Category: Speeches

  • Calum Kerr – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Calum Kerr – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Calum Kerr on 2016-07-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made representations to his Venezuelan counterpart on reports of detention without charge, arbitrary detentions, the excessive use of force by security forces and other human rights violations in that country.

    Sir Alan Duncan

    The Government shares the concern of the international community regarding the deteriorating political situation in Venezuela. The then Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), conveyed his concerns at the detention of prominent political opposition figures, and human rights more generally, directly to the Venezuelan Foreign Minister and Deputy Foreign Minister at bilateral meetings held in London during 2015. He has also discussed Venezuela extensively with counterparts from across the region.

    Since 2012, we have funded 22 human rights and democracy projects in Venezuela, with both Government and Non-Government Organisations. These projects have varied from protecting the rights of indigenous people to supporting political dialogue and reconciliation and the promotion of electoral reform.

    Venezuela was designated a Foreign and Commonwealth Office Human Rights Priority Country for 2016/2017 in April. This status will allow us to further expand our work on human rights and democracy in the country, including project work with local communities.

  • John Mann – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    John Mann – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Mann on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in Eritrea on the increase in political asylum seekers from that country.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The UK participates in the EU/Africa Khartoum Process; the main regional mechanism for tackling human trafficking and people smuggling in the Horn of Africa most notably from Eritrea.

    We are using our increased engagement with Eritrea to push for the tangible improvements in Eritrea’s human rights record, including: amending its national service system; fully implementing its own constitution; and cooperating with international human rights bodies.

  • Peter Kyle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Peter Kyle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2015-10-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent discussions she has had with the UN’s Humanitarian Coordinator on the situation in Yemen.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    My officials are in regular contact with the UN’s Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen to discuss the latest humanitarian situation, as well as with the UN Regional Humanitarian Coordinator, the UN Special Envoy on the Yemen crisis for the Emergency Relief Coordinator, heads of agencies and our partners on the ground.

    The Secretary of State for International Development has frequent discussions with the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Stephen O’Brien on the situation in Yemen – the most recent call was on 28 October. On 28 September, the Secretary of State co-chaired an event with him and the Assistant Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to discuss the situation on Yemen with heads of UN agencies and international partners. Ministers have regular meetings with NGO partners to discuss their assessment of the situation. The Co-Chairs statement from the meeting can be found here: http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/co-chairs-statement-ministerial-yemen-meeting-monday-28-september-2015

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  • Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2015-11-24.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 26 October 2015 to Question 10866, when he will next publish the job titles and pay grades of appointments to extended ministerial offices.

    Matthew Hancock

    The government publishes information on the job titles and pay grades of senior civil servants along with the numbers of staff they manage on a twice yearly basis.

  • Laurence Robertson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Laurence Robertson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Laurence Robertson on 2015-12-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the need for special education facilities to educate young people coming to the UK as a result of the conflict in Syria; and if she will make a statement.

    Edward Timpson

    The Government is wholly committed to ensuring that Syrian refugees who are resettled in the UK receive appropriate support and have a positive experience while they remain in the UK. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is conducting detailed assessments of the needs of all Syrian refugees who are to be re-settled in the UK, including any special educational facilities required by children. These are forwarded to host local authorities prior to the families’ arrival in the UK and will help to ensure that their needs are matched to the availability of local facilities. Based on the experience of the first 1000 arrivals, the government is in the process of assessing the longer term and wider requirements for specialist provision arising from the Prime Minister’s pledge to re-settle 20,000 refugees during the life-time of this Parliament.

  • Michelle Donelan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Michelle Donelan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michelle Donelan on 2016-01-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, on what grounds the discharge of youths from Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) is based on school years rather than date of birth; and if he will change the basis for discharge from CAMHS.

    Alistair Burt

    There is no central requirement for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) to use a school year rather than age as a threshold for transition.

    In December 2014 and January 2015, NHS England published new service specifications for commissioners, giving guidance and best practice on transition from CAMHS to adult services (or elsewhere). These specifications intentionally do not stipulate an age threshold for transition but states that transition should be built around the needs of the individual, not focussed on age.

    The Future in mind report recognised that transition at aged 18 years of age is not always appropriate and that there should be flexibility around age boundaries, in which transition is based on individual circumstances, rather than absolute age, with joint working and shared practice between services to promote continuity of care.

  • Brendan O’Hara – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Brendan O’Hara – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Brendan O’Hara on 2016-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the flight path of any flight in a fixed wing aircraft or helicopter of Defence Nuclear Materials has involved travel over the airspace of Scotland and its territorial seas in each of the last five years.

    Penny Mordaunt

    In the last five years, 23 flights carrying Defence Nuclear Materials (DNM) were undertaken. All flights were between the UK and the United States on fixed wing aircraft under the control of UK Armed Forces. No such flights passed over Scotland, or involved the use of helicopters.

    I am withholding details of the physical state, mass and radiological quantity of DNM transported as disclosure would or would be likely to prejudice national security.

    The transport of DNM is carried out to the highest standard in accordance with stringent safety regulations. In over 50 years of transporting DNM in the UK, there has never been an incident that has posed any radiation hazard to the public or to the environment.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-03-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many people were invited to interviews for the post of Pubs Code Adjudicator; and how many people attended such interviews.

    Anna Soubry

    I refer the hon Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Harrow East on 10 March, Official Report, Vol 607, Col 428.

  • Karl McCartney – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Karl McCartney – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl McCartney on 2016-04-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the current length of time is between a penalty notice being issued under the Dart Charge scheme and the date of the offence.

    Andrew Jones

    The majority of Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) are currently issued between 5 and 15 days from the time of contravention (midnight the day after crossing).

  • Jeff Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Jeff Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeff Smith on 2016-05-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many smart (a) electric and (b) gas meters have been installed in (i) Manchester, Withington constituency, (ii) Greater Manchester and (iii) the UK since the smart meter programme was implemented.

    Andrea Leadsom

    Data on the number of smart electricity and gas meters installed in Great Britain is set out in the Government’s ‘Smart Meters, Great Britain, Quarterly report to end December 2015’, published on 31 March 2016:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statistical-release-and-data-smart-meters-great-britain-quarter-4-2015

    The roll-out is making good progress with more than 3 million meters now operating under the Programme which covers Great Britain. Northern Ireland is undertaking a separate roll-out programme.

    Data is not collected from energy suppliers in a way that allows constituency or regional-level data to be produced.

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