Category: Speeches

Lord Stoddart of Swindon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon on 2016-02-01.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are aware of any proposals by the EU to prosecute charities and volunteers who give assistance to migrants arriving in Greece, and what assessment they have made of which articles of the EU treaties might provide authority for any such action.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The Government is not aware of any specific proposals by the EU to prosecute charities and volunteers who give assistance to migrants arriving in Greece. The European Commission is currently conducting public consultations as part of an on-going evaluation and impact assessment of the EU legislation on migrant smuggling, to gather views on what improvements could be made. We will consider any proposals if and when they are issued.

01/01/2023
Patrick Grady – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2016-02-25.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will issue a response to EDM 1138, Anti-lobbying Clause in Government Grant Agreements.

Matthew Hancock

The grants clause announced on 6 February prevents recipients of taxpayer-funded grants from using them to lobby rather than for the purposes for which they were given.

The clause does not prevent grant recipients from meeting with ministers, responding to public consultations or giving evidence to select committees.

01/01/2023
Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-03-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of underwriting a national rent deposit scheme to help more homeless people access the private rented sector.

Mr Marcus Jones

One person without a home is one too many and we are committed to doing all we can to prevent homelessness. That is why we have increased central investment to tackle homelessness over the next four years to £139 million. At Budget, we went one step further and announced £100 million to deliver low cost ‘move on’ accommodation to enable people leaving hostels and refuges to make a sustainable recovery from a homelessness crisis, providing at least 2,000 places for vulnerable people to enable independent living.

We have also protected Homelessness Prevention Grant for local authorities, totalling £315 million by 2019-20. In doing so, we expect them to provide quality advice and assistance to all those that approach them for help. The Homelessness Code of Guidance for local authorities, developed by my Department working with local authorities and the voluntary and community sector, already encourages them to use this grant to provide rent deposits, guarantees or rent in advance. Many local authorities, housing associations or charities in England have put such schemes in place.

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

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2016-04-26.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 20 April (HL7528), whether damage caused to bulbs and plants in commercial horticultural establishments, in town and country alike, would be considered serious enough to warrant the issue of a licence.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

As licence applications are considered on a case-by-case basis, whether or not a licence would be issued would depend on the specific circumstances under which an application is made.

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

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-06-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to (a) improve the transparency of car hire firms and (b) ensure people hiring cars are not incorrectly charged for damage to such cars.

Nick Boles

There is already consumer protection legislation in place that protects consumers when dealing with traders, including car hire firms. The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 (CPRs) prohibit traders from engaging in unfair commercial practices, such as providing false or deceptive information or descriptions to consumers or leaving out material information.

Local authority trading standards services and the Competition and Markets Authority enforce the CPRs, and breaches of the legislation can be reported to the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 03454 04 05 06 in the first instance.

In addition, the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 (CCRs) require traders entering into distance and online contracts to provide consumers with a range of pre-purchase information in a clear and comprehensive manner, including any additional costs and how they will be calculated.

Finally, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 (CRA) provides a wide range of protections for consumers, including restricting the use of unfair terms in consumer contracts. Under the CRA, an ‘unfair term’ is defined as one which, contrary to the requirements of good faith, causes a significant imbalance in the parties’ rights and obligations under the contract to the detriment of the consumer. If a court decides a term is unfair, it will not be binding on the consumer.

A term, such as the price and the main subject matter, may be exempted from the assessment of fairness if it is transparent and prominent (expressed in plain and intelligible language and legible) and brought to the consumer’s attention in such a way as the average consumer would be aware of it.

The consumer protection legislation referred to implements EU legislation which applies in all other member states.

01/01/2023
David Simpson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Simpson on 2016-09-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps the Government plans to take to (a) reduce the number of patients receiving an incorrect initial heart diagnosis and (b) provide the correct diagnosis and treatment for those patients.

David Mowat

Swift diagnosis and treatment of heart attack are key to ensuring the best outcomes for patients. Action being taken by NHS England includes:

― increasing awareness of the signs and symptoms of heart attack amongst the public and healthcare professionals as this will help speed up diagnosis;

― prioritisation of rapid treatment for heart attack by the urgent and emergency care networks, which are responsible for providing urgent care and emergency care across England; and

― improving tests for more accurately diagnosing heart attack so that correct treatment can be given as quickly as possible.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has also published guidance on diagnosing heart attacks.

01/01/2023
Grant Shapps – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grant Shapps on 2016-10-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of accelerating the Small Modular Reactor Competition process.

