Category: Speeches

  • Robert Flello – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Robert Flello – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Flello on 2016-01-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information he holds on the specific role and responsibilities of the UN Special Advisor on Genocide; whether he holds any information on the work undertaken by the Special Advisor in relation to the genocide being perpetrated against Christians and other minorities in Syria and Iraq; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    Adama Dieng was appointed UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide on 17 July 2012. His role is to: raise awareness of the causes and dynamics of genocide; to alert relevant actors where there is a risk of genocide; and to advocate and mobilise for appropriate action. The Office of the UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide and the Special Adviser on the Responsibility to Protect has made a number of statements in relation to the situation in Iraq and Syria. These statements can be found on the UN website, and cover a range of issues including: incitement to violence in Syria on religious grounds; expressing concern about the on-going threat to the safety of minority groups in Syria; and expressing alarm at reports of the abduction of 1,500 Yezidi, Christian and Shabak women and girls.

    Any judgement on whether genocide has occurred is a matter for judicial decision, rather than for governments or non-judicial bodies. Our approach is to seek an end to all violations, and to prevent their further escalation, irrespective of whether these violations fit the definition of specific international crimes.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 4.46 of the National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence Review 2015, how much additional funding the Government plans to provide for investment in (a) equipment and (b) training for the reserves; and when he expects such funding to be provided.

    Mr Julian Brazier

    As a result of the Government’s response to the 2011 Commission on Reserves and the 2013 White Paper we committed an additional investment in the Reserves of £1.8 billion over 10 years, and the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 confirmed our commitment to recruit and maintain a trained Reserve force of 35,000 by 2019. Our investment in the Reserves ensures that they have the same access to equipment and technology as their regular counterparts, and receive high-quality and challenging training. This year the Army is offering 22 bespoke overseas training exercises where Reserve and Regular units are paired together to improve interoperability and cohesion.

    We have been improving the offer we make to individual Reservists. They already receive pay for the days they train, an annual tax-exempt bounty for successfully completing their training commitment, along with medical assistance and access to welfare support for their families when on operation.

    In addition, since 1 April 2015 Reservists have been eligible for the new Armed Forces Pension Scheme for non-mobilised service, based on paid attendance. We have also introduced in the last two years an annual paid leave entitlement, occupational health support for injuries incurred during training, accredited training and access to Standard Learning Credits.

  • Baroness Lister of Burtersett – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Baroness Lister of Burtersett – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Lister of Burtersett on 2016-03-21.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether revenue generated from the immigration health surcharge for foreign nationals will be re-directed back into funding for the NHS; and if so, what measures have been put in place to achieve that.

    Lord Keen of Elie

    All funding derived from the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) will be spent on the National Health Service, with the exception around £7 million per annum which will be used to fund some costs that fall to the Home Office associated with collecting and handling the surcharge.

    The Home Office transfers funds to the Department for Health and, consistent with the Barnett Formula, the devolved administrations through the Estimates process. In the event that IHS in-come exceeds the amount transferred, the balance will be surrendered to the Consolidated Fund for Extra Receipts and made available for spending on the NHS in the following financial year.

  • Henry Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Henry Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Henry Smith on 2016-04-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to improve the quality of data that it holds about the mental health of looked-after children.

    Edward Timpson

    The Department collects Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) scores for children looked-after for at least 12 months. In March 2015, The Department for Education and Department of Health strengthened the statutory guidance ‘Promoting the health and wellbeing of looked after children'[1] to include information on how Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaires should be used. The Department wrote to local authorities in 2014 and 2015 to remind them about the purpose and importance of SDQs. Ahead of this year’s data collection (published in September 2016), the Department will also write to Virtual School Heads and Independent Reviewing Officers about the use of SDQs for looked-after children. In addition we are considering how to utilise best practice from local authorities that have had consistently good return rates for SDQ scores in their annual children looked-after data returns.

    [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/promoting-the-health-and-wellbeing-of-looked-after-children–2

    “

  • Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-05-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his Department’s policy is on the use of the NHS logo by organisations and people outside the NHS.

    George Freeman

    The National Health Service logo should only be used by NHS organisations, or on services and information that the NHS is involved with. This is to protect the NHS from being seen as the source of materials that have not originated from the NHS, nor had any involvement from the NHS.

  • Bob Blackman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Bob Blackman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bob Blackman on 2016-07-21.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans he has to re-establish the Economic Affairs (Airports) sub-Committee.

    Ben Gummer

    A full updated list of the Cabinet Committees will be published in the coming weeks. In line with the previous arrangements, there will be a Cabinet sub-Committee to consider airport capacity in the South East of England.

  • Chris Elmore – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Chris Elmore – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Elmore on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to facilitate the learning of the Welsh language by pupils in England.

    Nick Gibb

    Primary and secondary schools can choose to teach the Welsh language to pupils if there is sufficient demand. It is possible for a pupil in England to take privately a Welsh language GCSE offered in Wales if an examination centre is willing to enter them. This will include a revised Welsh Second Language GCSE available for first teaching from September 2017.

  • John Pugh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    John Pugh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Pugh on 2015-10-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the figures for school absence in England were in each year since 2005.

    Nick Gibb

    Information on pupil absence in schools in England is available in the ‘Statistics: pupil absence’ series[1].

    National absence figures between 2009 and 2014, can be found through the link to ‘Pupil absence in schools in England: 2013 to 2014’ in the spreadsheet named ‘National tables: SFR10/2015’.

    Table 1.1 provides absence information across the first five half terms between 2009 and 2014.

    National absence figures between 2005 and 2009, can be found through follow the link to ‘Pupil absence in schools in England, including pupil characteristics: academic year 2009 to 2010’.

    [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-pupil-absence

    “

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

    Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-11-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the budget is for implementation of the UK Five Year Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy; and if he will make a statement.

    Jane Ellison

    The UK Five Year Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy (AMR) Strategy detailed implementation plan, published in December 2014, set out those activities that needed to be undertaken to deliver the strategy in each of seven key areas for action. No separate budget was identified. Activity in the plan is led by the Department of Health, Public Health England, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and NHS England and is incorporated within existing business plans for those organisations.

    In March 2015 the Government announced the new £195 million Fleming Fund to strengthen surveillance of drug resistance and laboratory capacity in developing countries. As stated in the Overseas Development Aid Strategy, published on 22 November. The Government will invest a further £70 million in the Fleming Fund and deliver the new Global AMR Innovation Fund launched with China. The Government will continue to push for further international financing for research and innovation to tackle AMR.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-01-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will estimate how many new EU regulations and directives have been implemented in the UK in 2015 which affect British manufacturing industries.

    Anna Soubry

    All regulations implementing EU legislation that were introduced in 2015 and their associated impacts can be found on legislation.gov.uk.