Category: Speeches

  • David Lammy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    David Lammy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Lammy on 2016-05-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what Tech North’s (a) operational and (b) communications budget was for (i) 2015 and (ii) 2016; and what Tech North’s total expenditure on third party communications consultancy and public relations agencies was in each of those two years.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    Tech City UK (including Tech North) total operations budget was £2,500,000 in 2014-15; £4,223,000 in 2015-16; and £4,100,000 in 2016-17. Tech City UK (including Tech North) communications costs were £173,091 in 2014-15; £279,355 in 2015-16; and £5,000 in 2016-17 (YTD). These costs were all expenditure on third party communications, consultancy and public relations agencies

    Tech North’s communication costs were nil in 2014-15 and 2016-17 (YTD), and £74,500 in 2015-16. These costs were all expenditure on third party communications, consultancy and public relations agencies.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-07-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 12 July 2016 to Question 42023, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential effect of exchange rate fluctuations following the EU referendum on the (a) cost to the UK of importing energy and (b) levels imported; and if he will make a statement.

    Jesse Norman

    The Department has not made an assessment of the potential effect of exchange rate fluctuations on the levels or cost to the UK of imported energy following the EU referendum.

    It is too early to speculate on any resulting medium and long-term exchange rate fluctuations. Furthermore, exchange rates are only one of the factors that will influence volumes and costs of imported energy.

  • Yasmin Qureshi – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Yasmin Qureshi – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Yasmin Qureshi on 2016-09-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many respondents to the first consultation on reforming housing benefit for supported housing in 2011 responded that a localised pot would support the right of disabled people to live independently.

    Caroline Nokes

    The consultation in 2011 sought views on a wide variety of options, and received a range of viewpoints, reflecting the diversity of the sector.

  • Nic Dakin – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Nic Dakin – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2015-11-17.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to embed the family test into its policy making.

    Mr David Gauke

    Officials in my Department have liaised with DWP as the lead Department for the Family Test to embed it into the policy process. This has included training officials on applying the Test, disseminating relevant evidence, learning materials and best practice.

  • Jonathan Reynolds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Jonathan Reynolds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Reynolds on 2015-12-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what contingency plans his Department has for the funding of the new Northern and TransPennine franchises in the event that projected passenger number increases are not achieved.

    Andrew Jones

    Revenue risk for these two franchises lies with the franchisee, not the Department. This means the Department is not responsible for covering any shortfall in farebox revenue compared to the successful bidders’ expectations.

    The successful bids are backed by significant parent company support which can be called upon in life to ensure the liquidity ratios are met. Also both franchises were subjected to a financial robustness test as part of the bid evaluation process and considered low risk for the Department.

  • Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much funding the Green Investment Bank has invested in fracking projects in the UK.

    Anna Soubry

    The Green Investment Bank has not invested in any fracking projects.

  • John Mann – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    John Mann – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Mann on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many unaccompanied children arriving at UK airports from which countries were not eligible for entry clearance in 2015.

    James Brokenshire

    This information is not held centrally.

    The UK Government takes child safeguarding extremely seriously. All Border Force officers have received training in keeping children safe and all operational processes involving children comply with requirements as set out in the Children and Young Persons Act.

  • Gavin Robinson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Gavin Robinson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Robinson on 2016-03-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 14 March 2016 to Question 30414, on terrorism; Hyde Park, if the Secretary of State for Justice will support the Hyde Park victims by providing financial assistance outwith the Legal Aid Agency process.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    The Government’s sympathies are with the victims and friends and families of those who lost their lives and were injured in this terrible attack.

    As I said in my answer of 14 March to Parliamentary Question 30414, decisions on funding individual cases are taken independently by the Legal Aid Agency. The decision not to provide legal aid funding for this claim for damages was made as it does not meet the criteria set by Parliament. Ministers are prevented by law from intervening in the individual decisions of the Legal Aid Agency.

    The legal aid scheme sets out the extent of the circumstances in which Parliament has decided it is appropriate for the taxpayer to fund litigation. The Government has no current plans to change arrangements for funding in damages cases or provide alternative funding to meet litigation costs.

  • Peter Kyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Peter Kyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the present amount of Continued Professional Development funding for training teachers in the new computing curriculum will be maintained for future academic years.

    Nick Gibb

    Over the last three years, the Department has spent more than £4.5 million to support the implementation of the new curriculum and is committed to support the high quality teaching of computing. This includes £3m to establish the Network of Teaching Excellence in Computer Science, building a national network of over 300 ‘Master Teachers’ whom schools can commission to provide training for their teachers; £1m for Computing at School (CAS) to meet the needs of primary schools teachers who lacked the specialist computer science subject knowledge required to teach the new curriculum; and a £500,000 competitive match-funded scheme that has supported innovative approaches to promoting excellent computing teaching and lever additional investment and engagement from business.

  • Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne Main on 2016-05-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the number of UK military staff posted to (a) Eurocorps and (b) other EU institutions.

    Mr Julian Brazier

    The UK is not a member of Eurocorps and has no military staff posted to it. The UK currently has 17 military staff posted in the EU institutions.