Category: Speeches

  • Deidre Brock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Deidre Brock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Deidre Brock on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether those parts of the Schengen Agreement which currently apply to the UK will continue to apply after the UK leaves the EU.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The future arrangements between the UK and the EU will be decided as part of the negotiations around our exit. Officials are exploring options for future cooperation arrangements, and we will do what is necessary to keep people safe. It would, however, be wrong to set out unilateral positions in advance of the negotiations.

  • Alasdair McDonnell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Alasdair McDonnell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alasdair McDonnell on 2016-10-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which chronic illnesses and severe conditions exempt employment and support allowance claimants from regular medical reassessments.

    Penny Mordaunt

    I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 20 October 2016 to Question UIN 48978.

    “

  • Christopher Chope – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Christopher Chope – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2015-11-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 2 November 2015 to Question 13950, what the estimated annual shortfall is in the payment of pensions to former employees of the Southern Rhodesian government.

    James Duddridge

    As my Rt Hon Friend the Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps MP), Minister of State at the Department for International Development, set out last week, the Government sympathises with the plight of those former public servants who are entitled to a Zimbabwe government pension. We have not calculated the amounts involved because the UK has no legal obligation or responsibility for these. Responsibility rests with the Zimbabwean government. We continue to remind the relevant authorities in Zimbabwe of this legal commitment.

  • Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-01-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of recipients of their first universal credit payment received an advance payment of that credit in 2015.

    Priti Patel

    The information you have requested is not currently available.

    During 2016 we will be increasing the range of statistics on Universal Credit which will be published in accordance with the relevant protocols in the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-02-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the benefits of granting permitted development rights to mobile network masts up to 50 metres in height in non-protected areas.

    Brandon Lewis

    The review of how the planning system in England can further support the delivery of mobile connectivity sought views on the planning changes made in 2013 including 4G deployment and the case for taller ground based masts. The outcome will be announced in due course.

  • Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-02-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the rate of pay is for cleaners in his Department.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The hourly rate of pay for cleaners directly employed by the Department for Transport is £8.94.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if his Department will meet with NICE, NHS England and Vertex to discuss the provision on the NHS of the drug Orkambi to treat cystic fibrosis.

    George Freeman

    The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is currently consulting on its draft technology appraisal guidance on the use of Orkambi (lumacaftor in combination with ivacaftor) for the treatment of cystic fibrosis in people who are homozygous for the F508del mutation. Stakeholders, including the Department, NHS England and the manufacturer, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, now have an opportunity to comment on this draft guidance.

    Departmental officials remain ready to discuss any proposals from the company that could enable National Health Service patients to access the drug at a cost-effective price.

    NICE expects to publish its final guidance in July 2016.

  • Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-04-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what evaluation his Department has undertaken of the adequacy of the (a) current and (b) future workforce requirements for clinical psychologists under the NHS England transformation plan for achieving the goals of the five-year forward view.

    Alistair Burt

    Health Education England (HEE) is working with NHS England, Public Health England, professional bodies, charities, experts-by-experience and others to develop and deliver a costed, multi-disciplinary workforce strategy for the future shape and skill mix of the workforce (including clinical psychologists) required to deliver the independent Mental Health Taskforce’s Five Year Forward View and the workforce recommendations set out in Future in Mind. This strategy will deliver the necessary workforce skill mix and capacity to support the core Mental Health Taskforce recommendations for improved access and quality of care. In 2015/16, HEE commissioned 526 training places for clinical psychologists, maintaining its previous level of investment in this staff group.

  • Gareth Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Gareth Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-06-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many employers received (a) one, (b) between two and four and (c) more than five fixed penalty fines for illegally employing immigrants in each of the last seven years.

    James Brokenshire

    The information provided refers to civil penalties for illegal working served to employers and is included in the table below.

    Civil penalties for illegal working issued to employers
    Employers issued 1 penalty in year Employers issued 2 – 4 penalties in year Employers issued 5+ penalties in year TOTAL penalties issued (matches certified data)
    2009/10 2167 172 0 2339
    2010/11 1788 111 0 1899
    2011/12 1291 50 0 1341
    2012/13 1230 40 0 1270
    2013/14 2046 98 5 2149
    2014/15 1847 122 5 1974
    2015/16 2328 220 46 2594

    The data provided is for initial penalties only and penalties may have been reduced or cancelled at the objection or appeal stage.

    N.B The data provided is sourced from a Home Office management information system which is not quality assured under National Statistics protocols.

    “

  • Alison McGovern – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Alison McGovern – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison McGovern on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent steps his Department has taken to improve ambulance response times.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    NHS England’s Urgent and Emergency Care Review is working to reform and improve the provision of urgent and emergency care in England. As part of the review, NHS England is considering how to improve responses to 999 calls and patient outcomes under the Ambulance Response Programme. We expect the programme will report its findings in autumn 2016.