Category: Speeches

  • Norman Lamb – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Norman Lamb – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Norman Lamb on 2016-07-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will consider the introduction of a programme to reduce or write off student loans for top graduates entering teaching or social work in areas (a) of high social need and (b) struggling to recruit to such professions.

    Nick Gibb

    Recruiting sufficient, high-quality teachers is central to the Government’s ambition to deliver educational excellence everywhere. High-quality teachers are the single most important factor determining how well pupils achieve in schools. That is why we have already committed to spend over £1.3 billion on teacher recruitment up to 2020. This includes continuing to provide generous tax-free teacher training bursaries to graduates, which are worth up to £30,000 for academic year 2016/17.

    More trainee teachers started training in 2015/16 than in 2014/15, and a record proportion of new trainees held a first class degree. For courses beginning in 2016/17, so far around 26,000 people have secured a teacher training place, and we have already recruited in excess of targets in primary and several secondary subjects.

    We review the financial incentives for teacher training every year, and we will continue to test new approaches to recruiting teachers, such as the STEM teacher supply package announced in March 2015.

    Recruiting and retaining high quality social workers is essential to ensure we deliver high quality services to vulnerable children and families. As already announced, the Government will consult on the future funding of social work education in order to ensure that there will be an adequate supply of social workers with the right skills and training. This is part of a wider, ongoing programme which has seen investment of over £700m since 2010 in social worker training and improvement programmes, including support for a range of routes to expand entry into the profession such as Frontline, a scheme specifically aimed at bringing top graduates into social work, and Step Up.

  • David Simpson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    David Simpson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to address the change in Britain’s self-sufficiency rating.

    George Eustice

    The government has a manifesto commitment to introduce a 25 year plan to grow and produce more food, both to increase consumption of British food in the domestic market and to export more.

    The UK Food Production to Supply ratio in 2015 was 61% for all food and 76% for indigenous-type food. This compares with 62% and 76% respectively in 2014. This has remained steady over the last decade.

    Global food security is dependent on a number of factors including increasing production sustainably, reducing waste and ensuring open markets around the world to facilitate trade.

  • Lord Wills – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Wills – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Wills on 2015-11-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken to secure funding for research into mesothelioma over the last two years.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The usual practice of the Department’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and of the Medical Research Council is not to ring-fence funds for expenditure on particular topics: research proposals in all areas compete for the funding available. Both funders welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including mesothelioma. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition.

    The NIHR launched a ‘themed call’ for mesothelioma research proposals in 2014. Fifteen individual applications have been received, of which two have been approved for funding to date, two are under review, and eleven have been rejected.

  • Seema Malhotra – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Seema Malhotra – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Seema Malhotra on 2015-12-15.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, which external organisations have contributed to his Department’s review on business rates.

    Mr David Gauke

    The Government has held a range meetings with stakeholders and received a large number of submissions in response to the business rates review. The review will be fiscally neutral and will report at Budget 2016.

  • Maria Eagle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Maria Eagle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2016-01-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with the BBC on an extension of the current BBC Charter period by order of the Queen in Council.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    I and my officials continue to have an ongoing dialogue with the BBC regarding the content and process of the BBC Charter Review.

  • Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2016-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to the publication, entitled The Department for Education review, published in November 2012, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on the potential benefits of departmental regional office bases to the delivery of his Department’s policies.

    Joseph Johnson

    There have been no conversations between the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Secretary of State for Education on the subjects above.

  • David Burrowes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    David Burrowes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Burrowes on 2016-03-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and which family test assessments he has seen in the last six months.

    Priti Patel

    We do not record the number of assessments conducted. Assessments against the Family Test are completed by policy officials in the course of developing advice on new policy and can be included in submissions to Ministers. Assessments can be completed for some policies in the early stages of development, including for some ideas that do not progress beyond the design stage.

  • Vicky Foxcroft – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Vicky Foxcroft – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Vicky Foxcroft on 2016-04-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department holds on the number of people removed without notification from GP practice patient registers in (a) Lewisham, Deptford constituency and (b) Greater Manchester in each of the last three years.

    Alistair Burt

    The information requested is not held centrally.

  • Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2016-05-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they are having with voluntary organisations to ensure the successful reception of unaccompanied child refugees on arrival in the UK.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    Any unaccompanied child who arrives in the UK receives clothing packs. All unaccompanied children present in the UK, regardless of their immigration status, are afforded the same level of care and support as British children. Unaccompanied refugee children brought to the UK through provisions in the Immigration Act 2016 will be given the appropriate support and care required. We continue to consult with local authorities on the best way to implement this legislation.

    Last year the UK received 3,043 asylum applications from unaccompanied asylum seeking children. We have robust measures in place to receive and safeguard them. In addition we have committed to section 67 in the Immigration Act 2016 to receive unaccompanied children from Europe where it is in their best interests.

    We are consulting with relevant non-governmental organisations, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), local authorities and relevant Member States on the best way to implement the Immigration Act 2016 provisions for the transfer of unaccompanied refugee children from Europe to the UK. We will ensure we have the right support for unaccompanied refugee children who arrive in the UK from Europe whilst ensuring we fulfil our obligations to children who are already in UK.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-07-12.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the likely cost to the public purse of additional staff to be recruited from outside the civil service to work on preparations for negotiation of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.

    Mr David Davis

    A new Department for Exiting the European Union has been established by the Prime Minister. The staffing requirements for the new department, and their costs, are now being identified.