Category: Speeches

  • Lord Burnett – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord Burnett – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Burnett on 2015-12-21.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many complaints have been raised, and disciplinary proceedings brought, annually over the last 20 years involving the interaction between men and women serving on Royal Navy warships and submarines.

    Earl Howe

    This information is not held in the format requested.

  • Liz Saville Roberts – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Liz Saville Roberts – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liz Saville Roberts on 2016-01-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 14 January 2016 to Question 21819, what progress has been made on establishing a date of publication for the Macur report.

    Caroline Dinenage

    Lady Justice Macur’s report is being considered as a matter of urgency with a view to publication as soon as possible.

    The report needs to be considered by law enforcement agencies and the government before it can be published. This includes considering whether redactions need to be made. Lady Justice Macur has herself recommended that certain material should be considered for redaction before publication.

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the report of the independent cancer taskforce, Achieving world class cancer outcomes: A strategy for England 2015-2020, published in July 2015, what progress has been made in developing a new tobacco control strategy.

    Jane Ellison

    The development of a new tobacco control plan for England is currently in progress and will be published later this year. The recommendations of the Independent Cancer Taskforce will be considered alongside this work.

  • Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-03-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 10 March 2016 to Question 29389, on how many occasions and on what dates since the Convention on Cluster Munitions came into force the Government has (a) raised the issue of the use of cluster munitions with Saudi Arabia and (b) encouraged Saudi Arabia to accede to that Convention.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    We are aware of reports of the alleged use of Cluster Munitions by the Coalition in Yemen. We have raised this issue with the Saudi Arabian authorities and, in line with our obligations under the Convention on Cluster Munitions, continue to encourage Saudi Arabia, as a non-party to the Convention, to accede to it.

  • Michelle Donelan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Michelle Donelan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michelle Donelan on 2016-04-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to introduce driving tests for drivers who have previously passed that test (a) who are over 70 year old and (b) every 20 years.

    Andrew Jones

    The Department for Transport considers that medical fitness and practical competence, not age, are the relevant factors in deciding if a driver can continue to hold a licence. The rules for drivers renewing a license at the age of 70 are designed to be fair and proportionate, and there are no plans to change them.

  • Nic Dakin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Nic Dakin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2016-05-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to paragraph 2.28 of the White Paper, Educational Excellence Everywhere, published in March 2016, with which (a) individuals, (b) organisations and (c) universities she has had discussions regarding the establishment of centres for excellence in initial teacher training.

    Nick Gibb

    The Government’s White Paper, Educational Excellence Everywhere, confirmed that we intend to use a new set of quality criteria to determine how initial teacher training (ITT) places are allocated to training providers in future, ensuring that training is concentrated with the highest-quality providers. On the basis of these criteria, which will include factors such as the quality of trainees recruited, the quality of the training programmes, and the quality of outcomes for trainees, we will designate some providers as Centres of Excellence. We expect to set out further details of the quality criteria that will apply for the 2017/18 training year, and which providers will be designated as Centres of Excellence, when we confirm the methodology for allocating places, which is currently under discussion.

    The Department for Education has actively been engaging the ITT sector in discussions about the proposals in the White Paper, including the establishment of ITT Centres of Excellence. Engagement to date has included a series of roundtable discussion events for university- and school-led providers and their representative bodies, such as the Universities’ Council for the Education of Teachers (UCET) and the National Association of School-Based Teacher Trainers (NASBTT).

    We expect to confirm the allocations methodology for 2017/18 after further consultation with providers and their representative organisations over the summer, in time for the start of recruitment in the autumn term.

  • Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-07-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what his policy is on access to the single market for services; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Robin Walker

    Our economy is fundamentally strong, and the UK is open to business and investment. The Government has been consulting, and will continue to consult, with a broad range of stakeholders and we will need to consider all factors carefully in implementing the decision of the British people. This is clearly a very important issue for UK business and we will want the strongest possible economic links with our European neighbours.

  • Seema Malhotra – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Seema Malhotra – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Seema Malhotra on 2016-10-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of schools are currently in debt; and to whom such schools are in debt.

    Nick Gibb

    The financial reporting requirements of academy trusts and maintained schools differ and therefore are not directly comparable. In the 2014/15 academic year, 113 academy trusts reported a cumulative revenue deficit in the August Accounts Return. This represents 4% of trusts submitting a return. At the end of the 2014-15 financial year, local authorities reported 944 LA-maintained schools with a deficit revenue balance. This represents 5.3% of such schools.

    Further information on the financial position of these schools can be found in the financial statements of the academy trusts or for maintained schools the Consistent Financial Reporting (CFR) returns.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Greg Mulholland – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-10-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect on advanced nurse practitioners of proposed adjustments of GPs working hours.

    Ben Gummer

    An advanced nurse practitioner is generally accepted to be a registered nurse who has acquired the expert knowledge base, complex decision-making skills and clinical competencies for expanded practice, the characteristics of which are shaped by the context of practice. A Master’s Degree is recommended for entry level to an Advanced Nurse Practitioner (ANPs) role. This role is not defined by the Nursing Midwifery Council or the Department.

    Today ANPs work in a variety of health care settings and in a number of different roles, which range from a nurse consultant managing a specialist service in a hospital to being a nurse partner within a general practice.

    Information on how many ANPs are employed by the National Health Service in each region of the United Kingdom in each of the last five years is not held by the Department.

    We have made it clear that we are not planning to impose a ‘one size fits all model’ for our plan to provide a seven-day NHS. It will be for local commissioners and providers to decide how best to deliver seven day services in hospitals and for them to work with their Local Education and Training Boards to develop workforce plans to support this.

    Although not explicitly mentioned in NHS England’s Five Year Forward view, ANPs are part of the solution to addressing the health and well-being gap; care and quality gap; and funding gap. For example, ANPs are involved in the new care models such as in Derbyshire. The Derbyshire Vanguard site will develop a prevention team made up of health and care professionals including general practitioners (GPs), ANPs, mental health nurses, extended care support and therapy support.

    Seven day access does not mean that every GP must work every day or that all practices must open at evenings and weekends. Through schemes such as the Prime Minister’s GP Access Fund, practices are encouraged to collaborate together in delivering more convenient and accessible services for patients in the evenings and weekends through multiple methods including innovative use of technology, working together at scale, and better use of skill mix to both improve patient care and release GP capacity.

    The recent independent evaluation of the first wave of the PM’s GP Access Fund reported that “evidence to date suggests that the strategy of making more use of nursing staff, particularly Advance Nurse Practitioners (ANPs), is resulting in benefits including released GP capacity…”

  • Lord Lansley – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Lord Lansley – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lansley on 2015-11-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much money has been (1) provided, and (2) committed through to 2018–19, from the LIBOR fines to support the Imperial War Museum’s educational work; and how that money has been disbursed or allocated by the museum.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    Thanks to my noble friend’s work in this area, and the Chancellor’s commitment to use fines paid by banks for good causes, £8 million has been committed from the LIBOR funds to support the Imperial War Museum’s education work over the period 2015-2019. The Museum has allocatedaround£2 million for each year of this period and a total of £1.3m has been invested so far in 2015-2016 on ongoing education work. This includes support to the First World War Centenary learning programme with over 3,500 member organisations from more than 50 different countries including universities, museums, schools, libraries, archives, operas, orchestras and local community organisations.