Category: Speeches

  • Maggie Throup – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Maggie Throup – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maggie Throup on 2016-04-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which areas have been chosen as test sites for the pre-exposure drug prophyaxis (PrEP); what selection criteria have been used to identify those test sites; and what measures his Department plans to use to assess the effectiveness of PrEP in the test sites over the next two years.

    Jane Ellison

    The planning of the process to select test sites, including timing and criteria for selection, will continue alongside NHS England’s review of its position on the commissioning of pre-exposure prophyaxis (PrEP).

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-05-23.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Answer of 11 May 2016 to Question 36368, what timescale Anguilla and Guernsey have given for putting in place central registers of beneficial ownership or similarly effective systems.

    Matthew Hancock

    The new arrangements agreed with Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories with finance centres, giving UK law enforcement and tax authorities quick and unrestricted access to beneficial ownership information on corporate and legal entities incorporated in these jurisdictions, must be in place by June 2017. UK law enforcement authorities will, however, work with these jurisdictions to ensure that the spirit of the arrangements is respected immediately.

    Anguilla committed to these arrangements via an Exchange of Notes with the UK on 19 April. The signing of the arrangement with Guernsey is expected shortly following their recent general election and formation of a new government. Implementation of the arrangement is anticipated to follow the same timescale as above.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-07-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the number of dogs in the UK (a) in 2010 and (b) on the latest date for which figures are available.

    George Eustice

    The Government does not hold any official estimates of the numbers of dogs in the UK. However, according to the annual pet population survey carried out by the Pet Food Manufacturers’ Association in 2010 there were an estimated 8 million dogs in the UK. The same survey for 2016 shows the estimated number of dogs in the UK to be 8.5 million.

  • Mark Menzies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Mark Menzies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Menzies on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what preparatory work is currently underway in her Department on the consultation on increasing the small claims limit from £1,000 to £5,000.

    Sir Oliver Heald

    Ministers are considering this issue and the Government will bring forward proposals in the coming months.

  • Ben Howlett – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Ben Howlett – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ben Howlett on 2015-11-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to work with businesses to improve the health of the workforce.

    Jane Ellison

    The Workplace Wellbeing Charter, published by Public Health England (PHE) provides a national standard for employers of all sizes and sectors with a systematic, evidence-based approach to workplace health improvement. The Charter is commissioned and coordinated by local authorities to support coherent action by businesses to improve the health of the local population.

    The Workplace Wellbeing Charter consolidates the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance relating to employer action. Organisations are accredited across critical areas such as leadership, specific health issues, systems for absence management and health and safety at three levels; commitment, achievement and excellence.

    PHE has worked with the Work@Health Centre, Alzheimer’s Society and British Heart Foundation and other partners to develop a series of topic based guides for businesses to support action on specific areas such as the food environment in workplaces and promoting physical activity and supporting carers.

    PHE is currently working with Business in the Community on a new resource for businesses focused specifically on addressing mental health issues building on the existing best practice and considering the transferable learning between business sectors and businesses of different sizes.

  • Karin Smyth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Karin Smyth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karin Smyth on 2016-01-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when his Department plans to make a decision on whether to refer for consideration by NICE PRRNT treatment for pancreatic cancers.

    George Freeman

    The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recently consulted stakeholders on the suitability of Lutetium-177 Dotatate – a type of peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) – for treating unresectable, somatostatin receptor-positive gastroentero-pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours without disease progression for referral to its technology appraisal work programme. A decision on its referral to NICE will be taken shortly.

  • Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-01-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether any person or body has sought disclosure of his Department’s legal advice on the drone strike that killed Reyaad Khan for purposes related to the inquiry by the Intelligence and Security Committee on that matter.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    I refer the hon. Member to the answer the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) gave to the hon. Member for Blaydon (Mr. Anderson) on Monday 25 January 2016, UIN23433.

  • Nicholas Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Nicholas Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Brown on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what duties apply to betting companies to ensure that vulnerable customers using their services gamble responsibly.

    David Evennett

    One of the three key licensing objectives set out in the Gambling Act 2005 is that vulnerable people should be protected from harm. All betting shop operators are required by the Gambling Commission’s Licence Conditions and Code of Practice (LCCP) to have policies and processes in place to meet this objective. In addition, the industry trade body, the Association of British Bookmakers (ABB), has a mandatory code of conduct which places additional social responsibility requirements on all of its members.

    The rate of problem gambling is at 0.6% of the adult population, which is lower than comparable jurisdictions (USA, South Africa or Australia). However we recognise that rates are significantly higher among some sections of the population, such as young men, and that gambling-related harm is a real and significant problem. The majority of current provision for treatment of problem gamblers is through the Responsible Gambling Trust’s funding of organisations such as GamCare, who provide a helpline and counselling services, and the Gordon Moody Association, which provides specialist residential treatment. Local treatment can be found through GPs and NHS addiction clinics, there is also a specialist NHS service treating gambling disorder, based in London.

    The Government is committed to ensuring that people are protected from being harmed or exploited by gambling. The Minister for Sport and Tourism has explained to the gambling industry that they are expected to demonstrate that they are improving existing player protection initiatives and evaluating the effects of previous initiatives. As the Minister said at the recent RGT harm minimisation conference, government and industry should never feel that there is an end point to social responsibility.

  • Maria Eagle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Maria Eagle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2016-03-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many artificial football pitches in which locations have been supported by funding from his Department since May 2015.

    David Evennett

    In the last year, £39 million has been invested across the country on artificial grass pitches in Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Hampshire, London, Manchester, Devon, Essex, Staffordshire, West Riding, Middlesex, Wiltshire, Durham, Liverpool, Lincolnshire, Staffordshire, North Riding, Lancashire, Hertfordshire, Birmingham Northumberland, Cambridgeshire, Cheshire, Nottinghamshire, Surrey, Dorset, Cumberland and East Riding. Further details on the individual grants awarded are available from the Football Foundation.

    The Government is also investing £8 million over the next 4 years in Parklife, to increase the number of full-size publicly accessible artificial grass pitches in England by 50 per cent. The Football Association is matching government funding, with further contributions from the Premier League and Local Authorities in this new £200 million grassroots facilities investment programme.

  • Ruth Smeeth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Ruth Smeeth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ruth Smeeth on 2016-04-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 11 April 2016 to Question 32350, how many compliance visits per employer that have taken place on Tier 2 ICT visa workers in the last 12 months.

    James Brokenshire

    In 2015 227 compliance visits were undertaken to Tier 2 sponsors who have the ability to sponsor individuals under the Tier 2 ICT route.