Category: Speeches

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-10-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what (a) material and (b) humanitarian assistance the Government is providing to assist civilians fleeing the city of Mosul; and if she will make a statement.

    Rory Stewart

    The UK has been one of the earliest and largest donors to the UN’s Mosul Flash Appeal, focused on preparing for the humanitarian consequences of Mosul military operations. This includes £40 million announced by my right Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for International Development, at the UN General Assembly in September. With this, our partners will provide assistance, including shelter and support kits for 66,000 people, comprising vital equipment for any displaced family, such as blankets, plastic sheets, buckets and other containers for water, cooking items and soap. It will also provide emergency healthcare for 42,000 people, through four mobile medical teams, upgraded emergency medical surgeries, three ambulances and two health facilities with equipment, medication and light rehabilitation.

    This brings the UK’s total humanitarian commitment to £90 million in 2016, and £169.5 million since summer 2014.

  • Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission

    Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2015-11-09.

    To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission, what guidance the Electoral Commission has issued to returning officers on responding to requests under the Freedom of Information Act for statistics on electoral registration.

    Mr Gary Streeter

    The Electoral Commission issues guidance to Electoral Registration Officers on registration matters. Electoral Registration Officers are not a public authority under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and, as such, are exempt from the disclosure requirements imposed by it.

    However, in its guidance manual for Electoral Registration Officers, the Commission advises that, where possible, Electoral Registration Officers should disclose the requested information, provided it is already in the public domain or does not include personal data. The total number of electors registered in their area is a specific example provided in the manual of statistical data that could be disclosed.

    Following specific requests and enquiries from political parties, the Commission, in a Bulletin issued to electoral practitioners on 26 June of this year, further advised that Electoral Registration Officers could disclose statistical information relating to those electors in their area who were not registered individually.

  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-12-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to encourage coppicing of woodland.

    Rory Stewart

    By increasing awareness and demand for coppice products, woodland owners will be encouraged to reintroduce coppice management in their woods. For this reason, we are working with ‘Grown in Britain’, along with the Forestry Commission and the National Coppice Federation, to introduce a ‘Grown in Britain Coppice’ licence category. This will allow coppice owners and workers to benefit from the ‘Grown in Britain’ brand as it raises the profile of the home grown woodland industry.

    Where significant biodiversity improvement can be achieved, the practice of coppicing can also be supported through Countryside Stewardship. Under the Priority Habitat (broadleaved woodland) or Priority Species objectives of Woodland Improvement (WD2) schemes, the payment of £100 per hectare per year will be paid for activities which improve the biodiversity of woodland or make it more resilient to climate change. Where coppicing forms part of the sustainable long term management of a woodland, it can be supported though this scheme under a multi-annual agreement.

  • Phil Boswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Phil Boswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Phil Boswell on 2016-01-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the value is of the personal independence payment assessment contract with ATOS; what the main key performance indicators (KPIs) are under that contract; and what the (a) financial and (b) other penalties are for failure to meet KPIs.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The Department has two Personal Independence Payment (PIP) contracts with Atos, each covering a geographical area. North of England & Scotland (Lot 1) has a value of £206,703,507. London & South of England (Lot 3) has a value of £183,894,556.

    There are a number of Service Levels (Key Performance Indicators are not used in PIP contracts) which Atos are required to deliver to meet the Department’s service requirements. These are detailed in the attached Annex 1. In addition, a number of interim Service Levels have been introduced to address specific performance targets.

    In the event Atos fail to achieve a key service level, contracts provide for Service Credits to be applied. Service Credits are a contractual remedy applied to Atos to recognise the loss of service received and to ensure any performance issues are rectified quickly.

