Category: Speeches

  • Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average cost is per patient attending at GPs’ surgeries nationally.

    Alistair Burt

    This information is not collected in the format requested. However, data from the Health and Social Care Information Centre shows that the total expenditure on General Practice in England in 2013/14 was £8,753 million. NHS England estimates that there are 340 million general practitioner consultations each year. As an average, this would work out as £25.74 per patient attendance.

  • Lady Hermon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lady Hermon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lady Hermon on 2016-05-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reasons there has been no increase in the war disablement pension for 2016-17; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Julian Brazier

    War Pensions are uprated to ensure that they reflect any increases in the cost of living. The approach taken by successive governments is that by increasing awards with reference to the Consumer Price Index (CPI), we ensure consistency with the measure of inflation used by the Bank of England.

    The level of any annual increase is set against the September CPI figure. In September 2015 CPI was negative. Consequently, for financial year 2016/17 War Pensions have been maintained at previous levels. War Pensions will increase when the annual CPI figure next increases.

  • Ian Murray – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Ian Murray – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Murray on 2016-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information his Department holds on the number of referrals for individuals in Scotland to the Work Choice programme in each of the last three financial years for which such information is available.

    Priti Patel

    For all Work Choice providers excluding Remploy, there have been 2,780 referrals in Scotland in the financial year 2013/14, 2,270 in 2014/15, and 1,510 in 2015/16.

  • Lord Hague of Richmond – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Lord Hague of Richmond – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hague of Richmond on 2016-09-06.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what recent assessment they have made of the extent of (1) legal, and (2) illegal, sales of ivory in the UK.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    The Government has conducted informal discussions with representatives of the arts and antique sector on the scale of legal trade in ivory currently taking place. An accurate assessment is challenging as records for antiques may not necessarily record an item as containing ivory where this is only a small component of a larger item. Extrapolation from available data indicates that sales of items containing ivory may be worth in the order of several tens of millions of pounds per annum.

    TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring organisation, has recently published its report: “A Rapid Survey of the UK ivory market”. Although not an exact comparison with a survey conducted in 2004, TRAFFIC’s survey found the number of market stalls offering ivory for sale had declined by approximately two-thirds and the number of items offered for sale had halved. No new or raw ivory was seen in any of the physical market outlets or online platforms; only one ivory item seen for sale was reportedly from after the legal cut-off (1947) for antique ivory being sold without Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) documentation within the EU. Ivory is a key UK wildlife crime priority with an enforcement action plan in place to tackle risk. For example, UK Border Force through Operation Quiver has in particular successfully targeted ivory sent through postal systems.

    We are actively exploring options with interested parties and other Government Departments about how to implement the UK Government’s manifesto commitment to press for a total ban on ivory sales. The UK has successfully lobbied for the EU-wide adoption of the existing UK ban on trade in raw ivory tusks, which was agreed through European Council Conclusions on an EU Action Plan on Wildlife Trafficking adopted in June. Trade in such tusks presents the greatest risk of poached ivory entering the legal market. In addition, these conclusions urged EU Member States to consider further measures to put a halt to commercial trade in ivory from elephants.

    A substantial number of proposals on elephant and ivory related issues will be discussed at the Conference of Parties to CITES to be held in South Africa between 24 September and 5 October 2016. This will include discussions on the existing global ban on the trade in ivory, which the UK is committed to maintaining, and the role of domestic ivory markets in illegal trade. The UK is, and will continue to, play a full role in these discussions.

    In relation to the confirmation by the USA Government to limit commercial trade in African elephant ivory to items more than 100 years old, with some exemptions, the then Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Environment and Rural Affairs, Rory Stewart, discussed this issue with the USA Government during a trip earlier this year. In addition officials in Defra are in regular contact with their US counterparts and have discussed the US measures on a number of occasions.

    Finally on the Elephant Protection Initiative, this has grown from 5 to 14 members since the London Conference in February 2014. A Ministerial-level meeting of members to agree governance arrangements took place in Addis Ababa in September 2015. Range states have been supported to develop their National Elephant Action Plans and through these a number of priority conservation projects have been funded.

  • Cheryl Gillan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Cheryl Gillan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cheryl Gillan on 2016-10-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the total cost to the public purse has been to date of the National College for High Speed Rail.

    Andrew Jones

    The Government has committed £52 million of capital cost up until the College opening. To date £12.3 million has been spent.

  • Paul Blomfield – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Paul Blomfield – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2015-11-09.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 28 October 2015 to Question 13786, what penalties have been issued to employers in relation to the 60 cases opened since February 2015.

    Mr David Gauke

    None of the investigations opened in February 2015 have yet concluded. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) cannot comment on on-going investigations.

    HMRC’s role in these investigations is to ensure that the correct tax is paid and any employees who are entitled to the National Minimum Wage receive it.

  • Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2015-12-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of political progress in Myanmar.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    Burma has made remarkable progress since beginning the reform process in 2011. The elections on 8 November were an important milestone in Burma’s transition to democracy, and we welcome the conduct of the process, which observers have characterised as well-managed, orderly and peaceful. However, the transition is not yet complete and the incoming administration will face many serious challenges. Of particular importance will be to build a sustainable and comprehensive peace with all groups in Burma and address human rights violations, most urgently those committed against the Muslim Rohingya community in Rakhine State.

  • Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-01-13.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many applications not to pay tax on income from rental properties due to the owner’s overseas status were received in (a) 2014-15, (b) 2013-14, (c) 2012-13, (d) 2011-12 and (e) 2010-11.

    Mr David Gauke

    HMRC does not receive applications not to pay tax on income from rental properties due to overseas status.

  • Ben Bradshaw – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Ben Bradshaw – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ben Bradshaw on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Health of 26 November 2015, Official Report, column 1481, what the (a) timetable and (b) terms of reference are of the review of blood donation policy by the Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs.

    Jane Ellison

    The Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood Tissues and Organs (SaBTO) decided at its meeting in January 2016 to carry out a review of deferral criteria for blood donors in relation to risks both from sexually transmitted diseases and from infections potentially transmitted by other routes, for example, tattooing or intravenous drug use.

    The process will fully involve stakeholders, and will be incremental, with published progress reports and any intermediate advice. The terms of reference will be published once approved by SaBTO.

  • Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-02-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of recalls to prison have been fixed term recalls in each of the last two years.

    Dominic Raab

    I am unable to provide the data you have requested in Question 29034 within the timescales for this parliamentary question. I will write to you in due course with such data as officials can collate it from casework systems.

    Any offender who is believed to have committed further offences whilst on licence is liable to be arrested and charged and, if convicted, given a further sentence. If the offence is serious, they can be remanded into custody until trial. Offenders on licence who are charged with further offences are also liable to be recalled, potentially to serve the rest of their sentence in prison, as they will be in breach of the requirement of their licence to be of good behaviour. If the offender is assessed as not presenting a risk of harm to the public they can be assessed as suitable for a shorter, fixed term recall. Those who have been charged with serious sexual or violent offences will not be considered suitable for a fixed term recall.

    The table below provides the proportion of recalls in 2013 and 2014 and the proportion who received a fixed term recall.

    Year

    Proportion of total recalls which were fixed term

    2014

    42%

    2013

    42%