Leadership Council, the Board of Deputies of British Jews and Community Security Trust. In terms of law and order agencies, evidence has been received from a number of lawyers and from the police via PAHELO (Police Association of Higher Education Liaison Officers).