Category: Speeches

  • Mark Hendrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Church Commissioners

    Mark Hendrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Church Commissioners

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2016-01-08.

    To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, which Anglican churches within the Diocese of Blackburn were damaged by flooding in December 2015; and what the extent of damage to each such church was.

    Mrs Caroline Spelman

    Within the Diocese of Blackburn seven churches and churchyards, the diocesan retreat house at Whalley Abbey and three Church of England primary schools were damaged by floodwater. Many have also found that the boilers and heating systems have been damaged beyond repair and extensive programmes of works will need to be undertaken to both dry the buildings out and restore or replace furniture, carpets and school materials.

    Reports of damage are still being registered across the Dioceses of Blackburn, Carlisle, Manchester, West Yorkshire and the Dales and York. To date 129 church properties have registered substantial damage from the December storms with our insurers, though I expect that figure to rise. The Cathedral and Church Buildings Council of the Church of England will be working with the dioceses to develop robust disaster management and recovery plans and flood adaptation measures for churches and other buildings.

    Within the Blackburn Diocese

    Parish Name / building

    Grade or * listing / Status

    Type of damage

    St Michael’s on Wyre

    Grade 1

    Water damage and damage to the boiler

    St Michael’s, Much Hoole

    Grade 2*

    Water damage and damage to the boiler

    St Mary the Virgin, Eccleston

    Grade 2*

    Water damage

    St Michael & All Angels, Croston

    Grade 2*

    Severe water damage

    St John the Evangelist, Lancaster (Incare of Churches Conservation Trust)

    Grade 2*

    Severe water damage

    St John the Baptist, Tunstall

    Grade 1

    Damage to the boiler

    St Wilfrid’s, Ribchester

    Grade 1

    Damage to the graveyard and loss of many burials and monuments

    Whalley Abbey

    Grade 1 and Scheduled Ancient Monument

    Major water damage to the Abbey building

    Kirkland & Catterall St. Helen’s CofE School

    Primary School

    Severe water damage

    St. Michael’s on Wyre C of E School

    Primary School

    Major water damage

    Whalley CofE School

    Primary School

    Basement flooded and water damage
  • Lord Green of Deddington – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Green of Deddington – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Green of Deddington on 2016-01-28.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many asylum seekers have been transferred from the UK to other EU member states under the Dublin Regulations owing to (1) family reasons (Articles 8, 9 and 10), and (2) irregular entry (Article 13.1), in each of the years for which data are available.

    Lord Bates

    Data is available from 2007. In those years there have been no transfers to other EU member states under the Dublin Regulations owing to family reasons (Articles 8, 9 and 10). The table below indicates those years and numbers where we have transferred cases for reasons of Irregular Entry (Article 13.1)

    Year of Return

    Returns

    2014

    20

    2015

    75
  • Ian Liddell-Grainger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Ian Liddell-Grainger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Liddell-Grainger on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what her Department’s policy is on the future development of tidal lagoons in the UK.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Government recognises the potential that exists in harnessing tidal energy around the coastline of the UK.

    That is why we are commissioning an independent strategic review to assess the case for tidal lagoons and consider whether they could represent value for money for the consumer.

    Government will carefully consider the recommendations from the review before making decisions on future development of tidal lagoons.

  • 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 2016-03-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many and what proportion of attendees at the NHS England Mental Health Crisis Care Summit were mental health service users.

    Alistair Burt

    The second mental health Crisis Care Concordat national summit was held on 24 November 2015, hosted jointly by the Department and Mind.

    The event concentrated on progress with improving crisis care since the launch of the Concordat in February 2014. The Summit was full, with 250 delegates and speakers. All delegates were Concordat activists – either involved in their local Crisis Concordat groups or representatives from national signatory and supporter organisations. People with lived experience and carers attended, as well as members of the National Survivor User Network. Some attendees will have been present representing their organisations but also will have had lived experience, and it is therefore not possible to calculate the number of those attendees who were mental health service users.

    All Departmental conferences involve stakeholders and service users as part of the preparation process.

  • Stephen Doughty – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Doughty – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-04-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much the Financial Assistance Scheme paid out in each of the last six years.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The information is in the table below.

    Financial Year

    Amount paid by the FAS £million

    2009/10

    34.15

    2010/11

    45.77

    2011/12

    74.14

    2012/13

    110.91

    2013/14

    159.75

    2014/15

    187.75

  • Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-06-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to increase the number of driving test inspectors based at the Hull testing site so as to ensure a driving test at that site can be booked within one month.

    Andrew Jones

    The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency acknowledges that waiting times at Hull are unacceptable and that this test centre is in need of additional resource and there will be three extra examiners going into this test centre over coming months. This and new contractual overtime rates will reduce waiting times at Hull.

  • Chris Stephens – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Chris Stephens – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Stephens on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans he has for the future role of employees and contractors of his Department who are working on the compilation and administration of data related to the provision of free television licences to people over 75 years of age.

    Richard Harrington

    The summer budget 2015 announced a number of fundamental changes relating to the BBC and free TV licences for those aged 75 and over. DWP will cease to fund free TV licences from 2019/20 and the BBC will absorb the cost of this and take responsibility for the policy which currently sits with the Department of Culture, Media and Sport. It is estimated that the provision of free TV licences for 2016/17 will cost £629m and DWP will continue to make a transfer to the BBC during the phasing period, as set out in the table below.

    2018/19

    2019/20

    2020/21

    HMG transfer for free TV licences (£m)

    468

    247

    0

    DWP resources currently assigned to the provision and collation of data relating to the free television licence scheme for people aged 75 and over is 12 staff days per annum. Any plans for the future role of employees and contractors will be determined following detailed discussions between my Department and the BBC nearer the time the BBC take full responsibility for funding and policy.

    In 2014/15 the cost of providing free TV licences to those 75 and over in Scotland was £49m and it is estimated the cost for qualifying residents in Glasgow South West constituency and Glasgow City local authority area was £0.7m and £4m respectively.

    The cost of the free TV licences to those aged 75 and over in Scotland for 2015/16 will be published on 21 September on the DWP website. Breakdowns by Local Authority and Parliamentary Constituency use that Scotland expenditure estimate and are therefore not currently available.

    Savings to the Exchequer resulting from the future transfer of responsibility for funding television licences for people aged 75 or over were set out in the summer budget 2015.

  • Douglas Chapman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Douglas Chapman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-10-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department is considering (a) radial gap electrical propulsion motors and (b) permanent magnet motors for the propulsion systems for the successor-class SSBNs.

    Harriett Baldwin

    I am withholding information on the type of motors for the propulsion systems being considered for the Successor submarine programme for the purpose of safeguarding national security.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Greg Mulholland – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-10-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to secure licences for existing off-patent drugs.

    George Freeman

    The Government does not normally apply for medicines licenses, which is rightly an obligation of the company who has developed the drug. The Secretary of State is the United Kingdom licensing authority for medicines and cannot become a routine applicant to himself nor can he become a routine participant in pharmaceutical markets which holders of licenses are obliged to do. The Government has not secured any licenses for off-patent drugs in the past five years.

  • Caroline Ansell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Caroline Ansell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Ansell on 2015-11-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what training her Department has provided to staff on the family test; what other steps she has taken to raise awareness of the family test among staff of her Department; and if she will make a statement.

    Edward Timpson

    Officials from the Department for Education have liaised with the Department for Work and Pension as the lead Department for the Family Test to embed it into the policy process. This has included training officials on applying the Test, disseminating relevant evidence, learning materials and best practice.

    The Department for Education follows that guidance, which can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/family-test-assessing-the-impact-of-policies-on-families.

    “