Category: Speeches

  • Bridget Phillipson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Bridget Phillipson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bridget Phillipson on 2016-05-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many specially adapted homes for (a) disabled and (b) elderly people there were in (i) Sunderland, (ii) the North East and (iii) England in 2014-15.

    Brandon Lewis

    The Department for Communities and Local Government does not collect data on the number of specially adapted homes. However, the Department does collect data on the number of Disabled Facilities Grants completed annually in England. The latest data available from 2013-14 indicates 42,586 adaptations were provided.

    The Government is committed to helping older and disabled people to live independently and safely in their own homes for as a long as possible. Since 2010 we have invested over one billion pounds (£1,005,000,000) into the Disabled Facilities Grant, providing around 250,000 adaptations for older and disabled people’s homes in England.

  • Baroness Hodgson of Abinger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Baroness Hodgson of Abinger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hodgson of Abinger on 2016-06-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government who will be on the NHS England’s Maternity Transformation Board, and whether they plan to introduce a national maternity dashboard to provide analysis relating to both single and multiple pregnancies.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The Saving Babies Lives care bundle covers all types of pregnancy, including multiple pregnancies. The care bundle will be evaluated so that it can be developed and refined to ensure that it continues to reflect best practice.

    The Maternity Transformation Programme Board will drive forward the implementation of the National Maternity Review, Better Births, published in February this year. It will also include work to reduce the rate of stillbirths, neonatal and maternal deaths in England. The formation of the Board marks a clear step forward towards delivering the vision laid out in the National Maternity Review, ensuring that key organisations work together to improve maternity services. Better Births makes recommendations on the use of data including the development of a set of national indicators to aid data comparison. NHS England and its delivery partners are developing plans to implement this and the report’s other recommendations, and as part of this are considering the case for a national dashboard. A copy of both Better Births and the Saving Babies Lives care bundle are attached.

    The Board held its first meeting on 8 June 2016 and is chaired by Sarah-Jane Marsh, Chief Executive of Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Birmingham Women’s Hospital. The Board members and the organisations they represent are detailed in the following table.

    NHS England and its delivery partners are developing plans to implement the vision set out in Better Births, the report of the National Maternity Review. These plans are likely to include commissioning guidance.

    Person

    Organisation

    Sarah-Jane Marsh

    Chair

    Jane Cummings

    Senior Responsible Officer, Chief Nursing Officer

    Keith Willett

    Deputy Chair, Medical Director for Acute Care, NHS England

    Matthew Jolly

    Clinical lead (obstetrics) / workstream lead (data)

    Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent

    Clinical lead (midwifery)

    Dame Julia Cumberlege

    Stakeholder Reference Group Chair / Clinical Commissioning Group Improvement and Assessment Framework Panel Chair

    Flora Goldhill

    Department of Health / workstream lead (best practice for safer care)

    Wendy Reid / Bill Irish

    Health Education England / workstream lead (workforce)

    Viv Bennett

    Public Health England / workstream lead (public health)

    Ruth May

    NHS Improvement (Director of Nursing)

    Mike Durkin

    NHS Improvement (Director of Patient Safety)

    Jimmy Walker

    Care Quality Commission

    Lauren Hughes

    NHS England /workstream lead (local transformation)

    James Sanderson

    NHS England / workstream lead (choice and personalisation)

    Simon Medcalf

    NHS England / workstream lead (perinatal mental health)

    Tom Denwood

    NHS Digital / workstream lead (technology)

    Martin Campbell

    NHS England / workstream lead (pricing)

    David Richmond

    Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists

    Cathy Warwick

    Royal College of Midwives

    Nigel Acheson

    Regional delivery lead / Regional Medical Director, South

    Roz Lindridge

    Clinical Networks maternity lead / East Midlands Associate Director, Clinical Networks and Senate
  • Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-09-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment the Government has made of the practicability of prosecuting potential acts of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in Syria and Iraq by radicalised UK citizens in British courts.

