Category: Speeches

  • Jonathan Reynolds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Jonathan Reynolds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Reynolds on 2016-03-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment her Department has made of the potential effect on consumer energy bills of bringing forward by one year the start of the Capacity Market.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Capacity Market is designed to encourage competition and a low clearing price. It is technology neutral and will procure any type of capacity to meet the target at the lowest possible cost to consumers. By keeping more plant in the market, it is also likely to increase competition and drive down costs. The Capacity Market will protect consumers from higher cost spikes that would occur if our electricity supplies were less secure.

  • Richard Burgon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Richard Burgon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burgon on 2016-03-23.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what advice he has received from (a) the Governor of the Bank of England and (b) Rothschilds Bank on the proposed sale of Government shares in Royal Bank of Scotland since August 2015; and if he will place a copy of such advice in the Library.

    Harriett Baldwin

    HM Government reached an agreement with RBS and the European Commission on 9 April 2014 to amend the terms of the Dividend Access Share (DAS). The full terms of this agreement can be found on the European Commission’s website:

    http://europa.eu

    The first sale of Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) shares was conducted in August 2015. The advice which the Chancellor received from a) the Governor of the Bank of England; b) N.M. Rothschild; c) HM Treasury; and d) UK Financial Investments (UKFI) is available on the Government’s website:

    www.gov.uk.

    The government has not undertaken any sale of RBS shares since August 2015.

    “

  • Margaret Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Margaret Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Greenwood on 2016-05-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many and what proportion of NHS trusts were in deficit at the end of 2015-16; and what the total size of that deficit was.

    Alistair Burt

    Final figures for 2015-16 are not yet available, but we know that the deficit will be bigger this year, and that there is significant pressure. This is why we are investing the additional £10 billion the National Health Service has said it needs to implement its own plan for the future, with £6 billion frontloaded by the end of next year.

  • Lord Patten – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Patten – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2016-06-20.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 2 June (HL136), and to the letter from Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon to Lord Patten dated 6 June placed in the Libraries of both Houses, whether they consider the single track railway between Salisbury and Yeovil to be not unmodern”.”

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The Department for Transport does not use the term “not unmodern” to classify or assess railway routes.

    The rail line between Gillingham (Dorset) and Pinhoe was re-signalled in 2012 and Stagecoach South Western Trains introduced additional services to the West of England in December 2015.

  • Chi Onwurah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Chi Onwurah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-09-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of moving from the current system of rooftop valuation for mobile network base stations to a no scheme valuation model on (a) the supply of sites, (b) the revenues received by Newcastle City Council and other public sector organisations from rooftop rentals and (c) mobile phone operator profits.

    Matt Hancock

    Effective working relationships between network operators and landowners, including avoiding costly and time-consuming litigation, will remain in the interests of both parties. The reforms will not be retrospective and the new valuation basis will have no impact on existing agreements.

    The Government’s impact assessment on the reformed Code can be found here:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/407579/Annex_4_Electronic_Communications_Code_Reform_IA_-_DCMS075.pdf.

  • Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne Main on 2016-10-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he has taken to improve the service quality provided by call handlers who respond to NHS 111 and 999 calls; and what funding he plans to allocate to those services in the next five years.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The service quality provided by call handlers who respond to 999 and 111 calls is the responsibility of local providers of these services.

    Computer-aided dispatch and clinical decision support systems are used to guide call handers through 999 and 111 calls. These systems have embedded clinical governance processes which keep them under continual internal evidence based review.

    In the future, the 111 phone number will be the “front door” to a 24/7 integrated urgent care service. It will provide access to a ‘clinical hub’ which offers patients access to a wide range of clinicians supported by access to clinical records.

    National Health Service ambulance trusts (who operate 999 call handling services) and providers of NHS111 services are commissioned and funded locally by NHS clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). CCGs work with these providers to take decisions on funding on a yearly basis.

  • Virendra Sharma – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Virendra Sharma – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2015-11-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to increase the proportion of disabled people participating in apprenticeships.

