Category: Speeches

  • The Earl of Sandwich – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The Earl of Sandwich – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Earl of Sandwich on 2016-05-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of (1) prisoners, and (2) young offenders, suffer from mental health problems; and of those, how many suffer from (a) illegal drug addiction, and (b) prescribed drug dependence.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    72% of adult male prisoners and 71% of adult female prisoners may have two or more mental disorders including personality disorder, psychosis, anxiety, depression or substance misuse according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

    According to the cross-government report Healthy Children, Safer Communities (2009), more than one third of people held in the children and young people’s secure estate, including those held in young offender institutions, have diagnosed mental health disorders. A copy of this report is attached.

    The ONS also reports that about 55% of individuals entering prison have a drug problem. Data on prescribed drug dependence in prisons is not collected centrally.

  • Jess Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Jess Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2016-07-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what (a) legal and (b) other costs were incurred by local authorities in relation to special educational needs and disability tribunals in each of the last five years.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    Information on the costs incurred by local authorities in relation to special educational needs and disability tribunals is not collected by the Department.

  • Patrick Grady – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Patrick Grady – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what outcomes the Government expects from the recent and planned strategic dialogue with the government of Sudan.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    In order to maximise our ability to persuade all parties to the conflicts in Sudan to end the fighting and allow the Sudanese people the security and development they deserve, we need to have a greater level of direct engagement with the Government of Sudan. The Strategic Dialogue process provides a necessary platform for us to do this, exploring possibilities for cooperation on a wide range of UK interests where our aims align, as well as an avenue to raise concerns.

  • David Amess – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    David Amess – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Amess on 2015-11-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2015 to Question 13645, (a) how and (b) by whom each head teacher was selected to work with her Department on improving the provision of PSHE in schools; and if she will make a statement.

    Edward Timpson

    The Department for Education regularly speaks to a wide range of head teachers, academy chief executives, teachers and subject associations. We invited a group of headteachers and PSHE practitioners to work with us on improving the quality of PSHE.

    These individuals were selected because of the high quality provision in their schools. The list of contributors will be known when the report is published.

  • Mark Williams – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Mark Williams – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Williams on 2015-12-15.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information his Department holds on the number of communities of 5,000 people or more in England where there is no bank branch within a radius of three miles.

    Harriett Baldwin

    The Government does not hold the information requested.

    Banks and building societies need to balance customer interests, market competition, and other commercial factors when considering their strategy. Decisions on the opening and closing of individual branches are taken by the management of each bank on a commercial basis without intervention from Government.

    The Government welcomed the industry-wide Access to Banking protocol announced in March 2015. From the first of May this year, each participating bank has committed to carry out a number of steps if it is closing a branch, including the preparation of meaningful local impact assessments. There is a commitment to a review of the operation of the protocol after one year, and the Government looks forward to its conclusions.

    The availability of alternative locations for accessing basic banking services is also important. The ongoing negotiation between the banks and the Post Office to agree a standard set of services – to be made available to personal and small business banking customers at Post Office counters across the country – remains vital. The Government is clear that completion of these negotiations should be a priority.

  • Stephen Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Stephen Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Phillips on 2016-01-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 26 January 2016 to Question 23285, by what mechanisms the UK strongly asserts its right, and supports that of all States, to exercise Freedom of Navigation in accordance with the International Rules Based System in the South China Sea.

    Penny Mordaunt

    Royal Navy warships exercise their rights of freedom of navigation in the South China Sea pursuant to the United Nations Conventions on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). In addition, aircraft may exercise their right of overflight of the High Seas by virtue of Article 87(1)(b) of UNCLOS. By virtue of their free passage through international water and airspace Royal Navy vessels and RAF aircraft exercise and assert this right whenever transiting through international waters and airspace.

  • Gordon Marsden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Gordon Marsden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2016-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, for what reasons he has decided to withdraw funding from the UK Commission for Employment and Skills; and if he will make a statement.

    Nick Boles

    The UK Commission for Employment and Skills’ (UKCES) work over the last parliament has helped in setting the skills agenda for the future; and their activities have created the conditions to move to the next phase of more devolution, greater employer ownership and the apprenticeship levy. We have, however, concluded that we need new structures to move onto that next phase and have announced the establishment in England of a new Institute for Apprenticeships.

    In light of this, a decision was taken as part of the spending review by Whitehall Departments to withdraw funding from UKCES during 2016-17 in the context of the need to make savings in non-participation budgets to allow the core adult skills participation budgets to be protected in cash terms.

  • Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2016-03-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are (1) the set up costs, and (2) the running costs, of the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    In the first year, the setting up costs and the running costs of the Healthcare Safety Investigations Branch will be £3.6 million. The Healthcare Safety Investigations Branch will sit within NHS Improvement and therefore other costs, such as premises and back office functions, will be met by NHS Improvement.

    The budgets of arm’s length bodies are agreed on an annual basis, subject to business planning. The budget for the Healthcare Safety Investigations Branch will be set through this process.

  • Jack Dromey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Jack Dromey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jack Dromey on 2016-04-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offenders in category (a) 1, (b) 2, and (c) 3 are being managed by multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA) in England and Wales; and how many MAPPA-managed offenders there have been in each year since 2010.

    Andrew Selous

    This information is available in table 1 of the Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements Annual Reports. These can be found at the following links:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/multi-agency-public-protection-arrangements-mappa-annual-report-2014-to-2015

    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/multi-agency-public-protection-arrangements-mappa-annual-report-2013-14

    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/multi-agency-public-protection-arrangements-mappa-annual-report-2012-13

    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/multi-agency-public-protection-arrangements-annual-report-2011-12

    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/mappa-annual-report-20010-11

    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/multi-agency-public-protection-arrangements-annual-report-2009-10

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  • Baroness Walmsley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Baroness Walmsley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Walmsley on 2016-05-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether total Accident and Emergency (A&E) waiting times are calculated, for the purposes of reporting, from the time the ambulance arrives at A&E or from the time the patient enters the A&E Department.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    Accident and emergency (A&E) waiting times for patients who arrive by ambulance start either when the ambulance crew hand over the patient to the A&E department, or 15 minutes after the ambulance registers its arrival at A&E, whichever is earlier.