Jesse Norman

Since launching the first phase of the competition in March, we have been exploring the potential of different Small Modular Reactor (SMR) designs and routes to commercialisation. In doing so we have drawn on the findings of the independent Techno-Economic Assessment, the Phase One expressions of interest documents, the meetings held by officials over the summer with 32 technology vendors, service providers and potential investors, and our continuing discussions with regulators. This evidence is being used to inform the future of the competition. The timings for any future competition phases is being kept under review, in line with wider SMR policy development.

01/01/2023

Graham Jones – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Jones on 2015-11-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of its annual income has been held in reserve by Hertfordshire police in each of the last five years.

Mike Penning

It is up to Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) and Chief Constables to decide how to allocate their resources, including the efficient use of reserves, based on local priorities. The total amount of revenue funding received by each PCC (formerly Police Authorities) and the total amounts of usable reserves, taken from publically available force area accounts are included in the table below. This includes total core Government funding area from the Home Office, Legacy Council Tax Grants and locally raised precept income. It excludes specific grants such as the Innovation Fund and other locally raised income.

Hertfordshire Police Authority/PCC reserves

Year	Reserves £m	Total revenue funding £m	Reserves as % of government grant+precept
31 Mar 2011	19.4	197.4	9.8%
31 Mar 2012	24.9	191.5	13.0%
31 Mar 2013	28.0	189.7	14.8%
31 Mar 2014	36.7	185.2	19.8%
31 Mar 2015	47.9	181.1	26.5%

Lancashire Police Authority/PCC reserves

Year	Reserves £m	Total revenue funding £m	Reserves as % of government grant+precept
31 Mar 2011	20.1	285.6	7.0%
31 Mar 2012	26.3	273.5	9.6%
31 Mar 2013	27.5	273.5	10.1%
31 Mar 2014	35.8	266.0	13.4%
31 Mar 2015	49.3	258.9	19.1%

Thames Valley Police Authority/PCC reserves

Year	Reserves £m	Total revenue funding £m	Reserves as % of government grant+precept
31 Mar 2011	41.1	395.0	10.4%
31 Mar 2012	48.2	383.4	12.6%
31 Mar 2013	45.8	382.2	12.0%
31 Mar 2014	49.1	375.9	13.1%
31 Mar 2015	51.4	369.7	13.9%

01/01/2023

Lord Falconer of Thoroton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 2015-11-30.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what were the monthly sales figures for (1) e-cigarettes, and (2) tobacco products, in prison shops in the past year.

Lord Faulks

For prisons in England and Wales monthly sales (number of units sold[1]) for the period December 2014 to November 2015 were as follows:

	TOBACCO & CIGARETTES	SUNDRIES[2]	E CIGARETTE
DECEMBER 2014	318,300	252,500	310
JANUARY 2015	352,500	284,200	140
FEBURARY 2015	283,600	228,300	80
MARCH 2015	291,700	228,400	20
APRIL 2015	344,100	282,500	40
MAY 2015	290,800	230,100	60
JUNE 2015	286,000	216,000	60
JULY 2015	350,400	268,400	40
AUGUST 2015	286,900	220,400	6,500
SEPTEMBER 2015	280,200	219,100	5,600
OCTOBER 2015	344,200	268,700	3,000
NOVEMBER 2015	278,400	220,200	1,500

It should be noted that some of the variation in monthly sales is due to months having four weekly accounting periods and other months having five.

From December 2014 to mid-August 2015 e-cigarettes were only available in prisons in Wales plus the three Public Sector Prison establishments in England, (Eastwood Park, Stocken, and Preston) hence the relatively low sales. From 17 August 2015 all public sector establishments offered an e-cigarette on their Local Product List (prison shop form). The decrease in e-cigarette sales since August is thought to be due to an initial peak in sales when these products were first introduced.

[1] Rounded to the nearest 100, or nearest 10 when sales are less than 1,000.

[2] Sundries include, for example, rolling papers, lighters, matches, filter tips and rolling machines.

01/01/2023

John Healey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Healey on 2016-01-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he plans to take to ensure that the new town of Northstowe will be developed to schedule.

Brandon Lewis

We are committed to the first housing starts on the land owned by the Homes and Communities Agency at Northstowe by the end of 2018, following the necessary infrastructure and other preparatory works. We envisage around 400 homes being started by March 2020 and the cumulative total rising to around 3,000 by March 2025. The detail of the tenure mix will be confirmed following the conclusion of negotiations with the local authority but there will be a very strong focus on the delivery of starter homes.

01/01/2023