Category: Speeches

  • Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-10-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he plans to take to increase the number of gifted overseas students studying in the UK.

    Joseph Johnson

    The UK welcomes the brightest and best international students and there is no cap on the number that can study here. The Government promotes study in the UK through the Britain is GREAT marketing campaign which has an education pillar and through the Education UK brand and website, which is managed by the British Council. Together these measures promote UK education in over 100 countries, connecting millions of people with the United Kingdom.

    The Government also has major education agreements with overseas partners. Key programmes include the UK-China Partners in Education Programme, the UK-India Education Research Initiative and engagement in Brazil’s ‘Science without Borders’ scholarship scheme.

    The Government also supports student exchange, such as through the Erasmus Scheme, which enables international students to take short placements in the UK and British students to gain valuable overseas experience.

  • Jo Churchill – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jo Churchill – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jo Churchill on 2015-10-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) primary and (b) secondary school students in (i) Suffolk and (ii) England and Wales have been funded by the pupil premium in each of the last five years.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    The pupil premium was introduced in April 2011 and applies only in England. During the first year of its operation, only pupils who were currently eligible for free school meals (FSM) attracted pupil premium funding. From April 2012, the funding has been paid to schools for the number of pupils who have been eligible for FSM at any point in the previous 6 years.

    Data which split the pupil premium into the primary and secondary phases of education are only available for the deprivation element of the premium. Information on deprivation pupil premium by primary and secondary year groups was first published in 2013/14. Total funding allocations were published for earlier years. The most useful data are provided in the tables attached.

  • 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 2015-10-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of nurses in Yorkshire in (a) 2014-15 and (b) 2015-16; and what funding was allocated for nursing in Yorkshire in each of those years.

    Ben Gummer

    The information requested is not available. The Health and Social Care Information Centre monthly workforce statistics provides data on the number of nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff working in the National Health Service in England. The latest data is for June 2015 and the data for the Health Education England Region Yorkshire and Humber is provided in the attached table, along with June 2014 for comparison purposes.

    There is no individual funding stream allocated for nursing. Individual NHS organisations are best placed to decide how many nurses they employ.

  • David T. C. Davies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    David T. C. Davies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David T. C. Davies on 2015-10-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people arrived at UK airports without travel documents in the last year for which figures are available.

    James Brokenshire

    This information is not held centrally. However, total numbers of refusals at the border are published here:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-april-to-june-2015/list-of-tables#admissions

  • Philip Davies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Philip Davies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2015-10-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) prosecutions and (b) convictions there have been under Article (i) 137, (ii) 139, (iii) 140, (iv) 141 and (v) 142 of the Air Navigation Order 2009 in each of the last six years.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    Although DfT has responsibility for this policy area, sentencing statistics are recorded by the Ministry of Justice.

  • Lilian Greenwood – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lilian Greenwood – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2015-10-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 15 October 2015 to Question 11431, which key senior stakeholders have been represented at the Bowe Review – Senior Liaison Board on each of the dates referred to in that Answer.

    Claire Perry

    On 24th March, 20th May, 24th June senior stakeholders from Rail Executive, Department for Transport; the Office of Rail and Road; Network Rail; HM Treasury; Cabinet Office and the Major Projects Authority were represented at the Bowe Review – Senior Liaison Board.

  • Gary Streeter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Gary Streeter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gary Streeter on 2015-10-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average waiting time for an autism diagnosis in Devon was in each of the last three years.

    Alistair Burt

    The Department has discussed with NHS England the difficulties that people on the autistic spectrum can have in getting an appropriate diagnosis in a timely manner. With support from the Department, NHS England and the Association of Directors of Social Services will undertake a series of visits to clinical commissioning groups to discuss good practice in meeting the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Quality Standard 51 Autism, and those that do not, with the aim of supporting more consistent provision. These NICE guidelines already recommend that there should be a maximum of three months between a referral and a first appointment for a diagnostic assessment for autism. We expect the National Health Service to be working towards meeting the recommendations. Information on the average waiting time for an autism diagnosis in Devon in each of the last three years is not collected centrally.

    General practitioners (GPs) are required to keep adequate records of their attendance on, and treatment of, their patients and this should include details of autism where it is known. For this to work successfully locally services undertaking autism diagnosis should pass information back to the GP who has made the original referral. This is outlined in the recent Autism Statutory Guidance for local authorities and the NHS.

  • Bill Wiggin – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Bill Wiggin – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bill Wiggin on 2015-10-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what research he has commissioned on the condition of rural roads.

    Andrew Jones

    The Department for Transport has not commissioned any research in respect to the condition of rural roads.

    In December 2014 it was announced how this Government is allocating record funding of just under £6 billion to local authorities in England, outside London, for highways maintenance between 2015 and 2021. This funding can be used to fix potholes and improve the condition of the rural road network depending on the priorities and needs of the respective highway authority.

    The following weblink provides information on how much funding is to be allocated between now and 2021 to local highway authorities for local highways maintenance. The funding is based on a formula which includes the length of carriageway an authority is responsible for rather than need:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/highways-maintenance-funding-allocations-201516-to-202021

    Herefordshire County Council will receive over £60 million between 2015 and 2021 from this funding.

    “

  • Tim Farron – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Tim Farron – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Farron on 2015-10-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the system for removing (a) vulnerable people and (b) victims of trafficking to places of safety from the migrant camps in Calais; and how much funding her Department has provided to improve that system.

    James Brokenshire

    The provision of humanitarian assistance for people on French soil is a matter for the French authorities. However, both Governments are committed to identifying and helping those people who are especially vulnerable or potential victims of trafficking. This is why the Home Secretary and French Interior Minister agreed in the UK-France Joint Declaration in August 2015 to set up a project to increase observation in the camps to identify those people; to provide medical help and protection where required; to put in place a system to transfer them to places of safety; and to ensure they are offered the appropriate advice and support from the French system. The project will assist with our commitment to tackle the organised criminal gangs who facilitate human trafficking, and we are working together with French law enforcement partners to identify and target these gangs to prevent this occurring in the first place. The UK has contributed almost £550,000 towards this project as part of the Joint Fund announced in September 2014. The 2015 Joint Declaration also commits the UK to a further financial contribution of £3.6 million per year for two years to support the French Government in a range of activities to reduce the numbers of migrants in Calais and the incentives for them to stay there.

  • Steve McCabe – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Steve McCabe – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2015-10-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment his Department has made of the report Comparing Motor-Vehicle Crash Risk of EU and US Vehicles, published in May 2015; and what the implications of that report are for the TTIP negotiations.

    Anna Soubry

    More closely aligning the regulations for the EU and US through the EU-US Free Trade Agreement could lead to an increase in UK automotive exports to the US by up to 25%. EU and US regulators, including representatives from the UK, are assessing the report as part of the broader analysis to identify which regulations have similar overall outcomes on safety. Negotiators will seek to agree areas for mutual recognition, without compromising EU safety standards.