Category: Speeches

  • Jeremy Lefroy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Jeremy Lefroy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeremy Lefroy on 2016-01-25.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when his Department submitted a formal application to the European Commission for state aid clearance to enlarge the scheme for social interest tax relief; and when he expects to receive the outcome of that application.

    Mr David Gauke

    The Government submitted its application for State aid clearance to enlarge the Social Interest Tax Relief scheme on 17 January 2015. Discussions with the Commission are ongoing. The Government cannot set out an expected timetable for clearance or enlargement of the scheme at this stage, as timing depends on how these discussions progress.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what representations he has received from war widows who remarried between 1973 and 2005 on reinstatement of their war widow’s pension.

    Mark Lancaster

    I met the War Widows Association earlier this year and during our meeting they put forward their case for the reinstatement of War Widow’s Pensions for those widows who had remarried or cohabited before 1 April 2015.

    Our policy on retrospection remains the same. For those who have already surrendered their pension due to remarriage or cohabitation, if that relationship ends they can apply to have their pension restored for life.

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-03-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) unaccompanied children and (b) partners of refugees who had already been granted asylum in the UK have a pending application for asylum in the UK.

    James Brokenshire

    The Home Office publishes quarterly figures on asylum claims from Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC) in the Immigration Statistics release. This includes information on applications received, decisions made by sex, age and country of nationality.

    The Home Office does not centrally record the number of people that apply for asylum who have a partner in the UK who has already been granted. This could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

  • Tristram Hunt – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Tristram Hunt – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tristram Hunt on 2016-04-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many jobs in (a) his Department and (b) each of his Department’s non-departmental public bodies, executive agencies, non-ministerial departments, advisory bodies and other accountable statutory bodies (i) have been abolished in or relocated from East Cheshire Local Authority since 2010 and (ii) will be abolished in or relocated from East Cheshire Local Authority by 2020.

    Mike Penning

    Within the Ministry of Justice, only the National Offender Management Service (NOMS), HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) and Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Services (Cafcass) have or have had offices within the East Cheshire postal address.

    In September 2010 Cafcass closed its Sandbach office following consultation with staff. All 11 posts were relocated to the nearby Warrington office.

    Within HMCTS, one post has been re-located from the East Cheshire Local Authority Area since 2010 and 16 posts have not been replaced when vacated by the previous post-holder. As part of the HMCTS Estates Reform Programme, both Macclesfield Magistrates’ and Macclesfield County Courts are due to close in September 2016. Discussions are ongoing with HMCTS staff in post as to potential redeployment options that include courts in Crewe, however no decisions have yet taken place.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-05-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many visits (a) Ministers and (b) officials in her Department have made to Coventry in each of the last five years.

    Karen Bradley

    Details of Ministerial visits and those made by senior officials can be found on the gov.uk website. Details of all visits made by officials who are not Senior Civil Servants, are not centrally recorded. Therefore providing this information would incur a disproportionate cost.

  • Chi Onwurah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Chi Onwurah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-07-11.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans the EU Unit has to recruit staff (a) from within and (b) externally to the Civil Service; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr David Davis

    A new Department for Exiting the European Union has been established by the Prime Minister. The staffing requirements for the new department are now being identified.

  • Dominic Raab – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Dominic Raab – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dominic Raab on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on what date her Department began to record details of sponsorship of non-EU nationals entering the UK on student visas.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The sponsorship of non-EU students was introduced in three stages:

    Educational Institutions were able to make an application for a licence to sponsor non-EU students under Tier 4 of the Points Based System from July 2008.

    Non–EU student applications under Tier 4 of the Points-Based System were introduced on 31 March 2009, and from this date onwards institutions had students linked to their sponsor licence.

    From 22 February 2010 all non-EU Tier 4 student applications had to be supported by a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies, an electronic document assigned by a Tier 4 sponsor, which institutions are required to monitor and report against, and this activity was recorded by the Home Office.

  • Margaret Ferrier – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Margaret Ferrier – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ferrier on 2015-11-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the development of Watchkeeper.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    Development costs are not separately identified as they are included within the main Demonstration, Manufacturing and Initial Support contract with Thales UK. The current total financial approval for development and delivery of Watchkeeper to Full Operating Capability is £927 million.

  • Lord Lester of Herne Hill – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Lester of Herne Hill – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lester of Herne Hill on 2015-12-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether opposition to the death penalty remains a key human rights priority for them, in the light of the UK’s candidacy for the UN Human Rights Council.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    Our UN pledges renew our enduring commitment to promoting universal human rights. This includes work to abolish the death penalty. As I have said repeatedly in this House, this Government opposes the death penalty in all circumstances and we continue to call on all states to abolish it.

  • David Mackintosh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    David Mackintosh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Mackintosh on 2016-01-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 21 January 2016 to Question 22430, if his Department will consider new collaborative funding proposals for further research into rehabilitative therapies for veterans with Gulf War illnesses.

    Mark Lancaster

    As stated in my answer to Question 22430, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has funded extensive research into Gulf War Illness, including some research into rehabilitative therapies for those veterans with persistent symptoms. There are no plans to fund any further research.

    The MOD has no plans to issue guidance on treatment best practice to healthcare professionals or partners in the military charity sector in respect of veterans of the 1990-91 Gulf Conflict. Neither do we have any plans in January 2016 to communicate the findings of independent research on the 1990-91 Gulf Conflict, published in the UK or overseas, to UK veterans.

    There is a wide range of support already available to veterans of the 1990-91 Gulf conflict. This can be accessed through MOD’s Veterans UK website and free help line.