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Category: Speeches

  • Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-11-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to his oral evidence to the Work and Pensions Committee of 28 October 2015, for how long a welfare rights adviser has been placed in the Birkenhead food bank; and when he plans to roll-out the placement of such advisers to all food banks.

    Priti Patel

    Jobcentre Plus Work Coaches regularly undertake outreach work in local communities. We have no specific knowledge of a welfare rights advisor working in a food bank in Birkenhead.

  • Margaret Ferrier – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Margaret Ferrier – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ferrier on 2015-11-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the decision was made by Defence Equipment and Support to transport special nuclear materials through Glasgow on 29 July 2015.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The decision to withdraw the High Security Vehicle from service on 31 July 2015 was made in February 2015.

    Decisions and timings on the routes to be used for the transportation of Defence Nuclear Material are part of the operational planning process. I am withholding further information as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

  • Michael Fabricant – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Michael Fabricant – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Fabricant on 2016-01-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, which countries have not had an official visit by a Minister in his Department since May 2010.

    Joseph Johnson

    The information requested could only be provided at disproportionate cost. However details of Ministers’ overseas travel are published quarterly on the Gov.uk website:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?departments%5B%5D=department-for-business-innovation-skills&publication_type=transparency-data

    “

  • Paula Sherriff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Paula Sherriff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paula Sherriff on 2016-01-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what mechanisms are in place to collate and share cholesterol data across the NHS in order to improve cholesterol testing and management.

    Jane Ellison

    The Health Survey for England is an annual survey of the general population which has included measurements of total cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol every year since 2008. The data is publically available from the UK Data Service.

    Cholesterol testing in primary care is included in the Quality Outcomes Framework for people diagnosed with hypertension and diabetes and this is published every year by the Health and Social Care Information Centre.

    In addition, the National Cardiovascular Health Intelligence Network within Public Health England is working closely with organisations concerned with cardiovascular disease to take forward the recommendations in the recent Heart UK report ‘Helping Us to Beat Cholesterol’. This report focusses on the importance of data in the prevention and management of cardiovascular disease.

  • Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-02-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress Highways England has made on introducing Regional Road Safety Co-ordinators; and whether Highways England’s Regional Incident and Casualty Reduction Plans will include targets for casualty reductions.

    Andrew Jones

    Regional Safety Coordinators have now been appointed by Highways England. The first appointment was made in January 2016 and the final appointment was made this month.

    The killed and seriously injured reduction target, which is within the Roads Investment Strategy, is a 40% reduction by 2020 (against 2005 to 2009 average baseline). Highways England’s Regional Incident and Casualty Reduction Plans which will provide the disaggregated targets per region will be published in April 2016.

  • Debbie Abrahams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Debbie Abrahams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Debbie Abrahams on 2016-03-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of care leavers in receipt of jobseeker’s allowance or employment and support allowance had a sanction applied in each year from 2010 to 2015.

    Priti Patel

    The information is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

  • Rushanara Ali – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Rushanara Ali – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rushanara Ali on 2016-04-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much funding Circle Housing Group and its subsidiaries have been provided by (a) the Homes and Communities Agency, (b) the Greater London Council and (c) other government agencies in each year since 2010.

    Brandon Lewis

    The Government has provided Circle Housing Group and its subsidiaries with the following grant funding to develop affordable housing:

    a.) Through the Homes and Communities Agency:

    2010/11

    2011/12

    2012/13

    2013/14

    2014/15

    2015/16

    Total

    Grant

    £25.3m

    £5.3m

    £5.5m

    £8.8m

    £4.6m

    £2.2m

    £51.7m

    b.) Through the Greater London Authority:

    2010/11

    2011/12

    2012/13

    2013/14

    2014/15

    2015/16

    Total

    Grant

    £50.3m

    £86.4m

    £38.1m

    £10.2m

    £15.6m

    £5.1m

    £205.7m

    c.) We are not aware that any funding has been provided to Circle Housing Group and its subsidiaries through other government agencies.

  • Lord Touhig – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord Touhig – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Touhig on 2016-06-06.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the regular army annual recruitment target for each year from 2015–16 to 2020–21.

    Earl Howe

    The Army’s annual recruitment targets for regulars for each year from 2015 to 2021 are as follows:

    Type

    2015-16

    2016-17

    2017-18

    2018-19

    2019-20

    2020-21

    Officers

    738

    740

    733

    723

    720

    719

    Other Ranks

    9,561

    10,427

    10,370

    10,316

    10,241

    10,242

    Total

    10,299

    11,167

    11,103

    11,039

    10,961

    10,961

    *These figures do not include the Royal Gibraltar Regiment.

  • Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-07-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether his Department plans to commission professional service companies to assist with the negotiation process of exiting the EU.

    Mr Robin Walker

    We will have the right resources in place so we can secure the best possible outcome for the UK as a whole, and will be taking advice from a variety of sources as we consider options, including on staffing and skill mix, for the new department.

  • Ian C. Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Ian C. Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian C. Lucas on 2016-10-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to speed up family reunification in the UK for unaccompanied refugee children currently in Europe.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    Under the Immigration Act 2016, we made a commitment to transfer unaccompanied refugee children from Europe to the UK, where it is in their best interests. Between 12 May and 1 October 2016 over 50 children who meet the criteria in the Immigration Act have been accepted for transfer, over 35 have already been transferred.

    We are fully committed to the implementation of Section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016. We are in active discussions with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), UNICEF, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and the French, Italian and Greek Governments to strengthen and speed up mechanisms to identify, assess and transfer children to the UK. We have secondees in Greece and Italy and we have recently seconded another UK expert to France.

    On 10 October, the Home Secretary met with French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve to discuss a range of issues, including the proposed clearance of the camp in Calais. The Home Secretary made clear that we will transfer as many minors as possible who have family links that would qualify under the Dublin Regulation before the camp clearance starts. The Home Secretary further emphasised that the remaining children, who may be eligible to come to the UK under the Dubs amendment must be moved to safe facilities where their best interests can be properly considered. Home Office teams are being deployed to France over the coming weeks to work with the French authorities to speed up the identification and transfer of eligible cases.

    More broadly, the family reunion provisions under the Immigration Rules allow children to be reunited with a parent who has been granted refugee status or humanitarian protection in the UK; unless the applicant and/or the family member should be excluded from protection or criminality thresholds apply.