Category: Speeches

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-04-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the average change in the level of financial support given to a person over (a) five, (b) 10 and (c) 30 years under his Department’s proposals to reform financial support for people affected by HIV or hepatitis C through treatment with NHS-supplied blood or blood products if compensation is not linked to inflation.

    Jane Ellison

    The proposal to uncouple the link between annual payments and the Consumer Price Index (CPI) was contained in in the consultation document “Infected Blood: Reform of financial and other support”. The aim of this proposal was to provide certainty about the amount of the annual payment and no estimation of the average change in the payments made to an individual claimant was made. No decisions have yet been made and details of the shape and structure of a reformed scheme, including the link to the CPI, will be decided following the end of the public consultation, which closed on 15 April.

  • Tim Farron – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Tim Farron – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Farron on 2016-05-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will allow the Quality Assurance Agency to include an assessment of how well universities are meeting the needs of disabled students in their remit.

    Joseph Johnson

    The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone with the potential has the opportunity to benefit from higher education, irrespective of their background or mode of learning. In the last year we saw record numbers of applicants and entrants to higher education, and record application rates among students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

    Universities expect to spend more than £745 million through access agreements agreed with the Director of Fair Access on measures to improve access and success for students from disadvantaged groups, including disabled students – up significantly from £404 million in 2009.

    Under the Equality Act 2010, higher education institutions have a role and responsibility for promoting equality, including for students with disabilities.

    The UK Quality Code promotes an inclusive approach by embedding consideration of equality and diversity throughout higher education institutions. Promoting equality for disabled students can include eliminating arbitrary and unnecessary barriers to learning and offering learning opportunities that are equally accessible to them. The Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) looks for evidence that universities promote equality when making assessments of higher education institutions in line with the UK Quality Code.

  • Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-07-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the (a) Saudi Arabian and (b) Yemeni ambassador on the humanitarian situation in Yemen.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The UK is playing a leading role in responding to the humanitarian crisis in Yemen. Over the last financial year, we more than doubled our humanitarian aid to Yemen to £85m, which allowed us to help more than 1.3 million Yemenis with food, medical supplies, water, and emergency shelter. We regularly engage with Saudi Arabia and the Government of Yemen on the humanitarian situation in Yemen.

  • David Simpson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    David Simpson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Simpson on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much road grit is available in the UK for the 2016-17 winter; and how much the (a) mining, (b) storage and (c) distribution of road grit costs per year.

    Andrew Jones

    Highway authorities have a duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that safe passage along a highway is not endangered by snow or ice. Winter service and maintenance is therefore the sole responsibility of the respective highway authority. This includes ensuring they have adequate road grit supplies.

    The Department for Transport continues to take action to ensure the country enters the 2016/17 winter season well prepared. This includes monitoring road grit being held around the country throughout the winter season, working closely with the UK domestic road grit producers, continuing to maintain a substantial national emergency road grit reserve and having a robust distribution process in place, if for any reason this road grit is needed to be allocated.

    The Department for Transport is also currently undertaking a survey of highway authorities to determine how much road grit is available in the UK for the forthcoming 2016-17 winter. However from previous surveys, we anticipate the country has over one million tonnes of road grit at its disposal, which is in addition to the 383,000 tonnes held as part of the national emergency grit reserve.

    It is for each highway authority to ensure that they have adequate road grit procured to treat the roads for which they are responsible, as required. The costs fall to each highway authority. These costs may vary depending on the road grit supplier and the distance the grit has to be hauled to the depots. The typical cost of road grit, including mining, storage and distribution lies within the range of £30 to £38 per tonne.

  • Tania Mathias – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Tania Mathias – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tania Mathias on 2015-11-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when all NHS patients will be able to access their medical records online; and when the NHS will implement a secure unified email system.

    George Freeman

    From April 2015 patients have had online access to summary information in their general practitioner (GP) records relating to allergies, adverse reactions and medications. By the end of March 2016, general practices are required to offer online access to coded information, such as problem diagnoses, procedures and test results in GP clinical records.

    The National Health Service has used a secure email service, NHSmail, for the last 12 years. This service is available for use by organisations commissioned to deliver NHS health and care or related activities.

  • Jo Cox – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Jo Cox – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jo Cox on 2016-01-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how her Department integrates atrocity prevention into its work (a) in at risk countries and (b) with at risk communities.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    In the UK Aid Strategy published in the autumn the Government committed to spending at least 50% of the Department for International Development’s budget in fragile states and regions in each year of this parliament, as well as to increasing the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund to over £1.3 billion a year by 2019/20. We are investing in fragile states and regions to build stability and tackle the underlying drivers and enablers of all types of violent conflict – including identity-based mass violence and atrocities – rather than simply responding after violence breaks out.

    Conflict and large-scale violence are best prevented by enabling societies to develop the strong and legitimate institutions needed to manage tensions peacefully. This requires a long-term, patient approach through increased support to tackle corruption, promote good governance, develop security and justice, and create jobs and economic opportunity. These are essential elements of the golden thread of democracy and development, supporting peaceful and inclusive societies at national and community levels.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-01-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress has been made in dealing with the migrants who arrived (a) in October 1998 and (b) on 21 October 2015 in the RAF Dhekelia and RAF Akrotiri Soverign Base Areas in Cyprus.

    Penny Mordaunt

    The remaining migrants, both recognised refugees and failed asylum seekers, from those who arrived in the Soveriegn Base Areas (SBA) in 1998, are currently living in former Service Family accommodation close to the British Forces Garrison in Dhekelia. For those whose claims for asylum have not been accepted and who are unable to return to their country of origin, we continue efforts to identify a third country willing to accept them.

    The majority of those migrants who arrived in the SBA on 21 October 2015 have transferred into the Republic of Cyprus asylum system and are housed in a facility in the Republic. Of those who remain in the Transit Facility in Dhekelia, all have either claimed asylum or are seeking voluntarily to return to their point of origin. Their asylum claims are being considered by the Sovereign Base Area Administration, with assistance from Republic of Cyprus immigration officials.

  • Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 9 February 2016 to Question 25978, whether the timetable for making a decision on applying to the EU Solidarity Fund has been extended.

    James Wharton

    I refer the rt. hon. Member to the answer I gave on the EU Solidarity Fund on 25 February 2016, Official Report, column 455.

  • Adam Afriyie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Adam Afriyie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Afriyie on 2016-03-16.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the UK’s net financial contribution to the EU budget (a) was in 2006 and (b) is in 2015-16.

    Mr David Gauke

    The UK’s net contribution to the EU in 2006, including rebate and total receipts from the EU, can be found in the tables appended in the EU’s Financial Report 2014:

    ec.europa.eu/budget/library/biblio/documents/2014/Internet%20tables%202000-2014.xls

    No comparable figure can be provided for 2015-16 as outturn data will only become available later in the year.

  • Christian Matheson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Christian Matheson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christian Matheson on 2016-04-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when (a) the fact of, (b) the reasons for and (c) consequences of shortages of staff at Chorley and South Ribble Accident and Emergency unit was first reported to (i) him, (ii) the Trust Board, (iii) Monitor, (iv) the Clinical Commissioning Group and (v) the Department of Health.

    Ben Gummer

    These are operational matters for the Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and we have written to Stuart Heys, Chair of the Trust informing him of the hon. Member’s questions. He will reply shortly and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.