Category: Speeches

Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-04-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many and what proportion of reports of Care Quality Commission inspections of mental health trusts have been produced within the Care Quality Commission’s 50-day target in each year since 2010.

Ben Gummer

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care in England and has provided the following information.

The 50 day key performance indicator target for publishing inspection reports was introduced by the CQC in 2014, when its new approach to inspections was introduced.

Number of mental health trust reports published within 50 days since the introduction of the CQC’s new approach to inspections in January 2014.

	2014	2015	2016
Reports published	12	26	15
Within 50 days	6	2	2
50 day percentage	50%	8%	13%

Within 65 days	9	9	5
65 day percentage	75%	35%	33%

01/01/2023

Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2016-05-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many fines were issued for disability discrimination against blind people with guide dogs by licensed taxi drivers in each year for which information is available.

Dominic Raab

It is an offence under section 168 of the Equalities Act 2010 to refuse to take an assistance dog in a taxi or private hire vehicle. The maximum penalty is a level 3 fine (up to £1,000).

The number of offenders sentenced at all courts (with fines and average fines specifically identified) for failure to comply with a section 168 duty in relation to an assistance dog for a disabled person, in England and Wales, from 2011 (earliest separately identifiable information available) to 2015 can be viewed in table 1.

The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts for failure to comply with a section 168 duty in relation to an assistance dog for a disabled person, listed by local authority prosecuting the case in England and Wales, from 2011 (earliest separately identifiable information available) to 2015 can be viewed in table 2.

Centrally held data by the Ministry of Justice includes information on defendants proceeded against, found guilty and sentenced for criminal offences in England and Wales. Data on whether a guide dog for the blind or a different type of assistance dog was involved in such a case is not held centrally, or reliably recorded where there is no operational reason to do so.

01/01/2023
Maria Eagle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2016-07-20.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether funding will be made available to Knowsley Council to enable residents who live in close proximity to the Mersey Gateway Bridge and Silver Jubilee Bridge to travel toll-free when those bridges open.

Mr David Gauke

My officials continue to work with the Department for Transport on the financial and contractual implications of any further extension of user discounts. A decision will be made on this in due course.

01/01/2023
Gareth Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-10-11.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which agreed EU directives have not yet been transposed directly into UK law; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Gummer

Until exit negotiations are concluded, the UK remains a full member of the European Union and all the rights and obligations of EU membership remain in force. During this period the Government will continue to negotiate, implement and apply EU legislation. The outcome of these negotiations will determine what arrangements apply in relation to EU legislation in future once the UK has left the EU.

The only agreed EU directive which has not yet been transposed directly into UK law from the perspective of the Cabinet Office is as follows:

Directive 2014/55/EU on electronic invoicing in public procurement has yet to be transposed.

01/01/2023
Caroline Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2015-11-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy to press for the ending of the use of EU Common Agricultural Policy payments to support Spanish bullfighting.

George Eustice

Bulls kept for bullfighting are no longer eligible for direct Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) payments under the Beef Special Premium Scheme.

The Government takes animal welfare very seriously and is working with the European Commission and other Member States to raise standards within the EU and internationally, and to address concerns surrounding the treatment of animals in particular countries, including in bullfighting; and will continue to look to reduce any incentives to such activities.

01/01/2023
Eilidh Whiteford – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Eilidh Whiteford on 2015-11-30.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the reasons for which the jobseeker’s allowance claimant rate is falling faster than the unemployment rate; and what estimate he has made of the proportion of people eligible to claim jobseeker’s allowance in 2013-14 who did not do so.

Priti Patel

It is not appropriate to consider Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) in isolation because the roll out of Universal Credit (UC) means growing numbers now claim UC rather than JSA.

The Office for National Statistics publishes claimant count figures that combine JSA and those claiming UC who are not in work. This does not show the claimant rate falling faster than the unemployment rate. In fact over the past quarter the claimant rate has remained flat while the unemployment rate has fallen 0.3 percentage points.

Estimates of the take-up of income-related benefits in 2013-14 have already been published and are available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/437501/ir-benefits-take-up-main-report-2013-14.pdf

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01/01/2023
John Healey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Healey on 2016-01-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many building companies have applied for but been refused a contract to build new homes on the direct commissioning sites at (a) Daedelus Waterfront, (b) Lower Grayling Well, (c) Connaught Barracks, (d) Northstowe and (e) Old Oak Common.

Brandon Lewis

These will be detailed commercial arrangements that will be established through a competitive procurement process. Existing public procurement processes will apply.

01/01/2023
Martyn Day – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Martyn Day on 2016-02-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the risk to the UK and Europe of the spread of the Zika virus.

Jane Ellison

Public Health England (PHE) continue to monitor the situation closely and have provided revised travel advice and updated guidance to healthcare professionals on the management of patients returning from affected countries who present with symptoms. There is no evidence to suggest that the mosquitos that are known to carry Zika are established in the United Kingdom or could survive in our climate and therefore the risk to the UK population from Zika is very low. PHE is in regular contact with specialists in other European countries, as well as internationally, to make sure all necessary steps are being taken to protect the UK travelling public.

01/01/2023
Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-02-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much his Department has spent on meningitis vaccine stocks in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison

Vaccine prices are commercially confidential, and so we are unable to provide this information.

01/01/2023
Norman Lamb – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Norman Lamb on 2016-03-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he expects NHS England to announce its public consultation on pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV.

Jane Ellison

NHS England does not now consider pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV to be suitable for prioritisation of specialised commissioning spend as it is a preventative measure. However given the potential benefits in this area, NHS England wants to build on the work to date and will be making available up to £2 million over the next two years to run a number of early implementer test sites. These will be undertaken in conjunction with Public Health England and will seek to answer the remaining questions around how PrEP could be commissioned in the most cost effective and integrated way to reduce HIV and sexually transmitted infections in those at highest risk.

01/01/2023