Category: Speeches

  • 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 2014-03-17.

    To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission, pursuant to the Answer of 6 February 2014, Official Report, columns 18-19W, on the electoral register, in which month of 2014 the statistics on data matching on electoral registration between the Office of National Statistics, Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency and the National Records of Scotland will be published.

    Gary Streeter

    The Electoral Commission informs me that it expects to publish a report on England, Wales and Scotland in summer 2014. The timing of the work in Northern Ireland is still the subject of discussions with NISRA. The Electoral Commission will inform the honourable member when this is confirmed.

  • Gerald Kaufman – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Gerald Kaufman – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gerald Kaufman on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she intends to reply to the letter to her dated 7 April 2014 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to the Energy and Climate Change Select Committee.

    Karen Bradley

    The Home Department has no record of receiving the correspondence referred to
    in this Parliamentary Question.

  • Andrew Stephenson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Andrew Stephenson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Stephenson on 2014-03-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to expand the languages curriculum to encompass Urdu.

    Elizabeth Truss

    Schools are already able to choose which modern foreign languages they teach, and these can include Urdu. The new programme of study for languages, to be taught in maintained schools from September 2014, makes clear that learning a foreign language should provide an opening to other cultures, foster pupils’ curiosity and deepen their understanding of the world.

  • Steve McCabe – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Steve McCabe – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance his Department has given to local authorities about churches and same sex marriage.

    Karen Bradley

    Guidance on how to certify a building for religious worship and register for
    the solemnization of marriages was issued on 18 February 2014 by the General
    Register Office and is available at:
    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/281332
    /D0550_F78L.pdf

    The guidance sets out the different options that are available for places of
    worship and registration for the solemnisation of marriage. Registration of
    individual places of worship takes place through local registration services
    attached to local authorities and they are expected to adhere to the guidance.

  • Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-03-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 29 January 2014, Official Report, column 638W, on the work capability assessment, if he will make it his policy to collect such information in future.

    Mike Penning

    To provide the requested information would incur disproportionate cost

  • Nicholas Soames – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Nicholas Soames – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will place a limit on the number of the Community Rehabilitation Companies that a single external provider may control; and if he will make a statement.

    Jeremy Wright

    The Transforming Rehabilitation Programme is opening up the market to a diverse range of new providers, so that we can harness the best that the private and voluntary sectors has to offer to reduce reoffending. In mid December 2013, the bidders who passed the first stage of the competition to bid for the rehabilitation contracts were announced. The list includes a mix of private and voluntary sector partnerships with more than 50 organisations represented. We expect to announce the winners of these contracts by the end of 2014 and are committed to the roll out of payment by results by 2015.

    The Government has been clear that we want to see a diverse market delivering probation services, rather than being dominated by just a few providers. We have set a market share restriction whereby bidders can win a maximum of 25% of market share based on the indicative contract values set out in the competition documentation. Bidders will be allowed to win multiple contracts up to the point at which their market share cap would be breached subject to meeting any other requirements set out by the Authority.

  • Mr Barry Sheerman – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Mr Barry Sheerman – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mr Barry Sheerman on 2014-03-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many representations he has received from local authorities indicating that the local authority does not require a proposed free school; and whether this has led to any proposed free school applications being withdrawn.

    Edward Timpson

    The Department for Education does not hold this information centrally and collecting it would incur disproportionate cost.

    Under Section 9 of the Academies Act 2010, the Department writes to local authorities where a free school is being proposed to seek their views on the impact that establishing the school would likely have on existing schools and colleges.

    Local authorities often take this opportunity to indicate whether they support or oppose the establishment of a free school.

    Any representations from local authorities are considered by my Rt hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education before he decides to enter into a funding agreement with the relevant academy trust.

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

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

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claimants died in each month of the last three years (a) after attending a work capability assessment and (b) having been assessed as fit for work and then appealed, but died before that appeal was heard.

    Mike Penning

    The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

  • 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 2014-03-13.

    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, whether his Department’s funding of £3.6 million to improve electoral registration will be given to local authorities which have not used local government databases to improve electoral registration in the individual electoral registration dry run.

    Greg Clark

    All Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) have received funding, based on their levels of under-registration, to support local activities to maximise registration, as part of the transition to Individual Electoral Registration. EROs are best placed to decide how to improve the completeness and accuracy of their registers.

    Performance Standard one of the Electoral Commission’s framework encourages EROs to use local data sources to build understanding of local challenges and to identify potential new electors. The Electoral Commission monitors and reports on the performance of EROs against the performance standards. All EROs met performance standard one in 2012 and the Commission will report on the 2013 performance shortly.

  • Jamie Reed – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jamie Reed – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of patients diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis received treatment within three months of symptom onset in (a) 2012 and (b) 2013.

    Norman Lamb

    Information concerning the number of patients diagnosed with either rheumatoid arthritis or ankylosing spondylitis on an annual basis is not collected.