Category: Speeches

  • Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-10-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many primates were imported into the UK for scientific research purposes in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

    Mike Penning

    The Home Office have previously published data on the numbers of non-human primates imported and used for scientific research in PQs 222873 (05 Feb 2015), 182703 (20 Jan 2014), 80687 (22 Nov 2011) and 76262 (25 October 2011). The numbers of non-human primates imported into the UK for scientific research were: 2,071 in 2010; 1,771 in 2011; and, 1,557 in 2012. This data was gathered from information supplied by project licence holders when requesting permission to import.

    On 1 January 2013, the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 was amended to transpose European Directive 2010/63/EU on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes. The amended legislation has no requirement to request prior permission to import non-human primates acquired from overseas breeding centres. Therefore, the Home Office does not hold the information requested for 2013 and 2014. The published Annual Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals in Great Britain provide information on the sources of non-human primates used in experimental procedures for 2013 and 2014.

  • Poulter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Poulter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his Written Statement of 4 November 2015, HCWS288, whether all current junior doctors will receive an 11 per cent pay rise under the proposed new contract.

    Ben Gummer

    We have consistently said that average earnings will remain the same under the new contract. Basic pay would increase by an average of 11%, under our firm offer, as a result of ending banding payments and redistributing current earnings, placing more in basic pay.

    This is something that the British Medical Association (BMA) said they wanted and that the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration has long recommended. All those moving fully onto the new contract would be paid on these terms.

    The hon. Member will note that the BMA has now returned to direct negotiations with NHS Employers, having walked away from discussions in October 2014.

  • Paul Blomfield – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Paul Blomfield – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether part-time students applying for maintenance support from 2018-19 will continue to be eligible for benefits.

    Joseph Johnson

    Eligibility criteria and specific rules of the scheme will be set out as part of the consultation.

  • Maria Caulfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Maria Caulfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Caulfield on 2016-01-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when human papilloma virus vaccinations will be available to men who have sex with men through genito-urinary medicine clinics; and what steps his Department is taking to promote that availability.

    Jane Ellison

    In November 2015, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), the expert body that advises the Government on all immunisation matters, advised that a targeted human papillomavirus vaccination programme should be undertaken for men who have sex with men up to 45 years of age who attend genitourinary medicine and HIV clinics. They noted that this should be subject to procurement of the vaccine and delivery of the programme at a cost-effective price.

    The Department is considering the JCVI’s advice and is undertaking a full equality analysis. The Department will confirm its plans in due course.

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he expects Highways England operatives to attend to the day burning street lamps on the M67 between Denton and Hyde in Greater Manchester.

    Andrew Jones

    There was a fault in the lighting mechanism along the M67 Motorway. To ensure that the lighting was fully operational overnight, Highways England has attended to the lighting mechanism and temporarily bypassed the defective component. As a result, the lighting columns were temporarily lit both during the day and night. Highways England returned the lighting to its correct hours of operation on 15 February 2016.

  • Baroness Doocey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Baroness Doocey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Doocey on 2016-03-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether anyone has been prosecuted for human trafficking offences in circumstances where the victim has been found in a cannabis factory.

    Lord Bates

    The information requested is not held centrally and could only be provided by reviewing individual case files, at disproportionate cost.

  • Baroness Gould of Potternewton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Baroness Gould of Potternewton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Gould of Potternewton on 2016-04-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to increasing access to long-acting reversible contraception post-pregnancy as recommended in the 2014 Annual Report of the Chief Medical Officer, The Health of the 51%: Women, and in NICE guidelines on postnatal care.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The Government’s Framework for Sexual Health Improvement in England sets out the need to increase access to all methods of contraception including long acting (LARC) methods and that better support is needed to access contraception after childbirth. Local authorities are mandated to provide access to the full range of contraception services and should work with clinical commissioning groups to ensure that contraception is discussed and all methods of contraception, including LARC, are accessible as part of the post-natal maternity pathway. Further guidance will be available in Public Health England’s Missed Opportunities in Pregnancy report. This addresses the missed opportunities for the provision of contraception along the maternity, abortion and early pregnancy loss pathways, and is now in the final stage of revisions and is expected to be published later in 2016.

  • Mark Durkan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Mark Durkan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Durkan on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if the Government will make a multi-year commitment which increases in real terms funding for education in humanitarian situations.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    The UK is committed to providing long-term support for education in emergencies and crises, and will continue to put contributions through the most effective channels based on their ability to deliver results. For example, following an initial £115million contribution to the No Lost Generation in Syria initiative, the UK has added a further £240million for education in Jordan and Lebanon over the next four years.

    The UK has played a leading role in the development of the Education Cannot Wait fund, which is designed to attract multi-year additional funding for education in emergencies and protracted crises. The UK has recently announced a multi-year commitment of £30million to the Education Cannot Wait fund at the World Humanitarian Summit on 23 May, as a founding donor to this important initiative.

  • Neil Coyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Neil Coyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Coyle on 2016-07-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effect of the local housing allowance cap on the capacity of housing providers to build new homes.

    Brandon Lewis

    The Government is committed to protecting the most vulnerable, including through protecting and further boosting the supported housing supply we have already.

    We are continuing to work with the supported housing sector and other partners to develop a sustainable and workable future for supported housing and will announce next steps in due course.

    In the meantime we have put in place a one year exemption for supported housing from the Local Housing Allowance cap.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Barker on 2016-10-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much inward investment the UK Trade Office in Raleigh, North Carolina is expected to generate in (1) 2017–18, and (2) 2018–19.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The British Government Office in Raleigh, North Carolina will contribute to inward investment objectives in support of the Department for International Trade’s targets for the South East United States. These targets are set by sector. North Carolina has one of the fastest growing economies in the United States. Our office there will allow us to explore opportunities for collaboration with the many institutions and businesses located in Raleigh’s Research Triangle Park.