UKPOL.CO.UK

Category: Speeches

  • Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-05-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to extend the cross-government definition of domestic violence and abuse to include people under 16 years old.

    Karen Bradley

    The Government takes domestic violence and abuse extremely seriously and recognises that young people can be victims in both the home and their relationships. In March 2013, the non-statutory definition of domestic violence and abuse was extended to include 16 and 17-year-olds.

    In doing so the Government hopes to encourage young people to come forward and get the support they need, through a helpline or specialist service. Whilst domestic abuse against under 16s is captured by child abuse and existing child protection systems we continue to keep the non-statutory definition of domestic abuse under constant review.

  • Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2016-06-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 13 June 2016 to Question 39321, what progress his Department has made on plans to diversify the civil service.

    Joseph Johnson

    The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) is in line with the Civil Service Talent Action Plan, refreshed in March 2016. The Plan commits departments to actions that aim to remove barriers to success faced by underrepresented groups. The Department is committed to promoting a culture of inclusivity which celebrates, respects and encourages diversity in its workforce and recognises the benefits a diverse workforce provides and the improved business practices this can create.

    BIS’ commitment to building a diverse workforce is demonstrated by activities such as supporting staff on Civil Service diversity talent schemes and establishing an internal diversity mentoring programme. The Department has undertaken an extensive internal communications campaign to build awareness and promote inclusivity. The Department has appointed a Board level Diversity Champion and director-level champions. The champions are responsible for promoting diversity issues, acting as a senior role model and providing strategic support to colleagues and internal staff networks.

  • Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-09-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to increase the number of people in the UK with high-level specialist skills in data science.

    Joseph Johnson

    The Government recognises the need to increase the number of people with high-level skills in data science for the benefit of the UK, and is taking a range of measures to boost the supply of people with these skills.

    The Alan Turing Institute is a £67 million joint venture between the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and five leading UK Universities (Cambridge, Edinburgh, Oxford, UCL and Warwick). It is the UK’s national institute for data science, and training the next generation of researchers is a key part of its mission.

    Other institutes supported by the Research Councils include the Hartree Centre (a centre of excellence in High Performance Computing), the Farr Institute of Health Informatics Research, and the Isaac Newton Institute in Cambridge, which are all helping researchers to develop their skills to make better use of data.

    The Research Councils are taking other steps to increase the supply of researchers with data skills, for example all Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council-funded doctoral students are required to be trained in informatics, data analysis and computational methods as a core part of their training. They support numerous Centres for Doctoral Training (CDTs) involved in data analysis, including the University of Edinburgh’s Data Science CDT, and the Big Data and Cloud Computing CDT at the University of Newcastle. And the £19.5 million Q-Step programme is designed to promote a step-change in quantitative social science training in the UK.

  • Frank Field – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Frank Field – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2015-10-28.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the average (a) duration and (b) cost to the caller of a telephone call to HM Revenue and Customs’ tax credit telephone lines was in the most recent 12 months for which data is available; and how much revenue was generated from these calls.

    Mr David Gauke

    HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not track each customer journey end to end through the phone system, and cannot therefore provide the average duration time as requested.

    HMRC does not hold information of the cost of a call to its lines. I would refer to my answer given on 13 July 2015 to UIN 5712.

  • Jess Phillips – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jess Phillips – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2015-11-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to page 13 of the NHS’ Five Year Forward View, what progress NHS England has made on the commitment to give patients choice over where and how they receive care; and how progress on that commitment will be assessed.

    Ben Gummer

    NHS England is working to secure a sustained improvement in awareness, offer, operation and take up of choice by 2020. This includes supporting the independent Maternity Services Review, which is due for publication early in the New Year, and taking forward any recommendations that relate to choice; improving the quality of End of Life Care and the choices people should have about where they receive their care and where they choose to die; strengthening choice in both physical and mental health elective services, to ensure that the NHS honours patients’ legal rights to choice of who provides their care; and securing choice in the design and implementation of new care models for the future NHS.

    NHS England has brought this work together with their programmes on personal health budgets and integrated personal commissioning, under a new Director and with additional resource, to accelerate the work in all of these areas in support of the Five Year Forward View commitment to deliver greater patient empowerment. Improvements will be assessed through a new national assessment framework for clinical commissioning groups.

  • Chris Law – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Chris Law – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Law on 2015-12-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what financial support the Government has provided for the Waterfront regeneration project in Dundee.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The Museum of Design, V&A Dundee will be a key central feature of the Dundee Waterfront Regeneration project. The Heritage Lottery Fund has contributed almost £14 million to the museum. The project is yet another example among many of a major national museum supporting culture outside London.

  • Patrick Grady – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Patrick Grady – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the human rights situation in Mauritania.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    We last assessed the human rights situation in Mauritania in November 2015 before Mauritania’s Universal Periodic Review ahead of the UN Human Rights Council. Officials continue to monitor human rights in Mauritania and raise our concerns with the Mauritanian authorities at the highest levels.

  • Ruth Smeeth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Ruth Smeeth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ruth Smeeth on 2016-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the expenditure has been on the new National Living Wage advertising campaign to date.

    Nick Boles

    As of 26 January 2016, £378,826.28 had been spent on building awareness of the National Living Wage

    The total budget allocated for the National Living Wage advertising campaign is £4.95 million. The campaign will end at the end of April and we expect to come in under budget.

    It is important workers know their rights and that employers pay the new £7.20 from April 1 this year. The campaign will tell people about their entitlements and is targeted at those that need it most.

  • 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 2016-03-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what training his Department has given to the Cyprus National Guard in each of the last five years.

    Penny Mordaunt

    Details of training provided to the Cyprus National Guard personnel by British Forces Cyprus or wider UK Defence capabilities, incorporating joint training activities, are as follows:

    May 2012 – Crisis response and joint Search and Rescue (SAR) training on Exercise ARGONAUT

    May 2013 – Crisis response and joint SAR training on Exercise ARGONAUT

    October 2013 – Public Order training with Sovereign Base Areas Police

    May 2014 – Crisis response and joint SAR training on Exercise ARGONAUT

    June 2014 – Joint SAR training with 84 Squadron RAF and the Republic of Cyprus SAR Squadron

    October 2014 – Range administrative training

    February 2015 – Small arms firing and range administrative training

    May 2015 – Crisis response training and joint SAR training on Exercise ARGONAUT

    July 2015 – Joint SAR training with 84 Sqn RAF and the Republic of Cyprus

    November 2015 – Joint medical (clinical study) training

    February 2016 – Joint Counter-Terrorism (CT) training on Exercise CHAMELEON

  • Alan Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Alan Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the Global Polio Eradication Initiative is successful in eradicating polio by 2020.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    Her Majesty’s Government is fully committed to global polio eradication. The UK is the third largest donor to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative and is providing £300 million for 2013 to 2019. The UK, as the largest donor to Gavi – the Vaccine Alliance, is supporting the rapid global introduction of the Inactivated Polio Vaccine, a key step in the final stages of eradication.

    DFID also plays a key role in sustaining global political commitment and in making sure that every penny we, or others, invest in polio is spent well. We actively participate on the Global Polio Eradication Initiative’s Polio Oversight Board and the Finance and Accountability Committee, ensuring a strong focus on results and delivering value for money. During the 2015 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, Her Majesty’s Government re-affirmed our unwavering commitment to fighting polio encouraging others to join us in the final push towards global polio eradication.