Category: Speeches

Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-10-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much (a) her Department and (b) each of its public bodies allocated to (i) the Greater London Authority, (ii) the Mayor of London and (iii) London boroughs to support cultural projects in the last fiscal year.

Matt Hancock

a) The Government has been clear that the right balance of funding between London and the regions continues to require attention, and, as such, there has been a shift in spending on National Portfolio funding away from London over the last five years. £25.28 was spent per head in 2015/16 compared with £29.09 in 2011/12. ACE have also confirmed that the amount of funding for NPOs outside London will increase in the 2018-2022 portfolio.

In addition, in May last year, Arts Council England (ACE) announced they will increase the percentage of Lottery funding distributed outside London from 70% to 75% by the end of 2018; and invest over £35 million in the Ambition for Excellence fund – over £31 million of which will be spent outside London.

b) This information is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

January 1, 2023
Richard Burden – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2015-11-06.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how he plans to implement his policy on local authority procurement policies in relation to boycotts, divestments and sanctions against other countries and the UK defence industry announced on 3 October 2015.

Matthew Hancock

Cabinet Office will shortly issue guidance that reminds public authorities of their international obligations when letting public contracts. Foreign policy is not a matter for local authorities. The guidance will make clear that boycotts in public procurement are inappropriate and may be illegal, outside where formal legal sanctions, embargoes and restrictions that have been put in place by the Government.

January 1, 2023

Jonathan Reynolds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Reynolds on 2015-12-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the running costs of the Isle of Wight Island Line were in each category of expenditure in each of the last three years.

Claire Perry

We do not have the running costs of the Isle of Wight Island Line in each category of expenditure in each of the last three years. What we do have are the figures for 2014/15 as supplied by SSWT:

Costs	£m
Staff costs	2.093
Station Lease costs	1.298
Depot Track Renewals, Maintenance, Materials	0.66
Track access and Electric Traction	0.123
Other	0.443
Total Costs	4.617

SSWT have informed us that the Island Line generated the following income in each of the last five years:

2010/11 = £0.9m

2011/12 = £1.0m

2012/13 = £1.0m

2013/14 = £0.9m

2014/15 = £0.9m

January 1, 2023

Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-01-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what have been the results of the training of police and security forces in Bahrain by UK armed forces.

Earl Howe

The Defence relationship contributes to UK objectives in Bahrain through programmes of world class training and education. Whilst this relationship is almost exclusively military to military, the one element that is delivered to the police and security forces concerns training to counter improvised explosive devices. This work has undoubtedly saved Bahraini lives and potentially those of UK citizens and our own Armed Forces based there.

January 1, 2023
Glyn Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Glyn Davies on 2016-02-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what criteria her Department uses to designate technologies as less established for the purpose of Contract for Difference auctions.

Andrea Leadsom

In designating technologies in the less established group, we considered which technologies could have a significant long-term role in the UK energy mix, and where there remains significant potential for future cost reduction.

January 1, 2023
Baroness Northover – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Northover on 2016-03-01.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Verma on 25 February (HL6190), when they will take the decision about who will represent them at the World Humanitarian Summit, and how that decision will be publicised.

Earl of Courtown

The decision will be taken closer to the Summit.

January 1, 2023
Andrew Bridgen – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Bridgen on 2016-04-08.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will estimate the number of child benefit claims made for children living in each other EU member state in each of the last 10 years; and what the estimated cost to the public was of such claims.

Damian Hinds

Around 7m people are receiving Child Benefit. To extract and collate the value of all payments made to EU migrants for children living outside the UK in the format requested could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Information relating to the number of Child Benefit claims paid to families with children living overseas is available in the Government publication , “The best of both worlds: the United Kingdom’s special status in a reformed European Union”. This publication is available on Gov.uk

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-best-of-both-worlds-the-united-kingdoms-special-status-in-a-reformed-european-union

The Government’s new settlement between the UK and the EU means that EU nationals whose children live abroad will ultimately receive Child Benefit at a rate that reflects the conditions – including the standard of living and child benefit paid – of the country where their child lives. This will restore fairness to the system.

“

January 1, 2023
Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-05-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans he has to refer to the UN Security Council the evidence being collected by his Department on potential acts of genocide committed by Daesh.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

In August 2014, the UK sponsored UN Security Council resolution 2170 which reaffirmed the call for those who have committed or are responsible for violations of international humanitarian law in Iraq and Syria to be held accountable. UN Security Council resolution 2249, passed in November 2015, confirmed the importance of holding the Islamic State in the Levant (also known as Daesh) to account. These resolutions follow an attempt in May 2014 to have the Security Council refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court which was vetoed by Russia and China.

We continue to discuss with partners on the UN Security Council further ways to ensure that the perpetrators of crimes committed in Syria and Iraq are held to account and face justice. We will do all we can to support gathering and preservation of evidence that could in future be used in a court to hold Daesh to account. Addition as per PQ 35349.

January 1, 2023
Joan Ryan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Joan Ryan on 2016-06-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he plans to take in response to the decision by the Care Quality Commission to issue a warning notice to North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust regarding the standard of care in the emergency department at that hospital; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Gummer

Patient safety remains a key priority for the Government and whilst progress has been made there is clearly much more to be done. The Department is aware of the situation at North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust and the relevant regulatory bodies, led by NHS Improvement, are taking appropriate action.

The Warning Notice, issued to North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) on 6 June 2016 requires the trust to significantly improve the treatment of patients attending the emergency department (ED).

NHS Improvement has given assurance that North Middlesex University Hospital carried out immediate actions to support the staffing concerns raised by the regulators.

A new Clinical Director and an experienced Medical Director have been appointed to provide the ED with dedicated substantive leadership. The Clinical Director will provide leadership to the department and oversee the recruitment to currently vacant posts. In addition, there is also focus on reducing the medical work load in the ED through added support from other clinical services and professionals. This includes the appointment of new matrons and a new dedicated service manager with extensive ED experience.

Further, local general practitioners are increasing the level of support they provide to the department both to prevent admissions and to improve discharges. All of these measures will be in place by the end of June 2016.

On staffing, the local National Health Service is working with the Trust to ensure it can provide emergency care to the required standards. NHS Improvement and NHS England have put in place enhanced oversight mechanisms to assure themselves that services remain safe at all times.

An external specialist review of the consultant and middle grade rotas for June, July, August and September has been commissioned to provide independent assurance of the appropriate competencies within each rota.

NHS Improvement will continue to work with system colleagues, Health Education England and the General Medical Council to assure themselves that the improvements being put in place meet the requirements that they need to see from both the Trust and the system both in the short term and the long term.

January 1, 2023
Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-09-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with her Cabinet colleagues on preventing self-employed adults with violent or sexual convictions providing extracurricular classes or sessions to children where there is no governing body for that sport or activity.

Edward Timpson

Schools are aware of their responsibilities in ensuring that any self-employed individual who is providing extra-curricular classes or sessions on their behalf has been subject to the necessary and appropriate checks, which could include checking individual status with the relevant sports or activity governing body.

If those checks reveal convictions for violence the school will then determine the appropriateness or otherwise of allowing that individual to continue to provide classes or sessions.

January 1, 2023