Category: Speeches

Margaret Hodge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Hodge on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many times his Department has used the services of (a) PwC, (b) Deloitte, (c) Ernst and Young, (d) KPMG and (e) other consulting firms in the last three financial years; and what (i) work was undertaken and (ii) the cost to the public purse was on each such occasion.

Caroline Nokes

We are unable to provide the requested information on the number of times the Department for Work and Pensions has used the services of consulting firms, including details of the work undertaken and cost to the public purse for each occasion. To do so would incur a disproportional cost to the Department because of how the data is held on our systems, and the time and resource required for extracting and analysing it.

01/01/2023
Douglas Chapman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-10-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to ensure future interoperability of the Boeing Poseidon P-8 platform with the General Atomics MQ9 Reaper platforms.

Harriett Baldwin

The P-8A Poseidon aircraft will form a vital part of the UK’s maritime patrol capability, and interoperability with other platforms and systems is a key user requirement. Work to enable this is under way, however, I am withholding further detail as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

01/01/2023
Philippa Whitford – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philippa Whitford on 2015-10-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much NHS England spent on agency nurses in each of the last three years.

Alistair Burt

The information that has been requested is not recorded centrally by the Department of Health or NHS England.

01/01/2023
Andy Slaughter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2015-11-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to (a) enforce the European Commission Interpretative Notice, C2015 7834 final, on the indication of origin of goods from territories occupied by Israel since June 1967 and (b) ensure that penalties for mis-labeling of such products are effective, proportionate and dissuasive.

George Eustice

The principal feature of the Interpretative Notice is a recommendation that goods imported into the EU which originate from Israeli settlements in the territories occupied by Israel since 1967 should bear an indication which makes that provenance clear. That recommendation was included in technical advice to UK retailers and importers concerning labelling agricultural produce from the West Bank that was issued by Defra in 2009. We are currently in discussion with other Departments to consider whether revisions need to be made to the 2009 advice in the light of the Interpretative Notice. As regards sanctions and penalties for mis-labelling, these are dealt with in various pieces of legislation depending on the goods concerned.

01/01/2023
Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-01-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of sanctions measures imposed on North Korea in the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Hugo Swire

The UN and EU sanctions measures on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) have increased the cost and difficulty to the DPRK of its efforts to fund, supply and develop their nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes.

However, these sanctions regimes would be strengthened by more rigorous implementation by all UN Member States. As the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) said following the nuclear test conducted by the DPRK on the 6 January, we are working with other UN Security Council members to ensure the international community responds robustly, including immediate work on further significant measures in a new UN Security Council Resolution.

01/01/2023
Neil Gray – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Gray on 2016-01-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether (a) new or existing Housing Benefit claimants and (b) those in supported accommodation will have their allowance cut to Local Housing Allowance rates from 1 April 2016.

Justin Tomlinson

This measure does not apply until April 2018. We value the work of the supported housing sector extremely highly and are working closely with them to ensure they are supported as effectively as possible in advance of the police taking effect.

The Department alongside the Department for Communities and Local Government has jointly commissioned an evidence review of supported housing.

The results of this research will determine our future policy development and any appropriate exemptions.

01/01/2023
Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-02-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 4.47 of the National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence Review 2015, Cm 9161, which of the two Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers will be adapted to support amphibious capability.

Mr Philip Dunne

The two new Queen Elizabeth Class (QEC) aircraft carriers, currently under construction in Rosyth have a planned service life of 50 years each. They will be capable of a spectrum of roles including battlefield helicopter support to littoral operations. The Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 made provision to enhance this capability in the QEC aircraft carriers.

01/01/2023
Wayne David – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Wayne David on 2016-03-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what his policy is on (a) setting a fixed price for Energy Performance Certificates and (b) ensuring that Energy Performance Certificates are valid for more than 10 years.

James Wharton

The overall price charged by accredited energy assessors to house holders and businesses for the preparation of Energy Performance Certificates is not set by government.

The validity period is determined by the EU Directive on the Energy Performance of Buildings which does not allow the validity period to be extended past 10 years.

01/01/2023
Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-04-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with clinical bodies on research into the use of aspirin to reduce incidents of cancer.

Jane Ellison

Ministers have had no such discussions.

Achieving World-Class Cancer Outcomes A Strategy for England 2015-2020 includes a recommendation that NHS England should commission the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to develop updated guidelines for the use of drugs for the prevention of breast and colorectal cancers including the use of aspirin for individuals with hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer. Once these guidelines are published, clinical commissioning groups should ensure that general practitioners implement them. A National Cancer Transformation Board will oversee the implementation of the strategy, and an implementation plan will be published shortly.

The Strategy also noted that Cancer Research UK and the National Institute for Health Research will continue to monitor outcomes from trials under way in the United Kingdom and internationally regarding the role of aspirin in cancer prevention more generally. They will make evidence available to NHS England and NICE as results become clear.

01/01/2023

Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-06-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many reported personal injury road accidents in each category of severity there were on the M56 between junctions 12 and 14 in each month during the last five years for which figures are available.

Andrew Jones

The following tables contain validated, personal injury data for the M56 between junctions 12 and 14 from 2010 to 2014.

Number of Personal Injury Road Accidents (Collisions)

Collisions	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sept	Oct	Nov	Dec	Grand Total
2010	2	0	0	2	0	1	3	2	2	1	3	1	17
2011	0	0	0	2	1	2	1	2	1	2	1	1	13
2012	0	0	1	1	1	2	1	1	3	1	0	3	14
2013	3	0	2	4	5	2	4	1	1	1	0	0	23
2014	1	2	2	0	1	3	1	4	1	3	2	1	21
Grand Total	6	2	5	9	8	10	10	10	8	8	6	6	88

Number of Casualties – Fatal

Fatal	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sept	Oct	Nov	Dec	Grand Total
2010	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2011	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2012	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2013	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
2014	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	2	0	0	3
Grand Total	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	2	0	0	4

Number of Casualties – Serious

Serious	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sept	Oct	Nov	Dec	Grand Total
2010	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	2
2011	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2012	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	2	4
2013	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2
2014	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	2
Grand Total	1	0	1	0	2	0	1	2	1	0	0	2	10

Number of Casualties – Slight

Slight	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sept	Oct	Nov	Dec	Grand Total
2010	2	0	0	6	0	2	5	4	3	2	3	1	28
2011	0	0	0	6	3	3	1	4	1	4	2	1	25
2012	0	0	0	1	1	4	1	2	5	1	0	1	16
2013	4	0	5	5	6	3	4	1	1	3	0	0	32
2014	2	5	2	0	1	5	1	2	1	3	2	2	26
Grand Total	8	5	7	18	11	17	12	13	11	13	7	5	127

01/01/2023