Category: Speeches

  • Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2016-04-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the rate of uptake by the NHS of faecal microbiota transplants in the treatment of recurrent clostridium difficile.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has produced guidance on faecal microbiota transplant for recurrent Clostridium difficile infection. NICE has recommended that the procedure is safe and effective for use in the National Health Service, but no assessment of its cost effectiveness has been made by NICE.

    Data on the uptake of faecal microbiota transplants in the treatment of recurrent Clostridium difficile by the NHS is not collected centrally.

  • Jeff Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Jeff Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeff Smith on 2016-06-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, following the review of homelessness legislation undertaken by the charity Crisis entitled The homelessness legislation: An independent review of the legal duties owed to homeless people, published on 25 April 2016, whether he plans to undertake a review of such legislation.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    I welcome the recent report from the Crisis Expert Panel into the legal duties owed to homeless people. It provides a valuable insight into how aspects of the current legislation in England can learn from the model adopted in Wales.

    We are considering all options, including legislation, and will continue to talk to local authorities, homelessness organisations and other government departments.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the combined total financial penalty was for non-compliance with the National Minimum Wage imposed on the 197 employers who were named and shamed by his Department for such non-compliance on 11 August 2016.

    Margot James

    The Government is committed to cracking down on employers who break National Minimum Wage law. In addition to the repayment of arrears to workers, named employers are subject to financial penalties.

    The total financial penalties for employers named for non-compliance with the National Minimum Wage on 11 August 2016 was £254,953.04.

  • Danny Kinahan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Danny Kinahan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Danny Kinahan on 2016-10-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the value was of his Department’s naval maintenance contracts by shipyards in (a) England, (b) Northern Ireland, (c) Scotland and (d) Wales in the last 10 years.

    Harriett Baldwin

    The information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  • Imran Hussain – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Imran Hussain – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2015-11-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance his Department gives to NHS trusts on hiring temporary doctors and nurses.

    Ben Gummer

    The Department has not issued specific guidance to National Health Service trusts on hiring temporary doctors and nurses. It has, however, commissioned NHS Employers to offer advice, guidance and good practice. The NHS Employers’ guides on sourcing temporary staffing can be found at

    http://www.nhsemployers.org/search-results?q=sourcing+temporary+staffing+exterrnally

    The Department also encourages NHS trusts requiring temporary staff to use the Crown Commercial Services’ Framework agreements wherever possible. Agencies on these Framework agreements are required to support trusts improve their commissioning of temporary staffing.

  • Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2016-01-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department spent on Israeli products in each of the last three years.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    This information is not held centrally in the format requested. However, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has made the total value of payments below against contracts where the MOD Commercial teams have identified Israel as the location of some or all of the work required for the completion of the overall contract.

    Financial Year

    Total Value of Payments (£ million)

    2012-13

    18.9

    2013-14

    25.5

    2014-15

    15.8

    These figures may not include all subcontracted components of Israeli manufacture and may include subcontracted components manufactured in countries other than Israel. The analysis is based on Location of Work codes and does not relate to the billing address of companies nor is it based on ownership of the companies involved in the production of the product.

  • Ian Murray – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Ian Murray – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Murray on 2016-02-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what (a) modelling or (b) other assumptions her Department used to determine the export fractions for hydropower feed-in tariffs.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The export fractions used to model tariffs were determined using evidence submitted during the feed-in tariffs (FITs) review consultation as well as data gathered by Parsons Brinckerhoff in advance of the consultation. More detailed information on how export fractions were determined is included in the impact assessment published alongside the response to the FITs review.

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/486084/IA_-_FITs_consultation_response_with_Annexes_-_FINAL_SIGNED.pdf

  • David Mowat – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    David Mowat – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Mowat on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the extent of Israeli settlement-building in the occupied territories since the cessation of Operation Protective Edge.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    Israeli settlement building in the West Bank and East Jerusalem has continued since the cessation of Operation Protective Edge. In August 2014, the Israeli Government expropriated over 1000 acres of Palestinian land near Bethlehem, the largest expropriation in 30 years. In September 2014, Israeli authorities approved 2610 units in Givat Hamatos. In 2015, according to Israeli Non-Government Office Peace Now, construction for 1800 previously-tendered housing units began in the settlements. New tenders for 1143 housing units were also published, 560 in the West Bank and 583 in East Jerusalem. 2016 has seen a number of concerning announcements, including: the extension of the Gush Etzion settlement to include the former church compound of Beit al Baraka; the declaration of 385 acres of land near Jericho as ‘state land’; and approval for a further 153 settlement units. We strongly urge the Israeli Government to reverse its policy over illegal settlements.

  • Keith Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Keith Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2016-03-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, in which areas other than Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Spirit Healthcare’s Empower type 2 diabetes education programme is expected to be implemented.

    Jane Ellison

    This information is not held centrally.

  • Lord Ahmed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Ahmed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ahmed on 2016-04-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they keep statistics of how many British citizens have been excluded from travelling to the US under HR158 of the Visa Waiver Programme Improvement and Terrorist Prevention Act 2015; and if so, how many have been so excluded; and whether they are aware of any British Parliamentarians being refused entry under that rule.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    US immigration processes – including the collection of statistics – are a matter for the US authorities. A number of Members of Parliament have raised this issue on behalf of their constituents and we are aware of at least one Parliamentarian affected by the new legislation. We have raised the importance of clearly communicating changes to immigration policy with the US administration, and remain in close contact with the US Embassy in order to avoid inconvenience to British nationals travelling to the US.