Category: Speeches

  • Stella Creasy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Stella Creasy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stella Creasy on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what meetings officials in his Department have had with officials from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on the implications of the Consumer Rights Bill for (a) childcare voucher users and (b) providers of childcare services; and what the Civil Service grades of officials present were.

    Elizabeth Truss

    We are not aware of any meetings between officials from the Department for Education and those from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) specifically on the implications of the Consumer Rights Bill for providers of childcare services.

    BIS consulted widely on consumer law reform in 2008 and 2012, and published a draft Bill for pre-legislative scrutiny in 2013. BIS has also completed full impact assessments for the provisions in the Bill.

  • 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 2014-05-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to ensure industry and academia in Northern Ireland are able to benefit from opportunities in support of national space security interests.

    Mr David Willetts

    It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

  • Mike Freer – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Mike Freer – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Freer on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will commission a study on measures to accurately record incidences of mis-stunning in abattoirs.

    George Eustice

    The Food Standards Agency already records instances of mis-stunning in slaughterhouses, so a study in this area is unnecessary. Details were given by the Minister for Public Health on 24 March 2014 : Column 132W – 134W.

    http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmhansrd/cm140324/text/140324w0005.htm#14032581000879

    “

  • Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Deputy Prime Minister

    Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Deputy Prime Minister

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-05-12.

    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what lessons he has learned from the Northern Irish experience of introducing individual electoral registration.

    Greg Clark

    It has not proved possible to respond to the Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation.

  • Diana Johnson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Diana Johnson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people have been convicted of an offence contrary to section 42 of the Armed Forces Act 2006 which corresponds to an offence contrary to any provision specified in the table in paragraph 3 of the Schedule of the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 (Prescribed Criteria and Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations 2009 in each of the last four years.

    Anna Soubry

    The information will take time to collate, I will write to the hon. Member shortly.

  • Alison Seabeck – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Alison Seabeck – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison Seabeck on 2014-06-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many secure places there are in the South West region for children with mental health conditions involving violent behaviour.

    Norman Lamb

    We are advised that there are no secure services for children commissioned by NHS England in the South West. There are services commissioned in other areas used by children from the South West area.

    We understand that NHS England has identified a number of actions needed to reduce the number of long distance transfers within the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, and is currently considering how to take this forward including any necessary tendering for services in due course.

  • Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission

    Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission, pursuant to the Answer of 29 November 2013, Official Report, columns 455-6W, on the Electoral Register, if he will place in the Library a copy of the Electoral Commission’s review of public engagement strategies.

    Mr Gary Streeter

    The Electoral Commission informs me that its Report, titled ‘Readiness for the transition to Individual Electoral Registration’ was published on 31 March with a copy placed in the House Library. The Commission’s report includes the conclusions of its assessment of all Electoral Registration Officers’ (EROs’) public engagement strategies, which found that all EROs have the right plans in place to identify the challenges for their particular local area and what mechanisms they will use to engage with residents to maximise registration. The Commission has also written to the honourable member with a copy of its report.

  • Mark Williams – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Mark Williams – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Williams on 2014-06-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent estimate he has made of the demand for (a) homes built to lifetime home standards and (b) wheelchair accessible homes.

    Stephen Williams

    The Department for Communities and Local Government, does not hold information on the overall demand for lifetime homes or wheelchair-accessible properties in the UK.

    While the Department’s English Housing Survey does ask respondents whether their current accommodation requires adaptations given their disability or long standing illness, these questions do not ask specifically about wheelchair accessibility. It is therefore not possible to estimate demand for wheelchair accessible properties in England using this data source.

    Estimates using the English Housing Survey show there to be around 1.1 million wheelchair-accessible homes in England, equating to 5 per cent of the dwelling stock. Data reported by social landlords, in England, shows that around 1 per cent (2,700 of 240,000 general needs lettings) of tenants taking up a social letting in 2011/12 identified their household as needing wheelchair accessible housing (source: The Continuous Recording of Lettings and Sales of Social Housing in England).

  • Stephen Timms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Timms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what measures he has in place to establish the extent to which work programme providers have assisted participants to improve their literacy and numeracy skills.

    Esther McVey

    The Work Programme is designed to be flexible and tailored to each individual, with some participants requiring more support than others which may include assistance in improving their literacy and numeracy skills. The Department has a robust performance management regime which includes assurance of service delivery at individual participant level

  • Luciana Berger – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Luciana Berger – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2014-06-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to increase the amount of research undertaken into ways to detect the origin of primary cancer in those suffering from cancer of the unknown primary.

    Dr Daniel Poulter

    Research infrastructure funded by the Department’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is currently hosting the following study:

    A multi-centre phase II trial to assess the efficacy of epirubicin, cisplatin and capecitabine in carcinomas of unknown primary: incorporating the prospective validation of molecular classifiers in diagnosis and classification and exploratory metabonomics.

    Overall NIHR investment in cancer research increased from £102 million in 2009-10 to £133 million in 2012-13. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including cancer of unknown primary. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and the National Health Service, value for money and scientific quality.