Category: Speeches

  • Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-05-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, which coal-fired power stations are either currently producing electricity or are on standby to do so if the need arises; and if she will make a statement.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The following coal fired power stations currently retain Transmission Entry Capacity and are therefore capable of supplying electricity into the wholesale market when it is economic for them to do so: Aberthaw B, Cottam, Drax (units 1,4,5 & 6), Fiddler’s Ferry (units 1,2 & 3) Ratcliffe-on-Soar, Uskmouth, West Burton and Rugeley. The owner of Rugeley has announced its intention to close the station by the end of June 2016.

    Eggborough and Fiddler’s Ferry (unit 1) are currently part of National Grid’s Supplementary Balancing Reserve, and are capable of supplying electricity if the need arises.

  • Rosie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Rosie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rosie Cooper on 2016-07-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the findings of the report entitled Quality, safety and management assurance review at Liverpool Community Health NHS Trust, published by Capsticks Solicitors LLP on 22 March 2016; and what discussions her Department has had with the National Offender Management Service on the findings of that report on prisoner health services.

    Sir Oliver Heald

    NHS Improvement is establishing an independent investigation into the failings reported by Capsticks at Liverpool Community Health NHS Trust. We await the investigation report and will consider its findings carefully. The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) is committed to learning from these investigations alongside NHS England. When it became evident that prison healthcare services at HMP Liverpool needed improvement, NOMS officials worked closely in risk summits with NHS England, and from January 2015 Merseycare NHS Foundation Trust with Lancashire Foundation NHS Trust replaced Liverpool Community Health NHS Trust as the health service provider at HMP Liverpool.

  • James Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    James Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by James Davies on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress his Department has made on increasing the ability of GP practices in North Wales to attract locums since the Government responded to the Third Report of the Welsh Affairs Committee of Session 2014-15, HC 404, on Cross-border health arrangements between England and Wales.

    David Mowat

    The ability of general practitioner practices in North Wales to attract locums is a matter for the Welsh Government, since health and health services are devolved subjects.

  • Emma Reynolds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Emma Reynolds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emma Reynolds on 2015-11-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the new proposed public health funding formula will be linked to an assessment of deprivation and greatest need in order to determine the allocation that different local authority areas receive; and what steps his Department is taking otherwise to ensure that areas of greatest need are not disproportionately affected by overall reductions in public health allocations.

    Jane Ellison

    On 8 October 2015, the Department published Public health grant: proposed target allocation formula for 2016/17, an engagement of behalf of the Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation (ACRA), a technical consultation to inform ACRA’s recommendations to Ministers on target shares of the local authority public health grant.

    ACRA is currently considering the responses before providing its final advice to ministers. Actual allocations for 2016-17 will be determined separately and will be announced in due course.

  • Andrew Percy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Andrew Percy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2015-12-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how his Department is encouraging the use of medical nutrition as a integral part of healthcare where there is an identified clinical need; and if he will make a statement.

    Jane Ellison

    Doctors are able to advise patients on any aspect of diet relevant to the treatment and management of a medical condition as part of their normal practise.

    The Government also takes active steps to support healthy eating and vitamin supplementation as a protective measure. The Healthy Start scheme is a United Kingdom wide government scheme to improve the health of low income pregnant women and families on benefits and tax credits. Women who are at least 10 weeks pregnant and families with children under four years old get vouchers to spend on milk, plain fresh or frozen fruit and vegetables (with nothing added). They also receive a voucher to swap, free of charge, for Healthy Start vitamins. Healthy start vitamins contain the supplements recommended by the Department to prevent deficiency; Vitamins D and C and folic acid for pregnant women and vitamins A, C and D for children.

    Hospital food standards for the National Health Service are written into the NHS Standard Contract 2015/16 which is the key document governing the purchase and provision of NHS services. Providers are obliged under the terms of their legally-binding contracts with commissioners to adhere to these requirements. The five food standards are:

    For patient catering:

    – The 10 Key Characteristics of Good Nutritional Care, NHS England

    – Nutrition and Hydration Digest, British Dietetic Association

    – Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool or equivalent, British Association for Parental and Enteral Nutrition.

    For staff and visitor catering:

    – Healthier and More Sustainable Catering – Nutrition Principles (for staff and visitor catering), Public Health England.

    For all catering:

    – Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services, Defra.

    For patients whose dietary requirements are not represented by the ‘eatwell plate’, a personal nutritional care plan should be implemented and tailored dietetic advice sought. The specific nutritional needs of individual patients should always supersede the application of blanket principles.

  • Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-01-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of nurse training places in each of the next five years.

    Ben Gummer

    Health Education England (HEE) was established and has been mandated by the Government to provide national leadership on education, training and workforce development in the National Health Service. As one of the arm’s length bodies to help improve the quality of care delivered to patients, it ensures that the future workforce is available in the right numbers with the right skills, values and competencies to meet patient needs today and tomorrow.

    HEE operate an annual comprehensive planning process to ensure their investments meet the future needs of the population. This process determines the number of training places that will be commissioned by HEE in the following financial year. The planned commissions are published annually in both the HEE commissioning and investment plan and the HEE Workforce Plan for England.

    The 2016-17 commissioning and investment plan was published in December 2015 and includes the planned number of nurse training commissions for 2016-17. The plan can be found at the following link:

    https://hee.nhs.uk/sites/default/files/documents/HEE%20commissioning%20and%20investment%20plan.pdf

    The HEE annual Workforce Plan for England 2016/17 is planned for publication by the end of February 2016.

    “

  • Nic Dakin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Nic Dakin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2016-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which specialist contractors her Department has hired to advise regional school commissioners.

    Edward Timpson

    The Department will publish an award notice on GOV.UK that names suppliers that have been awarded contracts, business addresses and contract values over £20,000. The Department will also be publishing related supplier contracts that support the academy and free school programme on Contract Finder on GOV.UK by 31 March 2016.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-03-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many applicants to the Pubs Code Adjudicator vacancy were subject to departmental clearance checks; and how many applicants did not pass those checks and for what reasons.

    Anna Soubry

    In accordance with standard departmental practice, successful candidates are subject to departmental clearance checks.

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-04-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the Government plans to publish its consultation on drone regulation.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    We plan to launch the consultation over the summer.

  • Robert Flello – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Robert Flello – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Flello on 2016-05-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his Colombian counterpart on (a) the incidence of killings by paramilitaries, (b) the shooting of Alcides de Jesús Cotes Jurado in April 2016 and (c) steps by the Colombian government to tackle the existence and operations of paramilitaries in that country.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    The increased violence which has been perpetrated over the last few months by organised groups in Colombia has indeed been worrying. I am concerned about the security situation and raised this in my meeting with President Santos on 12 May. The investigation into the shooting of Alcides de Jesús Cotes Jurado is ongoing and our embassy is following it closely. Embassy officials regularly discuss the challenges posed by armed criminal groups in their meetings with the Colombian government. Following an escalation of the security situation in recent months, the Defence Minister announced a new approach to tackling the prevalence of organised armed groups in Colombia. The UK supports a peaceful Colombia, where authorities effectively tackle organised crime and promote democratic practices nationwide, to benefit all Colombians.