First elected: 5th May 2005
Left House: 3rd May 2017 (Defeated)
Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.
These initiatives were driven by Nick Clegg, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.
Nick Clegg has not been granted any Urgent Questions
Nick Clegg has not been granted any Adjournment Debates
A Bill to make provision for a referendum on the voting system for parliamentary elections and to provide for parliamentary elections to be held under the alternative vote system if a majority of those voting in the referendum are in favour of that; to make provision about the number and size of parliamentary constituencies; and for connected purposes.
This Bill received Royal Assent on 16th February 2011 and was enacted into law.
Nick Clegg has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting
The Government has put in place reforms designed to deliver a secure transition to an affordable, low-carbon electricity system.
Our projections show that, based on current policies, we expect to see around a 50% reduction in total electricity generation from fossil fuels by 2030 compared to 2014*.
*Source: DECC 2014 Updated Annual Energy & Emissions Projections, Annex J https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/updated-energy-and-emissions-projections-2014
The Government is committed to securing an ambitious legally binding, global Agreement on climate change at the Conference of the Parties (COP) 21 to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Paris in December this year.
My right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, are actively engaging with their international counterparts ahead of negotiations in Paris. In June, the Prime Minister joined other G7 leaders in calling for an ambitious climate package to be agreed in Paris, strong language on future ambition and commitment to a long term decarbonisation. The Secretary of State is also engaging with her EU and international counterparts, NGOs and businesses to discuss how we can best deliver on our priorities for a Paris Agreement which includes emission reduction commitments from all countries and a regular review of mitigation ambition alongside a global long term goal, and a set of rules that ensure transparency and accountability of commitments to enable the world to track progress.
As part of the Parliamentary process, the Department will shortly publish an Impact Assessment that considers the potential effects of its proposals for closing the Renewables Obligation to onshore wind. This will be made available on the Department’s website.
The most recent prevalence survey estimated that 1 in 10 children have a diagnosable mental health disorder, and more have lower level problems. This is why the Government has made good mental health, character and resilience a high priority. The Department of Health is commissioning a new prevalence survey to update this estimate for a wider range of ages, from 2-19. It is due to report in 2018. We do not routinely collect data that allows us to measure the amount schools spend specifically on addressing mental health issues.
We are committed to better understanding what schools are doing on this matter, which is why my department is commissioning an extensive survey. This survey will provide a robust national picture of mental health support provided by schools and colleges.
It is for head teachers to determine how they spend their individual school budgets to best meet the needs of all their pupils. In the Spending Review we announced that the core schools budget will be protected in real terms through this Parliament. We are also protecting the Pupil Premium, which many schools use to fund mental health provision, at current pupil rates. Within these protections, we announced in December 2015 that an additional £92.5 million will specifically be provided in the high needs element of the Dedicated School Grant (DSG) next year.
We have also made £1.4 billion available over the next five years to transform local children and young people’s mental health services to deliver more integrated and accessible services. Clinical Commissioning Groups have been required to work with others services locally, including schools, to produce plans that set out how they will transform children and young people’s mental health services locally to make them more accessible and increase the focus on prevention.
We are also contributing to a £3 million joint pilot with NHS England for training single points of contact in schools and specialist mental health services, to ensure that children and young people have timely access to specialist support where needed. There are 22 pilot areas covering more than 200 schools across 27 CCGs.
The most recent prevalence survey estimated that 1 in 10 children have a diagnosable mental health disorder, and more have lower level problems. This is why the Government has made good mental health, character and resilience a high priority. The Department of Health is commissioning a new prevalence survey to update this estimate for a wider range of ages, from 2-19. It is due to report in 2018. We do not routinely collect data that allows us to measure the amount schools spend specifically on addressing mental health issues.
We are committed to better understanding what schools are doing on this matter, which is why my department is commissioning an extensive survey. This survey will provide a robust national picture of mental health support provided by schools and colleges.
