Category: Speeches

  • Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-01-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 1 December 2015 to Question 17180, how many discussions he has had each year since 2010 with the Senior Traffic Commissioner and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency on bus punctuality enforcement issues.

    Andrew Jones

    Departmental Ministers and officials have held meetings with the Senior Traffic Commissioner and with the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency since 2010, but the precise number going back to 2010 including bus enforcement punctuality issues is not calculable. It is worth mentioning that bus punctuality has improved, for example the punctuality of non-frequent bus services (i.e. services that run less than six times per hour) has improved from 80% in 2009/10 to 83% in 2014/15.

  • Heidi Alexander – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Heidi Alexander – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Heidi Alexander on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the average change in the level of pay for those junior doctors who will be offered pay protection as part of the transition to a new contract.

    Ben Gummer

    Over three quarters of junior doctors moving on to the new contract pay terms in August 2016 are expected to experience a rise in earnings. Those that do not will receive pay protection.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-03-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people have had unplanned post-operative treatment related to an organ transplant in each of the last five years.

    Jane Ellison

    The Department does not hold information on how many people had unplanned post-operative treatment related to an organ transplant in each of the last five years. NHS England works with NHS Blood and Transplant to jointly commission an audit on each solid organ transplant group from each service, so that detailed outcome data can be recorded and reported. These reports can be found at:

    http://www.odt.nhs.uk/uk-transplant-registry/organ-specific-reports/

    “

  • Jon Trickett – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Jon Trickett – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jon Trickett on 2016-04-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the proportion of local government procurements that have been spent on small and medium-sized businesses in each of the last five years.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    The Government is committed to ensuring there is a simple and consistent approach to procurement across the public sector so that small businesses can gain better and more access to public sector contracts – either directly or as sub-contractors.

    The Government produced guidance as part of the reforms included in the Public Contract Regulations 2015 which aim to make public contracts more accessible to businesses and in particular to small and medium enterprises. The reforms included the abolition of pre-qualification questionnaire for low value tenders; simplification of the pre-qualification questionnaire for high value tenders; advertising all local authority contracts of £25,000 or over (or the authority’s standing order limit if higher) on Contracts Finder; and paying down the supplier chain in 30 days.

    The Local Government Transparency Code 2015 requires all local authorities to publish details of contracts exceeding £5,000 including information on whether or not the supplier is a small or medium sized enterprise and/or a voluntary or community sector organisation.

    However, the Department has made no assessment of the amount or proportion of local government procurement spend going to small and medium sized businesses.

  • Clive Lewis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Clive Lewis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Clive Lewis on 2016-05-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, when the Government plans to publish its response to the December 2015 HM Revenue and Customs’ consultation on increasing VAT for domestic solar.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The UK has applied a reduced rate on 11 different types of energy saving materials since 2001. That remains in place and remains unchanged.

    HMRC are currently considering the responses to their consultation on energy saving materials and they will respond in due course.

  • Calum Kerr – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    Calum Kerr – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Calum Kerr on 2016-07-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, if he will ensure the UK’s participation in the Digital Single Market during negotiations for UK withdrawal from the EU.

    Mr David Davis

    While the UK remains a member of the EU it will continue to play an active role in the development of the Digital Single Market.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-10-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answers of 12 September 2016 to Questions 45151 and 45154, on Iraq: Genocide, whether the character and scope of the campaign to hold Daesh to account for its crimes have been established; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    ​Over the next few months, we will be working with our international partners, in particular the Government of Iraq, to bring forward a proposal at the UN to put the campaign into action. Our intention is that this campaign will be UN-led with survivors, and groups that work with them, at its heart. This must be about justice for all Daesh’s victims, the Sunni and Shia Muslims in Iraq and Syria, minority groups they have targeted, and the victims of its terrorist attacks around the world. One area we already agree needs urgent attention is gathering and preserving evidence. The campaign will focus exclusively on Daesh. The question of accountability for other actors in Syria, Iraq, Libya and elsewhere should continue to be pursued through other efforts. Success will require patience and resolve. But, together, we must see justice done and ensure that our values of unity, compassion and tolerance triumph over Daesh’s remorseless efforts to stoke division and hate.

  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the value of weapons owned by his Department was in each of the last five years.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    Net book values for military weapons, platforms and support equipment are published in the MOD’s Annual Reports and Accounts which are routinely placed on the gov.uk website at the following link: htpps://www.gov.uk/government/collections/mod-annual-reports under the heading Single Use Military Equipment (SUME).

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

    Lord Warner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Warner on 2015-12-21.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 23 November (HL3565), what advice they will give to local authorities affected by significant withdrawal of residential care providers in particular areas from publicly-funded adult social care in the event that this prevents those authorities from stepping in to ensure people’s needs.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The Government has worked with the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) and the Local Government Information Unit to publish guidance to support local authorities to develop effective contingency plans for provider failure- Care and Continuity: Contingency planning for provider failure. The guidance is attached.

    It is expected that local authorities will keep these plans under review and update them as necessary to reflect current market conditions and risks.

    Should there be a significant withdrawal of residential care providers from the publically funded adult social care market putting pressure on local authorities’ capacity to discharge their statutory functions in the short-term, the Government will work with the sector to develop bespoke contingency plans to support local government to manage the situation. This could include supporting work with neighbouring local authorities and ADASS regional networks.

    More widely, the Government will continue to support local authorities to discharge their functions under the Care Act 2014 which require them to shape a sustainable market that meets the needs of their local population.

  • Lord Allen of Kensington – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Lord Allen of Kensington – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Allen of Kensington on 2016-01-25.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they plan to publish results against each of the key performance indicators highlighted in the policy document Sporting Future: A New Strategy for an Active Nation.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    Information on the key performance indicators set out in Sporting Future: A New Strategy for an Active Nation will be included in the annual progress report to parliament planned for December 2016. It will include results of surveys, including Active Lives and Taking Part, and competitions, like the Rio Olympic and Paralympic Games, which will be available in the course of the year.