Category: Speeches

  • Siobhain McDonagh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Siobhain McDonagh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Siobhain McDonagh on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average waiting time for an outpatient paediatric ophthalmology appointment was in 2014-15.

    Alistair Burt

    The information is shown in the following table.

    Information on outpatient paediatric ophthalmology appointments in 2014-15

    Median waiting time in days for a first appointment1

    53 days

    Number of appointments that were cancelled by the hospital

    36,533

    Number of appointments that were cancelled by the patient

    33,448

    Number of appointments that the patient did not attend

    65,436

    National average unit cost of a first appointment2

    £118

    Sources:

    Hospital episode statistics, Health and Social Care Information Centre

    Reference costs, Department of Health

    Notes:

    1Waiting time is defined as the time in days between the date the referral request was received and the date of the first appointment, whether it was attended or not.

    2Defined as a consultant-led single-professional first appointment. Separate data are collected are collected on non-consultant-led, multi-professional, and follow-up appointments.

  • Mark Durkan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Mark Durkan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Durkan on 2016-03-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will consider a de-linked model for biomedical research and development.

    George Freeman

    The Department is currently in discussion with the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry on models that delink company revenues from usage in the context of pricing of antibiotics.

  • Bob Blackman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Bob Blackman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bob Blackman on 2016-04-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he plans to take to ensure the adequacy of provision of affordable homes to rent to help house London’s homeless population.

    Brandon Lewis

    The Government has committed to investing £8 billion to deliver over 400,000 affordable housing starts across the country.

    Also we are providing £110 million to tackle rough sleeping and homelessness. This will deliver at least 2,000 accommodation places and will support projects helping to get people off the streets.

    We have invested more than £500 million since 2010 to help local authorities prevent almost one million households from becoming homeless.

  • Andrew Percy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Andrew Percy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2016-05-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to ensure that all children are taught in schools about online abuse and how they should report such abuse to the police.

    Edward Timpson

    E-safety is covered at all key stages in the computing curriculum since its introduction in September 2014. Children in primary schools are taught how to use technology safely and respectfully, how to keep personal information private, and where to go for help and support when they have concerns about content or contact on the internet, such as online abuse or other online technologies. Pupils in secondary schools are taught a range of ways to use technology safely, respectfully, responsibly and securely, including protecting their online identity and privacy, how to recognise inappropriate content, contact and conduct and how to report concerns. All schools can choose to teach children about the dangers of social media in an age-appropriate way. Schools are also able to teach pupils about e-safety in personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) lessons. The PSHE Association’s non-statutory programme of study for health and well-being includes ways of keeping physically and emotionally safe, including online.

  • Helen Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Helen Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2016-07-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will discuss with Marks and Spencer PLC its plans to introduce changes to pay and conditions for staff working at nights and weekends associated with the introduction of the new national minimum wage.

    Margot James

    Provided that they obey the law and pay their workers at least the National Living Wage where it applies, it is for employers to decide how they manage increases in their wage bill.

    But it is my clear view that all employers look to implement the National Living Wage in the spirit in which it was introduced. The Government believes that it is essential for employers to ensure that their reward packages are competitive, in order to retain and develop the staff who are fundamental to their success.

  • Paul Flynn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Paul Flynn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2016-10-07.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the amount of funding the Welsh Government will lose in subsidies as a result of the UK leaving the EU.

    Mr David Gauke

    The UK Government will guarantee EU funding for structural and investment fund projects in Wales, including agri-environment schemes, signed before we leave the EU. It will be for the Welsh Government to make an assessment of which projects should be pursued in areas of its competence, and this guarantee will apply to any such projects. The agricultural sector in Wales will receive the same level of funding that it would have received under Pillar 1 of CAP until the end of the Multi-Annual Financial Framework in 2020.

    As a result of these steps taken by the UK Government, individuals and organisations in receipt of EU funds now have a greater degree of certainty about funding over the coming years. The UK Government will work with the Welsh Government to consider future funding arrangements for once the UK has left the EU.

  • Frank Field – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Frank Field – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2015-11-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Jobcentre Plus offices host work clubs and service academies.

    Priti Patel

    The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

  • Lord Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lucas on 2015-12-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the liability of online marketplaces for unpaid VAT where a business trading in that marketplace evades VAT.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    Online marketplaces have no liability for unpaid VAT where the operator merely provides a marketplace for businesses to sell goods. However, HM Revenue and Customs is continuing to work with major online marketplaces to tackle this issue.

  • 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 2016-01-25.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what advice they received from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute during the set-up phase of Genomics England regarding the appropriateness in cases of cancer of using comparisons of tumour to normal whole genome sequencing at moderate sequence coverage, as opposed to focused actionable gene panel testing at deep sequence coverage; and what current technology is used by Genomics England.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The set up phase of the 100,00 Genomes Project was based on advice from Expert Working Groups which included experts from across the United Kingdom, including the Sanger Centre. The Working Group concluded that a more fundamental understanding of cancer would be delivered by whole genome sequencing compared to gene panels. This approach is part of the wider aim of the 100,000 Genomes Project to transform the National Health Service diagnostic pathway for patients and to build a dataset which will enable new scientific research. Adopting whole genome sequencing has already catalysed a fall in the costs which was also anticipated by the Expert Working Group.

  • 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 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he plans to bring forward proposals to change the closest living relative definition in the Mental Health Act 1983 to include unmarried fathers once their children are aged 18.

    Alistair Burt

    One of the aims set out in the Green Paper, No voice unheard, no right ignored – a consultation for people with learning disabilities, autism and mental health conditions, published in March 2015, is to ensure people’s ‘nearest relative’ under the Mental Health Act 1983 (MHA) is someone who is meaningful to them. We have no plans to specifically change the nearest relative definition in the MHA to include unmarried fathers once their children are aged over 18 years.

    This will ensure that people are able to choose their own ‘nearest relative’, who has specific legal responsibilities under the MHA. The current MHA definition of the nearest relative will be updated to be used as a default if necessary, when the person is unable to make a choice for some reason.