The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Fabricant on 2016-01-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, which countries have not had an official visit by a Minister in his Department since May 2010.
Joseph Johnson
The information requested could only be provided at disproportionate cost. However details of Ministers’ overseas travel are published quarterly on the Gov.uk website:
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Fabricant on 2016-07-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to introduce a new passport with a navy blue cover for the UK following the exit of the UK from the EU; and if she will make a statement.
Mr Robert Goodwill
There are no immediate plans for changes to the format or colour of the UK passport. Parliament will be informed of any changes to the passport following UK withdrawal from the European Union.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Fabricant on 2016-01-04.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many non-British EEA nationals with a National Insurance number who arrived in the UK prior to four years ago (a) paid National Insurance contributions, (b) paid PAYE income tax and (c) claimed benefits or tax credits in the last year.
Mr David Gauke
Calculating the number of individuals who were paying PAYE income tax and National Insurance contributions who were citizens of the EEA when they first registered for a National Insurance Number is complex and cannot be done quickly. However, HM Revenue and Customs are planning to produce further information early in 2016 on this issue, once it has been properly collated.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Fabricant on 2016-09-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress his Department has made on delivering the UK’s contribution to NATO’s enhanced forward presence in eastern Europe; and if he will make a statement.
Michael Fallon
The UK will be the Framework Nation for NATO’s enhanced Forward Presence in Estonia. Detailed planning is now underway with NATO and our Estonian hosts, and with the Governments of France and Denmark, who have indicated that they will deploy forces alongside us.
As agreed at the Warsaw Summit, our enhance Forward Presence forces will deploy in Spring 2017.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Fabricant on 2016-01-04.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many non-British EEA nationals with a National Insurance number who arrived in each of the last four years (a) paid National Insurance contributions, (b) paid PAYE income tax and (c) claimed benefits or tax credits in the last year.
Mr David Gauke
Calculating the number of individuals who were paying PAYE income tax and National Insurance contributions who were citizens of the EEA when they first registered for a National Insurance Number is complex and cannot be done quickly. However, HM Revenue and Customs are planning to produce further information early in 2016 on this issue, once it has been properly collated.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Fabricant on 2016-10-10.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to publish an updated edition of Ministerial Responsibilities.
Ben Gummer
An updated version of the list of Ministerial Responsibilities will be published shortly.
The parliamentary question asked by Michael Fabricant, the Conservative MP for Lichfield, in the House of Commons on 8 December 2022.
Michael Fabricant (Lichfield) (Con)
Whether he is taking steps to increase the number of senior civil servants recruited from the private sector.
The Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General (Jeremy Quin)
We have strengthened the policy of advertising senior civil service jobs externally by default. To increase private sector recruitment and attract a broader range of applicants, new guidance will support Departments working with external search providers to identify new and experienced talent to join our excellent colleagues delivering for the country.
Michael Fabricant
But it is not just about senior civil servants. I think middle-ranking and junior civil servants could also benefit from a fresh influx of the dynamism and different attitudes that people from the private sector may enjoy, so why is my right hon. Friend not chasing those people for middle-ranking civil service positions too?
Jeremy Quin
My hon. Friend is always the very embodiment of dynamism. I absolutely agree: there is a huge amount of talent that we seek, and I am delighted to say that our focus is not just on the senior civil service. We wish to go and get the very best all the way through. Our apprenticeship schemes have been launched for the next three years, and we want to have 5% of the entire civil service formed of apprentices. That is yet another example of how we are reaching out to all starters to make certain that we get the very best talent.
The parliamentary question asked by Michael Fabricant, the Conservative MP for Lichfield, in the House of Commons on 6 December 2022.
Michael Fabricant (Lichfield) (Con)
What recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on increasing the number of university places for medical students; and if he will make a statement.
The Minister of State, Department of Health and Social Care (Will Quince)
The Department has commissioned NHS England to develop a long-term workforce plan. That plan will help to ensure that we have the right numbers of staff, including doctors with the right skills, to deliver high-quality services fit for the future. The plan will be independently verified. We have funded 1,500 more medical school places in England and opened five new medical schools in Sunderland, Lancashire, Chelmsford, Lincoln and Canterbury, and there are record numbers of medical students in training.
Michael Fabricant
I thank my hon. Friend for his answer. He will know that it takes five or six gruelling years to get a Bachelor of Medicine or a Bachelor of Surgery degree—or Doctor of Medicine in Scotland—but many students, having graduated, think that they would prefer more structured development by working as hospital doctors. What can we do to encourage young graduates to go into general practice?
Will Quince
We have record numbers going into general practice, which is the remit of the Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, my hon. Friend the Member for Harborough (Neil O’Brien), but part of the plan is to make it more attractive through practice improvement through cloud-based telephony, the additional roles reimbursement scheme, the 24,000 extra staff in primary care, developing multi-function staff so that people can develop their skills and have specialism but still practise as a GP, increasing the use of pharmacy, moving towards more continuity of care and the new GP contract for 2024-25.
Chris Bryant (Rhondda) (Lab)
But when are we going to see the workforce plan? The other day I spoke to a radiologist who runs a radiology department. There are meant to be 15, but there are only five and they have not had a single person apply. It needs more radiologists and radiographers. We have a national shortage of dermatologists, which is one reason why skin cancers are not being picked up, and a national shortage of pathologists and histopathologists. We need a dramatic increase in the number of people working in the NHS. When are we going to see that workforce plan?
Will Quince
As I said, we have committed to publishing a comprehensive workforce strategy, which, as the Chancellor set out, will be independently verified. That will come soon. We have also set out new pension flexibilities. However, it is important to point out that we have 29,000 more nurses and we are on track to meet our 50,000 target. We have 3,700 more doctors compared with last year, 9,100 extra nurses and 2,300 more GPs.
The parliamentary question asked by Michael Fabricant, the Conservative MP for Lichfield, in the House of Commons on 17 November 2022.
Michael Fabricant (Lichfield) (Con)
The Leader of the Opposition correctly said that Russia is losing this war. Like a wounded animal, it is now lashing out with weapons from, we believe, Iran and North Korea. Was any consideration given to additional sanctions on those two countries and possibly excluding Russia from membership of the G20?
The Prime Minister
The G20 is not like the G7. It is a broader grouping of countries that works by consensus, so it is not possible to expel Russia in the same way, but my hon. Friend will take comfort from our using the opportunity to unequivocally condemn Russia’s actions. With regard to sanctions on Iran and others, he will be aware that we have recently imposed new sanctions on Iran that relate specifically to the treatment of protesters in the recent demonstrations. That is the right thing to do as the behaviour of the Iranian regime is not acceptable and we should hold it to account.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Fabricant on 2015-10-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with the Welsh Government on (a) the mandatory display by restaurants of ratings and (b) empowering local authorities to charge restaurants for reassessment under the Food Standards Agency’s food hygiene rating scheme; if he will bring forward legislative proposals to make the display of such ratings by restaurants mandatory; and if he will make a statement.
Jane Ellison
The Food Standards Agency is collecting evidence on the effectiveness of the mandatory display of Food Hygiene Ratings Scheme ratings. The Government will consider this evidence carefully once it is available.