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Category: Speeches

  • Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2015-12-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the difference between the public finance forecasts for 2015–16 and the actual financial figures available to date, and what assessment have they made of the reasons for the difference.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    The Office for National Statistics (ONS) jointly with HM Treasury publish the public sector finances statistical bulletin on a monthly basis, which provides the latest available estimates for key aspects of Public Sector Finances.

    The latest release was published on 22 December covering the November 2015 public sector finances.[1]

    Borrowing for the 8 months to November is £6.6 bn less than the same period last year against an Autumn Statement forecast of a £15.7bn full year fall. It’s clear that there is no shortcut to fixing the public finances. That’s why the Chancellor used the Autumn Statement and Spending Review to set out our plan to finish the job and build a resilient economy.

    The independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) are responsible for producing the forecasts of the public finances. They have published a detailed commentary on 22 December, which assesses the latest estimates included in the bulletin against their latest forecast[2].

    [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/public-sector-finances-bulletin

    [2] http://budgetresponsibility.org.uk/wordpress/docs/Dec-2015-Commentary-on-the-Public-Sector-Finances-release.pdf

    “

  • Lord Berkeley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Berkeley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Berkeley on 2016-01-25.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether current railway legislation permits a managing director of a railway undertaking to hold a senior management position on the infrastructure management company on which that railway undertaking operates.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    Current railway legislation does not prohibit an arrangement of this sort. However, railway legislation contains safeguards designed to prevent conflicts of interests arising in respect of infrastructure management and the management of railway undertakings, particularly as regards the allocation of track access rights and the determination of charges. It would be for the infrastructure manager to satisfy themselves that such an arrangement complies with all relevant legislation.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he expects NICE to begin assessing (a) drugs for rare cancer and (b) cancer drugs under the proposed new Cancer Drugs Fund.

    George Freeman

    NHS England and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) have jointly consulted on draft proposals on the future direction of the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF). The consultation closed on 11 February 2016 and the responses received are being analysed and will inform the new way of working for the Fund. A consultation report will be published on NHS England’s website in due course.

    NICE is working closely with NHS England to support the new way of working for the CDF. NICE’s Board is expected to consider the proposed process and methods for the Fund at its next meeting in March.

  • Stephen Doughty – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Stephen Doughty – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-03-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the value was of Official Development Assistance provided by her Department in each of the last six years; and what proportion of that assistance was subject to the International Development Act 2002.

    Karen Bradley

    This information has been published by the Department for International Development (DfID), as part of their Statistics on International Development.

    The published Official Development Assistance (ODA) figures for the Home Office are as follows:

    2014 £136m

    2013 £33m

    2012 £29m

    2011 £0m

    2010 £0m

    2009 £0m

    In accordance with the International Development Act 2002, ODA eligibility of Home Office published spend was determined by DfID.

  • Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-04-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will place in the Library copies of all correspondence between Ministers in his Department and newspaper editors, executives and proprietors about press regulation policy and Leveson Part 2 since May 2015.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The department does not publish as standard confidential correspondence between individuals or organisations and ministers. A list of ministerial meetings is published in the department’s quarterly returns.

  • Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-05-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what recent assessment she has made of the financial viability of (a) carbon capture and storage and (b) alternative options in helping to reduce the UK’s carbon dioxide emissions.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Government views Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) as having a potentially important role in the long-term decarbonisation of the UK’s economy. However, CCS is currently too expensive and costs must come down. Government will set out its approach to CCS in due course, informed by the findings from Lord Oxburgh’s CCS Advisory Group.

    In comparing the costs of other low-carbon technologies in the future, DECC typically use the levelised costs of electricity generation. Levelised costs include capital and operating costs over the lifetime of a plant, as well as DECC estimates of projected fuel and carbon costs.

    We are currently undertaking a comprehensive review of our evidence on levelised costs of electricity generation.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-07-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether his Department has made an estimate of the total cost to the public purse of negotiations for leaving the EU; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr David Davis

    The new Department for Exiting the European Union is equipping itself to oversee negotiations to leave the EU and establish the future relationship between the UK and EU. The overall size and scope of the new department, including staffing and budget, are under consideration.

  • John Pugh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Women and Equalities

    John Pugh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Women and Equalities

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Pugh on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, approximately how many (a) British and (b) non-British nationals are employed cleaning the Westminster estate of the Government Equalities Office.

    Caroline Dinenage

    All Government Departments are bound by legal requirements concerning the right to work in the UK and, in addition, the Civil Service Nationality Rules.

    Evidence of nationality is checked at the point of recruitment into the Civil Service as part of wider pre-employment checks, but there is no requirement on departments to retain this information beyond the point at which it has served its purpose.

    More broadly, the Government will be consulting in due course on how we work with business to ensure that workers in this country have the skills that they need to get a job. However, there are no proposals to publish lists of the number or proportion of foreign workers.

  • Dan Jarvis – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Dan Jarvis – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2015-10-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of cases of frostbite diagnosed in (a) Barnsley Central constituency, (b) Yorkshire and Humber and (c) the UK in each year since May 2010.

    Jane Ellison

    The table below sets out the count of finished admission episodes (FAEs)1 with a primary diagnosis2 of frostbite3 in Barnsley Central constituency4, North Yorkshire and Humber, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw Area Teams of residence5 and England for years 2010-11 to 2013-146

    Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector

    2010-11

    2011-12

    2012-13

    2013-14

    Barnsley Central

    0

    0

    0

    0

    North Yorkshire and Humber Area Team of Residence

    2

    0

    1

    0

    South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw Area Team of Residence

    2

    1

    3

    2

    West Yorkshire Area Team of Residence

    5

    7

    6

    3

    England

    84

    43

    48

    51

    Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre

    Notes:

    1. Finished admission episode

    A finished admission episode (FAE) is the first period of inpatient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FAEs are counted against the year or month in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of inpatients, as a person may have more than one admission within the period.

    2. Primary diagnosis

    The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 20 (14 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and 7 prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data set and provides the main reason why the patient was admitted to hospital.

    3. ICD-10 Codes

    The following ICD-10 codes were used to identify frostbite:

    T33 Superficial frostbite

    T34 Frostbite with tissue necrosis

    T35 Frostbite involving multiple body regions and unspecified frostbite

    4. Parliamentary constituency of residence

    The parliamentary constituency containing the patient’s normal home address. This does not necessarily reflect where the patient was treated as they may have travelled to another parliamentary constituency for treatment. This field is only available from 2009-10 onwards.

    5. Area Team of residence

    The area team containing the patient’s normal home address. This does not necessarily reflect where the patient was treated as they may have travelled to another area for treatment.

    6. Assessing growth through time (Inpatients)

    HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, changes in activity may be due to changes in the provision of care.

  • Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2015-11-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency can license the drug bevacizumab in the treatment of age-related macular degeneration in the absence of an application by the company that holds the patent.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), an executive agency of the Department of Health, is responsible for the licensing of medicines. The MHRA is only able to assess and grant a licence for a particular use of a medicine once an application has been made and supporting data have been submitted to demonstrate that the quality, safety and efficacy of the medicine are satisfactory for the intended use.