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Mr Speaker, may I thank you for that? May I tell my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister that, for 30 years, I have had the privilege and the honour to represent the great people of Chelmsford? May I tell her that the great people of Chelmsford are perspicacious and that they have always wanted a Government who provide strong defences, a strong economy and strong leadership? May I also tell her that it is the Conservative party under her strong leadership that will deliver for this country for the next five years?
Mr Speaker, may I thank you for that? May I tell my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister that, for 30 years, I have had the privilege and the honour to represent the great people of Chelmsford? May I tell her that the great people of Chelmsford are perspicacious and that they have always wanted a Government who provide strong defences, a strong economy and strong leadership? May I also tell her that it is the Conservative party under her strong leadership that will deliver for this country for the next five years?
I thank my right hon. Friend for the significant contribution that he has made for his constituents in Chelmsford, in this House and in government over his period of time here. He is absolutely right to say that his constituents will be looking for strong defences, a strong economy and the strong leadership that will build a more secure future for this country, and it is only a Conservative Government that can provide that.
I thank my right hon. Friend for the extremely kind and generous comments at the beginning of her answer. I welcome the fact that, following the recognition that more staff are needed at Chelmsford prison, new staff are now being trained up. Does she know when those staff are likely to come on stream, to ensure that we have the proper staffing levels and the proper protection for prison officers?
I thank my right hon. Friend for the extremely kind and generous comments at the beginning of her answer. I welcome the fact that, following the recognition that more staff are needed at Chelmsford prison, new staff are now being trained up. Does she know when those staff are likely to come on stream, to ensure that we have the proper staffing levels and the proper protection for prison officers?
The training period for a prison officer is 10 weeks, so we will see them come on stream very shortly. Since November, 43 job offers have been made for new prison officers at Chelmsford. Following our visit to Chelmsford prison, we announced a rise in starting salaries for prison officers there, so they will now be paid a minimum of £26,500.
What assessment she has made of the effect of increasing the number of prison staff on the (a) safety of prison officers and (b) capacity of prison staff to spend more time directly engaging with and supervising prisoners.
What assessment she has made of the effect of increasing the number of prison staff on the (a) safety of prison officers and (b) capacity of prison staff to spend more time directly engaging with and supervising prisoners.
I pay tribute to my right hon. Friend the Member for Chelmsford (Sir Simon Burns), whose 30 years in the House have been a joy to behold—although I have been here for only seven of them. We recently visited Chelmsford prison together, and I saw at first hand his commitment not only to his constituents but to the cause of improving prisons in this country. Chelmsford prison is one of the 10 prisons we selected for the early recruitment of prison officers. We said that 400 prison officers would be recruited by the end of March. I can confirm that they are now in training or in post in those prisons, including Chelmsford.
I warmly welcome what the Government are doing in this crucial area, but what work is being done with local authorities and social housing providers on the next stage, which is ensuring that there are enough homes for women and their families to return to that provide a safer environment?
I warmly welcome what the Government are doing in this crucial area, but what work is being done with local authorities and social housing providers on the next stage, which is ensuring that there are enough homes for women and their families to return to that provide a safer environment?
I reassure my right hon. Friend that we are working closely with housing associations on that important issue, and particularly on getting the funding stream right for supported housing. We are also working on bringing badly needed new supply on stream.
Given the importance of training new doctors and nurses to the future of the health service, will my right hon. Friend welcome the building, which will commence later this summer at the Anglia Ruskin University in Chelmsford, of a new medical school that is solely there to train doctors to meet the needs of people in Essex and beyond its borders?
Given the importance of training new doctors and nurses to the future of the health service, will my right hon. Friend welcome the building, which will commence later this summer at the Anglia Ruskin University in Chelmsford, of a new medical school that is solely there to train doctors to meet the needs of people in Essex and beyond its borders?
I absolutely welcome that, and I know my right hon. Friend has personally championed it as a local MP. The historical mistake that those on both sides of the House have made is not to do long-term workforce planning for the NHS, and that is something we want to put right.
