Category: Speeches

  • Grant Shapps – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Grant Shapps – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grant Shapps on 2016-10-14.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to substitute funding to start-up loan schemes previously funded completely or partly by EU programmes after the UK leaves the EU.

    Mr David Gauke

    As set out by the Chancellor, the Treasury will guarantee funding for structural and investment fund projects and funding secured through direct bids to the European Commission, even after the UK leaves the EU. This is where the funding provides strong value for money and is in line with domestic strategic priorities. These include projects signed after Autumn Statement and before we leave the EU.

    Alongside this funding, the Start-Up loan programme, funded by the UK government and overseen by the British Business Bank (BBB), has supported over 39,500 entrepreneurs to set up their own business and facilitated loans of over £230m.

  • Liz McInnes – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Liz McInnes – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liz McInnes on 2015-11-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what change there was in the number of firefighter posts in the Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service in 2013-14.

    Greg Clark

    Information on the number of full time equivalent firefighter posts for each fire and rescue service and for each year, together with greater detail, is available in the Department’s Fire and Rescue Operational Statistics publication (Table 2 for full time equivalent posts) at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/fire-and-rescue-authorities-operational-statistics

    “

  • Peter Kyle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Peter Kyle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2015-12-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of care homes which have closed in the last two years.

    Alistair Burt

    We are informed by the Care Quality Commission that between 31 March 2013 and 31 March 2015, the number of registered residential care and nursing homes reduced by 425. The total number of registered residential care and nursing home places increased by 1,437 over the same period.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-01-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Syrian refugees were resettled in each (a) region and (b) parliamentary constituency in the last 12 months; and if she will make a statement.

    Richard Harrington

    The Home Office is committed to publishing data on the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme as part of the regular quarterly Immigration Statistics, in line with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics. The next set of figures will be in the quarterly release on 25 February 2016 and will cover the period October – December 2015.

    This information will not show where refugees have been resettled, as resettlement under the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme by local authorities is voluntary. It is a matter for each local authority to decide whether they want to publish the fact of their participation and the numbers of refugees they take.

  • Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-02-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Highways England document, Cycling Strategy: our approach, published in January 2016, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the needs of cyclists are also considered when improvements are made to the local road network.

    Andrew Jones

    Decisions on how best to provide for cyclists on local roads are matters for the local authority – not only do they have a duty to balance the needs of all road users when considering how to design and manage their road networks, but they also have a detailed understanding of their roads.

    Our guidance in Local Transport Note 2/08: Cycle Infrastructure Design is comprehensive and allows councils to design good, safe schemes within current legislation. It already includes most of the measures highlighted as good practice by, for example, the All Party Parliamentary Cycling Group, and British Cycling.

    Government promotes best practice through the Cycle Proofing Working Group; an advisory body to the Government on ‘cycle proofing’. They share knowledge of cycle proofing with those designing and implementing cycle infrastructure on UK roads through their website:-

    https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/cycle-proofing-working-group

  • Lord Scriven – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Scriven – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Scriven on 2016-02-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the current performance and practices of South Yorkshire Police regarding investigations of sexual exploitation of children.

    Lord Bates

    As I set out in response to the Noble Lord on 20 August 2015, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary published a National Child Protection Inspection post-inspection review of South Yorkshire Police in July 2015. The report found that South Yorkshire Police had made child protection a priority and was taking steps to improve its response to child sexual exploitation although areas of poor practice still remained. South Yorkshire Police must continue to work towards implementing Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary’s recommendations. Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary is continuing to monitor South Yorkshire Police’s approach to child protection.

    The South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner has commissioned an independent review into the force’s handling of reports of child sexual exploitation. The review, led by Professor John Drew, launched on 30 September and the report will be published this year.

  • Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-03-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what work has been carried out under the National Flood Resilience Review on the costs of protecting the UK from future flooding and extreme weather events.

    Rory Stewart

    The National Flood Resilience Review, led by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, is making good progress. It is gathering evidence and using extreme flood modelling to stress-test the resilience of Core Cities and key infrastructure. This work will inform future options on the investment needed to secure the resilence of the country against such flood events. Our call for evidence closed on 4 March and we are now reviewing the 66 responses received.

  • Debbie Abrahams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Debbie Abrahams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Debbie Abrahams on 2016-04-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of people with acute strokes were treated with thrombolysis in the last 12 months.

    Jane Ellison

    Information on the proportion of stroke patients treated with thrombolysis in 2015 is set out in the table below. This information covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

    Thrombolysis

    January-March 2015

    April-June 2015

    July-September 2015

    October-December 2015

    Percentage of all stroke patients given thrombolysis (all stroke types)

    11.1%

    11.4%

    10.9%

    11.0%

    Percentage of eligible patients given thrombolysis

    81.8%

    83.3%

    85.6%

    85.6%

    This information is taken from the Stroke Sentinel Audit Programme’s clinical audit. More details can be found at:

    https://www.strokeaudit.org/

    “

  • Jeremy Lefroy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Jeremy Lefroy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeremy Lefroy on 2016-06-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many fines of what total monetary value were written off by HM Courts Service in Staffordshire in each year since 2011-12.

    Caroline Dinenage

    Due to the limited management information that can be extracted from the Libra system it is not possible to identify how many financial impositions have been cancelled.

    The table below shows the total value of financial impositions cancelled in Staffordshire in each of the year since 2010-11.

    Year

    Total Value Legally Cancelled regardless of Imposition date

    Total Value Admin Cancelled regardless of Imposition date

    2010-11

    £1,237,941

    £722,603

    2011-12

    £1,181,416

    £692,066

    2012-13

    £1,256,081

    £924,630

    2013-14

    £1,406,722

    £835,113

    2014-15

    £1,320,535

    £656,536

    Apr 2015 – Dec 2015

    £1,154,484

    £410,937

    The data for January 2016 to March 2016 is not included as the data has not been published yet.

    A legal cancellation can be applied when an imposition has been cancelled in court by a Judge or Magistrate, for example if an appeal is successful or if some of the original amount imposed is remitted after the offenders financial circumstances have been reconsidered.

    Financial impositions are only administratively cancelled after all attempts to collect the amount outstanding have been made, and in accordance with a strict cancellation criteria. Any imposition which has been administratively cancelled still retains legal status and can be written back at any time if more information is found which will enable collection, for example if a new address for the offender is discovered. We periodically review administratively cancelled accounts.

  • Ian Austin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Ian Austin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with the Skills Funding Agency on that body’s proposal to reduce 16-18 apprenticeship funding.

    Robert Halfon

    The department and the Skills Funding Agency have worked closely together on the development of the apprenticeships funding policy and plans for implementation, including on the digital apprenticeship service.

    We have engaged thousands of employers and training providers throughout the development of the apprenticeship funding reforms and continue to do so. This engagement helped to shape the funding policy proposals for England from May 2017, published on 12 August.

    A survey seeking detailed views from employers and providers closed on 5 September, and the feedback will inform the final policy, which we aim to publish in October.