It is for head teachers to determine how they spend their individual school budgets to best meet the needs of all their pupils. In the Spending Review we announced that the core schools budget will be protected in real terms through this Parliament. We are also protecting the Pupil Premium, which many schools use to fund mental health provision, at current pupil rates. Within these protections, we announced in December 2015 that an additional £92.5 million will specifically be provided in the high needs element of the Dedicated School Grant (DSG) next year.
We have also made £1.4 billion available over the next five years to transform local children and young people’s mental health services to deliver more integrated and accessible services. Clinical Commissioning Groups have been required to work with others services locally, including schools, to produce plans that set out how they will transform children and young people’s mental health services locally to make them more accessible and increase the focus on prevention.
We are also contributing to a £3 million joint pilot with NHS England for training single points of contact in schools and specialist mental health services, to ensure that children and young people have timely access to specialist support where needed. There are 22 pilot areas covering more than 200 schools across 27 CCGs.
The most recent prevalence survey estimated that 1 in 10 children have a diagnosable mental health disorder, and more have lower level problems. This is why the Government has made good mental health, character and resilience a high priority. The Department of Health is commissioning a new prevalence survey to update this estimate for a wider range of ages, from 2-19. It is due to report in 2018. We do not routinely collect data that allows us to measure the amount schools spend specifically on addressing mental health issues.
We are committed to better understanding what schools are doing on this matter, which is why my department is commissioning an extensive survey. This survey will provide a robust national picture of mental health support provided by schools and colleges.
It is for head teachers to determine how they spend their individual school budgets to best meet the needs of all their pupils. In the Spending Review we announced that the core schools budget will be protected in real terms through this Parliament. We are also protecting the Pupil Premium, which many schools use to fund mental health provision, at current pupil rates. Within these protections, we announced in December 2015 that an additional £92.5 million will specifically be provided in the high needs element of the Dedicated School Grant (DSG) next year.
We have also made £1.4 billion available over the next five years to transform local children and young people’s mental health services to deliver more integrated and accessible services. Clinical Commissioning Groups have been required to work with others services locally, including schools, to produce plans that set out how they will transform children and young people’s mental health services locally to make them more accessible and increase the focus on prevention.
We are also contributing to a £3 million joint pilot with NHS England for training single points of contact in schools and specialist mental health services, to ensure that children and young people have timely access to specialist support where needed. There are 22 pilot areas covering more than 200 schools across 27 CCGs.
As promised in our manifesto, we have committed to planting 11 million trees during this Parliament, which we plan to do primarily through the Rural Development Programme’s Countryside Stewardship scheme. This scheme aims to invest £18 million on new woodland planting each year.
We are also encouraging more tree planting in several other ways. For example, by attracting private investment in woodland creation through the Woodland Carbon Code and looking for ways to improve the Environmental Impact Assessment process. We are also helping to increase demand for wood by supporting forestry businesses to further increase their competitiveness, productivity and innovation, through other schemes under the Rural Development Programme.
We also remain strongly supportive of sector-led initiatives, such as Grown in Britain and the Roots to Prosperity strategy, in their work to grow demand for wood by further developing and strengthening the woodland economy from ground level up.
Detailed work is underway to establish the budget required for the Department for Exiting the European Union to fulfil its set-up and responsibilities. This budget will be voted on by Parliament at the Supplementary Estimate. Individual Secretaries of State will undertake an assessment of the requirements relevant to their own Departments.
The department is currently assessing the overall requirement for legal advice and the associated funding requirement over the next 12 months . To date the department has incurred an estimated total of £256,000 in fixed fee legal advice with the Government Legal Department and a further £12,711 in relation to additional billed fees and disbursements. No spend has been incurred in relation to external legal firms.
The department has already started drawing together expertise from a wide range of civil service departments where there is specific relevant knowledge. Plans for recruiting from outside of the Civil Service are being considered and detailed work is underway to establish the Department’s future budget requirements, including for external recruitment.
The department has not incurred any spend in relation to consultants since it was created. Detailed work is underway to establish the budget required to fulfil the functions, set-up and responsibilities of the Department.
