Category: Speeches

  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-01-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will use his powers under clause 2, section 10 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 to appoint a crown servant to act as governor of the Medway Secure Training Centre.

    Andrew Selous

    Kent Police and Medway Council’s child protection team have launched an investigation into the allegations made about Medway Secure Training Centre (STC). The Ministry of Justice and Youth Justice Board will do everything we can to assist and support the investigation. Our immediate priority has been to make sure that the young people in custody at Medway are safe, which is why HM Inspectorate of Prisons and Ofsted visited the STC last week.

    The YJB have ceased placements into the STC with immediate effect. They have also increased their own monitoring at Medway and that of the independent advocacy service provided by Barnardo’s.

    We are currently considering how we can best ensure young people at Medway are in a safe, secure and rehabilitative environment and any further decisions will be announced in the normal way.

  • David Simpson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    David Simpson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Simpson on 2016-02-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the cost to the public purse was of the campaign to encourage (a) young people and (b) first-year university students to take up the Men ACWY vaccine.

    Jane Ellison

    The total marketing budget for the campaign to encourage the uptake of the Men ACWY vaccine was £99,000.

    The paid-for activities formed part of an integrated communications and marketing approach which involved Public Health England working closely with NHS England, meningitis charities and Universities UK. National, regional, online and specialist print and broadcast media coverage of the vaccination campaign was secured at no cost. The vaccination programme was also promoted through university networks at national and regional/local level.

  • Martin Docherty-Hughes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Martin Docherty-Hughes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Martin Docherty-Hughes on 2016-03-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department holds information or documents on the Clydebank Blitz of March 1941.

    Mark Lancaster

    A search of the MOD archive has not identified any records on the Clydebank Blitz of March 1941; surviving documentation of that age is held at the National Archives at Kew.

  • Robert Syms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Robert Syms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Syms on 2016-03-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the potential reduction in revenue to the public purse resulting from the EU Tobacco Products Directive.

    Jane Ellison

    The Department assesses the impact of all proposed measures before laying legislation using standard government methodology. These assessments are set out in Impact Assessments which are scrutinised by the Regulatory Policy Committee before publication alongside the Statutory Instrument. Impact Assessments include a thorough analysis of the costs, benefits and risks associated with policy options.

    A number of the tobacco measures contain commitments to further review the impact of the legislation within five years of them coming into force.

  • Baroness Byford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Baroness Byford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Byford on 2016-05-04.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, of the 1,103 claims to the Flood Recovery Fund made by farmers in Cumbria, Northumberland, Lancashire, Yorkshire, County Durham and Greater Manchester, (1) who is responsible for approving those claims, (2) how many have been paid, and (3) what is the total value of those claims.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    Whilst the Farming Recovery Fund is not competitive, farmers wishing to apply to the Fund have to submit a formal application with evidence to support their need for a grant to contribute to the restoration of farmland badly affected by Storms Desmond or Eva. Payments are made to farmers once the work has been carried out and a claim has been submitted.

    The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) is responsible for determining the eligibility of Farming Recovery Fund applications, issuing grant funding agreements to eligible applicants, and receiving, processing and paying claims for costs incurred under those grant funding agreements.

    The RPA received 1,103 applications for a total value of grant of £11,429,194 by the closing dates for the scheme. As of 5 May 2016, 209 applications have been approved with a total value of £1,947,738. A further 20 applications, with a value of £265,440, have been either rejected as ineligible or withdrawn by the applicant.

    Of the projects approved, 29 have been completed and have submitted claims with a value of £202,268. 13 of these claims have been paid with a total value of £78,504.

  • Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-06-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 14 June 2016 to Question 39766, on offshore industry helicopters, how many and what proportion of flights in the UK North Sea oil and gas sector were undertaken by each other licensed model helicopter in each year since 2007.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The proportion of flights between UK airports and oil rigs undertaken by helicopters other than AS3332 SUPER PUMA and Eurocopter EC225 aircraft in each year since 2007 is in the attached table.

  • Lord Freyberg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Freyberg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Freyberg on 2016-09-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures they intend to put in place to ensure that patients with radioiodine refractory differentiated thyroid cancer can receive all effective clinical treatments currently available through EU authorisation.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    Changes to the process for evaluating cancer drugs were introduced at the end of July 2016 as part of the new arrangements for the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF). Under the new arrangements, all new cancer drugs are expected to be referred to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for evaluation through its technology appraisal programme. In some cases, NICE will recommend that the cancer drug is funded through the CDF, which enables further evaluation of its place in therapy. Drugs that have a European Union (EU) or United Kingdom marketing authorisation for radioiodine refractory differentiated thyroid cancer will therefore be reviewed under this process and if found to be clinically and cost effective will become established treatment within the National Health Service.

    The UK remains a member of the EU until Article 50 negotiations have concluded. EU law continues to apply and ongoing compliance with EU law is considered important in facilitating orderly transition, for negotiating purposes, and to offer certainty in the meantime. As long as the UK is subject to EU law, the present arrangements remain in place.

  • Tom Watson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Tom Watson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2016-10-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment she has made of the social effects of fixed odds betting terminals.

    Tracey Crouch

    The Government announced a review of Gaming Machines on 24 October which will look at evidence in regards to stakes and prizes of gaming machines; the number and location of gaming machines; and social responsibility measures to protect players and communities from gambling-related harm, including gambling advertising.

    This review will include a close look at the issue of sub-category B2 gaming machines (more commonly known as Fixed Odds Betting Terminals – FOBTs) and specific concerns about the harm they cause, be that to the players themselves or the local communities in which they are located. This is the correct mechanism in which to look again at this issue.

    There is now an opportunity for anyone with an interest in this matter to submit evidence for consideration. The Call for Evidence period ends on 4 December 2016.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-11-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to cooperate with his Egyptian counterpart on measures to (a) counter security threats and (b) ensure the safety of air passengers travelling from Egypt.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    On 5 November, the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) and I spoke with President Sisi and Foreign Minister Shoukry about the safety of air passengers travelling to and from Egypt. Her Majesty’s Ambassador in Cairo is in regular contact with the Egyptian authorities, and the UK has an ongoing dialogue with Egypt on security issues.

    The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is engaging with international partners about the ongoing aircrash investigation and its implications. We have shared all information we are able to share and discussed our conclusions with partners. We are also helping officials from the Department for Transport to work closely with Egyptian counterparts to ensure necessary airport security measures are in force. The safety of British nationals remains our priority.

  • Kirsten Oswald – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Kirsten Oswald – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2015-12-08.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what representations he has received on the provisions in the Financial Conduct Authority handbook IPRU-INV sch13 which allows independent financial advisers and insurers to retrospectively exclude failed schemes from an IFA’s professional indemnity insurance.

    Harriett Baldwin

    Treasury Ministers and officials occasionally receive representations on regulatory issues.

    As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Treasury’s practice to provide details of all such discussions.