Category: Speeches

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-09-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Army Reserves who did not pass the annual mandatory training test in 2015 were deployed on operation.

    Harriett Baldwin

    There are 10 Military Annual Training Tests (MATTs) ranging from map reading and navigation through to Chemical, Biological, Radiation, Nuclear (CBRN) training. In 2015, 32 Army Reservists who had either not completed or failed an aspect of their MATTs were mobilised for deployment. The decision to deploy is made by the Chain of Command only on the basis that the gap in MATTs would not prevent them from safely and responsibly fulfilling their deployed role. In addition to MATTs, all deployed personnel receive an intensive programme of training specific to the operation.

    In addition, 2 Medical brigade mobilised and deployed 122 medical Reserve personnel to Sierra Leone in a non-combat role in 2015, as part of the fight against Ebola. As part of its preparation the unit conducted its own MATTs for which pass and fail records are not held centrally and cannot readily be provided.

  • Yasmin Qureshi – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Yasmin Qureshi – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Yasmin Qureshi on 2015-11-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether UK Reapers have been made available for use by the US or other coalition partners in Syria for operations since January 2015.

    Penny Mordaunt

    No UK Reapers have been flown on missions by US personnel or those of any other Coalition nation in Syria since January 2015. US personnel have operated UK Reaper aircraft a small number of times to aid with the launch and recovery of the aircraft only, not the mission itself. A Memorandum of Understanding has been agreed between the UK and US Air Forces which allows the US to request the use of UK Reaper aircraft to conduct missions and vice versa, though to date this has not occurred. Such use by the US would be subject to UK permissions.

  • Norman Lamb – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Norman Lamb – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Norman Lamb on 2015-12-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress has been made on the roll-out of liaison and diversion services; and what timetable he has set for completion of the business case for completing the national roll-out of those services.

    Alistair Burt

    Liaison and diversion services are currently available to approximately 50 per cent of the population in England.

    Further rollout is conditional upon completing business case approvals. The business case approval process is underway and we hope that this process will be completed early in 2016.

  • Lord Patten – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Patten – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2016-01-20.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 29 December 2015 (HL4764), whether they will list the social and environmental influences that they take into account when defining character or the propensity to commit crime.

    Lord Bates

    An individual’s character and propensity to offend are influenced by a range of factors, but could include social aspects of a person’s upbringing or their environment.

    As the Home Secretary has set out, there is nothing inevitable about criminality, however, and most people do not go on to become criminals whatever circumstances they grow up in. And it is important to remember that the only cause of a crime is, in the end, the criminal. The government’s Modern Crime Prevention Strategy will focus on tackling the six key drivers of crime, including character, and will be published in the spring.

  • Valerie Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Valerie Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Valerie Vaz on 2016-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people under the age of 18 have epilepsy.

    Jane Ellison

    The Department does not collect this information centrally. The Joint Epilepsy Council in Epilepsy prevalence, incidence and other statistics, (December 2011) estimated that around one in 220 (0.5%) children under the age of 18 have epilepsy in the United Kingdom.

  • Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-03-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, in how many areas the NHS provides mental health services that are targeted at black men; and what types of service provision are so targeted.

    Alistair Burt

    The information is not held centrally.

    We are committed to ensuring fair and equitable mental health care services for all, which includes all black and minority ethnic (BME) communities. NHS England published The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health report by the independent Mental Health Taskforce last month, which clearly outlines action to be taken nationally, regionally, and locally to help improve mental health services for BME communities in England.

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-04-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 21 March 2016 to Question 31102, what assessment she has made of the effect of the Government’s proposal for every school to become an academy on (a) divergences between schools’ admissions arrangements and (b) proposals to limit who may refer objections to the Schools Adjudicator; and if she will make a statement.

    Nick Gibb

    The Department’s White Paper, ‘Educational Excellence Everywhere’, sets out the Government’s aim that every school should have the opportunity to become an academy. In this context, it sets out our intention to seek views on a number of changes to the admissions system to make it simpler and clearer for parents to navigate.

    As part of these proposed changes, we intend to streamline the functions of the Office of the Schools Adjudicator so that objections to admission arrangements are resolved faster. This will include limiting who can object so only local parents and councils may refer objections, so that the adjudicator function can remain focused on resolving the concerns of those who may be directly affected by a school’s admission arrangements.

    The White Paper is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/educational-excellence-everywhere

    “

  • Rob Marris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Rob Marris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rob Marris on 2016-05-18.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many tax avoidance cases the General Anti-Abuse Rule Advisory Panel considered in (a) 2013, (b) 2014, (c) 2015 and (d) 2016 to date.

    Mr David Gauke

    The General Anti-Abuse Rule (GAAR) was introduced in July 2013, and only applies to abusive tax arrangements entered into from this date.

    This means that it will first apply to income tax returns for the tax year ending 5 April 2014, which must have been filed with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) by 31 January 2015.

    For cases to be tackled by the GAAR, HMRC must first enquire into tax returns once they are received, and gather all relevant facts. It is therefore still early in the process of litigation action for cases to be tackled by the GAAR.

    The GAAR Advisory Panel is an external body separate to HMRC. Their independent role means that they do not report the number of meetings held to HMRC.

  • Jon Trickett – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jon Trickett – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jon Trickett on 2016-06-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many NHS trusts have reported difficulty recruiting specialist nurses for patients with neurological conditions in the last three years.

    Ben Gummer

    Information on how many trusts have reported difficulty recruiting specialist nurses for patients with neurological conditions is not collected centrally.

    It is for local National Health Service organisations with their knowledge of the healthcare needs of their local population to invest in training for specialist skills and to deploy specialist nurses.

  • Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-09-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Natura 2000 scheme will be continued.

    Dr Thérèse Coffey

    Whilst we are still a member of the EU we will continue to implement the Habitats and Birds Directives, including management of the Natura 2000 network of European sites.

    We are committed to protecting vulnerable species and habitats and to being the first generation to leave the natural environment of England in a better state than that in which we found it.