Category: Speeches

  • Lord Greaves – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Greaves – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Greaves on 2015-12-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what improvements will take place under the new Northern Rail franchise on the Blackpool South and Preston to Colne service, other than the replacement of the Pacer trains.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    Preston-Blackpool South will get a Sunday service all year round. At present the line shuts down for a period in the winter, but from Dec 2017 at least an alternate-hours service will operate all year round. Colne-Preston will get a full hourly Sunday service – twice as many trains on Sunday compared to now, and with the entire Northern fleet being refurbished, passengers will notice rolling stock improvements across the franchise.

    Accrington and Blackburn stations will become Northern Connect stations so will be staffed from 6am to 10pm (if they don’t already have staffing hours longer than this), with WiFi and catering outlets. All Northern stations with more than 10 passengers per day will have ticket machines, real-time information and help points.

    Beyond that there is a franchise wide, £38m investment in bringing stations up to standard, with benefits for many stations, which includes new platform seating, replacement shelters, new waiting rooms and toilets, and customer information screens.

  • Dawn Butler – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Dawn Butler – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dawn Butler on 2016-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if her Department will work with insurers to ensure an accurate risk assessment is carried out on the threat to public health posed by toxins in flood water.

    Rory Stewart

    The ABI were closely involved in developing a code of practice for flood damaged buildings. This covers the repair of flood damaged buildings and sets standards for ensuring this kind of work is carried out safely and effectively including avoiding any increased risk to public health.

  • Lord Wasserman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Wasserman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Wasserman on 2016-02-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government which police forces in England and Wales have employed officers through the Direct Entry (Superintendent) Programme since its inception; how many officers each of those forces has employed; and how many of those individuals were still employed as police officers in each of those forces on 1 February 2016.

    Lord Bates

    The following forces have appointed direct entry superintendents since the programme’s inception.

    Avon and Somerset Police 2

    City of London Police 1

    Leicestershire 1

    Metropolitan 10

    North Yorkshire 1

    Of the 15 superintendents who started their training, 14 are still employed, 13 of these remaining police officers with the forces they were initially recruited to. In Avon and Somerset, one superintendent transferred to Sussex Police and one left.

  • Christopher Chope – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Christopher Chope – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2016-03-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have registered for the payment of universal credit who are not UK citizens to date.

    Priti Patel

    The information requested is not currently available. During 2016 we will be publishing further statistics on Universal Credit in accordance with the relevant protocols in the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many members of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s Survey and Inspection team are based at the Marine Offices in (a) Tyne, (b) Plymouth, (c) Beverley, (d) Orpington, (e) Harwich and (f) Norfolk.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The table below shows the number of members of the Survey and Inspection team which are based at each of the six Marine Offices listed.

    Marine Office

    Headcount

    (a)

    Tyne (includes Ensign Unit)

    18

    (b)

    Plymouth

    9

    (c)

    Beverley

    16

    (d)

    Orpington

    11

    (e)

    Harwich

    3

    (f)

    Norwich (Norfolk)

    5

    “

  • Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-05-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will publish a comparative assessment of the proven reoffending rates of the HMP Doncaster and the HMP Peterborough payment by results pilots.

    Andrew Selous

    We have learned important lessons from these pilots, which have informed our probation reforms. The final process evaluation reports can be found at the following links:

    1) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/social-impact-bond-pilot-at-hmp-peterborough-final-report

    2) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hmp-doncaster-payment-by-results-pilot-process-evaluation-report

    The PbR pilot operating in HMP Peterborough began on 9 September 2010 and results for cohort 1 of this pilot were published on 7 August 2014. The final set of results will be published in due course. The PbR pilot that operated in HMP Doncaster started in October 2011 and closed at the end of 2014. Results for cohort 1 were published in August 2014 and results for cohort 2 were published in July 2015.

    The published results can be found at the following links:

    3) https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/final-results-for-cohorts-1-payment-by-results-prison-pilots

    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/payment-by-results-pilot-cohort-2-hmp-doncaster-results

    “

  • The Marquess of Lothian – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The Marquess of Lothian – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2016-06-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, further to the review of clinical trial evidence Comparative efficacy and tolerability of antidepressants for major depressive disorder in children and adolescents: a network meta-analysis published in the Lancet on 8 June, they intend to review clinical guidelines for the prescription of anti-depressant medication for the treatment of major depression in young people.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has advised that it regularly reviews published guidelines as a matter of good practice to check whether an update is warranted.

    NICE is tracking a clinical trial that is anticipated may have significant impact on the recommendations in its guideline on depression in children and young people: identification and management (CG28). A copy of this guideline is attached. NICE is co-ordinating the next review of this guideline to coincide with the publication of the outcomes of the trial, which is expected in February 2017. The Lancet paper will be considered as part of that review.

  • Liz McInnes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Liz McInnes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liz McInnes on 2016-09-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Government’s planned Green Paper on disability employment will include proposals related to people with musculoskeletal conditions.

    Penny Mordaunt

    The Green Paper will be published later this year, and we welcome feedback.

  • Kate Green – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Wales Office

    Kate Green – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Wales Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what steps his Department is taking to implement the family test.

    Stephen Crabb

    The Family Test was announced by the Prime Minister in August 2014 and introduced in October 2014. DWP published guidance for Departments and officials on how the test should be applied when formulating policy and my Department follows that guidance.

    The Family Test is an integral part of the policy making process and is applied in a proportionate way in the development of all new policy in line with the Family Test guidance. While the guidance states that departments should consider publishing assessments carried out under the Test, there is no requirement to do so.

  • Baroness Hayman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Baroness Hayman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hayman on 2015-12-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 26 November (HL3704), whether they have completed their review of the possibility of resuming direct flights to Sierra Leone, and if so, whether they are currently processing any permissions for flights to begin.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The Government has now lifted the restriction on direct, scheduled, commercial air services between Sierra Leone and the UK. The Department is aware of one company that has applied for, and been issued, a Foreign Aircraft Operating Permit by the Civil Aviation Authority to operate services between Sierra Leone and the UK.