Category: Speeches

  • Caroline Flint – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Caroline Flint – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Flint on 2016-07-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of a minimum safety standard for staff in public and privately-run prisons.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    The level of violence in our prisons is unacceptable. I am clear that safety in prisons is fundamental to the proper functioning of our justice system and a vital part of our reform plans.

    There are a number of factors including the availability of psychoactive substances in prisons which must be tackled. It will take time to address there long-standing problems. I am determined to make sure our prisons are safe and places of rehabilitation.

  • Jonathan Lord – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jonathan Lord – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Lord on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps she has taken to ensure that children have access to professional careers advice in schools.

    Robert Halfon

    Providing young people with the right information at the right time is key to ensuring every young person goes as far as their talents will take them. This is why we are investing £90 million over this Parliament to ensure that every young person has equal access to the life-changing advice and inspiration they need to fulfil their potential and succeed in life. This includes £20 million to increase the number of mentors from the world of work, supporting 25,000 young people a year by 2020. We also fund the National Careers Service, which received £77 million in 2016/17, to provide careers advice to young people via the National Contact Centre and the National Careers Service website. The vast majority of people (87%) were happy with the service they received using the website.

    We need to make available the support to help young people negotiate this information and to help guide them through the decision-making process. Maintained schools must ensure that pupils receive independent careers advice and that this is presented in an impartial manner; includes information on the range of education or training options and promotes the best interests of the pupils to whom it is given. We know that pupils can gain confidence and motivation from the opportunity to explore career ideas through individual, face-to-face discussions with a range of people, including careers professionals. We trust schools to know what is best for their pupils and to tailor what they offer and who delivers it.

  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the incidence of TB in the UK.

    Jane Ellison

    The five year Collaborative Tuberculosis (TB) Strategy for England 2015-2020 was launched by the Department, in partnership with Public Health England (PHE), in January 2015. It lays out 10 key areas for actions needed to achieve a year on year decrease in TB incidence, a reduction in health inequalities and, ultimately, the elimination of TB as a public health problem in England.

    Since the strategy was launched PHE along with NHS England have formed a TB Strategy implementation team which has facilitated the establishment of seven TB control boards covering all of England. The TB control boards will lead local TB networks in delivering the 10 key changes outlined in the Strategy.

    Over the past three years there has been a year on year decline in the number of TB cases in England, from 8,086 in 2012 (a rate of 15.1 per 100,000 population), down to 6,520 in 2014 (a rate of 12.0 per 100,000 population).

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Andrew Gwynne – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2015-11-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what forecast his Department has made of (a) the reduction in cases of and deaths from infection with meningococcal disease caused by groups A, C, W, and Y as a result of the introduction of the Men ACWY vaccine in 2015, (b) the number of Men ACWY vaccines which will be administered and (c) the cost of delivering that programme in each year of its operation.

    Jane Ellison

    The MenACWY programme was introduced in August 2015 as an emergency programme to control a national outbreak of meningococcal group W (MenW) disease.

    From August 2015 to the end of August 2017 the MenACWY programme will offer a single dose of vaccine to individuals born between 1 September 1996 and 31 August 2003 inclusive. In addition, vaccines will be offered to those entering university for the first time aged up to 25 years (excluding individuals in the previously mentioned birth cohort). The number of doses given will depend on uptake, i.e. the proportion of eligible individuals who receive the vaccine.

    Due to the emergency status and aims of this programme, a formal cost-effectiveness analysis was not performed, part of which would have been an estimation of the reduction in cases and deaths from invasive meningococcal disease (IMD). The MenACWY vaccine is currently replacing the MenC vaccine used in the existing adolescent and university freshers’ programmes.

    The forecast cost of delivering the MenACWY programme in each year.

    Year

    Estimated cost of delivering the MenACWY programme

    2015/16

    £35 million

    2016/17

    £30 million

    2017/18

    £20 million

    Note: These are the full programme costs (including cost of the vaccine) for England, inclusive of VAT.

  • Nigel Evans – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Nigel Evans – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Evans on 2016-01-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the number of businesses in England and Wales without insurance in 2015.

    Rory Stewart

    We have made no assessment on the number of business without insurance in 2015.

    A survey of small and medium business enterprises (SMEs) commissioned by Defra in 2014 found that 3% of SMEs reported that they did not have commercial insurance. The survey is available on Defra’s website at the below:

    http://goo.gl/SqW3iG

    “

  • 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 2016-01-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which organisation is responsible for the personal property of people detained under the Mental Health Act 2007.

    Alistair Burt

    Individuals over the age of 18 who are detained under the Mental Health Act 1983, and who have the mental capacity to do so, can appoint an attorney to make decisions about their property and affairs, including financial matters.

    Attorneys or deputies may also be appointed under the Mental Capacity Act to make decisions in relation to the property or affairs of a person subject to the Act who lacks capacity. In these situations, the Court of Protection will appoint an individual or authority to perform this role.

  • Edward Leigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Edward Leigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Edward Leigh on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department’s consultation on out-of-school education settings, launched on 26 November 2015, whether proposals to register out-of-school settings will require Ofsted inspectors to travel to Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland to inspect tuition, training or instruction given outside of England by English-based institutions.

    Edward Timpson

    The Government wants children to be educated in a safe environment where they are not taught hateful and extremist views that undermine British values.

    The proposal to regulate out-of-school education settings, as set out in the recently published call for evidence, applies to settings located and operating in England only. It is not proposed that Ofsted inspect settings operating in the devolved administrations.

    Officials in the Department have been in contact with their counterparts in Wales and Scotland to discuss the proposal, but oversight of out-of-school education settings operating in those countries is a matter for the devolved administrations.

  • Lord Harrison – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Harrison – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Harrison on 2016-03-21.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to meet with the representative bodies of employee share ownership schemes to discuss the recent decision to withdraw HM Revenue and Custom’s valuation check service.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    Officials from HM Revenue and Customs have already met representative bodies of employee ownership schemes. HMRC will be working with those groups to develop further public guidance and discuss any other proposals their members might raise.

  • Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of converter academies were rated as (a) good and (b) outstanding by Ofsted in each of the last five years.

    Edward Timpson

    This is a matter for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw. I have asked him to write to you and a copy of his reply will be placed in the libraries of the House.

  • Andrea Jenkyns – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Andrea Jenkyns – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrea Jenkyns on 2016-05-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the relationship between hand hygiene compliance levels across the NHS and rates of trust-assigned MRSA bacteraemia in 2015.

    Ben Gummer

    As hand hygiene is known to be an important part of a robust approach to infection prevention and control the Department’s guidance to the National Health Service on infection prevention and control was strengthened last year. However, a national assessment for 2015 is not available as information on hand hygiene compliance is not collected centrally. Auditing of hand hygiene is a local responsibility.