Category: Speeches

  • Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what use his Department has made of the National Wellbeing Index introduced by the Office for National Statistics in formulating policy since the introduction of that Index in 2011; and what policies his Department has introduced to improve national wellbeing as defined in that Index since 2010.

    Dan Rogerson

    There is no National Wellbeing Index, but the Office for National Statistics has developed a dashboard of measures to monitor wellbeing, both subjective and objective, and in a number of domains.

    The most Defra relevant measures are:

    Where we live domain

    5.3 Accessed natural environment at least once a week in the last 12 months.

    Environment Domain

    10.2 Protected areas in the UK.

    10.4 Household waste that is recycled.

    It is too early to be able to show a large number of policies which have been influenced by the data, particularly when the statistics are experimental, but there is still a lot of ongoing work. In terms of my department’s policy work on wellbeing and the general approach, Defra officials provided written evidence for the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) Inquiry on Wellbeing initiated last year. This evidence was co-ordinated by the Cabinet Office and submitted on behalf of Government. The evidence document can be found here:

    http://data.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/committeeevidence.svc/evidencedocument/environmental-audit-committee/wellbeing/written/1069.pdf

    “

  • Lord Stoddart of Swindon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Lord Stoddart of Swindon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon on 2014-04-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the financial impact, in terms of percentage of United Kingdom food prices, of the United Kingdom’s participation in the European Union’s Common Agricultural Policy; and what is their assessment of the overall effect on the United Kingdom economy if the Common Agricultural Policy were abandoned.

    Lord De Mauley

    The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development estimates that the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) cost EU consumers approximately €16 billion in 2012 as a result of higher food prices. This equates to 4% of consumption expenditure on agricultural commodities (at farm gate prices).

    The Government does not have estimates of the effect of abandoning the current CAP programme. However studies are available from 2009 which estimated the impact of removing aspects of the CAP policies and budgets that were in place at the time:

    1) Modelling commissioned by Defra estimated the impact of phasing out direct payments in CAP and liberalising agricultural trade. The results vary by sector, ranging from a negligible impact expected on UK cereal production and prices to around a 25% reduction in beef prices and production.

    2) A European Commission study estimates the impact of eliminating direct payments and liberalising trade. The results showed a 6% reduction in land use and a 30% reduction in land prices across Europe. However the impact on agro-food production was modest and food price changes ranged from a 33% fall in beef, to just a 1% fall for milk and eggs.

  • David Morris – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    David Morris – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Morris on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will introduce a concessionary bus fare scheme for 16 to 18 year olds to allow them to pay child fare for their school bus passes.

    Stephen Hammond

    The Government currently has no plans to introduce a national statutory concession for young people. However, we recognise the importance of affordable and accessible bus services in enabling young people to access education, employment and training and note that, whilst there is no statutory obligation to provide reduced fares to young people, many bus operators and local authorities make discounts available. It is right that local authorities and the bus industry continue to take the lead in improving services for their younger customers, and I encourage them to continue innovating in this area.

  • Andrew Percy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Andrew Percy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2014-03-31.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many men in (a) Brigg and Goole constituency and (b) England died from advanced prostate cancer in each of the last five years.

    Mr Nick Hurd

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

  • Robert Syms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Robert Syms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Syms on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what proportion of UK carbon dioxide emissions that would otherwise have occurred will be prevented by the proposed wind farm at Navitus Bay.

    Gregory Barker

    The Department does not undertake analysis or hold information of this nature relating to specific developments. Potential impacts of proposed developments are assessed through the planning system. Based on the average carbon intensity of generation from all fossil fuel plants in 2012 (700 g/kWh), which wind would be expected to displace, and using standard historical average load factors for offshore wind farms from 2008 to 2012 inclusive, a wind farm of 1 Gigawatt (GW) of installed capacity is expected to displace approximately 2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year. The Department publishes estimated energy and emissions projections to 2030, the latest update can be accessed at this link:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/updated-energy-and-emissions-projections-2013

    “

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Gapes on 2014-03-31.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his policy is on the proposed EU regulations on heritage seeds.

    Dan Rogerson

    Defra is negotiating for a proportionate, flexible and simplified approach to the proposed new EU legislation for Plant Reproductive Material. Our principal objectives are to make things simpler and to achieve positive outcomes for businesses and gardeners alike.

  • Sheila Gilmore – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Sheila Gilmore – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sheila Gilmore on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what visits each of the Ministers in his Department have made since January 2013; and what the purpose of each such visit was.

    Mr David Lidington

    Details of Ministers’ visits overseas are published quarterly and can be found at:
    https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ministers-transparency-publications

    “

  • Philip Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Philip Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2014-03-31.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) male and (b) female prisoners were released on temporary licence by way of (i) resettlement day release, (ii) resettlement overnight release and (iii) childcare resettlement in the latest period for which figures are available.

    Jeremy Wright

    Table 1 presents the number of individuals who were granted each of these temporary licence (ROTL) release types, broken down by gender, for 2012, which is the latest year for which published figures are available.

    An individual prisoner can have a number of different types of ROTL over a period of time. Where an individual received more than one type of ROTL within the year, this individual has been counted once under each type received. Therefore there will be some individuals who are counted more than once in the table presented.

    These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

  • Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the savings to the NHS from the use of mindfulness interventions to reduce the number of GP visits.

    Norman Lamb

    No such assessment of the saving to the National Health Service from the use of mindfulness interventions to reduce the number of general practitioner visits has been made.

    The Department is aware of the Mental Health Foundation’s research into the impact of mindfulness. The benefits of mindfulness are widely recognised. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence guidance for the NHS has recommended Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) for recurrent depression since 2004. MBCT is available through a number of Improving Access to Psychological Therapy services in England.

  • Iain Wright – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Iain Wright – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Iain Wright on 2014-03-31.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of presumption for contact in relation to the role of fathers in the family courts; and if he will make a statement.

    Simon Hughes

    I have been asked to reply. Section 11 of the Children and Families Act 2014 requires courts to presume that a child benefits from the involvement of each parent who can be involved in a way which does not put the child at risk of harm. This is subject to the principle that the welfare of the child must be the courts’ paramount consideration. ‘Involvement’ may be direct or indirect and it is for courts to determine the most appropriate way for a parent to be involved in the light of the individual circumstances.

    Section 11 of the Act will be commenced in the autumn. One of the aims of the policy is to encourage parents to resolve disputes without the need for court intervention. The Government therefore intends to consider the impact of the policy as part of wider work to assess the impact of the family justice provisions in the Act.