Category: Speeches

Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-12-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent review his Department has conducted of the security and humanitarian situation in (a) Sirte, (b) Ajdabiya, (c) Benghazi, (d) Derma and (e) Az Zawiya in Libya.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We continue to closely monitor the general security and humanitarian situation in Libya. We are particularly concerned by human rights violations and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in areas including Sirte, Ajdabiya, Benghazi, Derna and Az Zawiya. We condemn the use of violence against civilians committed by Daesh and other armed groups in Libya, and call for those responsible for human rights violations and abuses to be held accountable.

01/01/2023
Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-01-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will set standards for the implementation of a low emission strategy in those areas currently exceeding EU nitrogen dioxide emissions limits which will not be part of the five Clean Air Zones.

Rory Stewart

In the UK plan for improving air quality, published on 17 December 2015, we set out that as a minimum we expect all Local Authorities with areas currently exceeding the required NO₂ levels, to consider putting in place a Low Emission Strategy. Such a Strategy could be used to set out a range of commitments and actions to tackle pollution as part of a coherent multi-year programme.

Defra, in collaboration with the Low Emissions Strategies Partnership of Local Authorities, published the Low Emissions Strategies Guidance Document in 2010. This guidance provides an outline of the principles of Low Emission Strategies and examples of good practice.

01/01/2023
Ian C. Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian C. Lucas on 2016-02-01.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions (a) HM Revenue and Customs and (b) other parts of the Government have had with Google on systems for collection of tax in the UK.

Mr David Gauke

HM Revenue and Customs have had no discussions with Google on systems for collection of tax in the UK.

The Department does not hold information on whether other parts of Government have had discussions with Google.

01/01/2023

Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-02-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has paid to staff in overtime in each of the last 24 months.

Mark Lancaster

The payment of overtime is permitted where a Ministry of Defence (MOD) employee below the Senior Civil Service is required to work beyond conditioned hours or on days that they would not normally be required to work. There has been a conscious effort to reduce overtime costs in the MOD, line managers must scrutinise overtime and encourage time off in lieu as an alternative. As a guiding principle, overtime should only be granted when taken in direct support of current operations, it is of essential business resilience, or when posts require routinely long hours and time off in lieu no longer represents a realistic alternative.

A summary of the amount of MOD expenditure on overtime payments in the last 24 months is shown below.

Month	£ million
March 2014	3.550
April 2014	5.990
May 2014	4.908
June 2014	7.172
July 2014	5.560
August 2014	5.744
September 2014	5.305
October 2014	7.050
November 2014	6.378
December 2014	5.416
January 2015	4.820
February 2015	6.726
March 2015	3.895
April 2015	5.018
May 2015	6.605
June 2015	6.039
July 2015	6.481
August 2015	6.313
September 2015	4.603
October 2015	2.424
November 2015	5.252
December 2015	6.576
January 2016	4.447
February 2016	6.232

01/01/2023

Kirsten Oswald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance his Department issues to jobcentre staff on the delivery of the Armed Forces Covenant.

Justin Tomlinson

The department takes its ongoing responsibilities under the Armed Forces Covenant very seriously. Pete Searle, the Strategy Director for Working Age Benefits, is DWP’s Armed Forces Advocate responsible for ensuring that the needs of service personnel, their families and veterans are properly catered for by the Department. This means ensuring that these groups are not disadvantaged as a result of military service, and providing special treatment where appropriate.

Every Jobcentre district has an “Armed Forces Champion” to provide a level of expertise for Jobcentres on Armed Forces matters. This is backed up by guidance covering the special rules that are in place, such as ex-service personnel having early access to the Work Programme, and information on any particular challenges they may face, such as the impact on employment prospects of frequent changes in locations.

01/01/2023
Rob Marris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rob Marris on 2016-04-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answers of 25 February 2016 to Questions 27493 and 27494, and with reference to Article 29 of the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods, what the evidential basis is for the Government’s conclusion that the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement does not automatically apply to British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.

Anna Soubry

The Government’s position, set out in the answers to Questions 27493 and 27494, is based on the wording of the treaties (Article 52 of the Treaty on European Union, Article 355 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and the 1972 Treaty of Accession of Denmark, Ireland and the UK to the European Economic Community) and the longstanding practice of the UK.

Article 29 of the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods is not relevant to the status of British Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. Article 29 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties provides that “Unless a different intention appears from the treaty or is otherwise established, a treaty is binding upon each party in respect of its entire territory.” The British Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies are not part of the UK, and the UK has consistently adopted the position that treaties made by the UK do not extend to British Overseas Territories or the Crown Dependencies, unless this is done expressly. The first expression of this position was set out in the “Bevin Despatch” (Foreign Office Circular 118, 16 October 1950).

01/01/2023
Wendy Morton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Wendy Morton on 2016-06-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what representations his Department has received from each (a) local authority, (b) Police and Crime Commissioner and (c) Police Chief Constable seeking further powers in relation to responsibilities to stop unauthorised encampments in the last 12 months.

Brandon Lewis

We regularly receive correspondence from individual local authorities and MPs, concerning the powers available to enforcement agencies and operation of the planning system. The Government takes the issue of unauthorised encampments and associated problems seriously and will continue to keep it under review.

01/01/2023
Sarah Wollaston – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Wollaston on 2016-09-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average length of time is from joining for an employee to qualify as a (a) maritime operations commander, (b) maritime operations controller, (c) senior operations officer and (d) maritime operations officer.

Mr John Hayes

The length of time taken to train Coastguard Officers is entirely dependent on their level of experience and competence when they join Her Majesty’s Coastguard and the level of experience of competence they gain prior to any internal promotion. Therefore an average for these would be misleading.

On entry to HM Coastguard as a Maritime Operations Officer it will take between six and 12 months to become trained, depending on previous maritime experience and competence.

HM Coastguard do not recruit direct entry Senior Maritime Operations Officers, they are internally recruited from the cadre of fully trained Maritime Operations Officers who will then undertake a further six months of training for this post.

As roles that can be directly recruited from outside HM Coastguard the training for both Maritime Operations Controllers and Maritime Operations Commanders is entirely dependent on their prevailing maritime experience and is in effect bespoke for the individual concerned.

It should be noted that the roles senior watch manager, watch manager, watch officer and watch assistant no longer exist within HM Coastguard.

01/01/2023
Lord Northbourne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Northbourne on 2016-10-13.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to encourage and support maintained secondary schools in England and Wales to do more to prepare their pupils for the responsibilities of parenthood.

Lord Nash

We are clear that as part of schools’ duty to teach a broad and balanced curriculum, all young people should be provided with a curriculum that prepares them for success in adult life.

Schools are best placed to make decisions about the education of their pupils. Teachers are able to cover parenting skills in personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education lessons. The non-statutory programme of study for PSHE includes the roles and responsibilities of parents, parenting skills, the value of family relationships, and the impact of separation, divorce and bereavement on families.

The Department does not hold information on secondary schools in Wales. This is the responsibility of the Welsh Government.

01/01/2023
Louise Ellman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Ellman on 2015-11-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make representations to his Danish counterpart on reopening the inquest into the death of commercial diver Stephen O’Malley in 2012.

Caroline Dinenage

Under powers in the Coroners Act 1988 (as amended) a new coroner investigation may be ordered by the High Court, with the authority of the Attorney General, where it is in the interests of justice to do so because of fraud, rejection of evidence, irregularity of proceedings or insufficiency of inquiry in the original inquest or new facts or evidence have come to light. It therefore falls outside the responsibility of the Secretary of State.

01/01/2023