Category: Speeches

Jonathan Djanogly – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Djanogly on 2016-03-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to undertake consumer information campaigns in preparation for the introduction of the EU Tobacco Products Directive.

Jane Ellison

The Department has no plans to undertake consumer facing information campaigns in preparation for the introduction of the revised Tobacco Products Directive’s (TPD) requirements.

The TPD introduces a number of new product, labelling and reporting requirements for businesses supplying tobacco products, herbal products and e-cigarettes. The Department has and will continue to engage with businesses to make them aware of the new requirement and has recently held training sessions on the new legislation for enforcement officers. The Department will work alongside enforcement officers to build compliance over the transition period set out in the Regulations.

01/01/2023
Derek Twigg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Derek Twigg on 2016-04-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much his Department provided in bus subsidies to each local authority in England in each year since 2010.

Andrew Jones

The majority of public funding for local bus services is via block grant provided to local authorities in England from the Department for Communities and Local Government. However, since 2014, my Department has also provided around £40m of Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) funding directly to English local authorities each year to help deliver bus services.

Details of BSOG grant allocations for previous years are published in tables on the GOV.UK website at: https://www.gov.uk/search?q=Bus+Service+Operators+Grant

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01/01/2023
Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town on 2016-05-19.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what enforcement action local weights and measures authorities in Great Britain have undertaken under Chapter 15 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 since it came into force on 27 May 2015.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

This information is not held centrally.

01/01/2023
Lord Touhig – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Touhig on 2016-07-14.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review, what impact the fixed one per cent pay increase has had on (1) retention, and (2) recruitment, in the (a) Army, (b) Navy, and (c) Royal Air Force.

Earl Howe

The Government greatly values the important work of the Armed Forces. The independent Armed Forces’ Pay Review Body (AFPRB) annually reviews Armed Forces’ pay to ensure that it remains comparable and adequate to recruit, retain and motivate personnel. Having considered all the evidence presented to them during the last pay round, the AFPRB recommended that a one per cent increase in base pay across the board was appropriate; a recommendation which the Government accepted in full. In addition to the one per cent pay rise, Service personnel have benefited from the introduction of a new pay structure in April 2016. As well as retaining incremental pay scales, ‘Pay 16’ seeks to rebalance pay to better reward our most highly skilled personnel while addressing many of the concerns Service personnel had raised regarding the previous pay structure.

Pay restraint was one of the many difficult decisions the Government had to make to put the UK’s public finances back on track. However, the overall remuneration package remains competitive with a non-contributory pension scheme, subsidised accommodation and access to free medical and dental care.

Research suggests that individuals joining the Armed Forces rate factors such as training, qualifications and promotion more highly than pay. For example, the 2014-15 Recruit Trainee Survey reports that the top four most important factors influencing recruits’ decisions to join the Armed Forces were: challenge and adventure (93 per cent); keeping fit (93 per cent); gaining skills and qualifications and the appeal of the lifestyle. Similar findings are found in research regarding Service personnel’s intentions to stay in the Armed Forces. The Armed Forces Continuous Attitude Survey 2016 reports that the top five factors increasing Service personnel’s intention to stay in the Armed Forces are: job security; dental and healthcare provision; pension; and mental health provision.

The Services closely monitor recruitment and outflow. They have introduced a wide range of initiatives to increase recruitment numbers, which include targeted marketing, specific recruitment events, and improvements in the recruitment process. Instances of high outflow are mitigated through a variety of management actions which include extensions of Service, financial retention initiatives and inter-Service transfers. However, it should be recognised that some churn in strength, particularly in the lower ranks, is welcome and helps to refresh the Armed Forces.

01/01/2023
Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-09-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department plans to make extension of the 1966 UK-US Agreement on the British Indian Ocean Territory conditional on a commitment by both parties to support and facilitate resettlement of the Chagossians.

Sir Alan Duncan

The US presence on the island of Diego Garcia is governed by a series of agreements, called Exchanges of Notes, of which the overarching agreement sets out the whole Territory should be made available for UK and US defence purposes for an initial 50 year period of 1966 to 2016. If neither side object during a two year window of December 2014 to December 2016, the agreement will continue as it stands until end December 2036. The Government welcomes the US presence on Diego Garcia and we continue to discuss with the US Government their continued presence beyond 2016. We have consulted a range of stakeholders, including the US, as we work towards a decision on resettlement of BIOT. The Government is examining its policy closely and will announce developments to Parliament and the public in due course.

01/01/2023
Gavin Robinson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Robinson on 2015-11-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether he plans to redirect proceeds from the National Lottery away from the Big Lottery Fund to fulfil his Department’s existing commitments to fund the arts, heritage and sport.

Tracey Crouch

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is responsible for the regulatory framework for the distribution of National Lottery good causes, which is currently 40% for good causes, 20% for arts, 20% for heritage and 20% for sports.

01/01/2023
Lord West of Spithead – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2015-12-10.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the new Ebola medal takes precedence over jubilee medals in the order of wear.

Lord Bridges of Headley

The Jubilee Medals come ahead of the Ebola Medal for Service in West Africa in the current Order of Wear.

01/01/2023

David Crausby – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Crausby on 2016-01-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average waiting time for a decision on an asylum application was in each of the last 10 years; and what steps her Department is taking to reduce the waiting time for such decisions.

James Brokenshire

The table below shows the average time, in calendar days, from date of claim to date of decision including the number and percentage of cases that received a decision in six months. Figures for the year 2015 are not available.

Year of Application	Apps	Mean	Median	Decisions in 6 Months	As a % of Apps
2005	26,939	133.90	46	23,671	87.87%
2006	25,020	165.06	52	21,065	84.19%
2007	24,732	191.38	62	19,722	79.74%
2008	27,182	223.65	97	19,944	73.37%
2009	25,759	159.22	71	20,985	81.47%
2010	20,012	82.11	29	18,391	91.90%
2011	21,211	115.89	32	18,131	85.48%
2012	21,315	161.70	30	16,098	75.52%
2013	24,960	181.78	46	15,874	63.60%
2014	26,070	141.32	135	19,287	73.98%

The exercise in the financial year 2014-15 to clear all straightforward cases with a claim date preceding 1 April 2014 led to a rise in the average time for some of the years above most notably 2008.This required the progression of a number of cases far older than 12 months which would have influenced the average decision times on those cases.

The Home Office continues to target resources to drive down the waiting time for decisions and currently strives to give decisions on all straightforward cases within 6 months, a timescale which it has been consistently meeting since April 2014.

01/01/2023

Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-02-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, further to her Written Ministerial Statement of 17 December 2015, HCWS 409, to which areas her Department plans to extend the badger cull in 2016; and what the evidential basis is for selecting those areas.

George Eustice

Farmers in a number of areas have signalled their intention to submit applications to Natural England for licences to conduct badger culls this year. Licence applications will need to meet Natural England’s licensing criteria, and applicants will have to demonstrate that they will be able to deliver safe and effective culls in order to be authorised to proceed.

01/01/2023
Charlotte Leslie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charlotte Leslie on 2016-03-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 25 February 2016 to Question 27391, on asylum: deportation, whether her Department plans to collect data on the number of failed asylum seekers who are admitted to prison.

James Brokenshire

Following referral by the National Offender Management Service, the Home Office conducts immigration status checks on all Foreign National Offenders serving a custodial sentence. This involves checks of electronic and paper files. Therefore the specific data requested, which would include foreign nationals on remand who are not routinely referred to the Home Office, is not aggregated in national reporting systems. To provide the information would require a disproportionately expensive manual case search.

01/01/2023