Category: Speeches

Dan Jarvis – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2015-10-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to reduce poverty in (a) Barnsley Central constituency and (b) other former mining communities.

Priti Patel

This Government is tackling poverty through our new Life Chances agenda. This will drive real action which will make the biggest difference to the most disadvantaged children – now and in the future. This approach will ensure that Government action is focused on tackling the root causes of child poverty – worklessness, educational failure, family breakdown, problem debt and addiction.

This Government believes that work is the best route out of poverty and is therefore focused on getting people into employment. With more than two million more people in work than in 2010, and with the number of workless households at a record low, the progress made by this Government has been significant including in Barnsley Central constituency. In the constituency, over the past year, the number of people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance, or not in work and claiming Universal Credit, fell by 13 per cent.

We do not have specific data on all former mining communities and this information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

January 1, 2023
Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take steps to ensure UK fishing quotas are not transferred to other EU countries; and if she will make a statement.

George Eustice

The fishing quotas allocated to Member States by the European Union each year are protected by the priniciple of relative stabillity. This means that for each of our quotas the UK receives the same percentage of that stock every year. We defend this principle robustly, and ensure that our quotas are not allocated to other Member States.

The UK may choose to swap some of its quotas, in exchange for other quotas, in a given year with another Member State, if that would be beneficial to the UK.

January 1, 2023

Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2015-12-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many press and public relations staff are employed by (a) his Department, (b) the Defence Electronics and Components Agency, (c) the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, (d) the UK Hydrographic Office, (e) the National Army Museum, (f) the National Museum of the Royal Navy, (g) the Royal Air Force Museum, (h) the Single Source Regulations Office and (i) the Oil and Pipelines Agency; how many of these employees earn more than (i) £50,000 and (ii) £100,000; and what the total expenditure was on press and public relations by each of those organisations in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Mark Lancaster

The following table outlines the number of civilian and military press and public relations staff posts in Defence (including vacant posts) and press and public relations expenditure in the financial year 2014-15. This expenditure includes £30 million for Armed Forces advertising and marketing – the vast majority of which is advertising and marketing in direct support of Armed Forces recruitment campaigns. It also includes £12 million for staff costs.

Annual salaries are dependent upon grade/rank. Of those in press and public relations staff posts, there are:

No civil servants or military personnel with salaries of more than £100,000.

10 civil servants with salaries of more than £50,000.

24 military personnel with salaries of more than £50,000.

Department/Agency	Press and Public Relations Staff Posts	Salary £50,000 and above	Salary £100,000 and above	Press and Public Relations Expenditure Financial Year (FY)2014-15 (£000)[1]
Ministry of Defence[2]	49	9 Civilian 3 Military	0	5,772
Armed Forces (Royal Navy, Army, RAF and Joint Forces Command)	122	0 Civilian 21 Military	0	41,437 (Including advertising and marketing for Armed Forces recruitment campaigns)
Defence Electronics and Components Agency (DECA)	0	0	0	N/A[3]
Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL)	2	1 Civilian	0	76
United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO)	3	0	0	1,436
National Army Museum	4	0	0	550
National Museum of the Royal Navy (NMRN)	1	0	0	339
Royal Air Force Museum (RAF Museum)	2	0	0	429
Single Source Regulations Office (SSRO)	0	0	0	0
The Oil and Pipelines Agency (OPA)	0	0	0	0
Total	183	34	0	50,038[4]

[1] All figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000, therefore the total may not be equal to the sum of rounded values.

[2] Including Directorate of Defence Communications, Defence Business Services, Ministry of Defence Police, Defence Infrastructure Organisation, and Defence Equipment and Support.

[3] DECA was formed on 1 April 2015 as a Trading Agency following the Sale of the Defence Support Group therefore separate communications outturn for FY2014-15 is not available.

[4] This figure includes £30million for Armed Forces advertising and marketing – the vast majority of which is advertising and marketing in direct support of Armed Forces recruitment campaigns. It also includes £12million for staff costs.

January 1, 2023

Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick on 2016-01-27.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government why they have refused to disclose legal advice regarding the impact of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership on the NHS.

Lord Prior of Brampton

The Government considered the information referred to be exempt from release on the basis that it is subject to legal professional privilege.

January 1, 2023

Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-02-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claims have been made for a Short Term Benefit Advance in the last six months for which data is available; and what the outcomes of those claims were.

Priti Patel

Please see table below for Short Term Benefit Advance (STBA) applications and the outcomes of those claims;

	Aug-15	Sep-15	Oct-15	Nov-15	Dec-15	Jan-16
STBA Requests Received	17,450	17,188	17,391	17,355	17,428	17,526
STBA Requests Primary Benefit Paid (where the primary benefit has been paid negating the need for an STBA)	3,420	3,984	3,890	3,688	3,971	3,699
STBA Requests Disallowed	5,691	5,398	4,973	4,749	4,938	5,375
STBAs Awarded	15,372	15,922	17,515	18,240	21,844	25,118

The data provided is for Employment and Support Allowance, Incapacity Benefits, Jobseeker’s Allowance and Income Support.