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-02-04.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 27 January (HL5039), what evidence the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has received that a major cause of miscarriage is the failure of embryos to develop to the blastocyst stage; what records they hold regarding miscarriages occurring after human embryos that were known to be unable to develop further in vitro had been deliberately transferred to the uterus of a patient; and what sanctions are imposed on clinics in which such implantations take place.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has not received any such evidence. With regards the role of the HFEA in granting a research licence, its role is to ensure that any project fulfils one of the purposed set out below:

    – Increasing knowledge about serious disease or other serious conditions.

    – Developing treatments for serious diseases or other serious medical conditions.

    – Increasing knowledge about the causes of congenital diseases.

    – Promoting the advances in the treatment of infertility.

    – Increasing knowledge about the causes of miscarriages.

    – Developing more efficient techniques of contraception.

    – Developing methods for detecting gene, chromosome or mitochondrion abnormalities in embryos before implantation.

    – Increasing knowledge about the development of embryos.

  • Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-03-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he plans to take to ensure diabetes (a) care and (b) information provided by Southampton City CCG is responsive and relevant to the needs of the patient.

    Jane Ellison

    We are advised by NHS England that the Southampton City Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) commissions diabetes services in line with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines across primary, community and secondary care. All services are regularly reviewed and service providers are required to report service level data to ensure that the provision is meeting the NICE quality standards. We understand this will include service access data and patient reported satisfaction. The CCG commissions an integrated pathway of diabetes care of which 80% is delivered in primary care.

    We are also informed that the Diabetes Community Team provides support into primary care and sees more complex patients as appropriate, it also provides professional education and training and structured education for patients which is in line with the NICE guidelines. NHS England advises that the Southampton City CCG’s acute in-patient team provides care for those admitted into hospital with more acute needs and also provides appropriate out-patient services, professional education and support for patients who access the insulin pump service.

    Additionally, in April 2016 the CCG advises it will be implementing a new integrated foot care pathway that will meet the needs of those with low, moderate and increased risk of foot complications and for those with active foot disease.

    In regards to providing people with diabetes with information to improve self-management and promote better health and wellbeing, the CCG confirms it works closely with organisations such as Diabetes UK in order to do this. The CCG has engaged with local patients, more recently this engagement has focused on the foot care provision, building on the evidence from the Patient Experience of Diabetes Services Survey in 2013.

  • Tim Loughton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Tim Loughton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2016-03-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, who has attended meetings of the Child Protection Task Force and on what dates; and what action has been decided at those meetings.

    Edward Timpson

    Information relating to the proceedings of recent meetings of Implementation Taskforces is not disclosed as to do so could harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion.

  • Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-05-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding the ban on the import of cement into Gaza for the private sector since 3 April.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We remain deeply concerned by the situation in Gaza. Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv and our Consulate General in Jerusalem regularly raise the need to make progress towards a durable solution for Gaza, and press for practical steps to advance reconstruction and economic development with both the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority.

    We are concerned about recent reports of diversion of cement entering Gaza through the Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism. While we understand Israeli security concerns, new restrictions on the import of cement have resulted in a delay in reconstruction activity and will have a significant impact on employment. The Department for International Development’s support to the Material Monitoring Unit helps to identify such cases of diversion and ensure that appropriate action is taken.

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

    Lord Moonie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Moonie on 2016-06-15.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect the Watchkeeper Programme to achieve Initial Operating Capability 2, previously expected to be achieved by April, and when they now expect Equipment Support Systems to be released to service.

    Earl Howe

    It is expected that the Watchkeeper programme will declare Initial Operating Capability 2 standard by July 2016. An initial set of release to service recommendations for the Watchkeeper system at Equipment Standard 2 should be provided by March 2017. This will provide sufficient clearance for the Army to fly the Watchkeeper system in that configuration and support delivery of Full Operating Capability by the target date of April 2017.

  • Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-09-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they plan to make to the government of Israel concerning reports that on 29 August Israeli forces at Salaymeh checkpoint in Hebron fired tear gas at school-children attempting to make their way home.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    While we have not made specific representations on this issue, we have repeatedly raised our concerns with the Israeli authorities about the Israel Defence Forces’ use of force.