Category: Speeches

  • Seema Malhotra – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Seema Malhotra – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Seema Malhotra on 2016-01-11.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to address the forecast rise in household debt as defined by the Office for Budget Responsibility on page 69 of its November 2015 report, the Economic and Fiscal Outlook.

    Harriett Baldwin

    To avoid repeating the mistakes of the past we have created the independent Financial Policy Committee (FPC) within the Bank of England to ensure emerging risks and vulnerabilities across the financial system as a whole are identified, monitored and effectively addressed. The FPC has taken action on loan-to-income ratios and mortgage affordability to ensure against a significant rise in the number of highly indebted households.

  • Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2016-02-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to extend bowel cancer screening to all people aged 50 and older.

    Jane Ellison

    Bowel cancer screening by faecal occult blood testing for men and women aged 50 to 74 was recommended by the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) in July 2003. Following the UK NSC’s recommendation, bowel cancer screening in England was initially offered to men and women aged 60 to 69 years old. The original programme in England only invited people in their 60s because the risk of bowel cancer increases with age, with over 80% of bowel cancers being diagnosed in people who are aged 60 or over. In the pilot, over three times more cancers were detected in people aged over 60 than under 60, and people in their 60s were most likely to complete a testing kit. In addition there were issues about endoscopy capacity. The programme has now been extended to men and women aged up to 74. Men and women aged over 74 can self-refer for screening every two years if they wish.

    In 2011, the UK NSC recommended that screening for bowel cancer using bowel scope screening could be offered. The NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme is currently rolling out Bowel Scope Screening (BSS), an additional one off examination for men and women aged 55 with the aim of detecting and removing any adenomas (polyps) at an early stage to prevent bowel cancer from developing. We are on track to achieve the commitment of all local BSS screening centres in England being operational by the end of 2016.

  • Jo Cox – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Jo Cox – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jo Cox on 2016-03-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his policy is on the recognition of Palestinian statehood; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The British Government reserves the right to recognise a Palestinian state bilaterally at a moment of our choosing and when it can best help bring about peace. We are clear that we want to see the creation of a sovereign, independent, democratic, contiguous and viable Palestinian State, living in peace and security, side by side with Israel. Only a negotiated settlement can achieve this.

  • Charles Walker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Charles Walker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charles Walker on 2016-03-23.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the likely effect of the Fourth Money Laundering Directive on the ability in future of members of the House of Lords to continue to serve on the boards of banks and financial services companies; and if he will make a statement.

    Harriett Baldwin

    Under the Fourth Anti-Money Laundering Directive, which will be transposed into national law by June 2017, a politically exposed person is one who has been entrusted with a prominent public function domestically or by a foreign country. The Government will publish an Impact Assessment in due course. This will set out the benefits and costs for businesses in a wide range of sectors, including banking and financial services.

    The changes proposed under the Directive should not prevent any individual in this category from gaining or maintaining access to financial services. Board appointments will remain a matter for individual banks and financial services companies in line with relevant codes and regulations. The Treasury regularly raises the Directive with financial institutions and the regulator, and we encourage financial institutions to take a proportionate, risk-based approach when applying these measures.

  • Cheryl Gillan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Cheryl Gillan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cheryl Gillan on 2016-04-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of reclassifying warfarin clinics as anti-coagulation clinics in order to increase availability for anti-coagulation medicines other than warfarin which have been approved and recommended by NICE.

    George Freeman

    No assessment has been made of the merits of reclassification of warfarin clinics as anti-coagulation clinics as provision of these is a matter for clinical commissioning groups.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-06-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 7 June 2016 to Question 38501, when she plans to finalise the budget allocation for the Waste and Resources Action Programme for the financial years beyond 2016-17; and if she will make a statement.

    Rory Stewart

    Defra’s funding allocation to the Waste and Resources Action Programme is agreed on an annual basis and will be considered during the business planning process in the autumn, aiming to be finalised in March for the following financial year.

  • Imran Hussain – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Imran Hussain – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he and his Department have had with the Indian government on recent violence in Kashmir.

    Alok Sharma

    I remain very concerned by reports of violence and offer my condolences to the victims and their families. The United Kingdom abides by its commitments under international law and expects all countries to comply with their international legal obligations. Our High Commission in Delhi is monitoring the situation closely and we have changed our travel advice. The long standing position of the UK is that it is for India and Pakistan to find a lasting resolution to the situation in Kashmir, taking into account the wishes of the Kashmiri people. It is not for the UK to prescribe a solution or to act as a mediator.

  • Kate Green – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Kate Green – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2015-11-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions have taken place with teaching unions on the application of the Prevent programme in schools.

    Edward Timpson

    The Department of Education consulted the teaching unions on the Prevent duty guidance which was published in March 2015 (see https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/prevent-duty-guidance) and officials have subsequently briefed union representatives both on the duty and on the Department’s role in implementing the Prevent strategy in education. The Department has worked particularly closely with the unions representing school leaders to support schools in meeting their responsibilities under the Prevent duty.

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  • Mike Weir – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Mike Weir – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Weir on 2015-12-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect on travellers with bookings to (a) Sharm el Sheikh and (b) other destinations in the Middle East of the period within which the right to penalty-free cancellation can be ascertained being within 14 days of travel.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    On 4 November 2015, we amended our Travel Advice to advise against all but essential travel by air to Sharm el-Sheikh. We have not changed our Travel Advice for the resort itself.

    The FCO Travel Advice, available at www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, provides objective information and advice to help individuals make better-informed decisions about their travel. The Egypt page has been regularly updated to reflect developing events since the crash of the Russian airliner on 31 October. We regularly review our Travel Advice and all changes are made after careful analysis. Our only consideration is the safety of British Nationals.

    The FCO is working with DfT and Egyptian counterparts to put in place permanent and sustainable measures to allow British flights to Sharm el-Sheikh to resume as soon as possible.

    Refunds and cancellation penalties are a matter for the airlines. We are liaising closely with airlines to share information about the progress of our discussions with Egypt.

  • Richard Benyon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Richard Benyon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Benyon on 2016-01-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will discuss with the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (a) providing more funding through and (b) improving the effectiveness of the feed-in tariff incentive regime for smaller on-site anaerobic digestion in order to encourage cost-effective on-site treatment of food and farming residues and to reduce carbon emissions from the production of food.

    George Eustice

    The Government is committed to cost-effective decarbonisation of our electricity supply as well as protecting consumer bills by controlling costs passed on to consumers through their energy bills. Officials in Defra and the Department of Energy and Climate Change are currently working closely together in considering levels of support for anaerobic digestion through the Feed-in Tariff scheme and a consultation will be published in the coming months.