Category: Speeches

  • Martyn Day – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Martyn Day – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Martyn Day on 2016-07-13.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of the change in the value of the pound since following the EU referendum on private pension funds.

    Simon Kirby

    There has been some turbulence in financial markets following the vote to leave the EU, including a sharp adjustment to the price of sterling. However, markets have continued to function effectively, and we will continue to work closely with the Bank of England to provide stability and support to markets. HM Treasury does not make direct assessments of the value and funding position of private pension funds.

  • Tom Tugendhat – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Tom Tugendhat – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Tugendhat on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 13 September 2016 to Question 45646, on what basis she will make recommendations to HM Treasury on allocation of remaining funding from the £700 million uplift to flood defence and resilience measures.

    Dr Thérèse Coffey

    Proposals to improve flood defences are made by Defra and its agencies on the basis of the economic benefits, which are assessed in terms of the potential flood damages avoided, the current level of risk and the number homes that would be better protected by the scheme.

  • Jess Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jess Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2016-10-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what (a) financial and (b) childcare support is offered to young women who work as apprentices in the (i) engineering, (ii) manufacturing, (iii) hospitality, (iv) IT, (v) transport and (vi) science sectors.

    Robert Halfon

    An apprenticeship is a paid job. As an apprentice, an individual can acquire skills much-valued in the labour market without having to contribute to the costs of their learning. The benefits system treats an apprentice in the same way as any other employee regardless of the sector they are working in. As an employee aged 18 or over, an apprentice may be entitled to the usual in-work benefits, such as Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credits.

    If an apprentice has children, or is aged 16 or over and does paid work of at least 16 hours a week, they could qualify for tax credits, unless they are already earning £25,000 or more per year. Further information can be found on the tax credit section of the HMRC website.

    The Apprentice National Minimum Wage applies equally to all apprentices regardless of gender. Most apprentices receive more than the apprentice minimum rate of £3.40 per hour. The latest Apprenticeship Pay Survey (2014) estimates that the median hourly pay for Level 2 and Level 3 female apprentices across Great Britain is £6.36. For males it was £6.19. Differences in pay may be related to the proportion of males and females in higher and lower paid apprenticeship occupations.

  • Nick Hurd – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Nick Hurd – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Hurd on 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the cost effectiveness of (a) cataract surgery, (b) correction of refractive error, (c) interventions against trachoma and (d) other public health interventions.

    Grant Shapps

    DFID uses evidence on the cost-effectiveness of health interventions to inform DFID investment decisions. This includes the World Health Organisation CHOICE (CHOosing Interventions that are Cost-Effective) project that provides detailed cost-effectiveness estimates of a large number of interventions to reduce risks to health, including many causes of blindness. DFID’s aim is to maximise health gains through targeted, cost-effective health interventions that are delivered through strengthened, more efficient and effective health systems.

    Every DFID project is rigorously appraised before approval. During implementation each project is regularly monitored to examine whether the targeted results are on track, whether the project represents value for money and remains cost effective, and what, if any, corrective action needs to be undertaken. DFID considers alternative approaches and cost-effectiveness, amongst other factors, whenever we make an investment. The best value for money in a given country at a given time will depend on many factors, including the local context and what others are doing.

  • Lord Mendelsohn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Lord Mendelsohn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mendelsohn on 2015-12-15.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government on what date the full impact assessment for the Trade Union Bill will be published.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    The Government intends to publish the impact assessment for the Trade Union Bill before Lords’ Committee stage.

  • Phil Boswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Phil Boswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Phil Boswell on 2016-01-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policy on apprenticeships of the finding of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in its report, Engineered in Britain, published in December 2015, that more than half of manufacturers think that a lack of skilled people is the biggest danger to UK manufacturing.

    Nick Boles

    Skills policy is a devolved area so the Devolved Administrations have complete flexibility over how to support businesses in all sectors to ensure there are sufficient skilled workers. In England, our 2020 Vision sets out how we will reach 3 million apprenticeship starts by 2020. We are supporting the growth of apprenticeships in all sectors by working with large and small businesses to begin or expand their programmes, setting new expectations for public sector bodies, and through public procurement.

    Employer-led reforms continue to improve the quality of apprenticeships, with employers designing new apprenticeship standards that fully meet their skills needs. Employers in the advanced manufacturing and engineering sector are involved in developing apprenticeship standards in over 30 occupations, including aerospace engineer and manufacturing engineer.

  • The Earl of Clancarty – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The Earl of Clancarty – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Earl of Clancarty on 2016-02-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when British military liaison began with Saudi Arabia regarding its intervention in Yemen.

    Earl Howe

    The UK and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have a long history of defence co-operation and this involves an ongoing defence engagement relationship.

    In addition, we have deployed a small number of military personnel serving as liaison officers in Saudi headquarters to provide insight into Saudi operations in Yemen. These liaison officers are not involved in the targeting process – whether it be selection, decision-making or directing.

    The first of these liaison officers was deployed in May 2015.

  • Craig Whittaker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Craig Whittaker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2016-03-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of the UN and African Union missions in South Sudan; and what discussions he has had with the UN since the publication of its report, Assessment Mission by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to improve human rights, accountability, reconciliation and capacity in South Sudan: detailed findings, published March 2016.

    James Duddridge

    The UK is deeply concerned by the findings of the African Union Commission of Inquiry (AU-COI) report and the recent UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) assessment. Both reports detail appalling levels of human rights violations and abuses, including widespread levels of sexual violence, and that these may constitute war crimes and/or crimes against humanity.

    We are pressing for action on multiple levels. We are raising our serious concerns directly with the government in Juba, and when I visited South Sudan in January 2016 I pressed both the President and the Foreign Minister on human rights issues. At the same time, we are also encouraging the African Union to establish the Hybrid Court for South Sudan and pressing the UN Security Council to agree an arms embargo. At the UN Human Rights Council we are pressing for a UN Special Rapporteur to be agreed and the OHCHR report’s findings to be followed up on. We will continue to work to ensure those who are responsible for abuses are held to account.

  • Jeremy Lefroy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Jeremy Lefroy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeremy Lefroy on 2016-04-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many payments under the Basic Payments Scheme 2015 had not been made to farmers in Stafford constituency by the Rural Payments Agency by 31 March 2016.

    George Eustice

    As of 31 March 2016, the Rural Payments Agency had paid 168 (80%) of the 211 eligible Basic Payment Scheme 2015 claims received in Stafford constituency. To date 191 had been paid and the agency has announced that those customers who do not receive a claim payment in April will be provided a bridging payment. Bridging payments will be around half of their claim value.

  • Baroness Featherstone – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Baroness Featherstone – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Featherstone on 2016-05-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the carbon savings that could result from increasing the use of biofuels in UK aviation.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The Government believes sustainable aviation fuels are of strategic importance, both in reducing carbon emissions and to drive the development of an advanced biofuels industry in the UK.

    Those developing sustainable aviation biofuels were eligible to apply for funding under the Department’s Advanced Biofuel Demonstration Competition, the winners of which were announced last September.

    In early 2015 a Transport Energy Taskforce including aviation industry experts considered, amongst other things, the potential for sustainable aviation fuels to contribute to our climate change commitments to 2030 and beyond. Further to that work we are planning to consult on potential changes to the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation later this year, including to make renewable fuels used in aviation eligible for reward under the scheme.