Category: Speeches

  • Heidi Alexander – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Heidi Alexander – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Heidi Alexander on 2015-12-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many nurses were employed in each NHS region in the latest month for which figures are available.

    Ben Gummer

    The following table shows the number of full time equivalent nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff employed in each Health Education England region as at August 2015. The data is from the Health and Social Care Information Centre’s Hospital and Community Health Services monthly workforce statistics and does not include nurses working in general practice.

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

    Lord Crisp – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Crisp on 2016-01-20.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the need for increased funding for the infrastructure costs associated with mental health research.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    Mental health research is vital for better prevention of mental illness, development and evaluation of effective treatments, and to inform organisation and delivery of high quality care. Research funders are working together in this field to identify priorities and co-ordinate activity. In November 2015, the Department and Royal College of Psychiatrists held a joint meeting to identify key questions for mental health research. Following this meeting, funding organisations met on 6 January to discuss the strategic co-ordination of mental health research.

    In 2014/15, the Department’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) spent £27.7 million on mental health through its research programmes – expenditure higher than in any other disease area including cancer (£19.8 million). In all, the NIHR spent a total of £72.6 million on mental health research in that year, including research infrastructure and fellowships.

    Total NIHR investment in mental health research infrastructure (including that provided through NIHR biomedical research centres and the NIHR Clinical Research Network) has nearly doubled from £23.8 million in 2009/10 to £41.8 million in 2014/15.

    The NIHR has launched a new, open competition for biomedical research centre funding from April 2017 to March 2022. In this competition, a number of clinical areas of particular strategic importance to the health of patients are highlighted including mental health.

    The NIHR Clinical Research Network supports delivery in the National Health Service of studies funded by the NIHR itself and by eligible partners including the United Kingdom Research Councils and medical research charities. To date in 2015/16, the network has recruited 23,778 participants in 273 studies where mental health is recorded as the main specialty. The network will continue to monitor the study pipeline for mental health.

  • Paul Monaghan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Paul Monaghan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2016-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what diplomatic progress he has made in delivering a peaceful transition in Libya.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The UK continues to play an active role in supporting the Libyan dialogue facilitated by the UN. The signing of the Libyan Political Agreement in Skhirat, Morocco on 17 December was a significant step forward. The Agreement sets out the process for establishment of a Government of National Accord (GNA). We continue to work with partners in the international community to encourage the Libyan parties to implement the Agreement in full.

    The UK has been at the forefront of efforts to coordinate international support for the GNA. In October, we hosted a meeting with the UN and international donors and agencies to discuss plans for coordinated support from the international community to the GNA. This has been followed up through UN-hosted coordination meetings in Tunis. We stand ready to work with the international community to deliver a significant package of support to help a Government of National Accord to achieve a stable and prosperous future for all Libyan citizens. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), and I both spoke recently with Prime Minister designate Serraj and also with UN Special Representative Kobler to underline the UK’s continued support for the GNA process and UN efforts in this area.

  • Jeremy Lefroy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Jeremy Lefroy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeremy Lefroy on 2016-03-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, on what date she plans to announce the Basic Payment Scheme claims process for 2016.

    George Eustice

    The Rural Payments Agency is launching the 2016 claim period at the beginning of March and will work with farmers and agents to support them to submit their applications by the deadline of midnight on Monday 16 May.

    The Rural Payments Agency has already indicated that for 2016 there will be an online Basic Payment Scheme application process supported by online land and entitlement transfers. There will be a paper application form for those that need it.

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-04-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 21 March 2016 to Question 31226, how his Department monitors local authorities for compliance with their obligation under the (a) Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014 and (b) Local Government Transparency Code 2015.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    My Department has recently completed compliance testing of local authorities with the Local Government Transparency Code 2015, which entailed checking the websites of 103 authorities, a 25% sample of authorities to which the Transparency Code applies, for the data they are required to publish. We are currently analysing the initial results, including to ascertain whether where expected information has not been found on an authority’s website this is an accurate reflection of the authority’s circumstances or due to non-compliance.

    Principal local authorities will not be required to comply with the provisions of the Local Audit and Accountability Act until 1 April 2018 [and Health and smaller bodies from 1 April 2017]. Compliance is currently monitored by Public Sector Audit Appointments Ltd, a transitional body appointed to manage existing audit arrangements until they expire.

  • Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2016-05-18.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his most recent estimate is of when the public sector exit payments cap will be introduced in (a) England and (b) Wales; and if he will make a statement.

    Greg Hands

    The Government announced on 31st July 2015 that it intended to end six-figure exit payments for public sector workers, acting on its manifesto commitment. A public consultation over the summer of 2015 asked for views on the details of the policy, which received over 4,000 replies.

    The public sector exit payment cap has now been legislated for in the Enterprise Act. The Government intends to publish draft regulations over the summer setting out the detail of how the policy will be introduced, alongside accompanying guidance. All affected parties, including public sector workers, will have a further opportunity to comment on the regulations and supporting guidance during that time.

    The regulations implementing the public sector exit cap will not come into force before 1 October 2016 at the earliest. They will apply to bodies in England and those in Wales where the workforce is not devolved in this context. It will be for Welsh Ministers to determine when they bring into force the regulations in the Enterprise Act for bodies devolved to Wales.

  • Patrick Grady – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Patrick Grady – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2016-06-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with the UN Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect on alleged violence against ethnic groups in Gambia.

    James Duddridge

    The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not held recent discussions with the UN Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect on alleged violence against ethnic groups in The Gambia. However, we fully endorse the statement of the UN Special Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide, released on 10 June, in which he condemned inflammatory rhetoric by President Jammeh, and called for the rights of all populations of The Gambia to be respected. We regularly press the government of The Gambia at senior levels to protect the human rights of all its people.

    Our Ambassador to The Gambia recently has discussed the situation in the country with the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative for West Africa and with UN representatives in Banjul. We and our partners will continue to monitor the situation closely, particularly the protection afforded to different ethnic groups.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-09-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department plans to take to support the management of the Northern Ireland-Republic of Ireland border when the UK leaves the EU.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Common Travel Area (CTA) arrangement pre-dates the EU and we remain committed to it. The Government has been clear that there will be no immediate changes to our practices surrounding the CTA. During her last visit to Northern Ireland the Prime Minister was clear that a practical solution in the interests of all parts of the UK should be found to manage the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland once the UK has left the EU. The Prime Minister and the Taoiseach have reiterated their intention for both countries to work together to maintain the CTA.

  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what educational and health programmes are (a) in place and (b) planned to reduce the incidence of sexually transmitted disease.

    Jane Ellison

    Public Health England (PHE) supports local prevention initiatives through the provision of guidance, evidence and data. PHE supports the National Chlamydia Screening Programme which provides testing for chlamydia to all young people aged 15-24 annually. PHE commissions a number of national human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention activities and specialised sexual health information resources to provide educational and health resources to reduce the incidence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV.

    STI prevention programmes are the responsibility of local authorities, and there are a wide variety of local educational and health initiatives underway across England. Local authorities are mandated to provide genitourinary medicine services for the early diagnosis and treatment of STIs.

    Further, last week I launched the £500,000 HIV prevention innovation fund and our first National HIV Home Sampling service which aims to deliver up to 50,000 postal testing kits.

  • Luciana Berger – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Luciana Berger – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2015-12-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his policy to collect information centrally on how many specialist midwives have been trained in mental health.

    Ben Gummer

    The Department does not have any plans to collect this information.