Category: Speeches

  • Baroness Harris of Richmond – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Baroness Harris of Richmond – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Harris of Richmond on 2015-11-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the extent of cross-border smuggling between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, and how many prosecutions for such smuggling have been recorded in the past five years.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    The government is committed to tackling the fraudulent evasion of duty. HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) records statistics for excise offences in Northern Ireland by regime; hydrocarbon oil, tobacco and alcohol. It does not separate out those involving smuggling between the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom.

    By their very nature these offences can include cross border aspects and HMRC works closely with the Revenue Commissioners in the Republic of Ireland to disrupt criminal activity connected with these goods. This includes regular exchange of intelligence, joint operational activity and the gathering of evidence for use in criminal prosecutions.

  • Yasmin Qureshi – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Yasmin Qureshi – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Yasmin Qureshi on 2015-12-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what proportion of his Department’s science budget was spent on neurological research in the period from 2010 to 2014.

    Joseph Johnson

    I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Torfaen (Mr Nick Thomas-Symonds) on 7 December in response to question 18131.

    “

  • Oliver Colvile – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Oliver Colvile – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Oliver Colvile on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children under the age of 16 in Plymouth who have been diagnosed with an autism spectrum condition or have been identified as having autism-related needs are being home educated.

    Edward Timpson

    Our reformed system for meeting the needs of children and young people with Special Educational Needs (SEN) and Disabilities is designed to ensure that their needs are identified at an early stage, that the right support is in place, and that problems do not escalate.

    All early years providers are required to have arrangements in place to identify and support children with SEN or disabilities and to promote equality of opportunity for children in their care. All schools should have a clear approach to identifying and responding to SEN and must use their best endeavours to ensure that children with SEN, including those with autism, get the support they need.

    As part of their Initial Teacher Training, all teachers are expected to learn to identify and address various types of SEN, including autism. The Government is also funding the Autism Education Trust in 2015-16, providing £650,000 to provide tiered training at universal, enhanced and specialist levels for early years, school and post-16 staff to help them understand how best to recognise and support children and young people with autism.

    The Department does not hold data on the numbers of autistic children who are home educated nor the numbers of children who are not in school. The Alternative Provision Census does collect data about children who are not in school or in a pupil referral unit. However, it covers as a single ‘Not in School’ category only those who are educated otherwise than at school under arrangements made and funded by local authorities. The information does not reflect types of special educational need.

    The data may be available from Plymouth City Council, since it has a duty under Section 22 of the Children and Families Act 2014 to carry out its functions with a view to identifying all the children and young people in its area who have or may have special educational needs or a disability, and also a duty to provide children of compulsory school age with an education.

  • Alistair Carmichael – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Alistair Carmichael – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alistair Carmichael on 2016-02-09.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how the Government determines the Scottish Government’s allocation of non-cash departmental expenditure budget for student loans.

    Greg Hands

    The Barnett Formula is applied in the normal way to calculate the Scottish Government’s allocation of non-cash departmental expenditure budget for student loans.

  • Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-03-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many times the charge for probate has been increased since 2010.

    Caroline Dinenage

    The fees payable on application for a non-contentious grant of probate have been increased twice since 2010.

  • Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent representations she has received from local authorities about overprovision of school places in areas where a free school or schools are (a) established or (b) proposed.

    Edward Timpson

    Regional Schools Commissioners hold regular meetings with local authorities to determine where there is a need for additional school places that could be met through establishing a free school. In addition, the department seeks local authorities’ comments on each new application for a free school and, for applications approved into the pre-opening stage, we seek their views as part of our statutory duty under section 9 of the Academies Act 2010 to assess the impact of establishing a new school on existing schools and colleges.

  • Paul Flynn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Paul Flynn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2016-05-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the comparative particulate pollution created by (a) diesel and (b) electric cars.

    Rory Stewart

    The UK’s main air quality concerns relate to ambient concentrations of nitrogen dioxide, in particular close to busy roads, with diesel vehicles being the major source. Electric vehicles have zero exhaust emissions and offer a clear benefit in tackling this ongoing air quality challenge.

    On pollution from particulate matter, evidence is limited. Recent research suggests that battery electric vehicles have similar total emissions of particulate matter to petrol and diesel vehicles, due to their higher mass causing increased non-exhaust particulate matter. The UK Automotive Council has identified vehicle lightweighting as a strategic technology priority, and recent Government research and development funding of £38 million will support a number of projects in this area.

  • Martyn Day – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Martyn Day – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Martyn Day on 2016-06-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to promote the welfare of armed forces personnel.

    Mr Julian Brazier

    I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for East Renfrewshire (Kirsten Oswald).

  • Madeleine Moon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Madeleine Moon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Madeleine Moon on 2016-09-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many staff are employed by his Department to investigate claims from HM Revenue and Customs that an unreported adult is living in the home of a tax credit claimant; and if he will make a statement.

    Caroline Nokes

    Investigations of HM Revenue and Customs Tax Credit, Living Together fraud allegations are investigated by Local Service Investigation Team (LSI) and the Central Criminal Intelligence Investigations team (CCIIS) as appropriate within the Fraud and Error Service (FES).

    There are currently 1430 employed by the Department. FES investigators are employed to look at all types of welfare fraud from all sources of referral. None are employed specifically to look at individual types of welfare fraud referred from specific sources.

  • Grant Shapps – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Grant Shapps – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grant Shapps on 2016-10-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate has been made of changes in property prices in and around (a) all major High Speed 2 terminals and (b) Birmingham High Speed 2 terminal.

    Andrew Jones

    The Department for Transport has not produced estimates of the expected impact on property prices in the areas surrounding HS2 terminals.