Does my right hon. Friend accept that it is to be warmly welcomed that 31 out of 35 schools in Chelmsford will get increased funding as a result of the fairer funding programme? Of the four schools that will have modest decreases in funding, two are grammar schools, the funding of which will decrease owing to their relatively low number of pupils. Can anything be done to rectify that problem for two centres of academic excellence?
Does my right hon. Friend accept that it is to be warmly welcomed that 31 out of 35 schools in Chelmsford will get increased funding as a result of the fairer funding programme? Of the four schools that will have modest decreases in funding, two are grammar schools, the funding of which will decrease owing to their relatively low number of pupils. Can anything be done to rectify that problem for two centres of academic excellence?
My right hon. Friend is right that Chelmsford schools overwhelmingly gain from the shift to fairer funding. Our approach essentially sees money follow the child, with extra money for those pupils with extra needs. In our “Schools that work for everyone” consultation we set out our desire to see grammars take more young people from disadvantaged and lower family income backgrounds. If they do so, selective schools will also be able to benefit financially from that approach.
If she will make an assessment of the potential effect of the proposed new national funding formula on schools in Chelmsford.
If she will make an assessment of the potential effect of the proposed new national funding formula on schools in Chelmsford.
For Chelmsford, a shift to fairer funding would mean an overall increase in schools funding of 1.9%. We want schools and local areas to receive a consistent and fair share of the schools budget so that they can give every child the opportunity to reach their full potential. These are important reforms, and we must make sure we get them right. We want to hear a wide range of views through our consultation, which closes later this week.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the current status is of the application he has received from Anglia Ruskin University on establishing a new medical school; and what the timetable is for a decision on that application.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the current status is of the application he has received from Anglia Ruskin University on establishing a new medical school; and what the timetable is for a decision on that application.
The Department has not received a formal application from Anglia Ruskin University to establish a new medical school. It is the responsibility of the General Medical Council (GMC) to maintain the list of United Kingdom bodies entitled to award a primary medical qualification and therefore the GMC is responsible for the application process to determine whether new medical schools meet the required standards. Anglia Ruskin University has expressed interest in establishing a new medical school.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he has received an application from Anglia Ruskin University in Chelmsford to establish a new medical school.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he has received an application from Anglia Ruskin University in Chelmsford to establish a new medical school.
The Department has not received a formal application from Anglia Ruskin University to establish a new medical school. It is the responsibility of the General Medical Council (GMC) to maintain the list of United Kingdom bodies entitled to award a primary medical qualification and therefore the GMC is responsible for the application process to determine whether new medical schools meet the required standards. Anglia Ruskin University has expressed interest in establishing a new medical school.
Does my hon. Friend agree that the work that Chelmsford City Council is doing to tackle the totally unacceptable problem of rough sleeping in Chelmsford is both innovative and positive?
Does my hon. Friend agree that the work that Chelmsford City Council is doing to tackle the totally unacceptable problem of rough sleeping in Chelmsford is both innovative and positive?
I absolutely agree with my right hon. Friend. I thank him for his personal commitment to this issue and say to him that the work that Chelmsford is doing is being supported by nearly £1 million from the £50 million that the Secretary of State referred to.
What recent steps his Department has taken to help rough sleepers and homeless people.
What recent steps his Department has taken to help rough sleepers and homeless people.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what meetings representatives from NICE (a) have had and (b) plan to have with Pfizer during the consultation period for palbociclib (Ibrance) since the publication of the draft guidance on that drug on 3 February 2017.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what meetings representatives from NICE (a) have had and (b) plan to have with Pfizer during the consultation period for palbociclib (Ibrance) since the publication of the draft guidance on that drug on 3 February 2017.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has advised that a meeting with Pfizer to discuss the appraisal of palbociclib took place on 22 February 2017.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his policy to provide protections to NHS frontline staff against violent and dangerous patients similar to those provided for police and fire officers; and if he will make a statement.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his policy to provide protections to NHS frontline staff against violent and dangerous patients similar to those provided for police and fire officers; and if he will make a statement.
National Health Service staff are committed to providing health services and work hard to do so. They should not expect to suffer violence at work and this must not be tolerated. The priority is to prevent violence through measures to protect staff and by managing potentially risky situations before they escalate.
