Category: Speeches

  • Stewart Malcolm McDonald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stewart Malcolm McDonald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stewart Malcolm McDonald on 2016-10-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will bring forward proposals for secondary legislation to revise the list of medical conditions covered by the industrial injuries disablement benefit.

    Penny Mordaunt

    Any suggestion to add diseases to the prescribed list is first considered by the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council. The Secretary of State then considers this advice, taking into account potential impacts and any other relevant considerations.

  • George Howarth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    George Howarth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by George Howarth on 2015-11-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the additional travel costs likely to be incurred by people not resident in Halton, of commuting using the bridge, arising from the Mersey Gateway Project in the first year that bridge is open.

    Andrew Jones

    The Department does not hold the information requested.

  • Mark Tami – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Mark Tami – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Tami on 2015-12-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department (a) holds and (b) publishes on the rating and qualifications of driving instructors.

    Andrew Jones

    Approved Driving Instructors (ADI) are required to successfully pass a three part qualification process to gain access to the Register of Approved Driving Instructors and to periodically undergo further reassessment, through a standards check, to demonstrate that they have maintained the minimum level of instructional ability to remain on the register.All of these assessments are conducted by specially trained Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) examiners; the Agency does not hold any information about external qualifications attained by instructors.

    Instructors are graded following the standards check based upon their level of performance. Whilst the overall number of ADIs at each grade is published on a quarterly basis, the Agency has never routinely published the grading of individual instructors.DVSA is, however, taking steps to allow ADIs to voluntarily publish their grading through its on-line Find Your Nearest instructor facility on GOV.UK.DVSA is also in discussion with the ADI National Association Strategic Partnership with regards the development of an earned recognition scheme, the principle being that instructors which voluntarily demonstrate compliance with standards would earn recognition from the Agency and benefit from reduced oversight and reassessment.As part of this, DVSA is also exploring what additional information about instructors could be published to enable consumers to make a more informed choice as to which ADI best meets their learning needs.

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-01-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is considering to reduce (a) CO2 and (b) NOx emissions for HGVs (i) domestically and (ii) at EU Level.

    Andrew Jones

    The Government has implemented measures to encourage cleaner and more fuel efficient HGVs including through the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation, the £11m Low Carbon Truck Trial, and our £25m Advanced Biofuels Demonstration Competition. The Department for Transport is currently leading a review of options to further reduce CO2 emissions from the freight sector.

    In December 2015 the Government published the UK air quality plan for nitrogen dioxide. Under this plan some older polluting vehicles, including lorries, will be discouraged from entering a number of city centres as one of a number of measures that will ensure the UK meets legal limit values outside London by 2020. Together with the existing Low, and forthcoming Ultra Low, Emission Zone in London, and other complementary measures in the Capital, this will encourage the uptake of lower emission HGVs.

  • Andrew Murrison – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Andrew Murrison – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health on the effectiveness of adult social care in facilitating an efficient return to the community after hospital treatment.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    I meet regularly with colleagues at the Department of Health, including discussions about the £5.3 billion Better Care Fund, which has a key role in helping people get home quickly after they have been in hospital.

  • Lord Campbell of Pittenweem – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord Campbell of Pittenweem – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Campbell of Pittenweem on 2016-02-25.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what priority they attach to acquiring and deploying unmanned carrier-launched surveillance and strike aircraft.

    Earl Howe

    The Queen Elizabeth Class carriers will have an extensive flight deck with hangar and engineering support facilities, which can be utilised to operate and sustain autonomous systems. The Royal Navy recognises that such systems offer a unique opportunity to maintain its operational advantage and it continues to explore how they could augment its capabilities in the future.

  • Douglas Carswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Douglas Carswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2016-03-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effect on unemployed people starting employment of the time taken by the Disclosure and Barring Service to process applications.

    Karen Bradley

    In the vast majority of cases, disclosure certificates are issued in a timely manner. Performance data relating to February 2016 indicates that average processing time for Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) applications was 15 days. It is important that checks undertaken are thorough and a proportion of the applications received by the DBS need to be referred to one or more police forces as part of the enhanced disclosure process.

    The DBS is reliant on police forces completing their checks in a timely manner. A small number of forces have experienced difficulties in meeting the service level agreements in place between the DBS and each force. Whilst no assessment has been made of the impact of timeliness on unemployed customers, it is recognised that delays may create problems for some people. The DBS is working closely with those forces whose performance does not meet turnaround time targets. We will not compromise when it comes to the safety of children and vulnerable adults.

    The number of applications to the DBS from people living in the Clacton constituency that have taken more than 60 days to process in the last 12 months is listed in the table below.

    Month

    Number of certificates issued by DBS to applicants in Clacton constituency

    Applications that took longer than 60 days

    March 2015– February 2016

    5,707

    322
  • Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne Main on 2016-04-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 18 April 2016 to Question 32700, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) extent to which clinical need can be determined in the absence of a comprehensive specialist initial assessment and (b) extent to which Local Transformation Plans assess need.

    Alistair Burt

    Whilst there are a range of health care professionals, for example youth workers and teachers, who deliver interventions and support for children and young people with mental health conditions, clinical need should be determined by a specialist initial assessment in line with guidance produced by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

    To improve awareness and knowledge of children and young people’s mental health, the Department of Health has invested £3 million into expanding MindEd, which is a free e-learning platform, so that those in contact with children can better recognise when help is needed and can ensure they get it.

    MindEd for Families was also recently launched on 21 April, funded by the Department for Education, to improve knowledge and awareness, reduce stigma and improve parents and carers’ ability to intervene early in mental health issues.

    In developing local transformation plans, local areas were asked to work with their key partners across health, education, youth justice and local authorities, and crucially, involving young people and their families, to agree locally how best to meet the mental health needs of children and young people in their local populations. These plans should address the full spectrum of mental health, from prevention and resilience building, to support and care for existing and emerging mental health problems, as well as transitions between services.

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-06-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what progress his Department has made on returning to political negotiations to end the conflict in Yemen; and what assessment he has made of the effect of the UK’s support for the Saudi-led coalition on achieving this aim.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The UK supports the Saudi Arabian-led Coalition military intervention in Yemen, which came at the request of legitimate President Hadi to deter aggression by the Houthis and forces loyal to the former president Saleh. Saudi Arabia and the Coalition have played a crucial role in this endeavour. Peace talks are now the top priority. During the Foreign Secretary’s visit to the Gulf in late May and early June, all countries reassured of their commitment to finding a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Yemen. The UK is working closely with the UN to encourage the Yemeni parties to engage in good faith in the peace talks in Kuwait and respect the ceasefire which started on 10 April. Through the cross-government Conflict, Stability and Security Fund, we are providing £1.05 million (over 2 financial years) to the UN Special Envoy’s office to bolster UN capacity to facilitate the peace process, and are also supporting work to broaden the dialogue to include women and other under-represented groups.

  • Andrew Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Andrew Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will commission an urgent review of safety on the A34.

    Mr John Hayes

    Highways England regularly reviews safety issues on all routes on the strategic road network and it currently has plans to install new technical measures on the A34, as one of the schemes in the Road Investment Strategy, to ease congestion and improve safety and incident management. The Department is not minded to carry out a further review at this time.