Category: Speeches

  • Mark Tami – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Mark Tami – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Tami on 2015-12-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of recent progress in increasing the (a) number of people on and (b) quality of the stem cell and bone marrow registers; and if he will make a statement.

    Jane Ellison

    The total number of registered donors on the Anthony Nolan and NHS Stem Cell Registry continues to expand. In 2010 the total number of registered United Kingdom donors was 770,000 but by the end of 2014 was in excess of one million. Investment by the Department has supported our delivery partners NHS Blood and Transplant and the charity Anthony Nolan to recruit a cohort of young male donors that are approximately six times more likely to be able to donate. Over 19,000 additional donors are planned to be recruited in the current financial year.

    Quality is a key issue for the clinical usefulness of cord blood samples. The collection of cord blood is arranged to maximise the proportion of samples with the highest quality. The number of banked cord samples of clinical grade continues to increase with in excess of 15,000 now banked.

  • Michael Fabricant – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Michael Fabricant – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Fabricant on 2016-01-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on Hamas’ rearmament in Gaza; and if he will make an assessment of the potential effect on the Middle East Peace Process of that rearmament.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    We are aware of reports of Hamas’ rearmament in Gaza. We remain deeply concerned by Hamas’ attempts to rearm and its efforts to rebuild infrastructure, including the tunnel network in Gaza. We are clear that Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza must permanently end rocket fire and other attacks against Israel. Any Hamas rearmament undermines efforts to improve the situation in Gaza and harms prospects for peace and stability in the Middle East.

  • John Nicolson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    John Nicolson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Nicolson on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps she is taking to ensure that reductions in the wholesale price of energy are passed on to consumers.

    Amber Rudd

    Average domestic gas prices fell by £37 during 2015, and all six major suppliers have announced a further reduction in their tariffs in recent months. This is a good start, but the Government expects all suppliers to pass on reductions in the costs of supplying energy to consumers. I have met all the major energy suppliers in recent months to make that point clear.

    The Competition and Markets Authority are nearing the end of their enquiry into the energy markets, and I look forward to their conclusions. I am determined to do whatever it takes to ensure markets work well for consumers.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-03-02.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what representations he has received on financial institutions’ plans to offer negative or zero rates of interest to savers.

    Harriett Baldwin

    HM Treasury has not received any representations on financial institutions’ plans to offer negative or zero rates of interest to savers.

    The levels of interest being paid to savers and their disclosure was explored as part of the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) Cash Savings Market Study report, which was published in January 2015. The report found that competition in the cash savings market was not working well for many consumers and, in response, the FCA has consulted on and will subsequently be introducing new rules from 1 December 2016 designed to both improve competition and the information savers receive. As part of these new rules, firms will need to make it clear to consumers what interest rate they are getting for their account.

  • Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts on 2016-03-23.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many National Insurance numbers were in use at the end of each of the last five years for which records are available.

    Lord Freud

    The information requested is not available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

  • 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 2016-05-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the membership is of his Department’s Board Investment and Commercial Sub Committee.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Department’s Board Investment and Commercial Sub-Committee is chaired by the Permanent Secretary. Its membership consists of: the Directors General, the Directors for Corporate Finance, Group Finance, Analysis & Strategy, Group Commercial Services, and Group Assurance; the Department’s Commercial Adviser; the Director of Legal; and the Lead Non-Executive Board Member. Other Non-Executive Board Members attend by invitation.

  • Angela Crawley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Angela Crawley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angela Crawley on 2016-06-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many women who claimed asylum on the grounds of sexual violence in their home country are in immigration detention.

    James Brokenshire

    Information on the reasons for a claim for asylum is not readily accessible from central statistical records and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost through a manual search of individual case files.

  • Lord West of Spithead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord West of Spithead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2016-09-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the planned out-of-service date for HMS Ocean, and how her landing platform helicopter capabilities will be provided prior to the entry into service of HMS Prince of Wales.

    Earl Howe

    HMS OCEAN entered service in 1998 with an expected in service life of 20 years and she will decommission in 2018. The Strategic Defence Security Review 2015 made provision to augment the Queen Elizabeth Class carriers and maximise their ability to support amphibious operations. Prior to the carriers being brought into service, other Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships will provide support to amphibious operations.

  • Lisa Cameron – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Lisa Cameron – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lisa Cameron on 2016-10-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of granting additional funding for the National Engineering Laboratory (NEL) for investment in the national measurement infrastructure; and what assessment he has made of the extent of the contribution which the NEL makes in that area.

    Margot James

    The Government fully appreciates the importance of measurement science to the UK’s economic prosperity and quality of life and will continue to deliver a National Measurement System on behalf of Government through the infrastructure of measurement laboratories in the UK.

    The UK Measurement Strategy will be published shortly, building on the previous Strategy published in 2011, to focus on key areas that underpin Government priorities over the coming five years. The balance between scientific programmes in which the Government invests will be determined by this strategy.

  • Anna Turley – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Anna Turley – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anna Turley on 2015-11-13.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans the Government has for the funding of the Commissioning Academy over the next five years.

    Matthew Hancock

    The Government will continue to support the Commissioning Academy. We are looking at a variety of funding options to put it on a sustainable footing.