Employers in the NHS are responsible for assessing the risks of violence to their staff, for taking action to address these through prevention work, and for pursuing legal action when assaults do occur.
When incidents occur, the Department encourages the NHS to work with local police forces in seeking legal sanctions against anyone who is violent to staff. Joint working agreements on pursuing sanctions are in place between the NHS, the National Police Chiefs Council and the Crown Prosecution Service.
Next time he meets the Secretary of State, will my right hon. Friend tell him that if the current discussions between the US Department of Defence and the State Department lead to their recommending to President Trump that they put American ground troops in northern Syria to combat ISIS, the British Government will not be following them?
Next time he meets the Secretary of State, will my right hon. Friend tell him that if the current discussions between the US Department of Defence and the State Department lead to their recommending to President Trump that they put American ground troops in northern Syria to combat ISIS, the British Government will not be following them?
I have to tell my right hon. Friend that I am not aware of any such proposal. Nor do I think, having listened quite attentively to the language being
used by the White House and the State Department, that we are going to see the imminent contribution of ground troops in that theatre. Nevertheless, the advent of the Trump Administration does offer the possibility of new thinking on Syria and the hope of a new way forward.
Will the Minister tell the House what work her Department is doing to help small charities to secure public service contracts?
Will the Minister tell the House what work her Department is doing to help small charities to secure public service contracts?
My right hon. Friend raises a very important point. We all know that the voluntary sector has the ability to bring greater social value to our public services, but we also know that it can sometimes face barriers when up against more established providers. That is why we announced a new programme of measures in this area in December and why an implementation group chaired by Sir Martyn Lewis and attended by my hon. Friend the Member for Reading East (Mr Wilson), the Minister for Civil Society, met for the first time yesterday to lead our work on this issue.
If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities.
If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities.
Does my hon. Friend agree that voting is one of a citizen’s most important duties, and that introducing proof of ID would bring voting into line with other everyday transactions such as getting a mortgage or renting a car?
Does my hon. Friend agree that voting is one of a citizen’s most important duties, and that introducing proof of ID would bring voting into line with other everyday transactions such as getting a mortgage or renting a car?
I entirely agree with my right hon. Friend. When it comes to voting, there cannot be a more important transaction someone can make over five years than to democratically elect their Member of Parliament or councillor. It is right that that process is respected and that, as for so many other transactions in the modern world, we bring it up to date. It is not acceptable for someone simply to turn up at the voting booth, point out their name and claim that as their identity. That does not happen anywhere else. It is time to bring our democracy up to date.
Does my hon. Friend accept that although we are told that it is good to talk, Departments are making it infinitely more difficult for Members to contact private offices on behalf of their constituents due to inaccuracies and the withdrawal of the central register of private office numbers? Will the Minister tell us when the practice of putting communal numbers in the register will be stopped, and the individual numbers of Ministers’ private offices will be restored as they were, so that we can have proper communications between Ministers’ offices and Members on behalf of our constituents’ needs?
Does my hon. Friend accept that although we are told that it is good to talk, Departments are making it infinitely more difficult for Members to contact private offices on behalf of their constituents due to inaccuracies and the withdrawal of the central register of private office numbers? Will the Minister tell us when the practice of putting communal numbers in the register will be stopped, and the individual numbers of Ministers’ private offices will be restored as they were, so that we can have proper communications between Ministers’ offices and Members on behalf of our constituents’ needs?
I owe Members an apology for this. It is true that some of the telephone numbers in the directory were inaccurate and some were general numbers. The revision is being made quarterly—the next one is in March—and I have instructed all Departments to provide private office numbers, as Members rightly expect.
What his policy is on proposals to pilot voter identification measures in polling stations.
What his policy is on proposals to pilot voter identification measures in polling stations.
In our response to the review of electoral fraud by my right hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Sir Eric Pickles), we outlined our intention to run several pilot schemes in a number of local authority areas in 2018, the purpose of which is to test the impact on elections of asking electors to present identification before voting.
If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities.
If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities.