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Tag: Craig Whittaker

  • Craig Whittaker – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Craig Whittaker – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2015-10-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what account was taken of the effect on access to justice in rural areas in his Department’s consultation on the Provision of the Court and Tribunal Estate.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    Access to justice is not just about proximity to a court. We are committed to providing alternatives to travel, for example through making better use of technology, including video conferencing, and exploring whether we can appropriately make use of civic buildings for certain types of hearing.

    No decision has been taken to close any court. The consultation closed on 8 October and we are considering all responses carefully.

  • Craig Whittaker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Craig Whittaker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many HSA4 forms submitted in each month since 2010 are pending completion.

    Jane Ellison

    The information is not available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

  • Craig Whittaker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Craig Whittaker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the ability of non-registered medical professionals to gauge mental or physical health risks posed by a pregnancy for the purpose of judging whether or not the criteria of the Abortion Act 1967 are met.

    Jane Ellison

    The Abortion Act 1967 sets out that two doctors must certify that in their opinion, which must be formed in good faith, a request for an abortion meets at least one (and the same) of the grounds set out in the Act.

    The Department’s view that registered medical practitioners should be able to show how they have considered the particular facts of a case when forming their opinion, for example by making notes in the patient record. They should be able to defend how their decision was reached if asked to justify it at a later date.

  • Craig Whittaker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Craig Whittaker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his policy is on reporting to the police suspected criminal acts committed by doctors that are discovered by his Department and NHS England.

    Jane Ellison

    Allegations of breaches in the Abortion Act are taken extremely seriously. They will be referred to the police either as a result of these being brought to the Department’s attention or in the event of investigations by NHS England (under its contractual and general practitioner regulatory frameworks).

  • Craig Whittaker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Craig Whittaker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many doctors were referred to the police for investigation for crimes relating to the Abortion Act 1967 in each of the last 10 years; and how many such referrals resulted in (a) charges and (b) convictions.

    Jane Ellison

    No registered medical practitioners have been convicted of a breach of abortion law and no prosecutions have been brought in the past ten years.

  • Craig Whittaker – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

    Craig Whittaker – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

    The tribute made by Craig Whittaker, the Conservative MP for Calder Valley, in the House of Commons on 10 September 2022.

    I rise on behalf of my constituents of the Calder Valley to thank Her Majesty the Queen for her lifetime of service to us, her peoples, and to her country, the Commonwealth and the territories for all the very many reasons that have been mentioned here by colleagues over the past two days. I will not repeat them but will instead reflect on my own wonderful experiences of meeting Her Majesty.

    I am what I would call a true working-class lad. We emigrated to Australia when I was five. I am the son of a boilermaker and a seamstress. We were £10 Poms who emigrated to the once great steel and shipbuilding towns and cities of Australia.

    My first experience of seeing the Queen in real life was back in the late 1970s. I was just 15—Madam Deputy Speaker, I can see that you are aghast at that. I remember watching in awe as the Royal Yacht Britannia brought Her Majesty the Queen and Prince Philip to meet the then Australian Prime Minister, Malcolm Fraser. The amount of people who turned out to greet them was a magnificent sight. Never once then did I ever imagine that I would one day be Her Majesty’s Vice-Chamberlain and be having one-to-one audiences with her at Buckingham Palace.

    Let me briefly return to my working-class roots. When I left school, my mum was absolutely horrified that I went to work in an office. Such was the harshness of my background that she often asked why I did not get a proper job like my dad and my brother, who also had a trade—although, I would not change it for anything. This badgering from my mum has gone on my whole life. Even when I became an MP, in devilment she would say to me, “Just remind me what exactly is it that you do?”

    A few years ago, when my mum was in her late 70s, she came back to the UK from Australia for a holiday. It was around the same time as the State Opening of Parliament. Not telling her a thing, I brought her here to London for a visit. I got her a seat in the House of Lords Gallery, overlooking the Queen—straight in front of the Queen.

    Then, for good measure, I got her a seat in the Special Gallery on the Floor of the House, courtesy of Mr Speaker’s predecessor. No one has ever seen my mother speechless in her life, but I can tell you, Madam Deputy Speaker, that she was. I can also tell you that she has never once since said to me, “So tell me, what is it you actually do?”

    That was the power of the respect Her Majesty gained from every generation of Britons, my good old mum included. I will take to my dying day the ease I felt with and the compassion and the love I had for my Queen—our Queen—as her Vice-Chamberlain. Her interest in and knowledge of the Calder Valley or any subject we discussed was flawless. May you rest in peace, Your Majesty. You have more than deserved and earned your peace. God save the Queen, and God save the King.