Category: Speeches

  • Gordon Marsden – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    Gordon Marsden – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2014-06-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the Government’s proposed Deregulation Bill on tourism employment in England.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    At present, local authorities set term and holiday dates for about 30% of secondary schools and 70% of primary schools (around half of all registered pupils). The Deregulation Bill gives more schools the flexibility to make changes should they wish to, although the experience of the academies programme and voluntary aided (church) schools, suggests that only a small percentage of schools are likely to vary their term dates.

    The Department for Education has produced an assessment of the impact of the changes. Whilst there will be greater flexibility, we expect that sensible conversations between the local authority and schools on coordination will take place. Variations to term dates could also help businesses and employers, for example, in areas of high-seasonal employment where employees may welcome the chance to holiday outside of peak tourist periods. For example, Bishop Bronescombe School in St Austell has a two-week half term in May/June to accommodate parents’ seasonal employment patterns.

    A separate assessment of the specific impact on tourism related jobs in seaside towns or seaside economies has not been carried out.

  • Mr Jamie Reed – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Mr Jamie Reed – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mr Jamie Reed on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has for Penrith North Lakes, Oxenholme Lake District and Lancaster to be served by classic-compatible High Speed 2 trains.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    HS2 will provide a very significant expansion of the rail network’s ability to carry passengers and freight, resulting in improvements to rail services throughout the country. It is too soon to set a final train timetable at this stage, but HS2 Ltd and Network Rail have begun a process which will allow us to identify the best possible use of the post-HS2 rail network.

    One set of assumptions, amongst many, has been developed for business case modelling purposes. These assumptions are clearly set out in The Economic Case for HS2: Assumptions Report published in October 2013 (http://assets.hs2.org.uk/sites/default/files/inserts/SA%2020_PFM%20assumptions%20report_V3_0.pdf).

    “

  • Mark Williams – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Mark Williams – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Williams on 2014-06-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what proportion of homes in (a) Ebbsfleet and (b) other planned garden cities will be (i) wheelchair accessible and (ii) built to lifetime homes standards.

    Nick Boles

    It is important that all locally-led large scale new developments like Ebbsfleet incorporate a high standard of design, and I am keen to see the use of design tools like Building for Life 12 which can serve this objective. Responsibility for delivering on the local plans for Ebbsfleet will sit with the new Urban Development Corporation and it would be premature to make any commitments on design standards at this stage. Ultimately, the development should be created in partnership with local communities and it should reflect and respond to their needs.

  • Dr Eilidh Whiteford – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Dr Eilidh Whiteford – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dr Eilidh Whiteford on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many fixed-length sanctions of (a) high, (b) medium and (c) low level were imposed on jobseeker’s allowance claimants in Scotland in each month from March 2013 to March 2014.

    Esther McVey

    Statistics on the number of Jobseeker’s Allowance benefit claimants, who have been sanctioned in Scotland, by sanction level, from March 2013, up to September 2013 which is the latest data available, are published and can be found at:

    https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/

    Guidance for users is available at:

    https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Stat-Xplore_User_Guide.htm

    “

  • David Simpson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    David Simpson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Simpson on 2014-06-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to maintain and improve specialist services for children suffering from brittle bone disease.

    Dr Daniel Poulter

    The nature of brittle bone disease requires care across the healthcare system, the majority being provided in the community by a variety of therapists with involvement from a wide multi-disciplinary team. The provision of services for children with brittle bone disease in Northern Ireland will be a matter for the Northern Ireland Executive and the health service in Northern Ireland.

    In England, in the majority of cases the local clinical commissioning group (CCG) will decide on the level of provision of services, taking into account the needs of the population it serves. The CCG’s decisions are underpinned by clinical insight and knowledge of local healthcare needs.

    Complex childhood brittle bone services in England are commissioned by NHS England which has developed a specification for these services. This can be found at:

    www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/e13-child-osteo-imperfecta.pdf

  • Mr Adrian Sanders – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Mr Adrian Sanders – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mr Adrian Sanders on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the capability of the Work Programme to provide adequate support to jobseekers with long-term medical conditions.

    Esther McVey

    The Department has commissioned an independent evaluation of the Work Programme, and will publish findings once the evaluation is complete.

  • Fiona Bruce – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Fiona Bruce – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona Bruce on 2014-06-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Revised Standard Operating Procedures for the Approval of Independent Places for the Termination of Pregnancy, what assessment he has made of the possibility that inaccurate diagnoses will follow his Department’s decision to allow women to refrain from informing their GP of a prior abortion.

    Jane Ellison

    Women seeking an abortion have the right to confidentiality and their decision must be respected if they do not want their general practitioner to be informed.

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether his Department is (a) undertaking or (b) plans to undertake a review of the check-off union subscription provision.

    Gregory Barker

    My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State reviewed the situation on 23 January 2014.

  • David Crausby – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    David Crausby – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Crausby on 2014-06-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make it his policy to release statistics on the number of refusals by the Legal Aid Agency to pay legal aid in cases settled before the permission stage.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    The Legal Aid Agency records information on the outcome of each application for a discretionary payment in respect of remuneration for work on applications for permission for judicial review, where a case concludes before a decision on permission is taken by the court. The Government is considering the best way of publishing this information.

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Wales Office

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Wales Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether his Department is (a) undertaking or (b) plans to undertake a review of the check-off union subscription provision.

    Stephen Crabb

    The Wales Office is not an employer in its own right. As the Ministry of Justice is the main employer of staff at the Wales Office, we would follow any changes implemented by the MoJ.