Category: Speeches

  • Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-01-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his Written Statement of 16 July 2015, HCWS114, what progress he has made on consulting on the removal of local clinical excellence awards and proposals for a reformed National Clinical Excellence Award Scheme and determining the priority that will be given to recognising service-based consultants within any new scheme and monitoring the recognition that they receive.

    Alistair Burt

    In September 2015 the British Medical Association (BMA) and NHS Employers agreed to recommence negotiations on reforming the National Health Service consultant contract, using observations from the independent Review Body on Doctors and Dentists Remuneration (DDRB) as a starting point.

    The negotiations, which concluded in December, included considering the replacement of Local Clinical Excellence awards with contractual performance payments. We expect an amended contract offer will be put to BMA members in the coming weeks.

    We also expect to consult on proposals for a reformed national scheme early this year. This will be informed by developments on consultant contract reform, as well as recommendations previously made by the DDRB in 2012. The consultation will be mindful of the importance of recognising the contributions of all consultants including service based consultants.

  • Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2016-01-29.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many companies have made special arrangements with HMRC to pay tax owed, and how the arrangements are assessed as reasonable and fair to the taxpayer in general as well as to the company concerned.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    HMRC does not enter into special arrangements with companies.

  • Tristram Hunt – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Tristram Hunt – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tristram Hunt on 2016-02-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) senior officials of her Department have had with representatives from the National Baccalaureate Trust since May 2015.

    Nick Gibb

    I am not aware of any discussions that have taken place with representatives from the National Baccalaureate Trust.

    The Department recently consulted on the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) asking for views on how schools will manage the challenges associated with implementing the commitment that the EBacc becomes the default position for all mainstream secondary pupils. The consultation closed on 29 January and we received 2,755 responses.

  • 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 2016-03-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Israeli counterparts on the demolition of the village of Umm el-Hiran.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    Our Embassy in Tel Aviv has raised UK concerns with the Israeli Government on this issue. We continue to encourage the Israeli authorities and Bedouin communities to work together to identify a satisfactory solution. Any solution must respect the equality of all Israel’s citizens, and be consistent with Israel’s commitments under international law.

  • Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-04-25.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will discuss with Amnesty International the evidence that it has collected that the government of Turkey has in Hatay Province been expelling groups of Syrians almost daily since mid-January.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We are in regular contact with Amnesty International in Turkey and would be happy to discuss evidence of specific cases.

  • Anne McLaughlin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Anne McLaughlin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne McLaughlin on 2016-06-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to ensure that Home Office rules do not deter women who are victims of domestic violence from accessing protection.

    Karen Bradley

    Our new Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy committed funding of £80 million between 2016 and 2020 to protect women and girls from violence, helping to deliver our goal to work with local commissioners, delivering a secure future for refuges and other initiatives. We continue to offer support to victims of domestic violence through our Immigration Rules and signpost asylum seekers suffering sexual violence to relevant support services.

  • Deidre Brock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Deidre Brock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Deidre Brock on 2016-07-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the cost to his Department was of its communications team in each year since 2007; and what the projected cost is of that team in 2016.

    Caroline Nokes

    The table below shows the details of actual and forecast expenditure for the staff cost of the Department’s Strategic Communications Directorate.

    The staff costs include the costs of salaries, employer national insurance contribution, employer pension contribution, performance related awards, overtime, travelling time, temporary duty allowance, secondments, contractors and staff substitutions. Also, associated IT costs and communications directorate external contracts are included.

    Financial Year

    Staff Costs £m

    2013-14

    17.543

    2014/15

    15.277

    2015/16

    15.109

    2016/17*

    15.134

    *forecast as at July 2016

    Following a significant organisational design review (ODR) which resulted in fundamental structural changes within the Corporate Centre of DWP, expenditure prior to 2013/14 is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

  • Colleen Fletcher – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Colleen Fletcher – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Colleen Fletcher on 2016-10-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the number of patients who have been denied a second allogeneic stem cell transplant following an individual funding request in each of the last three years; and what estimate his Department has made of the associated cost saving to the health service.

    Nicola Blackwood

    The total number of Individual Funding Requests for a second allogenic stem cell transplant that were declined during the calendar years 2013, 2014 and 2015 is below NHS England’s threshold for releasing individual data, as fewer than 10 individual funding requests were declined.

    Due to the complexity of such treatments, and any alternatives used, it is not possible to assess any associated cost impact to the National Health Service.

  • Baroness Randerson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Baroness Randerson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Randerson on 2015-11-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to introduce mandatory training on disability awareness for bus drivers, and if so, when.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    We do not plan to mandate disability awareness training for bus drivers at this time. Disability Awareness Training remains available to all drivers as part of the periodic Certificate of Professional Competence training syllabus and the industry has reported that virtually all drivers have now undertaken the training.

  • Virendra Sharma – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Virendra Sharma – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2016-01-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of delays in the publication of the hepatitis C framework on (a) all people and (b) members of the South Asian population in England with hepatitis C.

    Jane Ellison

    No such assessment has been made.