Category: Speeches

Hilary Benn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-04-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of compliance by the United Arab Emirates with international treaties and norms on the use of torture.

Mr Philip Hammond

The British Government consistently and unreservedly condemns torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and it is a priority for us to combat it wherever and whenever it occurs. We are aware of recent allegations made against the United Arab Emirates and we have expressed our concerns to the authorities, including our expectation that all cases will be thoroughly investigated in line with international standards. During those representations the United Arab Emirates confirmed that they are committed to investigating any allegations of mistreatment. The United Arab Emirates are a State Party to the Convention against Torture.

January 1, 2023
Nick Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Smith on 2016-05-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the annual budget is for food produced for his Department’s offices; and what proportion of food produced for his Department was sourced from British producers in the last period for which figures are available.

Joseph Johnson

The Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) does not set a budget for food served in its offices. Catering services are provided by private companies under contract to BIS which lease facilities in its London offices at 1 Victoria Street, 151 Buckingham Palace Road and Fleetbank House and provide food to staff without subsidy. Spending on food is determined by the contractor based on sales receipts.

BIS has worked with its current suppliers to align the existing contract with the requirements of the “balanced scorecard” for public food procurement.

The amount of food sourced from British producers for the Department’s three London offices is approximately 75% per month on average based on data for the period January – March 2016.

Items that are not available as British produce are fruits (for example – melons, pineapples, grapes, lemons, oranges), continental meats and Fairtrade coffee which is a large part of the sales volume.

January 1, 2023
James Cleverly – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by James Cleverly on 2016-07-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the selling of MDP Wethersfield on the Ministry of Defence Police.

Mark Lancaster

There is not expected to be any effect on the Ministry of Defence (MOD) Police. 91% of all operational MOD Police Officers are stationed at other locations around the United Kingdom with Wethersfield providing a Headquarters and training capability. The functions and facilities currently provided at Wethersfield to support the Ministry of Defence Police have already been surveyed and they will be re-provided at a new location. The eventual move of the MOD Police from Wethersfield will be managed to ensure minimal disruption or risk to the policing and security of the Defence estate

January 1, 2023
David Hanson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Hanson on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people received pre-charge bail conditions that (a) withheld their travel documents and (b) restricted their movement in each year since 2010; and how many people breached those pre-charge bail conditions.

Brandon Lewis

The information requested is not held centrally.

January 1, 2023

Sadiq Khan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sadiq Khan on 2015-11-02.

To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission, how many (a) EU and (b) Commonwealth citizens from which countries were registered in each London borough to vote by October 2015.

Mr Gary Streeter

The Electoral Commission holds data on the the number of European Union (EU) citizens (including attainers) on the electoral registers in December 2014. These figures are collected annually by the Office of National Statistics for England and Wales. Data is not available on the number of registered Commonwealth citizens as the registers do not distinguish Commonwealth citizens as they are entitled to vote in all elections.

London borough	Number of registered EU citizens
Barking and Dagenham	11,552
Barnet	23,174
Bexley	5,148
Brent	30,107
Bromley	8,742
Camden	17,654
City of London	748
Croydon	15,731
Ealing	31,339
Enfield	16,803
Greenwich	15,217
Hackney	18,145
Hammersmith and Fulham	18,965
Haringey	21,020
Harrow	14,641
Havering	5,282
Hillingdon	12,935
Hounslow	21,089
Islington	16,334
Kensington and Chelsea	20,670
Kingston upon Thames	8,971
Lambeth	28,035
Lewisham	16,651
Merton	16,725
Newham	25,562
Redbridge	13,999
Richmond upon Thames	9,580
Southwark	20,368
Sutton	7,848
Tower Hamlets	19,910
Waltham Forest	22,269
Wandsworth	24,764
Westminster	19,565

January 1, 2023

Maria Caulfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Caulfield on 2016-01-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with (a) NHS England and (b) Health Education England on the strategic review of the cancer workforce recommended in the report of the Independent Cancer Taskforce.

Jane Ellison

The independent Cancer Taskforce’s five-year strategy for cancer, Achieving World-Class Cancer Outcomes, published in July 2015, recommends improvements across the cancer pathway with the aim of improving survival rates. NHS England has appointed Cally Palmer as NHS National Cancer Director. She will lead on the implementation of the strategy, as well as new cancer vanguards to redesign care and patient experience.

She is currently setting up a new Cancer Transformation Board to lead the roll-out of the recommendations of the new strategy, and a Cancer Advisory Group, chaired by Dr Harpal Kumar, Chief Executive of Cancer Research UK, will oversee and scrutinise their work. Timeframes and phasing for implementation will be dependent on the final financial settlement reached as a result of the spending review.

We announced in September 2015 that Health Education England (HEE) is developing a new national training programme for an additional 200 staff to get the skills and expertise to carry out endoscopies by 2018. The content of the next mandate from the Government to HEE is currently being determined.

A commitment to whole-person care for patients, including those living with and beyond cancer, is embedded throughout the cancer taskforce report. In addition, the cancer vanguards have been established to explore new models of care, with a focus on delivering more person-centred care.

Ensuring the National Health Service is able to support the availability and use of effective treatments and medicines for rare cancers is a key priority. Cancer 52, an organisation which specifically represents patients with rarer cancers, was represented on the independent Cancer Taskforce. The Taskforce’s report made many recommendations relevant to rarer cancers, focussing in particular on improving access to diagnostic testing, including fast, direct general practitioner access to key blood tests, and increasing patient access to the most advanced treatments.

January 1, 2023
Mrs Sharon Hodgson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mrs Sharon Hodgson on 2016-01-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if protocols are in place for the sharing of information between officials in her Department and Ofsted on the outcome of Ofsted inspections of provision for children with special educational needs or disabilities in a local area.

Edward Timpson

I can confirm that Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission will publish outcomes from the local area SEND inspections.

January 1, 2023
Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 9 February 2016 to Question 25978, whether the timetable for making a decision on applying to the EU Solidarity Fund has been extended.

James Wharton

I refer the rt. hon. Member to the answer I gave on the EU Solidarity Fund on 25 February 2016, Official Report, column 455.

January 1, 2023
Maria Eagle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2016-03-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to page 79 in the Autumn Statement 2015 and page 92 in the Budget 2016, for what reason the estimate of his Capital DEL budget for 2015-16 has changed from £0.4 billion to £0.3 billion.

Mr Edward Vaizey

The Capital DEL budget for 2015-16 in the Autumn Statement 2015 reflected the Main Estimate cover of £402m; the Capital DEL budget for 2015-16 in the Budget 2016 reflected the Supplementary Estimate cover of £368m. The movements that make up the change of £33,928,000 are scheduled on page 509 of the Supplementary Estimate 2015-16.

January 1, 2023
Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-04-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of people in the UK who are affected by post-polio syndrome; what steps are being taken to fund (a) treatment of and (b) research into that condition; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison

It is estimated that there are around 120,000 people living in the United Kingdom who survived polio when they were younger. Although some of these have or will develop post-polio syndrome (PPS), it is not known exactly how many polio survivors are affected and estimates vary.

Commissioning of services for PPS is a local matter. People with PPS can usually be managed through routine access to primary or second care provided via a general practitioner (GP) or consultant. Treatment will depend on the severity of a patient’s condition, but care may involve: pain relieving medication; physiotherapy; dietary and exercise advice; and counselling or cognitive behavioural therapy.

Although not currently funding any research into PPS, the National Institute for Health Research welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including PPS. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality.

January 1, 2023