    Nick Boles

    Thousands of disabled people have benefitted from apprenticeships. In 2014/15, 44,090 of those starting an apprenticeship declared a disability or learning difficulty (LDD). This compares with 26,390 in 2009/10.

    To provide an incentive to employers to offer more opportunities, apprenticeship training for 16-18 year olds is fully funded by Government. Government also fully funds apprentices aged 19 to 24 who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHC Plan). Apprentices aged 19 to 24 without an EHC Plan, who have a learning difficulty and/or disability can benefit from additional funding through Learning Support.

    Advice is also available to help employers and training providers understand disabilities and how to better support disabled apprentices. We have funded NIACE to produce an employer toolkit http://www.employer-toolkit.org.uk/ for employers that want to develop a more inclusive and accessible apprenticeship offer.

    An Apprenticeships Equality and Diversity Advisory group helps government understand and address any apprenticeship equality and diversity issues in order to reduce barriers and make apprenticeships as inclusive as possible.

    “

  • Peter Kyle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Peter Kyle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2015-12-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to paragraph 6.14 of English Apprenticeships: Our 2020 Vision, what steps his Department will take to ensure employers are still encouraged to take on 16 to 18 apprentices following the introduction of the apprenticeship levy.

    Nick Boles

    We are working through the policy implications of the levy. Ministers and officials are conducting end to end meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of getting the detailed design of the levy right before its implementation in 2017.

    We want 16-18 year olds to play a key part in the success of apprenticeships. The lifetime benefits associated with the acquisition of apprenticeships are significant, and there is a high level of return to investment delivered by the apprenticeship programme. We will continue to encourage employers to take on 16-18 year olds as apprentices.

  • Robert Flello – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Robert Flello – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Flello on 2016-01-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the briefing by the National Audit Office, entitled Delivering major projects in government, published on 6 January 2016, what steps his Department is taking to (a) correct inconsistent reporting of costs referred to in that briefing and (b) ensure more accurate reporting of costs on major projects.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Department has issued clear guidance on how projects should report financial data. This includes whether costs are reported as real or nominal and further information on how costs are calculated. The Department is working with the Infrastructure Project Authority (IPA) to ensure consistent portfolio reporting across Government.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission

    Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-02-05.

    To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission, whether the Local Government Boundary Commission is under an obligation to ensure that proposals for boundary changes reflect representations it has received from people in the areas affected.

    Mr Gary Streeter

    The Local Government Boundary Commission for England informs me that the procedure for electoral reviews is set out in the Local Democracy, Economic Democracy and Construction Act 2009. The Act requires the Commission to publish recommendations and consider representations made on them.

    In drawing up new ward or electoral division boundaries, Section 58 of the Act requires the Commission to take into consideration any representations made to the Local Government Boundary Commission for England within its consultation periods.

    In practice, the Commission always conducts at least two phases of public consultation for every electoral review. First, in advance of drawing up draft recommendations, the Commission will invite local proposals for new ward or electoral division boundaries.

    Following the initial consultation, the Commission publishes draft recommendations and consults on them before finalising ward boundaries and the wider electoral arrangements for a local authority.

    After each phase of consultation, the Commission will consider all local representations against the statutory criteria which are set out in Schedule 2 of the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009. The criteria oblige the Commission to have regard to delivering electoral equality for voters, to build electoral arrangements that reflect community interests and identities as well as ensuring that wards or divisions promote effective and convenient local government.

    The Commission analyses all local representations to assess the extent to which they meet the statutory criteria. If submissions present a fair reflection of the criteria and can be accommodated within an authority-wide scheme, it will usually adopt them. In the event that multiple (but conflicting) submissions meet the statutory criteria, the Commission will choose the option which it believes most strongly reflects them. If no local representations provide a satisfactory reflection of the statutory criteria, the Commission will substitute its judgement and draw up its own pattern of wards or divisions for the area in question.