    Alok Sharma

    ​As the Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson), said to the UN Security Council on 21 September, we are very concerned about the appalling crimes committed in Iraq and Syria and are committed to bringing to justice those responsible for alleged acts of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. There have not been any prosecutions to date for such crimes in British courts. Most of the prosecutions of those returning to the UK from Iraq or Syria have been for terrorism-related offences. UK nationals can be prosecuted for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in domestic courts; but the practical difficulties involved in investigating crimes that have taken place abroad and apprehending suspects outside the jurisdiction will need to be considered by police and prosecutors on a case-by-case basis.

  • Kate Green – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Kate Green – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many of her Department’s policies have been assessed against the family test; what steps she has taken to publish the outcome of such assessments; and if she will make a statement.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    The Family Test policy does not apply to DFID’s work as foreign policy is outside of the scope of the Test.

  • Richard Arkless – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Richard Arkless – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Arkless on 2015-12-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many benefits claimants in Dumfries and Galloway were sanctioned between the months of October and December for each year from 2010 until the most recent date for which figures are available.

    Priti Patel

    The information requested, up to 30 June 2015, is published and available at:

    https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/:

    Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:

    https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started—SuperWEB2.html

    “

  • Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Women and Equalities

    Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Women and Equalities

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-01-14.

    To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, how the PSHE Association guidance on body image is distributed to teachers.

    Caroline Dinenage

    The PSHE Association guidance on body image is available for download from the PSHE Association website. This is a freely available resource that can be accessed by anyone wishing to find out further information on how to address this topic, and what resources are available to do so. Anyone accessing the website, including teachers, can download the document here: https://www.pshe-association.org.uk/news_detail.aspx?ID=1437

    “

  • Lord Storey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Lord Storey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

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

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Evans of Bowes Park on 26 January (HL5024), what is the timeframe of the discussions about the legality of essay mills between the Consumer and Markets Authority and the Quality Assurance Agency.

    Baroness Evans of Bowes Park

    The Quality Assurance Agency have now met with the Competition and Markets Authority and are considering further how to take this forward.

  • Tom Elliott – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Tom Elliott – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Elliott on 2016-03-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential effect on (a) border security and (b) terror threats of the UK leaving the EU.

    James Brokenshire

    At the February European Council, the Government negotiated a new settlement, giving the United Kingdom a special status in a reformed European Union. The Government’s view is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off in a reformed EU. The Government published a white paper, ‘The best of both worlds’, on 22 February, which sets out how membership of the EU enhances our ability to co-operate with other EU Member States to combat crime and terrorism and keep all parts of the United Kingdom safe while maintaining our own border controls, remaining outside of the Schengen border-free area.

  • Grahame Morris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Grahame Morris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans are in place to upgrade trains and services on the Sunderland to Nunthorpe line.

    Andrew Jones

    Services between Sunderland and Middlesbrough will benefit from additional morning and later evening trains. The line between Whitby and Middlesbrough (including Nunthorpe) will benefit from an earlier morning arrival from Whitby into Middlesbrough and the provision of Sunday services all year round.

    All trains on the franchise will be upgraded and fully refurbished to include improved seating, repainted interiors, Wi-Fi, real time passenger information screens and improved lighting. In addition, all the existing Pacer trains will be withdrawn by the end of 2019.

  • Nic Dakin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Nic Dakin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2016-05-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of enlisted soldiers attain (a) Level 1 and (b) Level 2 literacy and numeracy skills by the end of their third year of service.

    Penny Mordaunt

    The Army has traditionally linked the recording and attainment of english and maths qualifications to the point at which an individual is ready for promotion to Corporal or Senior Non Commissioned Officer ranks, rather than as a factor of time. The growth in numbers of personnel joining the Army and pursuing an apprenticeship has changed this approach and simplified the measurement of attainment by time.

    Between 1 August 2012 and 31 July 2015 1,028 soldiers gained both Level 1 functional skills (FS) english and maths qualifications; and a further 722 soldiers gained the comparable qualifications at Level 2. This represents 11.8% of those enlisting (14,816) during the same period. This does not include those who gained just a functional skill in english or a functional skill in maths qualification, nor those who already held english and maths qualification on enlistment.

    In total 23,699 FS (english and maths) qualifications at Level 1 and 2 were gained by Regular soldiers through apprenticeship and AEC provision in 2014-15. Of these 41% were at Level 1 and 59% at Level 2.