The department has not incurred any spend in relation to consultants since it was created. Detailed work is underway to establish the budget required to fulfil the functions, set-up and responsibilities of the Department.
The Department for International Trade has a strong core of trade policy officials, which has quadrupled in size since 24 June and is continuing to grow. This includes policy and country specialists, as well as economic analysts and lawyers.
To date, recruitment has primarily been from within the Civil Service. We are currently running an external campaign for recruiting high quality individuals with a range of policy, negotiation and trade-specific skills and experience. This external campaign is ongoing.
The Department for International Trade (DIT) is building on its existing strong core of trade policy expertise. At this stage our primary focus is on developing policy positions, international relationships and our approach to future trade negotiations.
DIT, in conjunction with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has established the Trade Policy and Negotiations Faculty, dedicated to building trade policy and negotiations capability across HM Government.
The Faculty and DIT have already offered a range of training on trade policy:
These training sessions have been attended by over 800 officials from 19 Government departments and agencies.
The Department for International Trade (DIT) is building on its existing strong core of trade policy expertise. At this stage our primary focus is on developing policy positions, international relationships and our approach to future trade negotiations.
DIT, in conjunction with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has established the Trade Policy and Negotiations Faculty, dedicated to building trade policy and negotiations capability across HM Government.
The Faculty and DIT have already offered a range of training on trade policy:
These training sessions have been attended by over 800 officials from 19 Government departments and agencies.
DIT already has a strong and capable in-house legal team and has not needed to spend on external legal advice. In the next two years we will be developing our in-house team to build the expertise needed to deliver the best outcomes for the UK and position the UK as a global leader in free trade. We have also received many offers of pro bono support from the UK’s outstanding legal profession.
Following her appointment on 13 July 2016 the Prime Minister established the Department for International Trade (DIT). The DIT aggregates UK Trade and Investment (UKTI), UK Export and Finance (UKEF), Trade Policy Units from the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS), as well as some new hires.
Until such time as a transfer of functions order establishes the Secretary of State as a corporation sole, DIT remains a unified Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) department for accounting purposes.
Since the department was formed in July there have been no secondees appointed from the Private Sector. Secondees previously in post with syndicate organisations have moved across to DIT on legacy terms as tabled below. These are seconded from a number of companies and occupy different roles across the department and across grades.
| DIT Secondees | Monthly Costs |
Trade Policy & Ministerial (BEIS) | 1 | £0.00 |
International Trade & Investment (UKTI) | *12 | £14,299.27 |
UK Export Finance | 0 | - |
Total | 13 | £14,299.27 |
* The majority of secondees are funded by seconding companies. Costs are based on collective monthly salaries of DIT funded secondees.
The Department for International Trade already has a strong and capable trade policy team which has more than doubled in size since 23 June. In the next year we will be developing that team to build the world class negotiating strengths needed to deliver the best outcomes for the UK. They will have the depth and breadth of expertise to handle the full range of sectoral and cross-cutting issues that arise in trade agreements, supported by analysts and lawyers.
We are consulting the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee, other pharmacy bodies and patient and public representatives on our proposals. An impact assessment will be completed to inform final decisions and published in due course.
NHS England has a statutory duty to ensure the adequate provision of National Health Service pharmaceutical services across England and will ensure that duty continues to be met in Sheffield.
Community pharmacy is a vital part of the NHS and can play an even greater role. In the Spending Review, the Government re-affirmed the need for the NHS to deliver £22 billion in efficiency savings by 2020-21 as set out in the NHS’s own plan, the Five Year Forward View. Community pharmacy is a core part of NHS primary care and has an important contribution to make as the NHS rises to these challenges. The Government believes efficiencies can be made without compromising the quality of services or public access to them. Our aim is to ensure that those community pharmacies upon which people depend continue to thrive and so we are consulting on the introduction of a Pharmacy Access Scheme, which will provide more NHS funds to certain pharmacies compared to others, considering factors such as location and the health needs of the local population.
