Category: Speeches

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

    Jim Dobbin – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Dobbin on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to ensure that the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Health of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists acts to accommodate doctors and nurses who have a conscientious objection to supplying contraceptive drugs or devices which act after fertilisation receive a diploma in sexual and reproductive health.

    Jane Ellison

    The Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare are responsible for decisions on the syllabus of their Diploma, the requirements for entry to the Diploma course, and the award of a Diploma qualification.

    The Department understands that their guidelines on the syllabus and on possible conscientious objection have not changed.

  • Steve Baker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Steve Baker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Baker on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that the cases of the 67 doctors who were found to have pre-signed abortion referral forms following investigations by the Care Quality Commission in 2012 are referred to the police.

    Jane Ellison

    Allegations referred to the Department were passed on to the relevant police forces for them to investigate. Other allegations of pre-signing were investigated by the General Medical Council. Decisions about whether to prosecute rest with the Crown Prosecution Service.

  • 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 2014-04-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Environment Agency is taking to reduce the time taken to update its flooding maps after the completion of flood defence projects.

    Dan Rogerson

    The Environment Agency produces and publishes maps showing areas at risk of flooding from rivers and sea, surface water and reservoirs in England. It reviews and updates these maps on a quarterly basis to ensure they are based on the most recent local mapping and modelling information.

    To ensure new flood risk management schemes are included in the map updates as soon as possible, the Environment Agency has put in place changes to speed up the update process, together with a new Key Performance Indicator (introduced in October 2013) specifying that maps showing the risk of flooding from rivers and sea should be updated within six months of completion of a scheme.

    Initial performance has been affected by the development and publication of new maps in December 2013 and by the winter floods, but significant efforts are being made to ensure that new defences will be taken into account more quickly in future.

  • Mark Tami – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Mark Tami – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Tami on 2014-05-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what procedures his Department has put in place to ensure that mail received by recorded delivery at jobcentres is logged and dealt with immediately; and what assessment he has made of whether such procedures are carried out across all jobcentres.

    Mike Penning

    All DWP mail, whether recorded delivery or otherwise, is opened and distributed to the appropriate office for action from one of the 2 Mail Opening Units. The only exceptions being items identified “OFFICIAL–SENSITIVE”, “SECRET”, or “TOP SECRET” and providing a named individual is included.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andy Slaughter – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2014-05-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answers of 28 April 2014, Official Report, columns 594-5W, on official visits, whether any of the six received requests for special mission status were refused (a) by reference to duties to prosecute or extradite persons alleged to have committed or to have ordered to be committed grave breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention or other international crimes and (b) on other human rights grounds.

    Mark Simmonds

    None of the six requests for special mission status to which I referred in my answer to the House of 28 April 2014, Official Report, columns 594-5W, were refused. After consenting to the visits as special missions, two of the visits were subsequently cancelled by the country making the request.
    As I noted in my previous answer, in view of the confidentiality of diplomatic exchanges, we have no plans to make public further details about requests that have been granted or refused. But if those applying for special mission status wish to announce the details of their visit to the UK, they are of course at liberty to do so.

  • Dan Byles – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Dan Byles – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Byles on 2014-05-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 3 April 2014, Official Report, column 805W, on renewable energy, what the standard period is for stakeholders to be given to respond to a Government consultation.

    Michael Fallon

    The amount of time required for stakeholders to respond to a Government consultation will depend on the nature and impact of the proposal and might typically vary between 2 and 12 weeks.

  • Heidi Alexander – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Heidi Alexander – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Heidi Alexander on 2014-05-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 28 April 2014, Official Report, column 461W, on NHS: insolvency, when he plans to place in the Library the minutes of the meeting on 2 April 2014.

    Jane Ellison

    We plan to place a final copy of the minutes of the meeting on 2 April in the Library in due course, once the terms of reference for the Committee have been finalised.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Gregory Campbell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2014-05-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many personnel were in the Sea Cadets in Northern Ireland on 1 January 2014.

    Anna Soubry

    On 1 January 2014 there were 257 Sea Cadets in Northern Ireland, 22 of whom were Royal Marine Cadets.

    In addition there were 157 Adult Volunteers.

  • Dominic Raab – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Dominic Raab – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dominic Raab on 2014-05-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 1 May 2014, Official Report, column 791W, on fossil fuels: imports, how much in thousand tonnes of (a) oil and (b) gas was (i) exported from and (ii) imported to the UK in 2012 and 2013.

    Michael Fallon

    Data on gas trade in units of thousand tonnes is not available, the standard unit of measurement is GWh.

    In 2012, the UK imported 53,763 thousand tonnes of crude oil and 534,987 GWh of gas and exported 28,535 thousand tonnes of crude oil and 131,711 GWh of gas.

    In 2013, provisional figures show that the UK imported 50,311 thousand tonnes of crude oil and 523,506 GWh of gas and exported 30,382 thousand tonnes of crude oil and 99,582 GWh of gas.

  • Bill Wiggin – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Bill Wiggin – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bill Wiggin on 2014-05-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his policy that a proportion of any future underspend within the NHS is allocated to nurses’ pay.

    Dr Daniel Poulter

    The Department has made available in subsequent years the underspends delivered by local National Health Service organisations, but is not prescriptive on how those organisations use that funding.