Category: Speeches

  • Baroness Rebuck – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Baroness Rebuck – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Rebuck on 2016-02-04.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government which literacy charities they have provided with funding over the last five years, and how much funding they have provided in each case.

    Lord Nash

    We have undertaken a thorough search of our records in the Department for Education and contacted the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, the Department for International Development, the Department for Business Innovation and Skills, the Department for Health and the Ministry of Justice. The list below sets out the results of this search:

    The National Literacy Trust – £1,485,145

    Centre for Literacy in Primary Education – £1,450

    Book Trust – £34,716,302

    The Reading Agency – £2,652,880

    Developments in Literacy Trust UK – £249,995

    The government is committed to improving literacy. We have introduced a new, more rigorous national curriculum which includes greater focus on reading. The national curriculum for English places a greater focus on reading and requires pupils to study a range of books, poems and plays to develop a life-long love of literature. Through reading and writing pupils will have an opportunity to develop intellectually, spiritually and socially, and develop a life-long love of culture.

    Between September 2011 and October 2013, the Department for Education provided £23.7 million in match funding to over 14,000 primary schools, enabling them to buy systematic synthetic phonics products and training. In 2012 we introduced a phonics screening check at age 6 so that teachers can intervene early to help children catch up with their reading.

    In November 2015 we announced the introduction of a year 7 resit test for pupils who did not achieve the expected standard at key stage 2 in reading or maths. Since September 2014 we have required 16-19 year olds not holding good passes in GCSE maths to continue to work towards them. This resulted in 7,500 more students aged 17 and above securing A*-C GCSE Maths last summer.

  • Diane Abbott – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Diane Abbott – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diane Abbott on 2016-03-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what reports she has received on alleged river and soil pollution in Zambia by the UK firm Vedanta Resources.

    Justine Greening

    Vedenta Resources has no formal relationship with our DFID Zambia office.

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-03-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 27 January 2016 to Question 23756, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of funds within NHS organisations to eradicate backlog maintenance repairs which are considered to be high risk.

    George Freeman

    National Health Service organisations are locally responsible for the quality of their estate and the management of their own backlog maintenance. They decide on the investment needed to reduce backlog maintenance levels based on their own local plans and financial situation. Capital investment by NHS providers continues to be financed locally through income and/or through access to external financing.

  • Gordon Marsden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Gordon Marsden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2016-05-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what definition of the degree apprenticeship his Department uses in its work on that proposal.

    Nick Boles

    A degree apprenticeship is an approved English apprenticeship where one of the outcomes of the apprenticeship standard is a Bachelor’s or a Master’s degree awarded by the university where the apprentice undertook their academic study.

    Degree Apprenticeships policy is still under development within the existing legal framework.

  • Richard Burgon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Richard Burgon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burgon on 2016-06-15.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the results of the Current Account Switching Service for personal current account holders with overdrafts.

    Harriett Baldwin

    The Government is committed to increasing competition in banking to ensure banks have to work hard to offer the best possible products and services to their customers. A key part of that is making the process for customers switching their current accounts as easy and as effective as possible, to ensure customers are able to hold their banks to account by voting with their feet.

    The Government has already undertaken a lot work to improve the process for customers switching their current accounts, including helping to deliver the Current Account Switch Service to enable customers to switch banks simply, quickly and reliably, and delivering midata, to enable customers to compare which bank is best for them based on how they use their current account.

    As part of its retail banking market investigation, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is considering what additional improvements could be made to the process of customers switching current accounts, including requiring banks to make it easier for customers to switch their overdraft when they move banks. The CMA is also considering other additional measures designed to support overdraft users.

    The Government welcomes the CMA’s investigation, and stands ready to take action as necessary once it publishes its final report in the summer.

  • Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-09-12.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he intends to publish legislation to create the National Infrastructure Commission as a statutory body.

    Mr David Gauke

    The National Infrastructure Commission has a crucial role to play in setting out the country’s infrastructure priorities and it has already made an important contribution through its first three reports.

    The Commission is an important part of the government’s overall approach on infrastructure, and we remain fully committed to it. We are considering how it can best support the government’s new industrial strategy.

  • Julian Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Julian Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Knight on 2016-10-19.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans the Government has to assist people who are locked into inappropriate and poorly-paying annuity contracts.

    Simon Kirby

    The Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) thematic review of non-advised annuity sales practices looked at past sales practices, and found failings in a small number of firms, particularly in respect of the information they provide to customers about enhanced annuities (where customers may be entitled to an enhanced rate because of a health condition or lifestyle factor).

    The FCA have announced their next steps, including investigation by the FCA’s Enforcement Division to determine whether further action is necessary. These firms are now being asked by the FCA to review all non-advised sales from July 2008 and, where appropriate, provide redress.

  • Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-11-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many advisers worked at Plaistow Jobcentre in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012, (d) 2013 and (e) 2014.

    Priti Patel

    The information is in the table below:

    Year Number of Advisers that worked at Plaistow Jobcentre
    2010/11 24
    2011/12 26
    2012/13 27
    2013/14 23
    2014/15 27

    1. Source of management information: DWP Work Services Activity Based Management Tool

    2. The management information is collated and reported for the period from April to March for each year

    3. The numbers of advisers are expressed as Full Time Equivalents

    4. The management information contained within this document does not form part of any official statistics and is intended for DWP internal use only.

  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-12-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people from Pakistan applied for asylum and requested certification under section (a) 94(1) and (b) 94(2) of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 in each of the last three years.

    James Brokenshire

    The basis of an individual’s asylum claim is not recorded on Home Office systems. It is not therefore possible to differentiate Pakistani applicants claiming for reasons of religious persecution and discrimination from Pakistani applicants claiming for one or more other reasons in the Detained Fast Track (DFT) or the non-detained process.

    Certification under section 94 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 is not requested by an applicant. It is applied by the Secretary of State in circumstances where the applicant’s claim is refused and considered to be so lacking in merit as to be clearly unfounded.

    The number of initial certified refusals for Pakistan main asylum applicants, from year ending September 2013 to year ending September 2015, was 604. The Home Office publishes data on asylum applications and decisions on a quarterly and annual basis. The information supplied on certified refusals is based on initial decisions which do not necessarily relate to applications made in the same period.

    No assessment has been made of any difference that might exist between grant rates in respect of Pakistani applicants in the DFT process when it operated, and cases entering the non-detained process at the same time. However, as the DFT process avoided claims involving particular complexity and/or vulnerability, and prioritised cases which appeared to be late or opportunistic, it is to be expected that the DFT would have fewer grants than the non-detained process.

  • Seema Malhotra – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Seema Malhotra – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Seema Malhotra on 2016-01-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he plans to take to improve access to finance for SMEs.

    Anna Soubry

    The Government is taking steps to improve financing opportunities for smaller businesses through the British Business Bank. The Bank is making business finance markets for smaller businesses work more effectively and dynamically and is already supporting £2.4 billion of finance to over 40,000 smaller businesses, and participating in a further £3.3 billion of finance to mid-cap businesses. It aims to facilitate up to £10 billion of finance by 2019. In addition, measures in the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 will require banks to refer customers who have been declined for a loan to alternative finance providers via designated platforms. This is expected to provide a significant boost to diversity and competition in business lending and is due to be implemented later this year.