Category: Speeches

Gregory Campbell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2014-04-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the Pakistan government on the case of Shafqat Emmanuel and Shagufta Kausar who have been sentenced to death for allegedly sending a text message regarding the prophet Mohamed.

Hugh Robertson

I am concerned to hear about the case of Shafqat Emmanuel and Shagufta Kausar and the imposition of the death penalty on them. We regularly raise the issue of blasphemy laws, and their misuse against both Muslims and religious minorities, at the highest levels in Pakistan. We have consistently pressed the government of Pakistan on the issue of the death penalty and our principled opposition to it in all cases and we will continue to raise both these issues with the government of Pakistan.

01/11/2022
Steve Rotheram – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Rotheram on 2014-04-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which police forces failed to meet her Department’s deadline of 4 April 2014 for handing over to the Independent Police Complaints Commission any evidence relating to the Hillsborough disaster.

Mrs Theresa May

I wrote to all Chief Constables in England and Wales on 4 March 2014 to request
that all police forces search their records to establish whether they possess
any material that relates to the Hillsborough tragedy. The purpose of the
letter was to assist the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) and
Operation Resolve in recovering any material which had not already been
provided. I understand that all forces have now responded to the IPCC and I am
aware that the IPCC is currently assessing these responses. I am expecting a
full report from them in due course.

01/11/2022
Elfyn Llwyd – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Elfyn Llwyd on 2014-04-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what guidance his Department has issued to magistrates on consideration of breach applications following the introduction of the Transforming Rehabilitation agenda in England and Wales.

Jeremy Wright

The Department has engaged regularly with the magistracy on the Transforming Rehabilitation reforms, via the National Sentencer Probation Forum and other meetings, and through the usual communication channels. Our intention is to ensure that the magistracy and sentencers more widely are fully informed of the Transforming Rehabilitation reforms and associated implications, including for breach applications. Training for the magistracy and any sentencing guidelines relating to the Offender Rehabilitation Act 2014 will be a matter for the independent Judicial College and the Sentencing Council respectively.

01/11/2022
Pauline Latham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Pauline Latham on 2014-04-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make representations to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence regarding its technology appraisal of ipilimumab.

Norman Lamb

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave her on 2 April 2014, Official Report, column 663W.

01/11/2022
Tim Loughton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2014-04-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he took to publicise the consultation on extending civil partnerships to opposite sex partners.

Mrs Helen Grant

On 23 January 2014, when the consultation document was published, I made a Ministerial Written Statement to bring it to the attention of honourable members. This statement was repeated in the House of Lords, by my colleague, Baroness Northover. The publication of the consultation was also announced on the Culture, Media and Sport website. DCMS officials directly contacted around 50 organisations with an interest in the issues and asked other Departments to do the same. Officials also offered meetings to the principal stakeholders, several of which took up the offer, and emailed more than 1300 organisations and individuals who had registered an interest in receiving updates on equal marriage or related issues and highlighted the consultation in the February edition of the Women’s Engagement Newsletter, which is circulated to more than 2000 organisations and individuals.

01/11/2022
Mike Kane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Kane on 2014-04-29.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what support the Government is giving to credit unions to help extend access to fair credit.

Andrea Leadsom

The Government is supportive of credit unions and has taken a number of steps to assist them, most recently including:
- The Department for Work and Pensions investment of up to £38 million in an expansion project for credit unions. The project aims to help credit unions expand and grow, enabling them to provide financial services to more people.
- From 1 April this year the Government increased the cap on the maximum interest rate a credit union can charge for loans from 2% to 3% per month. This will allow credit unions to make more loans to their members without making a loss. Even if they choose to charge the higher rate of interest the cost of borrowing from a credit union will still be significantly cheaper than many high cost lenders.
The Government intends that these measures will help the credit union sector go from strength to strength, so it can be a viable option for financial services provision for an even wider range of consumers.
01/11/2022

Nick Gibb – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Gibb on 2014-04-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the waiting time is for a routine new referral to Ophthalmology in the Western Sussex Hospitals Trust area; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Daniel Poulter

Information on the median average waiting time for patients waiting to start consultant-led ophthalmology treatment for all National Health Service trusts and NHS foundation trusts in England is shown in the following table.

