Category: Speeches

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-02-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information her Department holds on the number of dogs put down because they could not be rehomed in each of the last five years.

    George Eustice

    Statistics of dogs put down because they could not be re-homed are not held by central Government. However, Dogs Trust carry out an annual survey of local authorities. The attached table is taken from information from the last five Dogs Trust surveys.

    Apr 2014 – Mar 2015 – 5,142

    Apr 2013 – Mar 2014 – 7,058

    Apr 2012 – Mar 2013 – 7,319

    Apr 2011 – Mar 2012 – 8,903

    Apr 2010 – Mar 2011 – 7,121

  • Maria Caulfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Maria Caulfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Caulfield on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the government of Israel on the extension of the Separation Barrier in the Cremisan Valley.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv have raised the issue of the separation barrier through Cremisan Valley with the Israeli authorities repeatedly, most recently on 1 September 2015. Our Deputy Consul General to Jerusalem visited the Al Walajah and Khirbet Najjar areas of Beit Jala on 9 February 2016, where he was given an update on the impact of the barrier on residents.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-03-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he plans to take to monitor the location and use of the recently announced military equipment being given to Ukraine.

    Michael Fallon

    All equipment being gifted is non-lethal in nature, and includes night vision goggles, global positioning sets (GPS), helmets, body armour, ruggedized laptops, large tents, heating units, cold weather clothing and individual first aid kits.

    This equipment has helped save lives in contested areas in the Donbas. Given its non-lethal nature, we see no need routinely to monitor its location and usage.

  • Lord Myners – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Lord Myners – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Myners on 2016-04-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will publish the report produced by the Insolvency Service on the collapse of the Comet Group, and whether they will take that report into account when conducting any review of the circumstances leading to the collapse of BHS.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    The Insolvency Service investigated Comet under provisions of the Companies Act, which means it is not possible to publish the report.

    The Insolvency Service continuously builds on the experience gained in all its investigations to inform its work.

  • Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-06-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many GP premises in the Southampton local authority area are owned by the NHS Property Services.

    George Freeman

    The following table shows general practitioner practices based in NHS Property Services sites within the Southampton area.

    Site name

    Address

    Town

    County

    Postcode

    Tenure

    Aldermoor Health Centre

    Aldermoor Close

    Southampton

    Hampshire

    SO16 5ST

    Freehold

    Shirley Health Centre

    Grove Road

    Southampton

    Hampshire

    SO15 3UA

    Freehold

    Lordshill Health Centre

    Lordshill District Centre

    Southampton

    Hampshire

    SO16 8HY

    Freehold

    Newtown Health Clinic

    24-26 Lyon Street

    Southampton

    Hampshire

    SO14 0LX

    Part freehold/Part long leasehold

    Royal South Hants Hospital

    Graham Road

    Southampton

    Hampshire

    SO14 0YG

    Freehold
  • Karl McCartney – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Karl McCartney – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl McCartney on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department has taken to prepare for the UK to leave the EU since 23 June 2016; and what further such steps his Department plans to take in the remainder of 2016.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    The Department is working closely with all interested stakeholders to ensure their views are properly captured. I am working with colleagues across government to make sure we understand all of the potential risks and opportunities across the economy.

  • Rupa Huq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Rupa Huq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rupa Huq on 2016-10-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to retain access for UK universities to EU research programmes after the UK leaves the EU.

    Joseph Johnson

    The Government is committed to maintaining and enhancing the strength of the UK’s research base. This is why it has protected the science resource budget in real terms from its 2015/16 level of £4.7 billion for the rest of the Parliament, as well as committing to invest in new scientific infrastructure on a record scale – £6.9 billion over the period 2015-2021.

    HM Treasury’s decision to underwrite the grants of competitively bid for EU research funding will give British participants and their EU partners the assurance and certainty needed to plan ahead for projects that can stretch over many years. The Government will ensure that the UK continues to be a world leader in research and innovation.

  • Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-11-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he plans to take to improve broadband services in urban areas (a) generally and (b) for small and medium-sized businesses in 2015-16.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    Access to broadband is of vital importance to small and medium-sized businesses, which is why the Government-funded Broadband Connection Voucher Scheme has provided over 50,000 small and medium sized enterprises with access to high speed broadband.83 per cent of homes and businesses already have access to superfast broadband services, and thanks to the Government’s investment in the superfast broadband rollout, this is set to rise to 95 per cent by the end of 2017. In addition, the Government is supportingseven pilot projects exploring options for delivering superfast broadband services to the hardest to reach parts of the UK.

  • Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-01-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he plans to publish a timetable for those UK’s Overseas Territories with financial centres producing credible plans to adopt public registers of beneficial ownership.

    James Duddridge

    The Government is in discussion with the governments of the Overseas Territories on their plans to improve company transparency. The Territories have agreed to hold beneficial ownership information in central registers, or similarly effective systems, which need to meet the three criteria the UK set out in a letter to Territory leaders in March 2015. These are laid out in the answer my hon. Friend, the Member for South West Hertfordshire (David Gauke MP), gave on 16 October 2015 (PQ10437, PQ10438 and PQ10448).

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-02-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assurances he has sought that the lifting of international sanctions on Iran will not result in an increase in overseas operations by Iran’s Quds Force; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    Sanctions related to Iran’s human rights record and support for terrorism – including those on Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) members and entities sanctioned for these reasons – are not affected by the nuclear deal. They remain in place and will continue to be enforced. The IRGC, which includes the Quds Force, is still a sanctioned entity. The lifting of financial and economic sanctions represents a real opportunity for Iranians to make positive decisions about their country’s future and its role in the region.