Category: Speeches

  • Steve Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    Steve Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Reed on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what steps he plans to take to ensure that local government representatives are included in the process of exiting the EU.

    Mr David Jones

    As the Secretary of State said in his statement of 5 September, we are going to listen and talk to as many organisations, companies and institutions as possible – from the large PLCs to small business, from the devolved administrations through to councils, local government associations and the major metropolitan bodies.

  • Mike Kane – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Mike Kane – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Kane on 2016-10-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the status is of the Healthier Together programme in Greater Manchester.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    These are matters for the local National Health Service.

    We are advised by NHS England that the Healthier Together programme has now moved into implementation and is part of the Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership. The recently appointed Chief Officer for the Partnership has assumed the role of Programme Sponsor to oversee the implementation phase.

    All areas of Greater Manchester are developing detailed plans and business cases for the transfer of care for high risk elective general surgery patients to the hub sites from 1 April 2017. This is a new way of working whereby current teams from different hospitals will work under single governance and leadership to achieve the required quality and safety standards for patients.

  • Cat Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Cat Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cat Smith on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support is being provided to refugees currently on the island of Lesbos.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    The UK has so far provided around £4.5 million to partners working in Greece, many of which are active on Lesbos. This includes supporting the Red Cross for assistance and emergency first aid to refugees and migrants arriving on the beaches. We are also providing assistance to the IOM and UNHCR who are delivering essential coordination, reception and registration support, as well as direct physical assistance.

    It is right that the vast majority of our support goes to the region, our support is helping to build long term stability and resilience to help refugees build a life in neighbouring countries and prevent them falling prey to people smugglers and traffickers. For this reason, the UK has been at the forefront of the response to the crisis in Syria and the region. The UK has pledged over £1.1 billion to date, our largest ever humanitarian response to a single crisis. We are the second largest bilateral donor after the US and have done more than any other European country.

  • Stephen Gethins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Stephen Gethins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Gethins on 2016-01-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to prepare for the outcome of the EU referendum.

    Anna Soubry

    The Government is fighting hard to fix the aspects of our EU membership that cause so much frustration in the United Kingdom – so we get a better deal for our country and secure our future. We are confident that the right agreement can be reached.

  • Lord Ouseley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Ouseley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ouseley on 2016-02-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what analysis has been undertaken about the impact and demands for public health and care services due to loneliness and isolation suffered by pensioners, in the light of the Local Government Association’s estimate that more than one million people aged over 65 are lonely.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The Department recognises that loneliness can have a negative impact on a person’s general health and has prioritised prevention through the Care Act 2014. The Department has not undertaken an analysis of the impact loneliness places on public health and care services. We do take account of research in developing our policies, including or example, the Campaign to End Loneliness report Loneliness: the State We’re In (2012) which shows that loneliness has an effect on mortality that is similar in size to smoking 15 cigarettes a day, is worse for us than obesity, and is also associated with conditions such as cardiovascular disease. A copy of the Campaign to End Loneliness report is attached.

    The Local Government Association has highlighted that loneliness is a complex problem. A range of interventions and solutions are required to identify adults who are lonely or socially isolated and to provide them with the support they require.

    As part of Public Health England’s programme of work to support local action on health inequalities, we commissioned the UCL Institute of Health Equity to produce a series of resources setting out practical approaches that local areas could adopt to reduce health inequalities. One resource in the series focuses on social isolation across the lifecourse. It provides information and guidance to support local authorities, NHS clinical commissioning groups and their stakeholders to develop effective strategies to prevent and reduce social isolation. A copy of Reducing social isolation across the lifecourse is attached.

  • Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-02-25.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to work with the UK members of parliament who are attending the forthcoming World Humanitarian Summit in May.

    Baroness Verma

    The UK is committed to making the World Humanitarian Summit a success and recognises that this requires coordination with a large number of interested parties.

  • 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 2016-03-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many in work personal independence payment (PIP) claimants will be affected by his Department’s proposed changes to aids and appliances points; and how many such claims will (a) no longer qualify for PIP and (b) receive a reduced PIP payment.

    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.

  • Lord Morris of Aberavon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Morris of Aberavon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Morris of Aberavon on 2016-04-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what funding increases they have proposed for type 1 diabetes in 2016–17 and in subsequent years.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) commission services for people with type 1 diabetes and we would expect them to prioritise their funding in accordance with local needs and within the overall resources available.

    The effective treatment and care of diabetes is one of the clinical priority areas highlighted in the CCG Improvement and Assessment Framework recently published by NHS England.

  • Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-06-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what powers environmental health officers have to assess excessive noise from residential and commercial properties on a street level.

    Rory Stewart

    Local authorities have a range of powers available to them to assess excessive noise from residential and commercial properties. These are set out in various pieces of legislation, including the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and Noise Act 1996.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-09-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the human rights conditions in prisons in Iran; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    Iran does not allow British officials access to Iranian prisons and as such we are unable to make an assessment of their human rights conditions. The UK recently supported the renewed mandate of the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran and regularly calls on Iran to allow them access to the country to carry out their work. Iran has also been identified as a Human Rights Priority Country and the UK regularly calls on Iran to uphold its international human rights obligations.