Latest data for February 2014 shows that the median average waiting time for patients waiting to start consultant-led ophthalmology treatment in the Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is 8.6 weeks.

Monthly Referral to Treatment (RTT) waiting times for incomplete pathways in ophthalmology, February 2014

Provider Name	Average (Median) Waiting Time (In Weeks)
Aintree University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	4.7
Airedale NHS Foundation Trust	4.1
Ashford And St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	4.9
Barts Health NHS Trust	6.2
Bedford Hospital NHS Trust	6.0
Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	7.3
Bolton NHS Foundation Trust	5.5
Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	4.9
Brighton And Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust	5.7
Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust	10.2
Burton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	5.7
Calderdale And Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust	4.9
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	5.2
Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	5.3
Chelsea And Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	5.1
Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	6.5
City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust	5.1
Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust	4.7
Countess Of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	6.4
County Durham And Darlington NHS Foundation Trust	6.8
Coventry And Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust	4.4
Croydon Health Services NHS Trust	4.9
Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Trust	5.3
Doncaster And Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	5.0
Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	6.9
Dorset Healthcare University NHS Foundation Trust	8.8
East And North Hertfordshire NHS Trust	4.5
East Cheshire NHS Trust	6.1
East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust	4.9
East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust	4.2
East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust	6.0
Epsom And St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust	4.9
Frimley Park Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	6.5
George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust	2.7
Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	4.3
Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	7.5
Guy’s And St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust	4.2
Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	5.7
Harrogate And District NHS Foundation Trust	5.5
Heart Of England NHS Foundation Trust	5.3
Hinchingbrooke Health Care NHS Trust	3.6
Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	3.0
Hull And East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust	5.5
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust	5.1
Isle Of Wight NHS Trust	5.5
James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	4.8
Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	5.7
King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	6.1
Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	4.6
Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	5.0
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust	4.8
Lewisham And Greenwich NHS Trust	5.1
Luton And Dunstable University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	5.1
Maidstone And Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust	6.3
Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	5.6
Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust	5.7
Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust	4.7
Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust	5.4
Milton Keynes Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	4.0
Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	5.7
Norfolk And Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	6.4
North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust	7.2
North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust	6.0
North West London Hospitals NHS Trust	3.8
Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust	4.2
Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust	5.5
Northern Lincolnshire And Goole NHS Foundation Trust	5.4
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust	5.3
Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust	8.5
Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust	5.4
Peterborough And Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	5.4
Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust	5.8
Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	5.7
Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust	5.6
Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	8.8
Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust	6.7
Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust	5.5
Royal Devon And Exeter NHS Foundation Trust	4.8
Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust	6.8
Royal Liverpool And Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust	4.6
Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	5.9
Royal United Hospital Bath NHS Trust	5.2
Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust	4.0
Sandwell And West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust	4.5
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	5.6
Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	5.6
Shrewsbury And Telford Hospital NHS Trust	10.4
South Devon Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust	4.2
South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	6.3
South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust	6.8
South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust	5.8
Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	5.4
Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust	4.4
Southport And Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust	3.5
St George’s Healthcare NHS Trust	7.0
St Helens And Knowsley Hospitals NHS Trust	4.7
Stockport NHS Foundation Trust	6.7
Surrey And Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust	6.2
Taunton And Somerset NHS Foundation Trust	8.3
The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust	5.8
The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	4.1
The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	4.7
The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust	5.4
The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King’s Lynn, NHS Foundation Trust	3.2
The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust	2.1
The Royal Bournemouth And Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	5.2
The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust	4.5
United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust	6.2
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	5.9
University Hospital Of North Staffordshire NHS Trust	4.8
University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust	5.6
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust	5.3
University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust	5.3
University Hospitals Coventry And Warwickshire NHS Trust	5.2
University Hospitals Of Leicester NHS Trust	5.8
University Hospitals Of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust	5.2
Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust	5.5
Warrington And Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	3.4
West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust	10.8
West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust	3.1
Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	8.6
Weston Area Health NHS Trust	5.6
Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	6.0
Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust	4.7
Worcestershire Health And Care NHS Trust	4.2
Wrightington, Wigan And Leigh NHS Foundation Trust	4.0
Wye Valley NHS Trust	5.6
Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	3.0
York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	5.4

Notes:

1. Median waiting times are calculated from aggregate data, rather than patient level data, and therefore are only estimates of the position on average waits.

