Category: Speeches

  • Oliver Colvile – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Oliver Colvile – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Oliver Colvile on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department has given consideration to licensing e-cigarettes as medicines.

    Jane Ellison

    On 14 March 2014, European Union member states formally adopted the revised Tobacco Products Directive, including the provisions for regulation of electronic cigarettes. Article 18 of the Directive will subject electronic cigarettes to consumer products legislation, with specific additional regulatory requirements unless they fall under the definition of a medicinal product.

    The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency is continuing to focus on regulating medicinal nicotine containing products, including electronic cigarettes, to enable licensed products that meet appropriate standards of safety, quality and efficacy to be available. Marketing authorisation applications have been submitted and interest in licensing continues.

  • John Glen – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    John Glen – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Glen on 2014-04-30.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of how much tax will be collected annually from insolvency litigation following reforms to insolvency litigation through the 2012 Legal, Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act.

    Mr David Gauke

    No assessment has been made of how much tax will be collected annually from insolvency litigation following reforms to insolvency litigation through the 2012 Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act.

  • Robert Halfon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Robert Halfon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Halfon on 2014-04-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will take steps to put in place an inspection regime for the quality of education at private further education colleges.

    Matthew Hancock

    There are no plans to change the remit of The Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (OFSTED) inspection regime.

  • Joan Walley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Joan Walley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Joan Walley on 2014-05-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the West Midlands Ambulance Service’s system’s indicators performance in 2012-13; and what assessment he has made of the reasons for changes in that level of performance.

    Jane Ellison

    A copy of West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (FT) system indicators performance data for 2012-13 has been placed in the Library.

    The Department is aware that West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS FT met all three response time targets for the full year in 2012-13; despite a challenging winter period; a 6.9% rise in emergency calls; and a delay to the launch of the 111 system by NHS Direct in the West Midlands.

  • Jim Dobbin – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Jim Dobbin – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Dobbin on 2014-05-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on the fairness of the hearing of Asiya Noreen Bibi sentenced to death in 2011 at the provincial Lahore High Court.

    Hugh Robertson

    We receive regular reports on the case of Mrs Bibi and others facing charges of blasphemy in Pakistan and we are aware that a numbers of NGOs and other governments follow her case closely. We remain concerned about the case of Asia Bibi and would urge the courts in Pakistan to ensure a fair and swift hearing of her appeal due later this month.

  • Diane Abbott – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Diane Abbott – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diane Abbott on 2014-05-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Answer of 17 September 2012, Official Report, column 512W, on torture, what the result of the audit was; if she will publish the audit; what training requirements were identified by the audit; whether that training has been delivered; if she will publish the training materials; and if she will make a statement.

    James Brokenshire

    An audit of casework relating to reports made under Rule 35 of the Detention
    Centre Rules 2001 began in April this year and will be completed in June. The
    findings of the audit will be made available later in the summer and will be
    used to identify good practice and areas for improvement.

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2014-05-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the crisis in the Central African Republic on the Building StabilityOverseas Strategy.

    Baroness Northover

    The crisis in the Central African Republic (CAR) has highlighted the importance of the cross-government approach set out in the Building Stability Overseas Strategy (BSOS), including rapid response, upstream prevention, and working in partnership with others in the international system. BSOS remains a core strategy for HMG’s work in fragile and conflict-affected states.

    In alignment with this, the UK continues to support international efforts to restore peace and security to CAR, some of which is funded by the Conflict Pool’s Early Action Facility, which was created to support BSOS. We have provided logistical support to the French Operation Sangaris and £2m in non-lethal support to the African-led International Support Mission to the CAR (MISCA). The UK has committed £23m in humanitarian support to CAR since July 2013, funding a range of NGOs and UN agencies to provide access to protection, food, water, shelter, health and sanitation.

  • 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 2014-05-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average compensation payment ordered in employment tribunal cases relating to discrimination on the grounds of religion was by the religious belief of the complainant in each of the last five years.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    I am answering these questions together.

    Data on highest compensation awards for discrimination jurisdictions for the last five years are set out in Tables E6 to E10 of the latest Official Statistics release published by the Ministry of Justice, which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tribunal-statistics-quarterly-july-to-september-2013.

    Data on average compensation awards in race discrimination and religious discrimination claims are set out in Tables E6 and E9 of that publication, respectively.

    Information on the nature of complaints upheld, and the type of race or religion relevant to individual claims, is not recorded centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost following a manual trawl of all relevant tribunal files. The records retention and disposal schedule applicable to such tribunal files also means that information covering each of the last five years would not be held.

  • Diana Johnson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Diana Johnson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2014-05-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many calls were made to the National Domestic Violence Helpline in 2013; and how many such calls mentioned use of (a) any weapon and (b) a firearm.

    Norman Baker

    The Home Office provides funding to the National Domestic Violence Helpline,
    which is run jointly by Women’s Aid and Refuge. Latest management information
    provided by Women’s Aid and Refuge sets out that in the first half of financial
    year 2013/2014 (April -September 2013), the National Domestic Violence Helpline received
    78,894 calls.

    This data does not provide information on the number of calls that mention the
    use of any weapon or firearms.

  • Anas Sarwar – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Anas Sarwar – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anas Sarwar on 2014-05-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will place a copy of the Beloff Review on UK asset recovery in the Library.

    Karen Bradley

    Internal Government advice is not published and therefore we do not intend to
    place a copy of Mr Beloff QC’s opinion in the Library. The Government’s Serious
    and Organised Crime Strategy sets out how we will amend our legal powers to
    make it harder for criminals to move, hide and use the proceeds of crime.This
    has been informed by legal opinion on, and lessons learned from, the work of
    the Arab Spring Asset Recovery Task Force.