The Government’s vision is for a more efficient, modern system that will free up pharmacists to spend more time delivering clinical and public health services to the benefit of patients and the public.
The Department has not made a specific assessment of the contribution of community pharmacies to local minor ailment services, needle and syringe exchange services and other locally commissioned services. However, information available from the Health and Social Care Information Centre shows that during 2014/15, 1,863 community pharmacies were commissioned to provide local minor ailment services and 29 were commissioned to provide needle and syringe exchange services, as National Health Service pharmaceutical services. Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) and local authorities are, however, able to commission local services and it is very likely that local authorities commission needle and syringe exchange services from community pharmacies and CCGs commission minor ailment services. However, this information is not available nationally.
Community pharmacy is a vital part of the NHS and can play an important role in delivering services such as management of minor ailments locally, needle and syringe exchange services and other locally commissioned services. The Government’s vision is for a more efficient, modern system that will free up pharmacists to spend more time delivering high quality clinical and public health services to the benefit of patients and the public.
In the Spending Review the Government re-affirmed the need for the NHS to deliver £22 billion in efficiency savings by 2020/21 as set out in the NHS’s own plan, the Five Year Forward View. Community pharmacy is a core part of NHS primary care and has an important contribution to make as the NHS rises to these challenges. The Government believes efficiencies can be made without compromising the quality of services or public access to them. Our aim is to ensure that those community pharmacies upon which people depend continue to thrive and so we are consulting on the introduction of a Pharmacy Access Scheme, which will provide more NHS funds to certain pharmacies compared to others, considering factors such as location and the health needs of the local population.
Our proposals are about improving services for patients and the public and securing efficiencies and savings. A consequence may be the closure of some pharmacies but that is not our aim. The community pharmacy proposals for 2016/17 and beyond, on which we have consulted, are being considered in respect to the public sector equality duty, the family test and relevant duties of the Secretary of State under the NHS Act 2006. An impact assessment will be completed to inform final decisions and published in due course.
Local commissioning and funding of services from community pharmacies will be unaffected by these proposals.
NHS England has taken account of the potential impact of a pharmacy minor ailments service on general practitioner services and other parts of the NHS. The findings of the Minor Ailment study (‘MINA’ study), conducted by the University of Aberdeen, in collaboration with NHS Grampian and the University of East Anglia, on behalf of Pharmacy Research UK in 2014, were considered. In addition, evaluations of local minor ailments schemes have continued to inform decision-making about local commissioning of such schemes.
Information is not collected centrally on the number of prescriptions issued. However, information is available on the number of prescription items dispensed for Sativex in England between 2010 and 20141.
Sativex prescription items written in the United Kingdom and dispensed in the community in England | ||
| Prescription items (000s) | Net ingredient cost (£000s) 2 |
2010 | 2.5 | 841.8 |
2011 | 3.0 | 1,185.0 |
2012 | 2.8 | 1,141.0 |
2013 | 2.8 | 1,158.1 |
2014 | 2.7 | 1,148.3 |
Source: Prescription Cost Analysis system data provided by the Health and Social Care Information Centre
Notes:
1 2015 full year data will be published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre on 7 April 2016 and will be available using the following link:
http://www.hscic.gov.uk/pubs/prescostanalysiseng2015
2 Net ingredient cost is the basic cost of a drug. It does not take account of discounts, dispensing costs, fees or prescription charges income.
We have made no such estimates.
Herbal cannabis is not licensed as a medicine and, under section 7(4) of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, a pharmacist would need to obtain a licence from the Home Office if they were to dispense cannabis.
We have made no such estimates.
Herbal cannabis is not licensed as a medicine and, under section 7(4) of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, a pharmacist would need to obtain a licence from the Home Office if they were to dispense cannabis.
NHS England is statutorily accountable for ensuring that patients have access to a general practitioner (GP) practice. In the event of a practice closure, NHS England will assess the need for a replacement provider before dispersing a list when a GP surgery closes. A decision to disperse a list will be made on the basis that there is capacity in neighbouring practices to absorb the additional patient numbers.
