Category: Speeches

  • Jim Fitzpatrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Fitzpatrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2016-01-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to improve the information available on the quality of paediatric audiology services.

    Alistair Burt

    The Improving Quality in Physiological Services accreditation scheme has been established with the aim of improving service quality, care and safety for patients undergoing physiological diagnostics and treatment by promoting and recognising good quality practice in physiological services.

    Information about those services which have achieved accreditation is publicly available on the United Kingdom Accreditation Service website and to date audiology services are making good progress towards accreditation.

    Commissioning of accredited services is considered good practice and should be encouraged.

    In March 2015, the Department and NHS England published the Action Plan on Hearing Loss.

    A key action in the plan is the drafting of a Commissioning Framework. To ensure that issues concerning paediatric audiology are not neglected, the Commissioning Framework will include suggested care pathways and capture quality requirements which can be incorporated into the commissioning process. The framework will also include recommended Key Performance Indicators that can support commissioners to incorporate appropriate quality management in their contracts.

  • Rachel Reeves – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Rachel Reeves – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rachel Reeves on 2016-02-23.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the administration costs of the proposals in which child benefit for EU migrants would be indexed to the country where the child is resident for new claimants.

    Damian Hinds

    The Government’s new settlement means that EU nationals whose children live abroad will ultimately receive Child Benefit at a rate that reflects the conditions – including the standard of living and child benefit paid – of the country where their child lives. This will restore fairness to the system.

    Savings relating to the indexation of Child Benefit will be confirmed once the rates have been finalised.

  • Sue Hayman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Sue Hayman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sue Hayman on 2016-03-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to paragraph 4.10 of his Department’s response to its consultation on aids and appliances and the daily living component of personal independence payment, published in March 2016, if he will publish the raw data referred to in that paragraph; and whether that data was subject to peer review.

    Justin Tomlinson

    As confirmed by my right honourable friend the Secretary of State in his statement to the House on 21 March, the proposed changes to PIP will not be going ahead.

    We spend around £50bn every year on benefits alone to support people with disabilities or health conditions, with spending on Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Disability Living Allowance (DLA) having increased by more than £3 billion since 2010. The government is committed to talking to disabled people, their representatives, healthcare professionals and employers to ensure the welfare system works better with the health and social care systems and provides help and support to those who need it most.

  • Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-04-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many public consultations his Department has conducted on the subject of mayors in Cheshire and Warrington since 2010.

    James Wharton

    Devolution deals, including commitments for mayoral governance, are negotiated and agreed with those democratically elected to represent their area, and who are accountable to their local electorate.

    This Department has not undertaken direct public consultations on this matter in Cheshire and Warrington.

  • William Wragg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    William Wragg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by William Wragg on 2016-06-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many pilot areas his Department plans for the HPV vaccination for men who have sex with men; where his Department plans for those pilots to take place; and if he will make a statement.

    Jane Ellison

    It is estimated that up to 40,000 men who have sex with men (MSM) who attend genitourinary medicine (GUM) and HIV clinics will be offered the human papillomavirus vaccination.

    There has been a positive response from those invited to participate, and confidence that the pilot will include a good geographical spread of providers, including those with the highest populations of MSM, as well as in rural areas with smaller MSM populations. Public Health England is currently completing the selection of the GUM and HIV clinics that will take part in the pilot.

  • 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 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the relative difference in insurance premiums for (a) electric vehicles and (b) diesel or petrol models.

    Mr John Hayes

    Analysis carried out for the government in 2015 suggested that insurance premiums are broadly equivalent between electric vehicles and their petrol or diesel equivalents.

  • Lord Laird – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Lord Laird – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

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

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government in what way the Northern Ireland Parades Commission is accountable to them and to the courts.

    Lord Dunlop

    The Parades Commission operates independently of Government in line with the provisions contained in the Public Processions (NI) Act 1998.

    The Commission is accountable to the courts for its operational decisions.

    The Commission is accountable to the Northern Ireland Office for the management of its resources.

  • Ian Austin – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Ian Austin – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2015-10-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of airfields on land designated as brownfield sites.

    Brandon Lewis

    National planning policy already requires local planning authorities to take account of airfields’ growth and role in serving business, leisure, training and emergency needs. In March we issued guidance emphasising the need for local planning authorities to have regard to the extent to which an aerodrome contributes to connectivity outside the authority’s own boundaries.

    Currently, all airfields, as land that has been previously developed, are regarded as brownfield land.

    We will work with the aviation sector to ensure the current policy relating to development on airfields is better understood.

  • Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-11-26.

    To ask the Prime Minister, with reference to pages 12 and 13 of his response to the Second Report from the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, on the Extension of Offensive Military Operations to Syria, HC 457, what specific steps have been taken through the Financial Action Task Force and Egmont Groups to block funding of ISIS.

    Mr David Cameron

    The Financial Actions Task Force (FATF) report on ‘Financing of the Terrorist Organisation ISIL’ (Feb 2015) sets out specific measures which countries should adopt, over and above general measures designed to block terrorist financing, to ensure Daesh cannot access the international financial system. The FATF conducted a report for the G20 Leaders in November 2015 on implementation. They found almost all 194 jurisdictions had criminalised terrorist financing and 90% of jurisdictions had a legal framework to enforce sanctions. There were 33 jurisdictions which had secured convictions for terrorist financing.

    The Egmont Group comprises 151 members, including the UK, USA, France and regional partners such as Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar and Lebanon. In June 2015 the Group expanded its membership; 42 new bilateral agreements to exchange information were announced to help combat global money laundering and terrorist threats. The Group also issued a communication to its members in June 2015 regarding Daesh which encouraged members to use its unique global network to combat Daesh money laundering and financing by increasing international cooperation, including the exchange of information.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-01-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he plans to take to ensure new litigants in person as a result of changes to personal injury laws and procedures announced in the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015 are able to meet the requirements of the personal injury portal.

    Dominic Raab

    The Government will consult on the detail of the new reforms in due course. The consultation will be accompanied by an impact assessment.