Category: Speeches

  • Sharon Hodgson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Sharon Hodgson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he plans to take to ensure that high-speed broadband provision can meet the likely demand for such provision by 2020 of creative and digital companies in geographic clusters.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    This Government recognises the need for creative and digital companies to have access to have access to high-speed broadband, wherever in the UK they are located. The Government’s Superfast Broadband Programme is on track to deliver superfast broadband coverage to 95 per cent of UK premises by the end of 2017.Inaddition we are supporting seven pilot projects to explore ways to extend superfast broadband beyond 95 per cent of UK homes and businesses. The Government will also launch a public consultation early next year in preparation for the implementation of a new broadband USO by 2020, with the ambition to give people the legal right to request a connection to broadband with speeds of 10 Mbps,nomatterwherein the countrytheylive.

  • Margaret Ferrier – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Margaret Ferrier – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ferrier on 2015-12-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the contribution of the Minister of State for Culture and the Digital Economy of 3 December 2015, Official Report, column 510, what the purpose was of the two one-off grants paid to MG Alba.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The two one-off grants to MG Alba were provided to support the production of high-quality Gaelic language content, including original drama, and to continue its valued services for Gaelic speakers.

  • Baroness Pinnock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Baroness Pinnock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Pinnock on 2016-01-20.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what strategic oversight is provided to acute hospital trusts in determining the location of specialties in hospitals within that trust.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    NHS England has advised that it does not collect data on the average time taken in England for the ambulance service to take a patient from their home to an accident and emergency department.

    The Government is clear the reconfiguration of front line health services is a matter for the local NHS. Services should be tailored to meet the needs of the local population, and proposals for substantial service change must meet the four tests of reconfiguration which are: (i) support from GP commissioners; (ii) strengthened public and patient engagement; (iii) clarity on the clinical evidence base and (iv) support for patient choice.

    Locally driven elements of reconfiguration mean delivery will largely be managed by NHS England, who will work closely with commissioners, the Trust Development Authority and Monitor, and only approve the progression of proposals to consultation that have local support. We are aware that NHS England, in their guidance ‘Planning and delivering service changes for patients’, emphasise that NHS service change planners include an analysis of distance and travel times, the impact of these on transport users, as well as the ambulance service. A copy of this guidance is attached.

  • Naz Shah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Naz Shah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Naz Shah on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether his Department has been consulted on the transfer of the Royal Photographic Society’s collection from the National Media Museum to the Victoria and Albert Museum.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    DCMS museums operate at arm’s length from government and the transfer of objects between national museums is a matter for the boards of the museums. The Trustees of the Science Museum approved the transfer of the Royal Photographic Society’s collection to the V&A, and the Royal Photographic Society also approve of the transfer. The Department was informed in December 2015.

    The V&A intend to store, digitise and make the photographic collection available as part of its planned International Photography Resource Centre, which will provide the public with a world-class facility to access the consolidated collection.

  • Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-03-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2016 to Question 26813, what the job titles are of those people in receipt of excess fares allowance, paid car allowances or subsidised health insurance.

    Mark Lancaster

    Personnel in receipt of Excess Fares Allowance, Paid Car Allowance or Subsidised Health Insurance are employed in the Job Families outlined below:

    Business Management and Improvement

    Estates

    Commercial

    Finance

    Communications and Media

    Health Professionals

    Corporate Support

    Health, Safety and Environmental Protection

    Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) Commercial

    Human Resources

    DE&S Corporate Services

    Information

    DE&S Engineering

    Internal Audit

    DE&S Finance and Accounting

    Logistics

    DE&S Human Resources

    Policy Strategy and Parliamentary

    DE&S Information Management and IT

    Portfolio, Programme and Project

    DE&S Integrated Logistics

    Security

    DE&S Project Controls

    Training and Education

    DE&S Project Management

    Defence Intelligence

    Engineering and Science

    Notes:

    Job Families are a broader grouping based upon the type of role.

    Job Families where five or less personnel are in receipt of one or more allowances have not been included.

  • Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-04-11.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to his Department’s discussion paper on options for supporting English regional airports from the impacts of air passenger duty devolution, published in July 2015, what advice he has received from the European Commission on the compliance of the options in that paper with state aid rules; and whether he plans to issue an update to that discussion paper.

    Damian Hinds

    The Government is carefully considering the responses received to the discussion paper on options to support English regional airports from the impacts of air passenger duty devolution and will respond in due course.

    The options contained in the discussion paper could each be taken forward in a variety of ways. Any proposals brought forward will be compliant with EU law and the European Commission will be consulted, if required.

  • Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2016-05-18.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will undertake a comparative assessment of levels of business rates applying to steel producers in the UK and in other EU member states.

    Mr David Gauke

    The government concluded the Business Rates Review at Budget 2016. The government consulted with stakeholders, including the steel industry.

    From April 2020, business rates for all businesses, including the steel industry, will be cut through a switch in the indexation of business rates from RPI to the main measure of inflation currently CPI.

    The government has worked hard to deliver on the steel industry’s key asks. We (a) secured state aid approval to compensate for energy costs, (b) secured flexibility over EU emissions regulations, (c) published guidance so that the true value of UK steel can be taken into account in major procurement decisions, and (d) continue to tackle unfair trading practices at an EU and an international level

  • Alison Thewliss – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Alison Thewliss – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison Thewliss on 2016-06-24.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if the Government will bring forward proposals to underwrite all EU funding for projects in Scotland in response to the result of the referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU.

    Mr David Gauke

    As the Prime Minister has made clear, while the UK remains a member of the EU, current EU funding arrangements continue unchanged. It will be for the new Government to begin the negotiation to leave, and set out arrangements for those currently in receipt of EU funds.

  • Nigel Dodds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Nigel Dodds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2016-09-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2270 (2016) on North Korea.

    Alok Sharma

    Since the unanimous adoption of UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 2270 in March 2016, which the UK strongly supported, the Government has been focused on ensuring that the Resolution is implemented fully and effectively by all UN Member States. We continue to have discussions with partners in the region to ensure that UNSCR 2270 and all previous sanctions measures are enforced in order to limit the ability of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) to fund its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. The UK operates one of the toughest export control and counter-proliferation systems in the world and looks to share British expertise on sanctions wherever possible. Following the DPRK’s fifth nuclear test on 9 September, the UK is working with the UN Security Council and key partners to ensure there is a robust multilateral response to this violation of successive UN resolutions.

  • Drew Hendry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Drew Hendry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Drew Hendry on 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether (a) his Department and (b) its agencies plan to review their estates as a result of spending reductions agreed with HM Treasury.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Government will provide full details of the Spending Review outcome on 25 November.