Category: Speeches

  • Nicholas Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Nicholas Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Brown on 2016-01-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps the Government is taking to raise awareness of the public health and public order effects of excessive drinking.

    Jane Ellison

    The Government, through the Public Health Outcomes Framework, measures alcohol harm and the impact of local authorities’ actions on public health. Public Health England (PHE) produces local alcohol profiles which provide local authority level data to enable professionals and the public to see the harms that alcohol contributes to in their area.

    PHE has recently run a campaign, Health Matters, aimed at public health professionals and others to highlight the costs of harmful drinking and dependent use of alcohol, and the benefits that come from local areas investing in interventions to reduce those harms.

    For the last two years, PHE has worked with the charity Alcohol Concern, in promoting the ‘Dry January’ campaign. This mass participation event encourages people to ‘go dry’ for a month. In 2015, 50,000 people signed up, with 67% of participants reporting lower drinking levels six months later. PHE has continued to support Dry January in 2016.

    PHE also offer specific marketing programmes aimed toward young people to reduce the uptake of risky behaviours, including alcohol consumption.

  • Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-02-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the value of EU funding was for the Great Western Main Line electrification programme on the most recent date for which figures are available.

    Claire Perry

    I have been informed by Network Rail that as of 26 February 2016, the total value of EU funding that has been awarded for the Great Western Mainline Electrification is € 11,085,000.

  • Debbie Abrahams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Debbie Abrahams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Debbie Abrahams on 2016-03-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, further to the Government response to the consultation on aids and appliances and the daily living component of personal independence payment, Cm 9194, what modelling his Department undertook to assess how the changes proposed in that consultation will affect existing claimants.

    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.

  • Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne Main on 2016-04-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many infraction proceedings the EU has initiated against his Department in each of the last 10 years; what the reasons were for each such proceeding being undertaken; and what the outcome was of each such proceeding.

    James Wharton

    The information requested is publically available on the website of the European Commission where the infringement cases for each member state can be found. This includes the infringement and the decision. These records go back to 2002 and can be found here: http://ec.europa.eu/atwork/applying-eu-law/infringements-proceedings/infringement_decisions/?lang_code=en

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-06-06.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what strategy they have to prevent the annexation of the West Bank by Israel.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The UK’s longstanding position is clear: we support a negotiated settlement leading to a safe and secure Israel living alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state; based on 1967 borders with agreed land swaps, with Jerusalem as the shared capital of both states, and a fair and agreed settlement for refugees. We regularly urge Israel and the Palestinian Authority to work together to meet their obligations under the Oslo Accords. We also call on all parties to abide by International Humanitarian Law and to promote peace, stability and security.

  • Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-07-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government plans to take account of market operations across the current single market when enforcing competition and anti-trust policy after Britain exits the EU.

    Margot James

    The Competition and Markets Authority has primary responsibility for enforcing competition law in the UK. Its primary duty is to seek to promote competition, both within and outside the UK, for the benefits of consumers.

    At every step of the negotiations to withdraw from the European Union we will work to ensure the best possible outcome for the British people.

  • Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Prime Minister’s announcement of 7 November 2015 on broadband access, whether the Government will consult on the Universal Service Obligation for broadband.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    As announced by the Prime Minister on 7th November, the Government plans to launch the consultation in early 2016.

  • Nick Thomas-Symonds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Nick Thomas-Symonds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Thomas-Symonds on 2015-11-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent representations he has received from (a) the Council of Europe, (b) the UN and (c) other international bodies on the UK’s membership of the European Convention on Human Rights.

    Dominic Raab

    We have received no such formal representation. Ministry of Justice Ministers have met the Secretary General of the Council of Europe Jagland, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid, and the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence de Greiff.

  • Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-01-04.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what communications his Department has had with the National Archives on the release of Cabinet papers for the 1986-1988 period.

    Matthew Hancock

    Cabinet papers for the period 1986-1989 1988 have already been transferred to the National Archives. Transparency is at the heart of this Government’s agenda and we are publishing unprecedented amounts of information.

  • 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 2016-01-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what changes to the annual seafarer statistics published by his Department were made as a result of his Department’s methodological review of projected seafarer numbers; when that review was conducted; and if he will publish the findings of that review.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The invitation to tender for the Seafarer Projections Review was sent out by the Crown Commercial Service on Tuesday 19 January 2016 and the closing date for bids is Tuesday 1 March 2016.

    Seafarer Statistics 2015, published on 27 January 2016, was produced using the same methodology as in previous years. As mentioned in the release, in 2016, the department will be undertaking a user engagement exercise to find out more about how the Seafarer Statistics are used and to collate views on the methodology. The aim of this will be to identify any opportunity for methodological improvements and ensure that the statistics continue to be fit for purpose.