Category: Speeches

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2015-02-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the government of Turkey about proposals to convert many secular schools into Imam Hatip schools and the forced enrolment of pupils into Imam Hatip schools in 2014.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    Our Embassy in Ankara regularly discusses education policies with senior Turkish cabinet ministers and officials, and Turkish education unions. In January our Ambassador met with Mehmet Görmez, President of the Diyanet (Presidency of Religious Affairs in Turkey), and discussed religious education and Imam Hatip schools with him. More widely, we regularly raise human rights issues with the Turkish government, including the importance of freedom of religion and safeguarding the rights of minority groups.

  • Edward Leigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Edward Leigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Edward Leigh on 2015-02-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent progress he has made on recruitment to the Army Reserve.

    Mr Julian Brazier

    In the quarter to December 2014 the Army Reserve has seen 1,490 join its strength, an increase of 147% compared to the same quarter in 2013.

    We have unblocked the enlistment pipeline and are engaged in national and local marketing. Employers are signing up for awards for supporting their reservist employees.

    The upturn is gathering speed.

  • Cathy Jamieson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Cathy Jamieson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cathy Jamieson on 2015-02-11.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many staff have been recruited to deliver the Pension Wise scheme; and what the salary bands are to which those staff have been appointed.

    Andrea Leadsom

    All guidance specialists working for Pension Wise will receive high quality and rigorous training, whether they are delivering guidance face to face or over the phone. They will be required to pass a certificated test to demonstrate they have the necessary technical knowledge and guidance skills to deliver the guidance. The training programme is designed in accordance with FCA standards, and will be accredited by the Chartered Insurance Institute, a well-respected professional standards body in the financial services industry.

    HM Treasury’s delivery partners, TPAS and Citizens Advice, Citizens Advice Scotland and Citizens Advice Northern Ireland are currently recruiting guidance specialists. Recruitment strategies and the setting of pay scales is the responsibility of individual delivery partners.

    At Budget 2014, the Chancellor allocated a development fund of up to £20m to establish the initial guidance service. Spending on advertising will be published as part of the government’s Transparency Agenda. Initial funding to The Pension Advisory Service (TPAS) and the Citizen Advice organisations will be included in the HM Treasury Accounts to be published in July.

  • Graham Jones – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    Graham Jones – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Jones on 2015-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will hold discussions with the English Premier League on increased investment in grassroots football, in response to the recent sale of broadcasting rights.

    Mrs Helen Grant

    I have regular discussions with the Premier League and will continue to press the importance that this huge investment needs to benefit the game as a whole. This includes benefiting clubs lower down the football pyramid, supporters, and the grassroots of the game, through increased investment in facilities, community programmes and other schemes.

  • Caroline Flint – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Caroline Flint – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Flint on 2015-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate he has made of the staff costs and other operating expenditure of NDA Properties Limited in (a) 2014-15 and (b) 2015-16, including through third-party management fees.

    Matthew Hancock

    NDA Properties Limited forecasts its staff costs and other operating expenditure at £433,804 in 2014-15 and £390,000 in 2015-16.

  • Andrew Percy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Andrew Percy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2015-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department has conducted a study on the viability of a New Medicines Fund for England.

    George Freeman

    We have no plans to do so.

    On 12 January 2015, NHS England announced that it plans to further increase the level of investment for drugs in the Cancer Drugs Fund to an expected £340 million in 2015-16.

    The Government is implementing all of the commitments in the 2014 Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme (PPRS) on improving access to innovative medicines commensurate with the outcomes they offer patients. In addition, NHS England and the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry are pressing ahead with plans to maximise the benefits of the PPRS by improving access to and optimising the use of medicines to improve patient outcomes.

    More generally, we have launched an ‘Innovative Medicines and Medical Technology Review’ of the pathways for the development, assessment, and adoption of innovative medicines and medical technology. This review will consider how to speed up access for National Health Service patients to cost-effective new diagnostics, medicines and devices. The review will examine the pathway from ‘first in human’ trials, through licensing and health technology appraisal, to commissioning and clinical practice. It will set out both short and long-term options for action by Government and relevant bodies, including the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and NHS England, and mark a major contribution to the policy debate.

  • Kate Green – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Kate Green – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2015-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many punishments of removal from wing were given to prisoners in each private prison in England and Wales in each year since 2010.

    Andrew Selous

    A total of 17 prisoners were removed from the wing or living unit as a punishment, following a guilty finding under the internal disciplinary system, in private prisons from 2010 to 2013. Figures for 2014 are not yet available.

    If a punishment of removal from the wing or living unit is given, the prisoner or young offender (including people under 18) will be relocated to other accommodation within the establishment, but otherwise continues to participate, as far as possible, in normal regime activities, in association with other prisoners or young offenders.

    The breakdown for each prison in each year is:

    2010

    HMP Parc – 2

    HMP Peterborough – 1

    2011

    HMP Doncaster – 7

    HMP Parc – 2

    HMP Peterborough – 1

    2012

    HMP Dovegate – 2

    HMP Thameside – 1

    2013

    HMP Thameside – 1

  • Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall on 2015-02-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Retail Ombudsman was given Cabinet Office approval to use the word ombudsman” in their title; on what date any such approval was given; and whether the Cabinet Office guidance on ombudsman schemes was followed.”

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    The Retail Ombudsman has been set up independently of Government and is a non-statutory organisation aiming to provide alternative dispute resolution (ADR) in the retail sector. While anyone is free to set up a business providing ADR, ‘ombudsman’ is a sensitive word whose use in a company or business name requires prior approval by the Secretary of State. No approval has yet been given to the Retail Ombudsman to use this word.

    Companies House and BIS are updating their procedures to ensure that the approval process deals with private sector applications to use this word.

  • Tom Greatrex – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Tom Greatrex – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Greatrex on 2014-07-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate he has made of the amount of gas transferred from (a) Scotland to England and (b) England to Scotland through onshore interconnectors in each month since June 2010.

    Matthew Hancock

    The Department does not collect or publish statistics on the flow of gas between Scotland and England and vice-versa.

  • Kerry McCarthy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Kerry McCarthy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2014-07-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the timetable is for the Montserrat Conservation and Environmental Management Bill.

    Mark Simmonds

    The elected Government of Montserrat has devolved constitutional responsibility for conservation and environmental management. The UK Government is supporting the strengthening of the legal and institutional framework for environment management through our support for the Montserrat Strategic Growth Plan. We understand that the Montserrat Conservation and Environmental Management Bill is due to have its third and final reading in the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday, 22 July.