Category: Speeches

  • – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by on 2015-10-28.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what response they have made to the claim by the Chief Constable of Cumbria that the proposed changes in the funding formula for police forces mean that forces could be reduced to a blue light” emergency response service

    Lord Bates

    We are currently refining the proposed police funding model in light of responses to the public consultation and continue to engage with Police and Crime Commissioners and forces as part of this process. The model will not be finalised until we have considered further feedback from policing partners. Allocations for individual force areas have not been set and no decisions on funding will be made until the Spending Review reports in November.

    The proposed model uses objective indicators to allocate funding according to relative need. We consider this approach to be a fairer and more transparent method of allocating limited resources in comparison to the current complex, opaque and out of date formula.

    Decisions about the size and composition of the police workforce are an operational matter for chief officers, in line with the local priorities set by their Police and Crime Commissioner.

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Andrew Gwynne – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2015-11-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his strategy is for engaging with NHS leaders, clinical staff and managers in the implementation of the Accelerated Access Review.

    George Freeman

    The Accelerated Access Review (AAR), chaired by Sir Hugh Taylor, will make recommendations to government on reforms to accelerate access for National Health Service patients to innovative medicines and medical technologies making our country the best place in the world to design, develop and deploy these products. The terms of the reference for the review focus on faster access to innovations, which may include certain off-patent repurposed drugs, as opposed to the routine availability of medicines or medical technologies.

    Prior to establishing the terms of reference for the AAR, the Department reviewed evaluation reports and met with officials from previous initiatives on the uptake of innovation in the NHS including the Innovation, Health and Wealth report. As a result, building upon the lessons of previous reviews is explicit with the terms of reference of the AAR.

    The AAR has regular meetings with senior officials from NHS England via a steering group as recommendations are being developed. In addition, some staff from NHS England have been assigned to support the review team.

    Sir Hugh is still in the process of developing final recommendations which will be published in spring 2016. In his Interim Report published in October, Sir Hugh sets out a proposition on “galvanising the NHS”. This involves supporting the NHS to adopt innovation, more rapidly through better practical support, stronger incentives and the potential streamlining of local structures.

    The Department reviewed evaluation reports and met with officials from previous initiatives on the uptake of innovation in the NHS prior to establishing the terms of reference for the AAR. It was clear that whilst progress has been made on the uptake of innovation in the NHS there is still much to do. Sir Hugh and the head of the External Advisory Group, Professor Sir John Bell, set out the case for uptake of innovation in the recently published AAR Interim Report.

    The AAR has senior level contact with officials working on Lord Carter’s review of NHS efficiency to ensure that information is shared between the two teams.

  • Madeleine Moon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Madeleine Moon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Madeleine Moon on 2015-12-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether (a) stormshadow and (b) stingray will be utilised on the P8 MPA; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The Department intends to bring the P-8A into service without significant modification to ensure the delivery of operational capability as soon as is practicable. There are no current plans to integrate Stormshadow and Stingray onto the aircraft, though it is possible that future capability enhancements once the aircraft is in service with the RAF may include UK weapons.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will take into account the effect on blind and partially sighted people when deciding whether to change eligibility for recipients of the personal independence payment daily living component who qualify because of their use of aids and appliances.

    Justin Tomlinson

    DWP are currently running a consultation to seek views on how support can best be provided to help meet the costs of disability faced by people who are currently awarded points due to aids and appliances. The Department is keen to hear views from all interested parties, including blind and partially-sighted people and their representative organisations.

    No decision has been made as to whether any change should be made to the current system and the government does not have any preference between the 5 options presented in the consultation. However, in reaching any decision the Department will consider the effects on people with disabilities, including those who are blind or partially-sighted.

  • 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 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will make it his policy to exempt victims of domestic abuse who move home to escape violence from the provisions on fixed term tenancies of the Housing and Planning Bill.

    Brandon Lewis

    Fixed term tenancies will enable local councils to review on-going need for a tenancy and, if this is still the case, to issue a new tenancy for the same or a more suitable home.

    Where existing lifetime tenants transfer, the provisions in the Bill ensure that local authorities retain a discretion to offer the tenant a further lifetime tenancy in their new home.

  • Geoffrey Cox – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Geoffrey Cox – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Geoffrey Cox on 2016-03-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans he has to promote battlefield tourism in England in the next 12 months.

    David Evennett

    The Heritage Lottery Fund is able to support projects concerned with historic battlefield landscapes. Over the coming months the Heritage Minister will be visiting several battlefield sites both at home and abroad to commemorate important events such as the Battle of Hastings and to promote battlefield tourism. The Battlefields Trust is on hand to help preserve and promote battlefield heritage across the UK and local authorities may also be able to help promote battlefields.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-04-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions he has had with representatives of sports governing bodies on the option for Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence Pathway Two learners to study additional qualifications funded by the Education Funding Agency.

    Nick Boles

    My officials have held discussions with a wide range of sports organisations including governing bodies on Apprenticeships in Sporting Excellence. A decision will be made on these alternative apprenticeships after further consideration of the extensive evidence.

  • Lord Pearson of Rannoch – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Lord Pearson of Rannoch – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Pearson of Rannoch on 2016-05-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what were the proportions, by value, of British exports of goods to EU member states invoiced in (1) sterling, (2) US dollars, and (3) euro, in 2015.

    Lord Price

    The data requested is not available. HM Revenue and Customs collects data on the currency of invoice for trade with non-EU countries but businesses are not required to declare the currency of invoicing for trade with EU member states.

  • Julian Sturdy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Julian Sturdy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Sturdy on 2016-06-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the level of variation in the availability of plastics recycling facilities in different local authorities in England.

    Rory Stewart

    The Government works with local authorities and the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) to provide advice and promote best practice on waste and recycling. The UK Recycling rate has increased from 11% at the turn of the century, to 44.9% in 2014. This progress is thanks in large part to the hard work of local authorities and householders towards recycling more.

    For 2015/16, local authority spend on waste services was approximately £3.5 billion, of which nearly £600 million was spent on recycling. In addition the Government, through the Waste Infrastructure Delivery Programme, has allocated some £3 billion in grant funding to a number of local authority waste infrastructure projects. This funding has helped authorities to build waste treatment infrastructure including energy from waste, mechanical biological treatment, anaerobic digestion and material recovery facilities, as well as to implement household recycling collection services and communal recycling centres for plastics and other recyclable materials.

    Local authorities are best placed to decide on their waste recycling services and the range of materials collected, taking into account local circumstances such as geography and population. WRAP’s best understanding of collections being operated by local authorities in England as of June 2016 shows us that 99% of English local authorities offer a collection of plastic bottles while 72% offer collection of plastic packaging, pots, tubs and trays.

    I have asked WRAP to work with the waste sector, to look at the benefits and opportunities there are from having more consistency in the materials collected for recycling and in collection systems. This will help local authorities to identify value for money and to help householders recycle more and put the right materials in the right bin. This not only includes opportunities for local authorities, but also what others can do to support greater consistency and increased recycling.

    I am expecting WRAP to publish a framework for greater consistency in the summer.

  • Stephen Doughty – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Stephen Doughty – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-09-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what meetings she has had with those non-governmental organisations which receive funding from her Department since she took up office.

    Rory Stewart

    The Secretary of State has met a range of non-governmental organisations, including during her overseas visits. Information on Ministers’ meetings with external organisations is published as part of DFID’s quarterly Transparency return.