Category: Speeches

  • Matthew Pennycook – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Matthew Pennycook – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Pennycook on 2015-12-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what wholesale price and carbon price forecast scenarios her Department uses when forecasting total projected expenditure of the Levy Control Framework.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The assumptions on wholesale prices used in the LCF projections are consistent with the wholesale fossil fuel, electricity, and carbon prices scenarios published as part of the updated Energy and Emissions Projections in November this year, and are set out in Annex M available at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/477625/Annex-m-price-growth-assumptions.xls

    “

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-01-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what representations she has received in the last year from (a) Christian, (b) Jewish and (c) Muslim faith schools on the Counter Extremism Strategy used in schools; and if she will make a statement.

    Edward Timpson

    This Government believes all children should be educated in a safe environment, whether in a school or out of school.

    Department officials have briefed representatives of faith schools, including Christian, Jewish and Muslim schools, on matters relating to the Government’s Prevent and Counter-Extremism strategies. The Department received a number of queries from both faith schools and non-faith schools on how to implement the Prevent duty. The Department has issued practical advice to schools to help them understand their role under the new Prevent duty, and also launched a dedicated counter-extremism helpline in 2015 to enable front line staff, governors, and others to raise concerns directly. The Department has combined all its existing advice in the new Educate Against Hate website[1], which was launched by the Secretary of State on 19 January.

    The Department recently completed a call for evidence on proposals for the registration and inspection of out-of-school settings providing intensive education which were announced in the Counter-Extremism Strategy. Over 3,000 people, including representatives of the Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths, completed the response form, either online or manually. The Department received a significant number of further representations to the consultation by email and post. All responses and representations are being logged, analysed and verified.

    We will be publishing a response to the consultation in due course, in line with Cabinet Office guidance.

    [1] http://educateagainsthate.com/

    “

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-02-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will place in the Library a copy of the full impact assessment of the infected blood scheme reform consultation containing the assessment of the potential financial effects of proposed reforms on recipients; and if he will make a statement.

    Jane Ellison

    The impact assessment we have prepared is an analysis of the proposals and not the final outcome. We will publish the final full impact assessment when we announce the outcomes of the consultation.

    On page 32 – 34 of the consultation document itself the Department gives some indication of the impact of the proposed changes on individuals.

    All respondents to the consultation have been encouraged to say how the proposals will affect them in order that full consideration can be given to this and other issues before any final decisions are made on the reformed scheme.

  • Stephen Gethins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Stephen Gethins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Gethins on 2016-03-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much her Department has provided to UNOCHA for work in Libya to date.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    As part of DFID’s humanitarian programme in Libya, we are funding a secondment position within the UN’s Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) until August 2016. This OCHA position will support a more coordinated international response, and the establishment of an information management system to strengthen understanding of the humanitarian situation.

  • Kate Green – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Kate Green – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2016-04-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to improve provision of IVF as a result of the meeting held by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State with Monitor and NHS England on 14 December 2015.

    Jane Ellison

    Following a meeting with Fertility Fairness in December 2015, officials from the Department and NHS England are considering options for addressing variation in the prices that clinical commissioning groups are currently paying for in vitro fertilisation treatment.

  • Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-05-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps the Government is taking to tackle low pay in Northern Ireland.

    Mr Ben Wallace

    This Government is committed to delivering a higher wage, lower tax and lower welfare society.

    That is why we have introduced the new National Living Wage of £7.20 which will benefit 100,000 people in Northern Ireland and increase annual wages by up to £900.

  • Chi Onwurah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Chi Onwurah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-07-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the (a) adequacy and (b) effectiveness of the level of consumer protection against misuse of consumer data in algorithm-driven applications; and what assessment she has made of the potential merits of ensuring that consumers are able to see how their data is used by such applications.

    Matt Hancock

    The Government Office for Science published an evaluation report on Distributed Ledger Technology: beyond block chain on 19 January 2016, which provides an assessment. In addition, the report recommends 8 actions for government to maximise the opportunities and reduce the risks of this new technology. A copy of the report is available at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/492972/gs-16-1-distributed-ledger-technology.pdf

    Consumers’ rights with regard to the collection, processing and disclosure of their personal data are governed by the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA). The DPA provides rights for individuals in respect of their personal data, including rights in relation to automated decision-making, the right of subject access, the right to prevent processing likely to cause damage or distress compensation for failure to comply with certain of the Act’s requirements, and the right to have data rectified, blocked, erased or otherwise destroyed in certain circumstances.

    There have been significant advances in digital technology since the DPA came into force nearly 20 years ago. The Government is reviewing the current regulatory framework to ensure it is fit for purpose for the digital age.

  • 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 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many residential properties were owned by private landlords in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012, (d) 2013, (e) 2014, (f) 2015 and (g) 2016.

    Gavin Barwell

    These data are published in Live table 104 here:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/519499/LT_104.xls

    “

  • Lord Laird – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Lord Laird – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2015-10-28.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government under what circumstances a coroner’s investigation and court hearing is not necessary in the case of a sudden death.

    Lord Faulks

    Sudden deaths are always investigated by coroners in England and Wales.

    Under the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 the coroner has a duty to investigate a death that is reported to him or her if it appears that the death was violent or unnatural, the cause of the death is unknown, or the person died in state detention. If the investigation does not disclose the cause of death, indicates that the death was unnatural, or the coroner considers that there is good reason to continue the investigation, he or she has a duty to hold an inquest.

    Where someone is to be prosecuted for causing a death, the coroner’s investigation must be suspended and any inquest adjourned, until the criminal trial is over. The coroner may only resume the investigation after the trial if he or she considers there is sufficient reason for doing so. The coroner must also suspend an investigation where an inquiry under the Inquiries Act 2005 is to be held into the death. Again, the coroner may only resume the investigation after the inquiry has reported if he or she considers there is sufficient reason for doing so.

  • 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 2015-11-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many mental health services he has visited since March 2015; and what the date was of each such visit.

    Alistair Burt

    Departmental Ministers have undertaken the following visits to mental health services (including charity visits and community centres) in an official capacity since March 2015 to date:

    Former Minister of State (Norman Lamb)

    5 March 2015- Turning Point’s Crisis Point Centre

    5 March 2015- RADAR (Rapid Alcohol Detox Acute Referrals)

    Minister of State (Alistair Burt)

    21 May 2015- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust- Child and Adolescent Mental Heal Services

    29 June 2015- Hammersmith and Fulham Mental Health Unite/ West London Clinical Commissioning Group

    2 July 2015- British Transport Policy, suicide prevention and mental health team (street triage)

    3 August 2015- Margaret Oats, Mother and baby unit, City and Hackney Centre for mental health

    24 August 2015- Bradford Divisional HQ, Nelson Street Police Station

    10 September 2015 – Samaritans Visit on World Suicide Day

    8 October 2015 – Oxfordshire Mind for World Mental Health day