2. Median waiting times are not calculated for organisations (and treatment functions) with less than 50 pathways in the month.

3. The following trusts did not submit any RTT incomplete pathway data for February 2014:

– Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust;

– Barking, Havering & Redbridge NHS Trust;

– Derby Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust;

– Tameside Hospital NHS Foundation Trust;

– The Whittington Hospital NHS Trust; and

– Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust.

01/11/2022

Helen Jones – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2014-04-29.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the number of people who are (a) employed on zero-hours contracts and (b) paid at a rate below that defined by the Living Wage Foundation as a living wage in Warrington North constituency.

Mr Nick Hurd

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

01/11/2022
Sadiq Khan – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sadiq Khan on 2014-04-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many of (a) those in prison and (b) those in prison who self-identified as Muslim were (i) under the age of 18, (ii) aged between 18 and 21, (iii) aged between 21 and 25, (iv) aged between 26 and 30, (v) aged between 31 and 40, (vi) aged between 41 and 50, (vii) aged between 51 and 65 and (viii) aged over 65 years on 1 January 2014.

Jeremy Wright

Data are held centrally on the prison population in England and Wales on the last day of each month, so figures have been provided for 31^st December 2013 (with the exception of PQ 197068 which has been answered as at 30 June 2013 – the latest available data for criminal history information).

For PQ 197067, Table 1 below provides the number for the sentenced prison population by sentence length for self-declared Muslim prisoners and the total for all religions.

For PQ 197068, Table 2 provides the number of offenders in prison on 30th June 2013 who identified themselves as Muslim and all other religions by the number of previous custodial sentences received.

For PQ 197069, Table 3 provides the prison population by nationality for self-declared Muslims and the total for all other religions.

For PQ 197090, Table 4 provides the prison population by age group for self-declared Muslims and the total for all other religions.

Please note that the religion of prisoners is self declared and prisoners are under no obligation to declare their religion.

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.

01/11/2022
Sadiq Khan – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sadiq Khan on 2014-04-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for what reasons the closed wings at (a) HM Prison Hull and (b) HM Prison Chelmsford were (i) closed and (ii) re-opened.

Jeremy Wright

We will always have enough prison places for those sent to us by the courts and continue to modernise the prison estate so that it delivers best value for the taxpayer

This Government has a long term strategy for managing the prison estate. We will have increased the adult male prison capacity so that we have more places than we inherited from the previous Government.

The retention of significant spare prison capacity over and above what is required is expensive and cannot be justified given the current financial climate. The mothballing of spare capacity at HM Prisons Chelmsford and Hull saved the taxpayer £3.6m in the financial year 2013-14. This compares to the significantly lower cost of maintaining this accommodation on a mothballed basis, so that it could be reactivated if necessary.

We have reviewed the refurbishment requirements at both sites and believe that, with minor investment, they can now be reopened on a contingency basis without carrying out a full refurbishment. These costs are anticipated to be around £132k by the time they have reopened. From the end of March to date, around £12k has been spent on Chelmsford, and around £107k has been spent on Hull.

The indicative additional staffing requirement to reactivate the places at Hull is around 65 members of staff – of which approximately 40 are uniformed. The indicative additional staffing requirement to reactivate the places at Chelmsford is around 30 members of staff – of which approximately 20 are uniformed grades. This means we are able to create additional places at an average cost of £7k per place (subject to final benchmarking review), as opposed to the average cost of a prison per place of £26,139.

The staffing requirement will initially be met by short term detached duty from other prisons, before looking to redeploy staff permanently where surpluses exist – and if necessary through external recruitment.

Subject to certification, Hull will create 282 places and Chelmsford 148 places, with prisoners due to start arriving this summer.

The reactivation of these places is a prudent and good value for money response to an increased prison population. Under the previous administration, police and court cells were turned into temporary prisons, with over 50,000 prisoners held in these cells in 2007-08 alone.

01/11/2022