Category: Speeches

  • Margaret Ritchie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    Margaret Ritchie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what his policy is on allowing internet service providers to restructure charging arrangements for faster network access.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The Government supports an open internet, and believes that self-regulation is the best approach to achieve this. We expect ISPs to be transparent with their customers regarding their terms and conditions at the point of sale, including any traffic management practices, in order to allow consumers to make an informed choice and consider any alternative providers.

  • Chris Williamson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Chris Williamson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Williamson on 2014-03-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which responsibilities for tackling animal welfare crimes are managed by (a) her Department and (b) non-governmental organisations.

    Norman Baker

    The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) is the lead Government department for policy and legislation in relation to animal welfare, including offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. The police and local authorities have powers to enforce that Act, but any person or organisation (such as the RSPCA) can initiate criminal proceedings under it.

    In addition to the Government’s funding for individual police forces to tackle all types of crime, including wildlife crime, the Home Office and DEFRA both contribute funding to support the work of the National Wildlife Crime Unit, the national police unit dedicated to tackling wildlife crime. And where wildlife crimes are sufficiently serious, organised or complex, the National Crime Agency will ensure that partners across the law enforcement community benefit from its coordination, tasking and intelligence arrangements, as well as being able to access its specialist capabilities. Furthermore, the Home Office plays a key role in the Government’s efforts to tackle the illegal wildlife trade, which is a serious transnational criminal industry worth billions of pounds each year. I was therefore pleased that, at the recent London Illegal Wildlife Trade Conference which I attended, world leaders from over forty countries made a commitment to eradicate the trade.

    The Home Office also regulates the use of living animals in scientific procedures in England, Scotland and Wales under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.

  • Richard Burden – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Richard Burden – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2014-06-04.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to improve access to free to use cash machines.

    Andrea Leadsom

    95 per cent of communities in the lowest quartile of the government deprivation index now have free-to-use ATMs within their area or less than two thirds of a mile from the area’s centre. This has brought access to free-to-use ATMs to over 1.5 million people and progress towards covering even more communities continues.

    LINK has established a Financial Inclusion Programme to provide free-to-use ATMs where they are needed, by installing ATMs that are subsidised to make their operation commercially viable for operators. The cost of this subsidy is shared out among LINK member banks. 1,400 target areas now have access to an industry subsidised ATM through the programme.

    I am aware Toynbee Hall is due to complete research on this issue shortly.

  • 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 2014-03-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the operation of the Work Programme in rural areas.

    Esther McVey

    The independent evaluation of the Work Programme includes providers and participants in a range of geographical areas. The Department will publish findings once the evaluation is complete.

  • Michael McCann – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Michael McCann – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael McCann on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many cases funded by legal aid against his Department where public interest lawyers have represented clients were won by his Department in each of the last 10 years.

    Mike Penning

    The Department does not centrally record information about the identity of claimants’ representatives or information relating to claimants’ funding arrangements. This information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

  • Margaret Curran – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Margaret Curran – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Curran on 2014-03-12.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people aged 18 to 24 years old in Scotland have been unemployed for (a) six months, (b) one year, (c) two years and (d) more than two years.

    Nick Hurd

    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

  • Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people with motor neurone disease have been treated by the NHS with iGaze technology in each of the last five years.

    Norman Lamb

    Data on the number of people diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND) is not collected. However, it is estimated that there are about 5,000 people living with MND in the United Kingdom.

    Information regarding the number of people with MND who are using ‘eye gaze’ technology, a type of specialised augmentative and assistive communication aid, is not held centrally.

  • Mr Gregory Campbell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Speaker’s Committee on the Electorial Commission

    Mr Gregory Campbell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Speaker’s Committee on the Electorial Commission

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mr Gregory Campbell on 2014-03-12.

    To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission, what steps are being taken by the Electoral Commission in Northern Ireland to promote electoral registration in rural areas where residents live some distance from permanent electoral offices.

    Gary Streeter

    The Electoral Commission informs me that it runs public awareness campaigns across Northern Ireland to encourage electors to register to vote. Its most recent campaign was conducted during the 2013 canvass of electors when all households in Northern Ireland were contacted. It also plans to conduct a public awareness campaign ahead of the upcoming elections this May.

    The Chief Electoral Officer is responsible for maintaining the electoral register in Northern Ireland and the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland run a number of registration and electoral identity clinics throughout Northern Ireland.

  • 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 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which mental health services he and each Minister in his Department have visited since they were appointed; and what the date of each such visit was.

    Dr Daniel Poulter

    The following list provides details of the visits undertaken by my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and his ministerial team to mental health services in an official capacity, since their appointment.

    Secretary of State for Health (Mr Jeremy Hunt):

    06 February 2014
    Redwoods Centre, South Staffordshire and Shropshire NHS Foundation Trust

    13 March 2014
    Springfield Hospital, South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust

    1 May 2014
    East London NHS Foundation Trust

    Minister of State for Care and Support (Norman Lamb):

    13 November 2012
    Raid Birmingham Heartlands Hospital

    19 December 2012
    South London and Maudsley NHS Mental Health Trust

    7 February 2013
    The Children and Young People’s Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme and Child and Adolescent, Mental Health services project, Oxford

    4 July 2013
    Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health Trust

    19 August 2013
    Leicester Mental Health Triage Care Project

    5 September 2013
    Gnosall Surgery, Stafford

    12 September 2013
    Yeovil Hospital

    12 September 2013
    Royal United Hospital, Bath

    31October 2013
    Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust

    19 December 2013
    Broadmoor Hospital

    3 January 2014
    Bethnal Green Police Station (Bi-lateral visit with Damian Green MP Home Office), London (A Liaison and Diversion scheme, this scheme brings together three large mental health trusts)

    17 February 2014
    Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust, Crisis Resolution Service

    12 March 2014
    Humphrey Booth Resource Centre, Manchester

    Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Health (Dr Daniel Poulter):

    11 July 2013
    Disraeli School and Children’s Centre, High Wycombe

    17 October 2013
    Parkview Clinic, Birmingham Children’s Hospital

    8 May 2014
    Bethlem Royal Hospital- Channi Kumar Mother and Baby Unit (Perinatal mental health)

    Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Health (Earl Howe):

    18 April 2012
    BuddyApp – Mental health innovation product launch – Maudsley Hospital

    Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Public Health (Jane Ellison):

    15 April 2014
    Roshni Ghar Mental Health Charity, Keighley

  • Julie Hilling – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Julie Hilling – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Hilling on 2014-03-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the effect of the removal of the under-occupancy penalty on the number of children living in relative income poverty.

    Esther McVey

    This information could be only provided at disproportionate cost.

    This Government has made good progress in tackling the root causes of child poverty and has recently published the 2014-17 draft child poverty strategy for consultation which outlines the actions we are taking. The latest figures from 2011/12 show that 2.3m (17%) children are in relative income poverty – down 300,000 since 2009/10. These are the lowest level since the mid-1980s.