Category: Speeches

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-01-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has to collect data on the loss of ancient woodland to development.

    Rory Stewart

    This Government recognises the importance of England’s trees, woods and forests. Our ancient woodlands are especially valuable to us. Indeed they reflect our heritage and identity, as well as providing a unique and rich habitat for our wildlife.

    That is why Natural England is working with partners to update and improve the Ancient Woodland Inventory. The planning system records the loss of ancient woodland where development proposals require an Environmental Statement and these losses are then a matter of public record.

    Given this, we have no plans to collect data from Local Authorities on the loss of ancient woodland to development.

  • John Pugh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    John Pugh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Pugh on 2016-01-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many permanent employees Ofsted has; and how many such employees receive salaries in excess of £100,000 per annum.

    Nick Gibb

    These are matters for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw. I have asked him to write to you and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Libraries.

  • Lyn Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Lyn Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lyn Brown on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what academic research he has commissioned on the expected behavioural response of employers to the introduction of the apprenticeship levy.

    Nick Boles

    The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills have commissioned academics at The Institute of Employment Research and IFF Research to undertake detailed research into employers’ response to the apprenticeship levy. We expect to be able to publish this in late summer 2016.

    Additionally we are in the process of commissioning further independent work in this area.

  • Sarah Wollaston – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Sarah Wollaston – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Wollaston on 2016-03-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether, when considering whether to acquire a bulk personal dataset from another government department under the Investigatory Powers Bill, she plans to consult the Secretary of State for that department.

    Mike Penning

    The Investigatory Powers Bill provides for robust and transparent safeguards relating to the security and intelligence agencies’ use of bulk personal datasets (BPDs). This includes a new requirement for warrants to authorise the retention and examination of BPDs. The Bill provides for both class BPD warrants, covering datasets of a particular class, and specific BPD warrants, covering an individual dataset. The draft statutory Code of Practice provides further guidance on the factors that the security and intelligence agencies should consider in determining which type of warrant to apply for. These include whether the nature or the provenance of the dataset raises particularly novel or contentious issues; whether it contains a significant component of intrusive data; and whether it contains a significant component of confidential information relating to members of sensitive professions. All warrants will be subject to the ‘double-lock’ safeguard meaning that they will be subject to approval by both a Secretary of State and a Judicial Commissioner.

  • Lord Hunt of Chesterton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Hunt of Chesterton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Chesterton on 2016-04-21.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the average training period for graduates newly appointed to the UK civil service, and whether that training includes learning about UK government and history.

    Lord Bridges of Headley

    The Civil Service graduate programme is known as the Fast Stream and its average training period is up to four years. The Fast Stream core curriculum includes learning about UK Government and history and the central induction for Fast Streamers also has activities relating to this topic. Graduates can also enter the civil service via direct appointment without being part of a formal training scheme. Those who do so have access to a wide range of training options, including how the UK government operates.

  • Jamie Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jamie Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2016-06-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children living in the Copeland constituency have been eligible to receive free school meals in each of the last six years.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    Data for the number of pupils eligible for free school meals in each school in England are available in the underlying data in each of the annual ‘Schools, pupils and their characteristics’ statistical releases.[1]

    The number and proportion of pupils attending schools in Copeland who were known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals in each of the last six years is given in the table below.

    Year

    Number of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals

    Percentage of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals

    2010

    1,423

    12.1

    2011

    1,420

    12.0

    2012

    1,362

    11.8

    2013

    1,395

    12.3

    2014

    1,354

    12.1

    2015

    1,253

    11.1

    Source: School Census

    [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-school-and-pupil-numbers – click on the relevant year and then ‘underlying data.’ The data is contained in files with ‘Schools_Pupils’ in the title.

    “

  • Craig Whittaker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Craig Whittaker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners have been handed a life sentence in each of the last 10 years.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    A life sentence is mandatory for murder. A life sentence must also be imposed for a second, very serious, specified violent or sexual offence – for example, manslaughter, GBH with intent, rape, and sexual assault on a child under 13 – unless the court finds that there are particular circumstances relating to the offence or the offender which would make it unjust to do so.

    Under a life sentence, the offender must serve the full minimum term imposed by the court before being considered for release on life licence by the Parole Board, which will only release an offender if and when it considers it safe to do so. Where a whole life order is imposed the offender is not eligible for parole.

    The number of life sentences imposed in each of the last ten years can be found on gov.uk.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-10-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they are making to the government of Israel concerning reports about recent arrests by Israeli police of members of the Balad Party and failures to disclose the nature of the charges made against several of those arrested.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    While we have not made any representations to the Israeli authorities on this issue, we understand that the members of the Balad Party were detained as part of an investigation into fraud in connection with illegally obtained funds used to finance party activities.

  • Lord Lester of Herne Hill – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Lord Lester of Herne Hill – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lester of Herne Hill on 2015-10-29.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the financial cost of cancelling the contract with Saudi Arabia on justice, security and policing.

    Baroness Evans of Bowes Park

    The Ministry of Justice has not entered into, or withdrawn from, a contract with Saudi Arabia concerning justice, security and policing. Earlier this year Just Solutions international (JSi), the commercial arm of the National Offender Management Service (NOMS), submitted a bid to undertake a training needs analysis for the Saudi Arabian prison service. On 13 October 2015, the Secretary of State for Justice announced that this bid would be withdrawn, and so no contract was signed. I refer the honourable member to the Justice Secretary’s statement to the House of Commons which can be found in House of Commons Hansard Debates, 13 Oct 2015: Column 180.

    No direct cost was incurred as a result of withdrawing the bid from the competition process.

  • Julie Cooper – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Julie Cooper – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Cooper on 2015-11-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to extend the hours of social workers and other professionals required to support doctors in their new working arrangements to meet the Government’s aspiration for a seven day a week NHS.

    Alistair Burt

    Local authorities are already working with their local health service partners towards ensuring appropriate 7 day 24 hour social work cover. Out of hours social services and emergency duty services are already in place and some local authorities are employing social workers along with occupational therapists to work at weekends to manage safe hospital discharge and other requirements such as equipment provision, to ensure people have appropriate and timely support to leave hospital.

    We recognise that providing high quality urgent and emergency services seven days a week requires far more than just doctors to be present, and that nurses, diagnostic staff, and other allied health professionals all play an invaluable role in caring for patients. It will be for local providers and their Local Education and Training Boards to develop workforce plans for delivering seven day services in hospitals which will make the best use of staff skills and expertise. While there may be additional staff needed, we are working with NHS England to make sure we have the workforce we need, including looking at new working patterns and roles such as physician associates.