To assess GP service provision in an area, NHS England works with the Care Quality Commission and local clinical commissioning groups. The Primary Care Outcomes Framework is published nationally and is derived from data submitted by individual practices on service levels and outcomes alongside national patient survey data on patient satisfaction. In terms of overall strategy, the provision of primary care will be part of the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) which is published in each local authority area and reported through the local Health & Well-being Board. The JSNA will identify any gaps and risks in the provision of primary care to the local population which, in turn, will then inform commissioning strategies for that area.
There is no national guidance on the ratio of patients to doctors in GP practices. In recent years, the development of the wider primary care teams (with nurses, healthcare assistants, pharmacists and therapists) means that a focus on the ratio of patients to doctors has less meaning than in previous years. The national workforce survey allows NHS England to benchmark individual practices in terms of the staffing to patient ratio.
NHS England is statutorily accountable for ensuring that patients have access to a general practitioner (GP) practice. In the event of a practice closure, NHS England will assess the need for a replacement provider before dispersing a list when a GP surgery closes. A decision to disperse a list will be made on the basis that there is capacity in neighbouring practices to absorb the additional patient numbers.
To assess GP service provision in an area, NHS England works with the Care Quality Commission and local clinical commissioning groups. The Primary Care Outcomes Framework is published nationally and is derived from data submitted by individual practices on service levels and outcomes alongside national patient survey data on patient satisfaction. In terms of overall strategy, the provision of primary care will be part of the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) which is published in each local authority area and reported through the local Health & Well-being Board. The JSNA will identify any gaps and risks in the provision of primary care to the local population which, in turn, will then inform commissioning strategies for that area.
There is no national guidance on the ratio of patients to doctors in GP practices. In recent years, the development of the wider primary care teams (with nurses, healthcare assistants, pharmacists and therapists) means that a focus on the ratio of patients to doctors has less meaning than in previous years. The national workforce survey allows NHS England to benchmark individual practices in terms of the staffing to patient ratio.
NHS England is statutorily accountable for ensuring that patients have access to a general practitioner (GP) practice. In the event of a practice closure, NHS England will assess the need for a replacement provider before dispersing a list when a GP surgery closes. A decision to disperse a list will be made on the basis that there is capacity in neighbouring practices to absorb the additional patient numbers.
To assess GP service provision in an area, NHS England works with the Care Quality Commission and local clinical commissioning groups. The Primary Care Outcomes Framework is published nationally and is derived from data submitted by individual practices on service levels and outcomes alongside national patient survey data on patient satisfaction. In terms of overall strategy, the provision of primary care will be part of the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) which is published in each local authority area and reported through the local Health & Well-being Board. The JSNA will identify any gaps and risks in the provision of primary care to the local population which, in turn, will then inform commissioning strategies for that area.
There is no national guidance on the ratio of patients to doctors in GP practices. In recent years, the development of the wider primary care teams (with nurses, healthcare assistants, pharmacists and therapists) means that a focus on the ratio of patients to doctors has less meaning than in previous years. The national workforce survey allows NHS England to benchmark individual practices in terms of the staffing to patient ratio.
NHS England is statutorily accountable for ensuring that patients have access to a general practitioner (GP) practice. In the event of a practice closure, NHS England will assess the need for a replacement provider before dispersing a list when a GP surgery closes. A decision to disperse a list will be made on the basis that there is capacity in neighbouring practices to absorb the additional patient numbers.
To assess GP service provision in an area, NHS England works with the Care Quality Commission and local clinical commissioning groups. The Primary Care Outcomes Framework is published nationally and is derived from data submitted by individual practices on service levels and outcomes alongside national patient survey data on patient satisfaction. In terms of overall strategy, the provision of primary care will be part of the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) which is published in each local authority area and reported through the local Health & Well-being Board. The JSNA will identify any gaps and risks in the provision of primary care to the local population which, in turn, will then inform commissioning strategies for that area.