January 1, 2023

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2016-03-16.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government why special financial provision is having to be provided by the Department of Health, and not NHS England, for the treatment of people infected with hepatitis C through contaminated blood when the treatment of all patients is covered by mandated NICE guidance.

Lord Prior of Brampton

We are currently consulting on a number of proposals to reform the current payment schemes for those infected with HIV and/or hepatitis C through National Health Service-supplied blood/blood products. As part of that consultation, we are keen to hear views on whether those infected with hepatitis C and whose infections have yet to progress to advanced stages would be interested in receiving enhanced access to the new effective drugs sooner than is currently available to them on the NHS following publication of the latest National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) treatment guidance for hepatitis C. The NHS is prioritising access to the new treatments for all patients with hepatitis C on the basis of clinical need and not on the route of transmission. There are three NICE Guidance documents attached:

1. Ledipasvir–sofosbuvir;

2. Daclatasvir; and

3. Ombitasvir–paritaprevir–ritonavir with or without dasabuvir for treating chronic hepatitis C.

January 1, 2023
Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-04-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that police officers receive appropriate psychological support after witnessing traumatic events.

Mike Penning

Policing, by its nature, can be a stressful and demanding job and it is the responsibility of chief officers, supported by the College of Policing, to ensure that good management systems are in place to support police in their work.

The Government recognise the importance of police welfare. In October 2014 we allocated £10 million to help support emergency services personnel and volunteers, focused on mental health, physical recuperation and bereavement support for those who need it.

The Home Office is working with the national policing lead for wellbeing and engagement on the development of his strategy but this must remain a sector led initiative.

January 1, 2023
Teresa Pearce – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Teresa Pearce on 2016-05-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to raise awareness of Lyme disease amongst medical professionals.

Jane Ellison

The existing National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance supports primary care doctors in managing Lyme disease but to further strengthen the evidence base we have commissioned NICE to develop guidelines for the recognition and treatment of Lyme disease; this is expected in June 2018.

Public Health England (PHE) provides information on Lyme disease and tick awareness to the medical profession and the public, holds regular medical training days, and works with Lyme Disease Action to support the needs and interests of patients.

NHS Choices also publishes information on its website to raise awareness of Lyme disease and encourage timely medical consultation because early diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease is the best way of limiting complications from infection.

The number of human cases can be reduced by raising public awareness of how to avoid tick bites, and by environmental measures in public places to reduce the long grass and scrub which harbor ticks. PHE works with interested local authorities to raise tick awareness, and has produced joint public information with local authorities in areas such as the New Forest with a significant incidence of Lyme disease.

The number of laboratory confirmed cases of Lyme disease in England and Wales varies annually, in 2013 there were 878 and in 2014 there were 730, but the majority of diagnoses are made clinically by general practitioners and those figures are not recorded.

Patients with late or complicated Lyme disease may be diagnosed in a variety of specialist clinics, and the numbers are not recorded. Based on the clinical information supplied with the laboratory request, only a small proportion of the annual number of cases fall into this category.

There is no clear definition for chronic Lyme disease, and no general acceptance of what the term means, so no data is available.

January 1, 2023
Lord Blencathra – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Blencathra on 2016-07-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to implement English language checks on doctors who have come from other EU countries to test their knowledge of clinical English rather than general social English.

Lord Prior of Brampton

In June 2014 the General Medical Council (GMC) was given powers to carry out proportionate language controls on all applicants from the European Economic Area (EEA) to ensure that doctors have the necessary English language skills to practise safely in the United Kingdom. In addition the GMC was given powers to take fitness to practise action if a doctor working in the UK has insufficient language skills to carry out their job safely. Doctors must register with the GMC to practise in the UK.

Since June 2014 a total of 1,659 doctors from the EEA have been unable to demonstrate to the GMC that they have sufficient language skills to practise safely in the UK; 564 of those doctors have gone on to reach the standard required by the GMC and have been issued with a licence to practise.

January 1, 2023
Matthew Offord – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2016-10-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been charged with terrorism offences committed overseas on their return to the UK in each of the last three years.

Mr Ben Wallace

The Government takes the threat posed by UK nationals who travel overseas to engage in terrorist activity extremely seriously. We are particularly concerned about those who travel to Syria and Iraq to fight. People seeking to travel to engage in terrorist activity should be in no doubt we will take the strongest possible action to protect our national security.

The number of individuals suspected of involvement in acts of terrorism or criminal matters who are arrested and then formally charged is recorded and collated in the Home Office Quarterly Statistical Bulletin which was last published on 22 September 2016. These statistics do not disaggregate arrests, charges and convictions relating exclusively to overseas returnees.

January 1, 2023