Category: Speeches

  • Ann Clwyd – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Ann Clwyd – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ann Clwyd on 2016-06-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to recommendation 5 on page 251 of the Report of the Macur Review, published in March 2016, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of a police investigation to consider whether there is sufficient evidence and public interest relating to matters of malfeasance in public office in the Welsh Office in relation to the abuse of children in care in North Wales.

    Caroline Dinenage

    As the then Secretary of State for Wales said in his statement to the House on 17 March, the police and the Crown Prosecution Service are aware of the specifics of this matter and it is for them to consider further.

  • Andrew Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Andrew Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to introduce a maximum time limit on the length of time for which a person can be detained under immigration powers.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Government does not believe that it is appropriate for there to be a formal time limit on immigration detention. A statutory time limit would serve only to encourage individuals to frustrate asylum and immigration processes in order to reach a point at which they have to be released.

    However, the Government is committed to ensuring that individuals are detained for the shortest period necessary and is introducing a range of reforms to the way in which immigration detention is managed, including greater judicial oversight of immigration detention through the Immigration Act 2016. Section 11 of Schedule 10 imposes a duty to arrange consideration of bail before the First-tier Tribunal at four months from the point of detention, or the most recent Tribunal consideration of bail, and every four months thereafter.

  • Lord Wigley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Wigley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Wigley on 2016-10-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what policy options they have considered regarding controls on EU citizens entering the UK through Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland following the UK’s departure from the EU.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    At present, the UK remains in the EU and there have been no immediate changes to the rights and obligations that membership entails. This means that EEA, Swiss and UK nationals continue to have the same rights and status that they had before the referendum.

    The Prime Minister has been clear that a practical solution in the interests of all parts of the UK should be found to manage the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland once the UK has left the EU. Senior Officials from the UK, Ireland and Northern Ireland are working closely to consider the implications of the UK’s exit from the EU on the Common Travel Area (CTA). The CTA arrangement predates the EU and leaders in the UK and Ireland have been unequivocal –both want to maintain the current arrangement.

  • Tom Blenkinsop – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Tom Blenkinsop – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he plans to take to (a) reduce waiting times for children to receive an assessment for a mental health condition and (b) address the disparity between those waiting times across different NHS mental health trusts.

    Alistair Burt

    Waiting times are not currently collected centrally, however the Government accepts there is variation in waiting times and is committed to improving access and is introducing the first ever waiting time standards for mental health services.

    These include an access and waiting time standard for Children and Young People with an Eating Disorder. This states that National Institute of Health and Care Excellence concordant treatment should commence within a maximum of four weeks from first contact with a designated healthcare professional for routine cases and within one week for urgent cases. Data collected in 2016 will help inform incremental percentage increases in compliance with the standard, with the aim of 95% of patients being treated within the standard’s timescale by 2020.

    We have also introduced an access and waiting times standard on Early Intervention in Psychosis announced in Mental health services: achieving better access by 2020 which came into force in April 2015. Whilst focused on all ages, most individuals experiencing a first episode of psychosis are in the 16-25 age group.

    The setting of a blanket access and waiting time standard for children and young people’s mental health services is not feasible due to the wide range of conditions, services and care pathways this covers. However, NHS England will be working with partner organisations to lead work on the development of further access and waiting time standards for children’s mental health as part of the transformation programme on children and young people’s mental health.

    At a local level, clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) have worked with local partners to produce Local Transformation Plans for children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing that will set out how they will improve support for children and young people in line with the vision in Future in mind. In addition, CCGs have legal duty to consider the need to reduce inequalities in access to, and outcomes from healthcare services, and we would expect commissioners to have due regard to waiting times as part of this.

    The new Mental Health Services Dataset will begin from January 2016, to provide data for both adults and children on outcomes, length of treatment, the source of referral, location of appointment and demographic information.

  • Norman Lamb – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Norman Lamb – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Norman Lamb on 2015-11-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the (a) location is of each mast which has been erected and (b) status is of further masts currently in planning as part of the Mobile Infrastructure Project.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    There are 15 live MIP masts as at the end of November 2015. These masts are in the following locations:

    • Grantham and Stamford, Lincolnshire

    • Weaverthorpe, North Yorkshire

    • North Molton, Devon

    • Portesham, West Dorset

    • Roadwater, Somerset

    • Ipswich, Suffolk​

    • Rattlesden, Suffolk

    • Seaton, Cornwall

    • Peakswater, Cornwall

    • Calstock, Cornwall

    • Weston Green, Cambridgeshire

    • Rothwell, Lincolnshire

    • Manaccan, Cornwall

    • Londonderry, Derry and Strabane – Northern Ireland

    • Fermanagh, Fermanagh and Omagh – Northern Ireland

    Over 50 other potential mast sites are currently being progressed by our supplier with the aim of delivering as many of these as possible by the project end date of 31 March 2016.

  • Lord Touhig – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Touhig – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Touhig on 2016-01-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will review their policy of not offering British passports to former members of the Hong Kong Military Service Corps and the Hong Kong Royal Naval Service.

    Lord Bates

    We have agreed to undertake a thorough assessment of the request that this group are offered right of abode in the United Kingdom, based on their employment in Hong Kong. This is under consideration.

  • Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-02-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress has been made on implementing the Cardiovascular Disease Outcomes Strategy.

    Jane Ellison

    NHS England continues to support implementation of the Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) Outcomes Strategy. It is working closely with Public Health England (PHE) on a range of preventative issues which support implementation of the strategy and promote wider improvement in outcomes. These include addressing areas such as diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol together with the further development of NHS Health Checks, where recent research has shown that with appropriate clinical treatment, an estimated 2,500 people will have avoided a major cardiovascular event, such as heart attack or stroke over the last five years as a result of the programme.

    NHS England is also working with partners to support actions that promote earlier diagnosis of conditions such as atrial fibrillation, heart failure and valve disease and improved survival from out of hospital cardiac arrest.

    NHS England also hosts an expert forum which brings together the relevant National Clinical Directors, national charities, the National CVD Intelligence Network, PHE and the Department. This collaborative continues to coordinate delivery of the work which was initiated in the CVD Outcomes Strategy.

  • – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

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

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the anonymous evidence given to the Public Accounts Committee to the effect that national regulators are pressuring NHS providers to potentially mislead the public and Government departments over their true

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    From 1 April this year NHS Improvement will be the operational name for the national regulator for National Health Service providers, replacing Monitor and the NHS Trust Development Authority.

    NHS Improvement have asked finance directors to review the accuracy of accounting entries and scrutinise estimates as far as possible to ensure they are a true and accurate reflection of the financial position of each trust. All financial statements for individual providers will be prepared in line with international Financial Reporting Standards and Government budgeting rules and are subject to independent, external audit. The Department is therefore satisfied that the current NHS Improvement approach is entirely appropriate and would be so in any financial year.

    NHS Improvement representatives have committed to address this point with the Public Accounts Committee at the earliest opportunity and have written directly to the chair.

  • Mark Pritchard – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Mark Pritchard – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Pritchard on 2016-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will discuss with vehicle manufacturers improvements to in-vehicle technology to prevent vehicle hacking.

    Anna Soubry

    Government recognises that vehicle security is a priority to ensure the safety and security of the public and their data. Government is actively engaging with the automotive industry, including vehicle manufacturers and suppliers to develop understanding and capability around the rapidly evolving cyber threats to vehicles.

    As vehicle technology is advancing rapidly, particularly with respect to connectivity and automation technologies, the nature and level of threat, together with vulnerabilities and the potential impact of any successful exploit is changing. It is important that vehicles are "secure by design" and government is working with industry to ensure the opportunities of these new technologies can be realised safely and securely.

    Connected technologies present cyber security challenges across a broad range of sectors. The recent Strategic Defence Spending Review, and the recently announced National Cyber Security Centre provide cross-cutting strategy for cyber security and it is important that automotive is considered as a part of this wider agenda.

  • Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-04-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offenders have participated in an out-of-court restorative justice resolution on more than one occasion.

    Mike Penning

    The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

    It is vital that victims see swift and certain justice delivered to their offender. It is also vital that victims of crime get the help they need to cope with, and recover from, crime.

    That is why we have protected the victims’ budget and given Police and Crime Commissioners greater flexibility to decide which services are needed in their local area. Restorative Justice can be a part of a wide range of services offered to victims of crime, and we are providing advice and guidance to help Police and Crime Commissioners deliver it.