Category: Speeches

  • Yvonne Fovargue – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Yvonne Fovargue – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Yvonne Fovargue on 2016-05-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to raise awareness of the dangers of purchasing counterfeit electrical goods.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The Intellectual Property Office does not undertake any awareness raising activities that specifically highlight the dangers of purchasing counterfeit electrical goods.

    The Intellectual Property Office works with partners including trading standards, Border Force and industry on a range of initiatives to tackle IP crime. . These initiatives include outreach campaigns aimed at consumers and workplaces, as well as enforcement action and support for businesses. They are not however focused on counterfeit electrical goods in isolation.

  • Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-07-21.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has undertaken an impact assessment on the cumulative effect of introducing a general sugar tax in addition to the soft drinks industry levy.

    Jane Ellison

    The Soft Drinks Industry Levy is a bold step towards tackling childhood obesity. It is a signal to the food and drink industry that the Government is willing to take action to help cut sugar intakes.

    Public health experts have widely identified sugar-sweetened soft drinks as a specific, major factor in childhood obesity. There are no current plans to extend the levy to other foods or drinks, or introduce a general sugar tax.

  • Danny Kinahan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Danny Kinahan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Danny Kinahan on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he has taken to highlight the potential benefits of a military career to young people from deprived areas.

    Mark Lancaster

    Our Armed Forces welcomes people from all backgrounds. There is a role in the Services for people regardless of their gender, race, ethnic origin or religious belief. No account is taken of sexual orientation or social background. The Armed Forces has a strict code of conduct to make sure that everyone is treated fairly. As a major employer we are working to create a more inclusive working environment in which people are able to reach their full potential.

    The Armed Forces has an extensive programme of engagement with schools and educational establishments, including deprived areas. However, the Armed Forces does not recruit in schools and only visits educational establishments when specifically invited to do so.

  • Tom Pursglove – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Tom Pursglove – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Pursglove on 2015-10-27.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many civil servants of his Department are members of trades unions; how many working hours of facility time are taken by such civil servants; and what estimate he has made of the cost of that facility time to his Department.

    Harriett Baldwin

    Information relating to the number of HM Treasury staff who are members of Trade Unions is a matter for the relevant trade unions.

    The Cabinet Office publishes data relating to Civil Service facility time on a quarterly basis. The latest data is Quarter 4, 2014 at and is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/trade-union-facility-time.

  • Lord Storey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the The Lord Chairman of Committees

    Lord Storey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the The Lord Chairman of Committees

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2015-11-24.

    To ask the Chairman of Committees whether employees of public affairs companies can hold a House of Lords staff pass.

    Lord Laming

    Yes. Members of the House of Lords may sponsor their staff for parliamentary photo-passes, provided the member certifies that the applicant for the pass genuinely provides parliamentary research or secretarial services for the member or acts as a carer or driver for them.

    Members’ staff with parliamentary photo-passes are subject to the Code of Conduct for House of Lords Members’ Staff. This requires them to disclose in the Register of Members’ Staff Interests any employment they have outside the House of Lords. They must also register any financial interest in businesses or organisations involved in public affairs or parliamentary lobbying. The Code of Conduct prohibits members’ staff from making use of their access to the parliamentary estate to further the interests of an outside body from whom they receive payment.

  • Gavin Robinson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Gavin Robinson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Robinson on 2016-01-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the longest length of time is that a person has spent in an immigration holding or detention centre in the last five years.

    James Brokenshire

    Information on the length of detention has been published since quarter 1 (January to March) 2010.

    The longest time a person has been detained in the immigration estate – a foreign criminal who left detention and was returned to Algeria in Q1 2012 – was 2,319 days. The individual in this case had accumulated 14 convictions from 32 offences committed between 1998 and 2004, including – but not limited to – convictions for firearms/ shotguns/offensive weapons, drug offences, offences relating to police/courts/prisons and theft. He was continuously non-compliant with the Home Office and Algerian authorities, using a false identity and nationality, which frustrated attempts to obtain travel documentation to facilitate his deportation. His continued non-compliance, deception and a history of absconding led to detention being prolonged. This information does not include those held in prisons solely under Immigration Act powers.

    The Home Office publishes quarterly and annual statistics on the number of people detained in the United Kingdom for immigration purposes, within the Immigration Statistics release on the GOV.UK website: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office/series/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release

  • Nigel Mills – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Nigel Mills – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Mills on 2016-01-26.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many notifications under section 92 of the Finance Act 2015 were received by HM Revenue and Customs during the period from 1 April 2015 to 31 December 2015.

    Mr David Gauke

    The Diverted Profits Tax is designed to counter contrived tax arrangements used by some multinationals to shift their profits to other countries. It is deliberately set at a higher rate than corporation tax, so it acts as a deterrent and encourages more companies to pay corporation tax.

    No notices under section 93 Finance Act 2015 were issued during the period 1 April 2015 to 31 December 2015 but HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) received notifications from eleven companies under section 92 in relation to section 86 Finance Act 2015.

    For companies with accounting periods ending on or before 31 March 2016 the notification period is six months from the end of that period. HMRC is not able to disclose details of notifications relating to sections 80 and 81 of the Finance Act 2015 due to its duty to protect taxpayer confidentiality.

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many organisations were affected by his Department’s pilot of anti-sock puppet rules; how many exemptions were made under that pilot scheme; and what estimate he has made of the savings to the public purse that arose from that pilot scheme.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    The guidelines ensure that government grants are only spent on the good causes and programmes spelt out in the underlying grant agreement, and prevent taxpayers’ money being diverted to unproductive lobbying. The savings are thus delivered by ensuring all such public money is properly spent on the intended purposes, rather than seeking to reduce the absolute level of government grants as a consequence of stopping taxpayer-funded lobbying.

  • Stephen Doughty – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Doughty – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-03-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many personal independence payment claimants there were in Cardiff South and Penarth constituency in each of the last 12 months.

    Justin Tomlinson

    Information on the number of claimants in receipt of Personal Independence Payment, by month and a range of geographic breakdowns, including parliamentary constituency, is available from Stat-Xplore. https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/

    “

  • The Lord Bishop of Southwark – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The Lord Bishop of Southwark – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Lord Bishop of Southwark on 2016-04-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Verma on 1 April (HL7307), what steps they are taking with their international allies and partners to redress the financial shortfall in humanitarian assistance to Iraq.

    Baroness Verma

    The UK monitors levels of humanitarian assistance in Iraq extremely closely. In our work with both the Government of Iraq and international donors, we continue to stress the importance of providing sufficient funding to respond to urgent needs across Iraq. We also work closely with others donors, NGOs, the UN and international financial institutions to ensure that commitments made are effectively spent, and targeted towards those in the greatest need.