Category: Speeches

  • Barry Gardiner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Barry Gardiner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Gardiner on 2016-09-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what comparative assessment he has made of the potential risk of a cyber attack at the Hinkley C nuclear facility and other such nuclear facilities.

    Jesse Norman

    The security of existing and proposed nuclear facilities is a priority for the Government. The UK Civil Nuclear Sector is subject to a thorough safety and security regulatory regime, including cyber security, overseen by the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR). The entire new build nuclear programme, including Hinkley Point C, is subject to an ONR-led Generic Design Assessment process for new reactor designs. This will be supported by the National Cyber Security Centre’s design reviews with the relevant organisations, with the purpose of ensuring all new plants are cyber-secure by design and implementation.

    In the interest of security, we do not disclose details of security risks to specific facilities

  • Karen Buck – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Karen Buck – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karen Buck on 2015-11-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he plans to appoint the Chair of the review of the localisation of council tax benefit; and by what process he plans for that Chair and other people working on that review work to be selected.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    The details of the Chair and terms of reference for the independent review of local council tax support schemes will be published in due course. A Review team comprising four full-time equivalents staff has been set up to provide project and analytical support to the Chair.

    The Review will be completed by the end of March 2016.

  • 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, how much funding the Rail Delivery Group received from the public purse in (a) 2011, (b) 2012, (c) 2013, (d) 2014 and (v) 2015.

    Claire Perry

    The information requested is in the table below.

    Year

    Amount

    Source

    2011-12

    N/A

    2012-13

    N/A

    2013-14

    N/A

    2014-15

    £1,189,417 £151,987

    Network Rail[1] Directly Operated Railways[2]

    2015-16 (1 April 2015 to date)

    £1,832,625[3]

    Network Rail

    [1] Network Rail was reclassified as a public body by the Office for National Statistics on 1 September 2014. The figure shown is Network Rail’s contribution to the Rail Delivery Group from September 2014 – March 2015.

    [2] Rail Delivery Group charged Directly Operated Railways for the first time in 2014-15.

    [3] The figure shown is based on a full year contribution of £2,443,500.

  • Douglas Chapman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Douglas Chapman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how the movement of nuclear materials on roads in Scotland by his Department is supervised and regulated.

    Penny Mordaunt

    The transport of Defence Nuclear Material is regulated by the Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator according to the provisions of Joint Service Publication 538, Regulation of the Nuclear Weapon Programme, available at: www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/341332/20140801_JSP_538_V3_1_Pt_1.pdf

    A wide range of safety and contingency measures are in place to ensure the safety of nuclear convoy operations. These are summarised in the Local Authority and Emergency Service Information document available at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-authority-emergency-services-information.

  • Vernon Coaker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Vernon Coaker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Vernon Coaker on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions she plans to have with Ministers of the Northern Ireland Executive on job losses at Bombardier.

    Mrs Theresa Villiers

    I recently held discussions on Bombardier with the Minister for Small Business, Industry and Enterprise and the Northern Ireland Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment. I will continue to discuss this issue with Government and Executive Ministers.

  • Lord Lansley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Lansley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lansley on 2016-03-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of asylum claims resolved after six months were found to be well-founded in the latest period for which the statistics are available.

    Lord Bates

    In 2015 there were a total of 10,199 asylum claims which were concluded six months or more after their initial application date. Of these, 4,620 claims were found to be entitled to a grant of asylum based on a well-founded fear of persecution.

  • Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the legal status is of Sustainability and Transformation Plan (a) footprints and (b) leadership teams.

    George Freeman

    Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) footprints and leadership teams do not have legal status or legal duties. The local, statutory architecture for health and care remains, as do the existing accountabilities for provider and local authority chief executives and clinical commissioning group accountable officers. Health and care organisations remain accountable for their individual organisational plans, which should form part of their footprint’s STP.

  • Mark Durkan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Mark Durkan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Durkan on 2016-05-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if his Department will make representations to the government of Sudan on the arrests and daily reporting conditions imposed on at least six clergymen and two lay members from three church denominations in Khartoum since December 2015.

    James Duddridge

    Freedom of religion or belief in Sudan continues to be an area of concern for the UK. We have consistently called on the Government of Sudan to ensure all legislation is in line with the commitment to their citizens in the Interim Constitution of 2005; within which religious freedom is enshrined. Our Embassy in Khartoum raised the detention and requirement to report on a daily basis to the National Intelligence and Security Service, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 10 May.

  • Valerie Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Valerie Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Valerie Vaz on 2016-07-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what arrangements were made for the declaration of (a) financial and (b) other interests by technical advisers to the independent review of the Investigatory Powers Bill before their appointment.

    Mr Ben Wallace

    The Government has published the Terms of Reference for the Independent Review of Bulk Powers, which set out the composition of the review team. It was for David Anderson, as the independent reviewer to select the team best equipped to carry out the review and to critically appraise the need for bulk capabilities. David Anderson also published a summary for each member of the team setting out their experience and the diverse qualities which they will bring to the review.

  • Mark Williams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    Mark Williams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Williams on 2016-09-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether his Department is undertaking sectoral analyses of the effect of the UK leaving the EU on different sectors of the economy.

    Mr David Jones

    The Secretary of State’s oral statement on 5 September 2016 explained that his officials, supported by officials across Government, are carrying out a programme of sectoral and regulatory analysis, which will identify the key factors for British businesses and the labour force that will affect our negotiations with the EU. They are looking in detail at over 50 sectors and cross-cutting regulatory issues.