Category: Speeches

  • Ivan Lewis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Ivan Lewis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ivan Lewis on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many delegates from manufacturers based in Northern Ireland were invited to the BIS Manufacturing Summit 2014 held on 19 June 2014.

    Michael Fallon

    Information on the regional location of Manufacturing Summit delegates was not requested as part of the registration process. However, from the limited data available we have identified one Northern Ireland-based manufacturing company which was invited to the Manufacturing Summit. This particular company decided not to send a representative.

    For future summits we will be looking at ways to create a more diverse mix of CEO-level participants from across manufacturing industry. Proactive suggestions from Hon Members would be welcome as part of this process.

  • Angus Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Angus Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Robertson on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much of the £1.2 billion underspend in his Department’s equipment budget in 2012-13 arose as a result of programme slippage; what programmes were behind schedule; and for what reason those programmes were behind schedule.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    Our analysis of the £1.2 billion underspend in 2012-13 in our equipment programme shows that it has been caused by a combination of factors, including better than expected outcomes from contract negotiations; budget being allocated for risks that did not materialise; and the impact of programme slippage against plans.

    A detailed analysis of programme slippage by programme is not currently available, but further work to improve our detailed understanding of variations against planned spending patterns and the implications for project costs in future years is nearing completion.

    Due to our improved financial discipline the Treasury have allowed us to carry over in-year underspends into our future year budgets. The last National Audit Office Major Projects Report showed an 88% reduction in overall project delays.

    We now have the assurance of a stable and well managed budget and confidence that defence programmes are affordable and deliverable.

  • Maria Eagle – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Maria Eagle – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to expand the training provided by the Badger Vaccination Deployment Project.

    George Eustice

    We are working with our Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency to consider training needs and how these can be met, building on lessons from the Badger Vaccination Deployment Project. Announcements on this will be made in due course.

  • Nadine Dorries – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Nadine Dorries – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nadine Dorries on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure the same standard of care across the country for those diagnosed with prostate cancer.

    Jane Ellison

    To help reduce regional variations, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) is increasingly incorporating information from accreditation and peer review programmes into its assessments of National Health Service trusts’ services, including the National Cancer Peer Review Programme. The CQC also intends to use data from the national clinical audit which is being developed for prostate cancer. In addition, national statistics on waiting times experienced by patients with suspected and diagnosed cancers continue to be collected, monitored and published in order to improve equity of access to cancer services and to contribute to an improvement in survival rates.

    The results of the latest national Cancer Patient Experience Survey (CPES) from 2013 show that, whilst variations between trusts still exist, the overall range of variation for many indicators has narrowed. For example, in 2010 the proportion of patients saying that they had been given the name of a Clinical Nurse Specialist ranged from 92% in the highest performing trust to 59% in the poorest performing trust (33 points); by 2013 this had reduced to 97% to 76% (21 points).

    NHS Improving Quality (NHS IQ) will be doing a suite of work across all surveys to understand what the barriers are to implementing change and to showcase best practice where real improvements can be demonstrated.

    NHS England is working with NHS IQ to develop better ways of using the CPES data within the NHS in order to maximise the impact of the survey, to be able to work with successful and struggling organisations to spread best practice for example.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Gregory Campbell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the NSPCC’s Order In Court campaign seeking change changes to the way the criminal justice system treats children.

    Damian Green

    The Ministry of Justice is committed to protecting and supporting child witnesses to help give their best evidence. In doing so, we have equipped the majority of Crown Courts and Magistrates Courts with facilities to enable vulnerable witnesses to give evidence by secure video link from an alternative location to the trial court. We are exploring ways to increase the use of video links, including in cases involving vulnerable and intimidated victims and witnesses.

    We are also working with other criminal justice agencies to improve the uptake of Registered Intermediaries for child and other vulnerable witnesses. I am grateful to the NSPCC, whose campaign will assist in raising awareness.

    Specialist training for judges is the responsibility of the judiciary and the Judicial College.

  • James Arbuthnot – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    James Arbuthnot – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by James Arbuthnot on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his Department’s responsibility is for long range search and rescue at sea.

    Stephen Hammond

    The UK’s responsibilities for search and rescue are set out in Annex 12 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation and the Maritime Search and Rescue Convention. The Convention of the High Seas and the International Convention on the Safety of Life at Sea are also relevant. All four Conventions ask that the Department for Transport establish arrangements for search and rescue in the United Kingdom’s Search and Rescue Region and formalises international cooperation with neighbouring states by agreeing common response plans and the sharing of resources. The Conventions also compel ships’ masters to render assistance to those in distress at sea. The UK’s responsibility for search and rescue responsibilities extends out to 30º west in latitude and covers some 1 million square miles. The Department for Transport discharges this responsibility on behalf of the Government.

  • Lord Ashcroft – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Ashcroft – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ashcroft on 2014-06-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 24 June (WA 146), whether they will now answer the question as originally put.

    Lord Wallace of Saltaire

    All military and civilian gallantry awards may be awarded posthumously; honours made in the Orders of Knighthood may not be awarded posthumously.

  • Nick de Bois – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Nick de Bois – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick de Bois on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 25 June 2014, Official Report, column 228W, on billing, what the value is of the sums being claimed by outstanding creditors at 31 May 2014.

    Mr Francis Maude

    The value of sums being claimed by non-government creditors at 31 May 2014, can be found in the table below. All unpaid invoices are in dispute.

    Number of days unpaid

    Value

    45 – 59

    £120,891.87

    60-74

    £293,868.79

    75 and over

    £334,974.27
  • Adrian Sanders – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    Adrian Sanders – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adrian Sanders on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will publish the official appointments which took place during the Minister for Sport, Tourism and Equalities’ recent visit to Brazil; and if he will make a statement.

    Mrs Helen Grant

    Details of Ministers’ visits overseas are published quarterly and can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/expenses-and-hospitality

    The latest data available at this time is:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dcms-meetings-and-hospitality-data-october-to-december-2013

    “

  • Chris Bryant – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Chris Bryant – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Bryant on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of extending entitlement to WaterSure to all claimants of universal credit once universal credit has been fully rolled out.

    Dan Rogerson

    I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

    The WaterSure tariff lowers the bills of low-income, metered customers that have unavoidably high water use. WaterSure is provided by all water companies in England to qualifying customers and caps their water bills at the average for their region. WaterSure customers will continue to benefit from the scheme when their qualifying benefit or tax credit is replaced by Universal Credit. The WaterSure tariff is funded through cross subsidy between water customers; there is no cost to the public purse.