Category: Speeches

  • 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 2016-03-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) MRI machines (b) CT Scanners (c) PET-CT scanners (d) Linear accelerators and (e) Robotic surgery systems in use in each NHS trust are older than ten years.

    George Freeman

    Information on the age of MRI machines, CT scanners, PET-CT scanners, linear accelerators and robotic surgery systems and the proportion of the cost of backlog maintenance that relates to these are not held centrally.

  • Karl McCartney – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Church Commissioners

    Karl McCartney – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Church Commissioners

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl McCartney on 2016-04-28.

    To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what progress has been made on the Near Neighbours programme.

    Mrs Caroline Spelman

    The Church Commissioners welcome the Government’s recent announcement of a further £1.5 million for the Near Neighbours programme, which is administered by the Church Urban Fund. This third round of funding for Near Neighbours will help it build on its successful track record of delivering projects up and down the country to transform local areas by strengthening relationships between those of different religious and ethnic backgrounds on issues of shared concern.

    The Near Neighbours programme has offered small grants between £250 and £5,000, providing seed capital for local groups and organisations who are working to bring together neighbours, to develop relationships across diverse faiths and ethnicities in order to improve their communities. The Near Neighbours grants fund has so far awarded seed capital worth £3.66m to over 1,120 projects. These projects have impacted the lives of 941,000 people and 71% of projects have continued to run after the initial seed capital was spent. All Near Neighbours projects are designed to change hearts and minds by bringing together different communities within a neighbourhood so that they can work together on issues of shared concern and common values.

    More information on Near Neighbours can be found on its website at: https://www.cuf.org.uk/how-we-help/near-neighbours

    “

  • Alan Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Alan Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2016-06-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the implications to her policies of the findings of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on International Freedom of Religion or Belief’s report entitled, Fleeing Persecution: Asylum Claims in the UK on Religious Freedom Grounds, published in June 2016; and what plans she has to implement the recommendations of that report.

    James Brokenshire

    The Home Office carefully considers all asylum claims on their individual merits, including claims based on religious persecution. We grant protection to those who genuinely need it in accordance with our international obligations under the Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

    Published guidance on the interviewing and consideration of asylum claims is regularly reviewed and takes into consideration the views of stakeholders, including religious groups. The current training and support available for asylum caseworkers includes a UNHCR endorsed Foundation Training Programme. This, and follow-on courses, covers all aspects of the asylum interview and decision making process, including the assessment of credibility and country information in religious based claims. Real-life case studies and role-play are used throughout the training programme to reinforce knowledge and understanding of the issues.

    We are currently carefully considering the APPG report and it’s recommendations and will provide a response in due course.

  • Graham Evans – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Graham Evans – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Evans on 2016-09-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to ensure that public-facing staff at sports venues have disability equality awareness training.

    Tracey Crouch

    I refer my Honourable friend to the answer to PQ 44837, answered on 7th September.

  • Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-10-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many European Economic Area citizens in the UK have permanent residence cards; and how many applications for such cards there have been in each of the last 12 months.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    Under EU law, European Economic Area (EEA) nationals qualify for a right of permanent residence in the UK provided that certain conditions are met. The Prime Minister has been clear that she wants to protect the status of EU nationals already living in the UK, and the only circumstances in which that would not be possible are if British citizens’ rights in other EU Member States were not protected in return in the course of agreement with the EU.

    For those EEA nationals who are in the UK and have a right of permanent residence, it is not mandatory to apply for documentation confirming that right. Statistics of decisions and grants of permanent residence documentation issued to EEA nationals are published quarterly in table ee_02_q of Immigration Statistics. The most recent edition is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-april-to-june-2016/list-of-tables#european-economic-area-eea

  • Jamie Reed – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jamie Reed – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2015-11-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to improve access to specialist health facilities for children with cerebral palsy.

    Jane Ellison

    The commissioning of health services generally, including provider facilities, is the responsibility of local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). When considering what services should be commissioned we would expect CCGs to take account of best practice and guidance such as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guideline on the management of spasticity in under 19s, and the local Joint Strategic Needs Assessment, and Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy, which captures local need.

    Children with particularly complex needs may also be eligible for continuing care, commissioned by the CCG to meet the needs of children or young people which cannot be met through universal services. The continuing care framework is currently being updated following a public consultation, to ensure it provides the right guidance on assessing and planning for needs.

    Specialised services are commissioned by NHS England. For cerebral palsy it has commissioned Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy procedures as part of its Commissioning through Evaluation (CtE) programme.

    CtE schemes run in areas where the current evidence base on clinical and cost effectiveness of a particular treatment is insufficient to support routine funding, and where further research is unlikely to be forthcoming. In these circumstances, NHS England identifies funding for a CtE scheme to gather and support a review of the national clinical commissioning policy position.

  • Craig Whittaker – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Craig Whittaker – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2015-12-03.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on the local economy of the potential closure of HM Revenue and Customs offices in West Yorkshire.

    Mr David Gauke

    HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has announced its plans to create a new regional centre in West Yorkshire, investing in up to 4,400 full time posts in the region. HMRC will be offering career opportunities to those from across the county in a range of the Department’s professions and intends to partner with local colleges and universities to provide a pipeline of staff to work in its new centre. The Department’s proposed changes will also save money for the taxpayers of West Yorkshire as HMRC’s national estates costs will reduce by around £100 million a year by 2025.

  • Tim Loughton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Tim Loughton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2016-01-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what contingency arrangements his Department has made for the eventuality of a majority leave vote in the upcoming EU referendum.

    Priti Patel

    I refer the Honourable Gentleman to the reply given by the Prime Minister on 14 January 2016

    http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2016-01-11/21952/

    “

  • Lord Wigley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    Lord Wigley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Wigley on 2016-02-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they plan to take in the light of the finding by Her Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate in its Thematic Review of the CPS Rape and Serious Sexual Offences Units that there are inconsistencies in the level of care provided to rape and sexual assault victims by Rape and Serious Sexual Offences units.

    Lord Keen of Elie

    The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is continually committed to improving the prosecution of rape and serious sexual offences and the quality of the service the CPS provides to victims of these serious crimes. The Thematic Review acknowledges that the CPS has undertaken a considerable amount of work to prioritise the improvement of rape prosecutions and endorses the use of teams of specialist prosecutors to handle all rape and serious sexual offences cases. Ensuring the best possible service is provided to victims will continue to be at the heart of CPS improvement activity.

  • Baroness Coussins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Baroness Coussins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Coussins on 2016-02-29.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consultations they have held, if any, about the rates of pay of interpreters contracted to work for the Home Office Interpreter Operations Unit, and what the outcome of those consultations has been.

    Lord Bates

    In November 2015 the Interpreter Operations Unit wrote to all interpreters registered to work on behalf of the Home Office informing them of plans to change their rates of pay from January 2016. Some discussions were held with interpreter representatives in December 2015. All proposed changes are currently on hold pending a further internal review of existing pay and conditions. This review will take place in 2016/17.