Category: Speeches

  • Stephen O’Brien – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Stephen O’Brien – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen O’Brien on 2014-06-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to improve standards of NHS care for dementia sufferers.

    Norman Lamb

    NHS England has an ambition that two thirds of the estimated number of people with dementia should have a diagnosis and access to post diagnostic support by March 2015. We are informed by NHS England that there is a tremendous amount of work being undertaken by clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) across the country to improve diagnosis rates and quality of care for people with dementia. NHS England has found wide variation; with some CCGs having a longer journey to achieve the ambition than others. NHS England is providing a package of support to help CCGs to improve timely diagnosis and post-diagnosis support for people with dementia.

    In addition, the Government’s refreshed Mandate to Health Education England, published on 1 May 2014, stated that a further 250,000 NHS staff will receive Tier 1 training on dementia by March 2015, in addition to the 100,000 NHS staff who received Tier 1 training in 2013-14.

  • Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-03-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what his Department’s policy is on allowing officials to appear before all-party parliamentary groups.

    Simon Hughes

    I refer the hon Member to the answer given by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham on 26 March (Official Report col. 300W).

  • John Glen – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    John Glen – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Glen on 2014-06-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will allow universities offering Initial Teacher Training programmes to apply for additional places when they fill their annual allocation.

    Mr David Laws

    On 5 June 2014 the National College for Teaching and Leadership announced that a limited number of additional postgraduate places in certain subjects have been made available to higher education institutions (HEIs). Places will only be allocated to the HEIs that have already filled their courses or are close to doing so and have extra candidates looking to train with them.

  • Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Wales Office

    Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Wales Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-03-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what his Department’s policy is on allowing officials to appear before all-party parliamentary groups.

    Stephen Crabb

    I refer the hon Gentleman to the answer given by my Rt hon Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General on 26 March, Official Report, Column 300W.

  • Lord Ouseley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Ouseley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ouseley on 2014-06-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made in the creation of a bespoke training package by the Independent Advisory Panel on Non-Compliance Managementfor use in deportation removalprocesses; and when will it be available.

    Lord Taylor of Holbeach

    The Independent Advisory Panel on Non-Compliance Management (IAPNCM) was established to provide support to the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) in the design of the new training package for use by Detainee Custody Officers who escort individuals being removed from the United Kingdom. They also provide independent advice to Home Office Immigration Enforcement on the quality and safety of the new package, and in particular on the use of force techniques.

    The panel has completed its work and the new training package and implementation are being finalised.

  • Tim Loughton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Tim Loughton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2014-03-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the performance of the Innovation Fund to Support Separated Families.

    Steve Webb

    We are funding 17 projects to help and support separated families in various parts of the country and piloting a range of approaches. The schemes conclude by April 2015 after which we will publish a full, independent evaluation.

  • Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2014-06-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what appointments to public bodies the Department of Transport has made in the last 12 months.

    Baroness Kramer

    The Secretary of State for Transport made 17 new appointments to public bodies in the 12 months from 1 June 2013 to 31 May 2014, as shown in the table below.

    Name of Body

    New Appointments

    Date of appointment (s)

    Civil Aviation Authority

    2 Non executive directors

    1/9/2013

    British Transport Police Authority

    5 Board members

    1/9/2013

    High Speed 2 Ltd

    1 Chair

    1/1/2014

    Disabled Persons’ Transport Advisory Committee

    7 Committee members

    1/4/2014

    Northern Lighthouse Board

    1 Non executive director

    1/6/2013

    London and Continental Railways

    1 Non executive director

    1/5/2014
  • Lord Rana – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Lord Rana – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Rana on 2014-03-24.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to reassure consumers, who for religious or other reasons do not wish to consume halal or kosher meats, about the provenance of the meat they buy, in the absence of any informative labelling as to the method of slaughter used.

    Lord De Mauley

    The Government is of the view that consumers should have the necessary information available to them to make an informed choice about their food. Any method of slaughter labelling system needs to cover more than just the UK. We are awaiting the results of an European Commission study on method-of-slaughter labelling, which is due this summer. We will look at possible options in light of that report.

  • The Lord Bishop of Coventry – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The Lord Bishop of Coventry – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Lord Bishop of Coventry on 2014-06-04.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of the resources for projects under the Human Rights and Democracy Programme were allocated to the area of freedom of religion and belief in 2013.

    Baroness Warsi

    In the 2013-14 financial year the Human Rights and Democracy Programme (HRDP) received 218 proposals for funding. Seventeen of these proposals were for work associated with Freedom of Religion and Belief (FORB), representing 7.8% of proposals received. Six projects were ultimately funded, to the value of £214,029. This represents 3.3% of the total resource available.

    The programme is keen to see more good quality project bids on this theme in future bidding rounds, and have actively encouraged more quality bids for the 2014-15 financial year.

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2014-03-24.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much the recovery of benefits through the Mesothelioma Support Scheme will yield; and what assurances they can give that some of this money will be spent on research for a cure for mesothelioma.

    Lord Freud

    Benefit and lump sum payments that were made in respect of mesothelioma will be recovered from the Diffuse Mesothelioma Payment Scheme (DMPS) payment in the same way as they would be recovered from other compensation payments. The latest Impact Assessment for the DMPS dated 10 March 2014 estimates that the recovery of benefits in the first 10 years of the Scheme, to 31 March 2024, will be £72m.

    The issue of research is not directly a matter for the Department for Work and Pensions; however we have worked closely with the Department of Health to make progress in this area. This work has included setting up a partnership to identify mesothelioma research priorities which will lead to the National Institute for Health Research turning priorities into fundable research questions and to encourage applications from the research community. In addition the National Cancer Research Institute has a workshop planned on 02 May 2014 to discuss and develop new proposals for mesothelioma studies. The Government has established robust systems to ensure that funding is provided to the highest quality research bids. The work that the Department of Health is taking forward will support researchers in producing these bids and ensure that funding is allocated in a way that best supports sufferers of this terrible condition.