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Category: Speeches

  • Martyn Day – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Martyn Day – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Martyn Day on 2016-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to ensure that military assistance, support and training provided by the UK to the Kurdistan regional government does not directly or indirectly contribute to or facilitate the commission of violations of international human rights or humanitarian law.

    Penny Mordaunt

    The Ministry of Defence takes it role in promoting human rights very seriously. Before the UK undertakes any training of foreign troops around the world, we assess the potential impact of the proposed training in relation to human rights and international humanitarian law and we seek to mitigate any risks.

    To support the fight against Daesh the UK military is currently providing the Infantry Battle Course to the Peshmerga. This course includes training on international humanitarian law.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-03-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many people applied to the Pubs Code Adjudicator vacancy; and how many such people were (a) longlisted and (b) shortlisted.

    Anna Soubry

    I refer the hon Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Harrow East on 10 March, Official Report, Vol 607, Col 428.

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-04-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his consultation on drones expected to be published before summer will include options on the classification of drones generally; and whether he has assessed existing weight categories as appropriate.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Department for Transport (DfT) is currently working with the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to develop consistent, EU-wide safety rules for drones.

    The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is developing new rules for all drones that are proportionate to the risk of their specific operation rather than based on weight categories.

    The Government will seek to ensure that UK regulation is consistent with this approach. EASA has conducted a consultation and impact assessment on the approach and therefore we do not currently intend to consult further on these measures.

  • Lord Laird – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Lord Laird – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2016-05-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether parity of esteem as established in the Belfast Agreement 1998 applies to people who live in the Republic of Ireland.

    Lord Dunlop

    This Government understands the concept of parity of esteem, as set out in the 1998 Belfast Agreement, as placing a general obligation on the UK Government to treat people of different traditions in Northern Ireland fairly and with equal respect. In the Agreement it is clearly expressed and defined in relation to people living in Northern Ireland.

    As a general obligation there is no definition of particular circumstances in which it does or does not apply.

    As I have set out in previous replies to the Noble Lord, this Government is firm in its commitment to the protection of people against any form of discrimination, and the promotion of opportunity for all, across the whole of our United Kingdom.

    In respect of the Noble Lord’s question about those who might march wearing army uniforms but who are not members of an army, the concept of parity of esteem clearly does not absolve people from upholding the law. This Government has made clear many times that we will never accept any form of equivalence between members of the security forces and those who engage in terrorism or other forms of paramilitary activity.

  • Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-07-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he expects to (a) issue the local authority self-assessment questionnaire on implementation of the adult autism strategy, (b) receive all responses from local authorities and (c) publish the results of the questionnaire.

    David Mowat

    The fourth local authority self-assessment questionnaire on implementation of the adult autism strategy is expected to be issued under a joint letter from the Department and the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, to Directors of Adult Social Services, before the end of July. This is with the aim of receiving responses by 17 October 2016. As with previous exercises, Public Health England will collate and analyse the data received and publish full results and all the individual responses. An exact date for publication has not yet been set but this is likely to happen in the period February to March 2017.

  • John Mann – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    John Mann – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Mann on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, when he next plans to meet his US counterpart to discuss Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership proposals.

    Greg Hands

    The UK continues to support an ambitious Transatlantic Trade & Investment Partnership (TTIP) agreement between the EU and US. As such, Department for International Trade ministers and officials meet with US counterparts on an on-going basis to discuss matters relating to TTIP.

  • Christina Rees – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Christina Rees – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christina Rees on 2015-11-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he has taken to consult clinicians on his policy on access to off-patent drugs.

    George Freeman

    Our policy on generic prescribing has been in place for a number of years. The policy helps ensure that patients can access the medicine that best meets their needs and it has been a key driver in the National Health Service making maximum use of off-patent drugs which are also known as generics. We have the best prescribing rate for these drugs in Europe.

    To support clinicians who may want to prescribe a product off-label for a patient to and improve the flow of research evidence into clinical practice, the Department hosted a Roundtable Event in February 2015. Attendees included the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, Breast Cancer Now and other charities and discussions helped determine those non-legislative measures that could be undertaken. The Government is committed to this work and is holding a further roundtable event with charities.

  • Alex Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Alex Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2015-12-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many greyhounds were euthanised at the end of their racing career in each of the last five years.

    George Eustice

    I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 17 December 2015, PQ UIN 20014. The public consultation on the initial findings of the review of the Welfare of Racing Greyhounds Regulations 2010 has now closed and Defra are currently considering the responses.

  • Rosie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Rosie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rosie Cooper on 2016-01-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many companies have been ordered by the NHS Identity Team to stop using the NHS logo in the last three years.

    George Freeman

    Over the last three years, approximately 250 companies have been informed by the NHS Identity team that they are not permitted to use the National Health Service logo.

  • Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to improve links between schools and elite sports organisations.

    Edward Timpson

    The national curriculum sets out the expectation that pupils should be provided with opportunities to engage in a broad range of competitive sports and activities.

    Many national governing bodies of sports and elite sporting organisations offer a programme for schools, to engage children and young people in their sports. Through their school sports programme, the Premier League is currently working in over 4,000 schools to support the PE curriculum, provide sports clubs, and deliver enrichment activities. In October 2015, the Premier League announced that they will expand their schools offer to every primary school in the country within 6 years.

    The Department funds ‘On the Front Foot’, a programme designed and delivered by Premiership Rugby to develop character and resilience in primary and secondary schools across the country. The programme delivers classroom based and physical activity character building programmes to 17,250 pupils.

    The Football Association’s Skills programme is a nationwide football coaching programme working in over 1,000 primary schools a year, providing specialist football coaching for children and supporting teachers in their delivery of sport. Sessions are offered during PE lessons, extra-curricula clubs and holiday clubs.

    The Tennis Foundation and the Lawn Tennis Association support teachers with training, resource and equipment to help them deliver tennis in schools. Their aim is to increase access to tennis across schools, further and higher education through a wide range of programmes. They offer support to make tennis inclusive and accessible to all pupils. Over 60,000 primary, special and secondary school pupils take part in schools tennis competitions every year.

    The Rugby Football Union works with hundreds of maintained schools as part of its ‘All Schools Plan’ to help more secondary school children play rugby. This was launched by the RFU and the Rugby Football Foundation in 2012, as part of the RFU’s Rugby World Cup 2015 legacy plans.

    The School Games is the Government’s framework for competitive school sports. The programme provides a national final event where the most talented young people in the UK compete in 12 different sports. More than 150 of the athletes who competed at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow had previously competed at the School Games and 59 athletes claimed 84 medals.