There is no national guidance on the ratio of patients to doctors in GP practices. In recent years, the development of the wider primary care teams (with nurses, healthcare assistants, pharmacists and therapists) means that a focus on the ratio of patients to doctors has less meaning than in previous years. The national workforce survey allows NHS England to benchmark individual practices in terms of the staffing to patient ratio.
Comprehensive data is not held centrally. Practices may close for a variety of reasons, including mergers with neighbouring practices or the retirement of general practitioners from single-handed practices.
The Government is united in its ambition to deliver a successful exit from the European Union. All departments are therefore working hard to identify the resources required and reallocate to this priority area. There is currently no estimate of the proportion of civil service operating costs reallocated to EU exit matters, as individual departments are responsible for managing their own budgets. Additional resource has been provided to DExEU to support the re-negotiation of the UK’s relationship with the EU, as well as to DIT and FCO to strengthen trade policy capability.
We are committed to ongoing cooperation with the EU on security and law enforcement. Our relationship with the EU will change as a result of leaving the EU but the details of our participation in practical cooperation measures that currently facilitate cooperation will be subject to negotiations.
It is too early to speculate at this stage what future arrangements may look like but we will do what is necessary to keep people safe.
The Migration Statistics Quarterly Report (MSQR), which provides a quarterly summary of long-term international migration statistics, includes data relating to general refusals at the UK border.
The information requested is not collated on centrally held statistical databases and could only be produced at disproportionate cost by examination of individual case files.
Applications for documentation certifying permanent residence are refused where they do not meet the requirements set out in EU law in the Free Movement Directive. The Free Movement Directive is clear that those who wish to rely on periods of residence as a student or self-sufficient person must have held comprehensive sickness insurance in order for their residence to count towards permanent residence status.
The Home Office does not collect data on this.
Decisions on disposal options for those who possess cannabis for any reason are an operational matter for the police and the Crown Prosecution Service.
No personal import licences for cannabis based medication or any other schedule 1 substances have been granted in the last five years for either EU or non-EU citizens. Cannabis and preparations of cannabis are controlled Class B drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and listed in Schedule 1 to the Misuse of Drugs 2001 Regulations (MDR).
The Home Office operates a policy of issuing personal import licenses, in limited circumstances, to those travelling with controlled drugs listed in Schedule 2 – 4 (Part I) of the MDR and which are prescribed for personal use. This policy does not apply to Schedule 1 substances.
The Home Office does not collect data on this.
Decisions on disposal options for those who possess cannabis for any reason are an operational matter for the police and the Crown Prosecution Service.
Sheffield City Council has not approached the Department for any discussions on the Assets of Community Value scheme.
There is no specific appeals process in place to enable a community to appeal against the rejection of an asset of community value application. If the nominating group feel that the local authority has not followed the due legal process in reaching a decision, the nominating group may bring any such irregularities to the attention of the local authority’s monitoring officer. In addition, if new evidence comes to light to support the case for the asset being listed, the community are able to re-nominate the asset.
The Government has not issued guidance to local authorities on assessing the social and economic value of their local pubs. However, the British Beer and Pub Association estimate that each pub contributes £80,000 each year to its local economy and that the UK pubs industry as a whole supports 900,000 jobs.
The Department has made no specific assessment of the effectiveness of the scheme in protecting community pubs in Sheffield or in England, although my officials are undertaking a review of the implementation of the policy in relation to all assets across the country. They are engaging a broad range of stakeholders - local authorities, community groups, property owners - to listen to their reflections and experiences concerning the policy and any evidence on how the Community Right to Bid is working in practice. The Community Right to Bid is seen by many stakeholders as a powerful way for local people to send a clear signal to their local authorities and to owners of assets that they are keen to have say on the future of buildings which are central to their lives.
Local planning authorities have the power to make a Tree Preservation Order to protect trees of amenity value in urban areas. With limited exceptions, it is an offence to cut down, top, lop, uproot, or wilfully damage or destroy a tree protected by an Order, without the authority’s permission. Our web-based planning guidance, Tree Preservation Orders and trees in conservation areas, supports authorities in the exercise of these powers.