Category: Speeches

  • Neil Parish – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Neil Parish – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Parish on 2015-11-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if she will take steps to promote the use of British welded steel instead of imported seamless steel in the shale gas exploration industry.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Government would like to see UK steel companies take advantage of the commercial opportunities that a shale hydrocarbon exploration and production industry will bring. However, the decision over the use of welded steel tubes will predominantly depend on the design and specification of the well and the geology. Government officials will continue to engage with the steel industry over this large potential opportunity and will encourage it to continue its dialogue with the onshore oil and gas industry.

  • Nia Griffith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Nia Griffith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nia Griffith on 2015-12-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of the forms on her Department’s website is available in Welsh.

    James Brokenshire

    The Home Office currently provides 336 forms in total on GOV.UK, of which 5 are published in the Welsh language, representing 1.5% of the total.

  • Andrew Percy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andrew Percy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2016-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many defibrillators are provided in each building his Department manages.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    At the 18 January 2016, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) had a total of 12 public use Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) across the FCO’s four UK sites while FCO tenants at Hanslope Park have an additional 15 AEDs for their own internal use.

  • Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2016-02-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the health status of low-income university students in comparison to other university students.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    We have made no specific assessment of that issue. However, whilst higher education is an adult environment, it is a long-established principle that universities have a duty of care to their students.

    Where health issues are related to a disability, universities have a legal duty under the Equality Act 2010 to provide reasonable adjustments for disabled students and to monitor their compliance with their Equality Act duties. The Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties) Regulations 2011 require institutions to publish information as to their compliance with the general public sector equality duty.

    There is a range of guidance and support available to institutions on supporting students with mental health conditions from a range of sector and medical bodies including Universities UK (UUK), the Equality Challenge Unit (ECU) and the Association of Managers of Student Services in Higher Education (AMOSSHE).

  • Ian Blackford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Ian Blackford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Blackford on 2016-02-29.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies on reducing the Government’s stake in the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) of the (a) decision to defer the redemption of dividend payment by and (b) recent changes in the share price of that bank.

    Harriett Baldwin

    The Government has consistently said that disposing of our stake in RBS is the right thing to do for the taxpayer and the British economy. Returning RBS to private ownership will promote financial stability, a more competitive banking sector, and the interests of the wider economy.

    The first sale of government shares in RBS was conducted in August 2015, and raised £2.1 billion for the taxpayer. The government will continue to return RBS to private ownership and conduct further sales of RBS shares, subject to market conditions.

  • Tom Blenkinsop – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Tom Blenkinsop – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that medical assessors and people considering appeals have sufficient knowledge of muscular dystrophy, neuromuscular conditions and other rare and progressive conditions.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The assessment for Personal Independence Payment is carried out by registered health professionals who have specialist training in assessing the impact of disability and health conditions on an individual’s functional ability, including conditions such as muscular dystrophy, neuromuscular conditions and other rare and progressive conditions.

    All health professionals receive comprehensive training in disability analysis which includes a functional evaluation as to how medical conditions such as muscular dystrophy, neuromuscular conditions and other rare and progressive conditions, and the long-term medical treatment of those conditions, affect their ability to perform day-to-day activities. Prior to carrying out an assessment they routinely refresh their knowledge of any condition with which they are not fully familiar.

    The Department’s Decision Makers and Appeal Writers receive training in health conditions to assess each case individually using the evidence provided by the claimant and the Health Professional, and can call on additional support from a Health Professional as necessary.

    In all Personal Independence Payment assessments consideration is given to whether claimants can complete activities safely, to an acceptable standard, repeatedly and in a reasonable time period.

    We have also worked closely with medical experts and charities to make significant improvements to the Work Capability Assessment, including strengthening the training programme to put more emphasis on making sure that assessors do not just focus on how someone manages on a ‘good day’ but also consider their ‘bad days’ if they have a health issue that fluctuates.

  • Colleen Fletcher – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Colleen Fletcher – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Colleen Fletcher on 2016-04-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has undertaken an assessment of the potential effect of changes to employer national insurance and pension contributions on (a) primary and (b) secondary school budgets.

    Nick Gibb

    The most recent change to the employer contribution rate for the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) took place in September 2015. At that time the rate was increased from 14.1% to 16.4% of the total pay bill from September 2015. The current employer contribution rate will not change until after the next scheme valuation is complete, which is expected to be in April 2018.

    On 1 April this year, the single tier state pension was introduced. Members of previously contracted out schemes will no longer receive a National Insurance rebate. The National Insurance rate for employers has increased therefore by 3.4% for all salary payments between £8,112.01 and £40,040. Based on data from the last scheme valuation this change is expected to add on average 2% to schools’ pay bill, in relation to the TPS, from 1 April 2016.

  • Nicholas Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Nicholas Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Brown on 2016-06-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to improve teacher retention.

    Nick Gibb

    It is vital for schools to be able to retain good teachers – that is why we have made policy interventions in the areas that teachers tell us matter most, such as improving pupil behaviour and reducing unnecessary workload.

    We have appointed behaviour expert Tom Bennett to lead a review to ensure new teachers are fully trained in managing behaviour in 21st century schools.

    In response to our Workload Challenge, we set up three independent review groups to address unnecessary workload in the key areas of marking, planning and data management. The groups reported early this year, and set out clear principles about what should happen in schools to reduce unnecessary workload in these areas. The Government has accepted all the relevant recommendations made by the groups, and we will continue to work with the teaching profession to make sure they have the ongoing support they need to continue reducing unnecessary teacher workload.

    We have recently conducted the first biennial Teacher Workload Survey, which will allow us to track teacher workload over the coming years. The results of the first survey will be published later this year.

    Approximately 90 per cent of all teachers are in service in state-funded schools the year after they qualify, and 72 per cent of those who qualified in 2009 were still in teaching five years later. Over the longer term, over 60 per cent of teachers remain in service 10 years after qualifying.

  • Norman Lamb – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Norman Lamb – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Norman Lamb on 2016-09-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the psychological support available for people with dystonia and other neurological conditions; and if he will take steps to improve the process of such support.

    David Mowat

    NHS England is responsible for commissioning specialised neurological services and has published a service specification for neurological care that sets out what providers must have in place to offer evidence-based, safe and effective services. Included in this is an expected availability of psychological support for people with movement disorders including dystonia. The specification can be found at the following link:

    www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/d04-neurosci-spec-neuro.pdf

    “

  • Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-10-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel about the recent attacks in Silwan and the fatal shooting of Ali Alef Shyoukhi.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    While we have not made any representations to the Israeli authorities on this issue, we have an ongoing dialogue with the Israeli authorities about the Israel Defence Forces’ use of live fire. We remain concerned by the use of force by Israeli security personnel in response to protests and security incidents. We regularly raise these concerns with the Israeli Government, stressing the need for proportionality and proper accountability.