Category: Speeches

  • Drew Hendry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Drew Hendry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Drew Hendry on 2016-09-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what support her Department provides to rural communities to install their own fibre networks when commercial and other Government programmes have been unable to reach their premises.

    Matt Hancock

    Through the Government’s investment of over £780 million, superfast broadband is now available to over 90% of homes and businesses in the UK, compared to 45% in 2010. By the end of 2017 it will be available to 95% of homes and businesses. The Government welcomes initiatives taken by local communities and others to support community fibre broadband projects.

  • Gill Furniss – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Gill Furniss – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gill Furniss on 2016-10-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many requests for confirmation of the right to work in the UK were received by the Employer Checking Service in the last 12 months; and how many such requests were confirmed.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    81,642 checks were received by the Employer Checking Service between 1st September 2015 and 31st August 2016. 53,006 of these checks confirmed the subjects right to work in the UK.

  • John Pugh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    John Pugh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Pugh on 2015-10-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many fines for their child’s non-attendance at school have been levied on parents in England in each year since 2005.

    Nick Gibb

    The number of penalty notices issued to parents for offences relating to Section 444(1) of the Education Act 1996 in each academic year since 2004/05 is set out online here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/parental-responsibility-measures-academic-year-2012-to-2013.

    The most recent data published by the Department for Education is for the academic year 2012/13. The department does not collect data regarding fines issued by the courts on this matter.

    The Ministry of Justice publishes data on criminal justice system outcomes by offence in England and Wales. This information can be viewed at the following link under the offence category “112A Education Acts”:

    www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2014

    “

  • Lord Stoddart of Swindon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Stoddart of Swindon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon on 2015-11-23.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Answer by Baroness Altmann on 19 November (HL Deb, col 265) promising to look at the gender pay gap for older women, whether they will also look into the gender pay gap between men and women under 35 years of age.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    We are pleased with the progress made towards eliminating the gender pay gap women working full time under the age of 40, but we are not complacent. To encourage young women to consider a wide range of career options, we have revised statutory guidance for schools on careers to raise aspirations; established a new Careers and Enterprise Company to encourage greater collaboration between employers and schools to inspire young people; supported the ‘Your Life’ campaign to encourage more young people to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM); and published the ‘Your Daughter’s Future’ guidance for parents.

  • Mark Menzies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Mark Menzies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Menzies on 2015-12-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what his policy is on pausing planning applications to build shale gas wells until after the Environment Agency has completed its consultation and published guidance for onshore oil and gas operations in the UK.

    James Wharton

    There is no policy to delay the determination of shale gas planning proposals pending the completion of the Environment Agency’s consultation on their updated Onshore Oil and Gas Sector Guidance issued on 26 November.

    The Government has in place a comprehensive regulatory framework for shale gas development. As part of this, the Environment Agency’s views on schemes can be taken into account by local planning authorities, or by the Secretary of State where relevant, in the determination of planning proposals for shale gas development.

  • Jeffrey M. Donaldson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Jeffrey M. Donaldson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeffrey M. Donaldson on 2016-01-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has for funding by his Department of regimental museums over the next five years; and if he will make a statement.

    Mark Lancaster

    In addition to the National Army Museum, in the current financial year the Ministry of Defence (MOD) supported 69 regimental and corps museums across the UK through a combination of a £1.3 million total grant in aid, £1.6 million salary costs, and providing utilities and some support running costs when a museum is located on a MOD site. Funding beyond the current financial year will be set later this year, and will be subject to the normal review process.

  • Lord Harrison – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Harrison – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Harrison on 2016-02-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what options they are considering to ensure that the student numbers for podiatry are maintained after August 2017.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The Department will run a consultation on how the funding reforms for nursing, midwifery and allied health education can be most successfully implemented. We currently expect to consult during March 2016. As part of this, an economic impact assessment and equality impact assessment will be published.

    Health Education England (HEE) will continue to have a key leading role in the commissioning of nursing, midwifery and allied health courses. It will continue to provide sufficient clinical placement funding for those places needed to meet the workforce planning needs of the National Health Service.

  • Lord Maginnis of Drumglass – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Maginnis of Drumglass – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Maginnis of Drumglass on 2016-02-29.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what has been the average time between (1) autism referrals and initial assessments, and (2) initial assessments and diagnosis, for each of the past five years.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    No formal statistics are collected of autism referrals, initial assessments or diagnoses. The Department does however commission Public Health England each year to carry out a self-assessment exercise with local authority areas on progress they are making in implementing the Autism Strategy for Adults in England. Local authorities work with their local partners including clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to informally answer a range of questions.

    In the exercise based on 2013 data, all 152 local authority areas replied but some did not answer all the questions. Areas were asked how many adults have completed the diagnostic pathway in the preceding year and 111 reported a total of 4,677. They were also asked the length of the average wait for referral to diagnostic services and 117 answered this question. The average of these figures, weighted for the population in the responding areas, was 27.9 weeks.

    The exercise based on 2014 data saw 149 areas respond. They were asked how many adults had received a diagnosis of an autistic spectrum condition in the preceding year and 128 reported a total of 5,109. Areas were also asked the length of the average wait between referral and assessment for all adults and 135 answered this question. The average of these figures, similarly weighted, was 19.6 weeks. Information on the waiting time between autism referrals and initial assessments, and between initial assessments and diagnosis, was not collected during these exercises. The next exercise will be launched later in the spring.

    The number of children and young people diagnosed with autism by the National Health Service is not collected centrally. Latest figures from the School Census (2015) state that there were 90,775 pupils with an autistic spectrum condition at state funded schools and non-maintained special schools in England. This has increased from a total of 56,250 in 2010 who were recorded as having a primary need of autism, but it is not directly comparable to the 2015 figures because of a change in collection methodology.

    New statutory guidance was issued in England in March 2015 to support implementation of the Adult Autism Strategy. This set out what people seeking an autism diagnosis can expect from local authorities and NHS bodies. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published three clinical guidelines on autism and a quality standard to assist health managers and practitioners in developing services. This includes a recommendation that an assessment is started within three months of the referral. NHS England has commenced a programme to visit CCGs to identify and share good practice in accessing autism diagnosis, and look at possible barriers. NHS England will complete a report on this by the end of April 2016.

  • Daniel Kawczynski – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Daniel Kawczynski – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Kawczynski on 2016-03-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his Serbian counterpart on the financial consequences of the EU sanctions on Russia on Serbia.

    Mr David Lidington

    The EU imposed sanctions on Russia in response to the annexation of Crimea and the crisis in Eastern Ukraine. Serbia has not currently imposed sanctions on Russia. No assessment on the financial consequences of EU sanctons on Russia has been made.

    Neither I, nor the Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), have had any disucssions with our Serbian counterparts on the financial consequences to Serbia of EU sanctions on Russia, but the UK Government has regularly encouraged Serbia, as an accession country, to align itself fully with EU foreign policy. The UK Government has not received any represenations from the Serbian government about the impact of EU sanctions on Russia on the Serbian economy.

  • Holly Lynch – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Holly Lynch – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Holly Lynch on 2016-04-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the progress of the EU Solidarity Fund application to help people affected by flooding.

    James Wharton

    The Government submitted an initial UK application to the EU Solidarity Fund on Friday 26 February. The Department for Communities and Local Government is in regular discussions with the devolved administrations, local authorities and other government departments including the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, as we work to refine our cost estimates and figures.