Category: Speeches

  • Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-01-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what information his Department holds on the number of casualties that have resulted from the UK’s use of (a) Brimstone missiles, (b) Hellfire missiles and (c) Paveway IV guided bombs on the most recent occasions on which those weapons were deployed against targets in (i) Iraq and (ii) Syria.

    Penny Mordaunt

    The Ministry of Defence takes any allegations of civilian casualties very seriously. We do an assessment after every British strike of the damage that has been caused, and check very carefully whether there are likely to have been civilian casualties. As has always been the case, we consider all available credible evidence to support such assessments.

    There is no such evidence to date that RAF airstrikes have caused any civilian casualties.

  • Chris Heaton-Harris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Chris Heaton-Harris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Heaton-Harris on 2016-02-24.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to create a fiscal surplus by the end of this Parliament.

    Greg Hands

    The government has made significant progress on deficit reduction to date – the deficit has more than halved as a share of GDP from the post-war peak we inherited in 2009-10. The government will reduce public sector net borrowing at the same average rate as the previous Parliament. But with warnings of a weaker outlook for the economy, we cannot be complacent in thinking the job is done and we must continue with the plan to return the public finances to a more sustainable position.

  • Ruth Smeeth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Ruth Smeeth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ruth Smeeth on 2016-03-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 15 March 2016 to Question 30500, what the alternative arrangements are that provide funding for National Crime Agency investigations into non-recent child sexual abuse.

    Mike Penning

    The non-recent child sexual abuse investigations being conducted by the National Crime Agency are in response to requests from the Chief Officer of the local police forces. As such, the funding for these investigations is from the local police forces.

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

    Lord Wills – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Wills on 2016-04-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether their formal response to the Choice in end of life care review will be published before the purdah period ahead of the EU referendum begins.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The Government recognises that the response to the Review of Choice in End of Life Care is keenly awaited. Ensuring that everyone at, or nearing, the end of life receives high quality, compassionate care, tailored to their individual needs and preferences is a priority for this Government, and the response to the Choice Review is therefore being carefully considered.

    As previously set out, in its response the Government will address each of the Review recommendations including: care coordination; improving the quality, availability and responsiveness of care; improving the quality and use of data; care planning and the use of digital care records; and the involvement of family members and carers in discussions about care. Further details regarding the publication of the response, which is expected shortly, will be made available when it is appropriate to do so.

  • Sir Nicholas Soames – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Sir Nicholas Soames – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sir Nicholas Soames on 2016-06-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Challenger 2 Main Battle Tanks are held in reserve in the UK.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The Challenger 2 is a highly capable Main Battle Tank and sits at the heart of the Army’s war fighting Armoured Infantry Brigades and is a key part of the UK’s capability. The current Challenger 2 fleet consists of 227 main battle tanks all of which would be available for operational use if required.

    The following Regiments of the Royal Armoured Corps are equipped with Challenger 2: The King’s Royal Hussars, Tidworth; The Queen’s Royal Hussars, Germany and The Royal Tank Regiment, Tidworth. We do not routinely comment on specific levels of readiness and locations for individual capabilities as to do so would compromise operational security, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

    As at May 2016 the Challenger 2 fleet was assessed to meet 100% of the fleet size and deployability requirements as set out in the 2015-16 Army Readiness Order.

  • Charlotte Leslie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Charlotte Leslie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charlotte Leslie on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the number of offenders on probation housed in Approved Premises.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    Approved Premises (formerly known as probation or bail hostels) are used to provide enhanced supervision for higher-risk offenders who have been released from prison after completing the custodial part of their sentence. They also house a small number of defendants on bail. My Department is analysing the capacity and distribution of the Approved Premises estate to establish whether more places are needed.

  • Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town on 2016-10-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to prohibiting passengers from consuming their own alcohol on board aircraft, as is the case in the United States under Federal Aviation Administration regulations; and whether they have considered amending the Air Navigation Order 2016 to include such a prohibition.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The Air Navigation Order has provisions that make it an offence to board an aircraft, or be in an aircraft, while drunk, as well as behaving in a disruptive way. Additionally, the aviation industry has clear rules and procedures in place which make it clear that only alcohol bought onboard will be allowed to be consumed. There are no current plans for the Government to review legislation further in this area. Aviation safety is, however, always kept under review.

  • Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2015-10-29.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government who are the members of, and what are the terms of reference for, the Department of Health’s Appraisal Alignment Working Group.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The current membership of the Appraisal Alignment Working Group is as follows:

    Department of Health

    Keith Derbyshire (Chair) Chief Analyst and Chief Economist

    Danny Palnoch Senior Economic Adviser

    Peter Bennett Senior Operational Research Scientist

    Dr Mark Bale Deputy Chief Medical Officer

    National Institute for Health and Care Excellence

    Leeza Osipenko Associate Director

    Meindert Boysen Associate Director

    Public Health England

    Prof Brian Ferguson Director for Knowledge & Intelligence

    Dr Anne Mackie Director of Screening

    Monitor

    John Curnow Economics Project Director

    Zephan Trent Impact Assessment Lead

    NHS England

    Dr Donald Franklin Senior Economic Adviser NHS England

    Amy Lee Economic Advisor

    Brunel University

    Prof Martin Buxton Emeritus Professor of Health Economics

    London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Representing Joint Committee for Vaccines and Immunisations and Safety of Blood Tissues and Organs

    Prof John Cairns Professor of Health Economics

    The current Terms of Reference (agreed with ministers in February 2014) is replicated below:

    Appraisal Alignment Working Group [AAWG] Terms of Reference & Objectives

    The Appraisal Alignment Working Group (AAWG) is comprised of policy and analytic staff who work in, or give advice to, DH and its ALBs on the cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness of programmes, technologies and policies.

    The purpose of the group is to share knowledge on the various techniques employed across the Health and Care sector, to discuss and debate the pros and cons of different approaches employed, to consider ways of rendering results comparable, and to understand the reasons for differences in approaches.

    The working group is not a decision making body. Rather it is advisory. Individual members representing different organisations will take back recommendations and questions to their parent bodies for consideration.

    It is proposed to have meetings every six to eight weeks to achieve the ‘Must Do’ (e.g. primary) objective described below.

    The ‘Must Do’

    Before the next Spending Review, (pencilled in for June to October 2015), it is essential the Department of Health (DH) and its Arm’s Length Bodies (ALBs) can present a consistent approach o HM Treasury (HMT) on the cost benefit of different programmes (e.g. vaccinations, screening new technologies). The cost benefit case for spending presented to HMT should follow public sector best practice as set out by HMT, in its Green Book. Therefore results of appraisals need to be capable of being expressed in HMT Green Book methodology terms (ie using the Green Book methodology as a “reference case”).

    Having successfully achieved that, the Working Group will take stock and decide if the group (or some other forum) should continue and progress on three desiderata:

    1. economic justification for methods employed in each area and clear rationale for when methods differ and/or diverge from HMT’s Green Book.
    2. achieve greater alignment of techniques between the different sectors and organisations
    3. serve as an expert panel to advise on the development and application of new techniques on an on-going basis.

    This work would be less time critical and could be pursued by meetings every eight to twelve weeks.

  • Kevan Jones – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Kevan Jones – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2015-11-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the size of his Department’s Rapid Deployment Teams in terms of personnel was in each year since 2010.

    James Duddridge

    The Foreign & Commonwealth Office Rapid Deployment Teams are a volunteer cadre of Foreign & Commonwealth Office staff trained to be deployed to augment crisis response overseas. Since 2010 we have had Rapid Deployment Teams based in London, Asia Pacific and the Americas. A fourth Rapid Deployment Team covering the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia (MENASA) was introduced in 2012. In total, we have 185 active members of the Rapid Deployment Team globally consisting of 64 in London, 36 in Asia Pacific, 48 in the Americas and 37 in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia area. On call each week we have 12 London-based staff, 8 Middle East, North Africa and South Asia based staff, 10 Asia Pacific based staff and 11 Americas-based staff. These can be supplemented by additional specialists from the military, Police or British Red Cross. Around 72 new Rapid Deployment Team volunteers are trained each year.

  • Ben Howlett – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Ben Howlett – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ben Howlett on 2016-01-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will consider issuing guidance restricting the taking of photos and videos following the Shoreham air show crash.

    Mike Penning

    We have taken this question to relate specifically to those involved in policing in light of the recent disciplinary action taken against two Police Officers working for Sussex police on probation who attended the scene of the crash in September 2015.

    There are clear standards of behaviour for those involved in policing. Standards of Professional Behaviour for police officers are underpinned by the policing Code of Ethics, developed by the College of Policing and laid before Parliament in July 2014. The Code outlines the expectations of all who are involved in policing and which should be upheld in all circumstances. Forces are responsible for providing guidance to their officers and staff in terms of the appropriate handling of any such incidents including the taking of photos and videos, as well as maintaining discipline within the force according to the Standards of Professional Behaviour for policing. The College of Policing, which was established by the Home Office in October 2012, has published information on its website on the appropriate way to post information online for those working in policing.

    The Home Office cannot intervene or comment on individual cases, which are a matter for individual forces.

    Where such incidents take place and the conduct of those involved in policing falls below the expected standards, it is for individual forces to investigate such allegations and instigate disciplinary proceedings where it is appropriate to do so. I understand that Sussex Police pursued disciplinary procedures in this incident.

    The Home Office is continuing to improve the police discipline system to ensure that the processes and their outcomes are transparent and that police officers are held to account for their actions to ensure full public confidence in the integrity of police.