Category: Speeches

  • Lord Marks of Henley-on-Thames – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Lord Marks of Henley-on-Thames – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Marks of Henley-on-Thames on 2016-01-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what has been the turnover of basic grade custody staff in the G4S-run secure training centres of Medway, Oakhill and Rainsbrook over the last 12 months.

    Baroness Evans of Bowes Park

    The safety and welfare of young people in custody is vital and we take the allegations made by BBC Panorama extremely seriously. Immediate action was taken to ensure the safety of young people at the centre and Kent Police and Medway Council’s child protection team have launched an investigation. We have also appointed an Independent Improvement Board to increase oversight, scrutiny and challenge of managerial arrangements.

    The turnover rate of basic grade custody staff in G4S run secure training centres (STCs) is set out in Table 1.

    Table 1: Turnover rate of basic grade custody staff in G4S run STCs over the 12 months January to December 2015

    Staff Turnover

    Rainsbrook STC

    27%

    Oakhill STC

    30%

    Medway STC

    60%
  • Owen Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Owen Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Owen Smith on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in how many arrears-only Child Support Agency cases repayments are currently being made towards the arrears.

    Priti Patel

    In the quarter to December 2015, 48,000 arrears only Child Support Agency cases made a payment towards their arrears.

    For further information see table 21(page 54) in the Quarterly Summary Statistics at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/child-support-agency-quarterly-summary-statistics–2

    Note

    1. Figured rounded to nearest 100.
    2. Figures include 1993 and 2003 Schemes.

    “

  • Charles Walker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Charles Walker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charles Walker on 2016-03-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the number of its senior civil servants who will potentially fall under the provisions of the 4th EU Money Laundering Directive, 2015/849; and what assessment he has made of which of his Department’s agencies or other public bodies will potentially be classed as holding a prominent public function for the purposes of that directive.

    Justin Tomlinson

    Under the Fourth Anti-Money Laundering Directive, which will be transposed into national law by June 2017, a politically exposed person is one who has been entrusted with a prominent public function domestically or by a foreign country. This would include some senior civil servants, such as ambassadors and chargés d’affaires. The Government’s view is that the Directive permits a risk-based approach to the identification of whether an individual is a politically exposed person and, when identified, the Directive enables the application of different degrees of enhanced measures to reflect the risks posed. The Government will be setting out this view in a consultation which will be published shortly.

    The changes proposed under the Directive should not prevent any individual in this category from gaining or maintaining access to financial services. The Treasury regularly raises these issues with financial institutions and the regulator, and we encourage financial institutions to take a proportionate, risk-based approach when applying these measures.

  • Nicholas Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Nicholas Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Brown on 2016-04-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of the Sustainability and Transformation Fund is applied to NHS Mental Health Trusts.

    Alistair Burt

    Full planning guidance for the National Health Service from England’s leading national health and care bodies was published in March 2016. This guidance sets out the steps to help local organisations deliver a sustainable, transformed health service and improve the quality of care, wellbeing and NHS finance. This includes some specific guidance on the use of the Sustainability and Transformation Fund and confirms that mental health providers will not receive allocations from the general element of the Sustainability and Transformation fund.

    In 2016-17 the fund is being used to help sustain services facing significant financial challenges, and the greatest need is in the acute sector.

    All trusts, including mental health trusts, will be able to bid for the separate targeted element of the fund.

  • Fiona Bruce – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Fiona Bruce – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona Bruce on 2016-05-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Answer of 11 March 2016 to Question 29747, whether wider disclosure of the content of the personal email exchange between Professor Grifo and a member of the expert panel convened by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority would breach patient confidentiality.

    Jane Ellison

    The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that wider disclosure of the content of the personal email exchange between Professor Grifo and a member of the expert panel convened by the Authority would not breach patient confidentiality. The HFEA has previously advised that the relevant expert panel member contacted Professor Grifo in a personal capacity following the third Scientific Review of the safety and efficacy of methods to avoid mitochondrial disease in 2014.

    The HFEA has also advised that the information in question was provided in confidence to the expert panel convened by the Authority. Members of the HFEA Executive who provided administrative support to the work of the panel have seen this information.

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

    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 issue instructions to NHS Trusts to draw up doctors’ schedules that ignore the EU Working Time Directive.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The Government has no plans to issue instructions to ignore the Working Time Directive (WTD).

    There will be no immediate changes to our relationship with the European Union. We remain a part of the EU until negotiations are concluded, which could take up two years or more if agreement isn’t reached. While the United Kingdom remains a member of the EU, we must meet our obligations as a member of the EU, including the WTD.

    It is the responsibility of individual National Health Service trusts to ensure service rotas are compliant with the WTD.

  • Alex Chalk – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Alex Chalk – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Chalk on 2016-10-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will hold discussions with manufacturers of satellite navigation devices on steps that could be taken to ensure that HGVs are not inappropriately directed into narrow residential streets.

    Andrew Jones

    In the last Parliament the Department brought together satnav manufacturers, mapping companies, local authorities and other industry organisations in a Satnav Summit.

    We continue to work with these parties to improve the information satnavs provide to road users, and enable better co‑operation and information-sharing between local highway authorities and the industry, through joint working.

    Earlier this year Highways England published a Traffic Information Strategy setting out how they will work with local highway authorities to integrate journey planning across the network, improve communication with road users and make traffic data and information available to third parties to enable these companies to develop products and services for customers.

    Furthermore, the Department is investing £3 million to create a national digital road map, developed by Ordnance Survey and launching this year, which will enable better integration and sharing of data on roads between local authorities and service providers.

  • Nicholas Brown – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Nicholas Brown – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Brown on 2015-10-28.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Office for National Statistics plans to include in quarterly migration figures the number of Syrian refugees resettled in the UK under the Government’s relocation scheme.

    Mr Rob Wilson

    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

  • Jess Phillips – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jess Phillips – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2015-11-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans NHS England has to use capacity in independent sector hospitals to reduce waiting lists in 2015-16.

    Jane Ellison

    Decisions about whether to use independent sector capacity are made at local level according to local need, as part of the operational management of capacity and demand.

  • Bob Stewart – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Bob Stewart – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bob Stewart on 2015-12-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, through what means his Department communicates with and receives communications from Christian communities in Syria; and how he assesses the quality of information received otherwise by his Department on the situation of such communities in that country.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    Foreign and Commonwealth Office representatives meet Church leaders and Non-Governmental Organisations representing Christian communities in Syria on a regular basis in London, through our Embassy to the Holy See and at our Syria Offices in Beirut and Istanbul. We also receive regular correspondence from groups highlighting the situation of Christians in Syria. These sources provide us with valuable insights into the situation facing Christians in Syria and the region. We recognise the contribution that recognised religious leaders can make on the Syria political track. They and other leading members of civil society will need a strong voice in the debate on Syria’s future.