Category: Speeches

Douglas Chapman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-06-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to safeguard Royal Navy submarines from risks posed by underwater drones.

Mr Philip Dunne

The Government takes its responsibilities for maintaining the integrity of our submarine fleet extremely seriously and dedicates considerable resource to ensuring that the credibility and standards for operational effectiveness will continue to be met. Our submarine fleet will not be rendered obsolete by new technologies, including developments in unmanned underwater vehicle technology. I am withholding further details as publication would prejudice or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

01/01/2023
Jamie Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2016-09-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department spent on administration costs related to attendance allowance in 2015-16.

Penny Mordaunt

The total administrative cost of Attendance Allowance for 2015/16 is not available.

01/01/2023
Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-10-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to maintain discipline in the Army after changing the rules on physical punishment.

Mark Lancaster

Physical punishment has not been permitted in the Army for many decades, and the use of unofficial punishments and sanctions is banned. Maintaining and improving discipline and behaviour is primarily achieved through education and the promotion of positive values and standards.

Lawful and authorised punishments are contained within the Armed Forces Act, as reviewed by Parliament in 2016, and other minor sanctions in the publications on Administrative Action which were revised this year. Skills training that is relevant to the failing, including appropriate physical training, may be included if the Serviceman’s failing warrants it. There are strict rules relating to the award of extra drill lessons which may only be awarded as a sanction to address failings in drill. Periods of physical training may be given as a sanction for soldiers who display a lack of physical effort or attention to their duties, and must be conducted by an appropriately qualified instructor and supervised by a non-commissioned officer.

01/01/2023
Baroness Goudie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Goudie on 2015-11-03.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to the role that Candu Energy can play in the development of United Kingdom infrastructure and in creating new supply-chain jobs in the United Kingdom’s nuclear sector.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) is in the process of submitting advice to DECC, which together with other sources of information and evidence, will enable DECC to consider options for the disposition of plutonium. There are a number of options for dispositioning of plutonium that will be considered, including the potential option presented by Candu. A decision will be made by ministers in due course. The Government is confident that its preferred option for plutonium disposition will be implemented safely and securely, and in a way that is affordable, deliverable, and offers value for money.

01/01/2023
Caroline Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2015-11-30.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies on tackling fraud and money laundering of the findings by Kroll in a report prepared for the National Bank of Moldova in April 2015 on fraud and money laundering in that country, that all but one of the limited partnerships involved had a registered place of business in Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry

We are aware of the findings of the Kroll report which makes general observations based on publically-available records. We have not corroborated the accuracy and completeness of the report, but it raises broad issues we were aware of and are currently considering.

The Government takes the misuse of all UK business entities extremely seriously. This is why under the UK Presidency in 2013, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister secured agreement from the G7 countries to sign-up to ambitious proposals to tackle the abuse of companies and legal arrangements. Increasing transparency about who owns and controls UK companies is a vital step in creating an environment of trust and accountability.

From April 2016, UK companies and other entities will be required to create a register containing information of the people with significant control, including their name, month and year of birth, and service address. From June 2016, this information will be provided to a central register at Companies House and will be publically available.

01/01/2023
Mark Pritchard – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Pritchard on 2016-01-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will hold discussions with his counterparts in the government of (a) Jamaica and (b) Trinidad and Tobago on the abolition of the death penalty.

Mr David Lidington

It has been a long-standing aspiration of this and previous Governments to persuade Caribbean countries, including Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, to abolish the death penalty. Both Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago have refrained from executing any prisoners for some years. We hope that the final steps necessary to abolish the death penalty permanently will be taken. We formally recommended that Jamaica should abolish the death penalty during its last United Nations Universal Periodic Review. The UK is working with the new government in Trinidad and Tobago to improve judicial processes, including effective sentencing. We are also funding an abolitionist project in the Caribbean, which is designed to turn public opinion against the injustices and cruelties that come with use of the death penalty.

01/01/2023
Jamie Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2016-02-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many representations he has received on reopening the A591.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Government has received a number of representations to help repair the A591 damaged by the recent Storms, including a request for assistance from Cumbria County Council, the local highway authority, who is ultimately responsible for the management and maintenance of the road.

The Secretary of State for Transport announced on 27 December 2015 the Department for Transport would be providing £40 million to help rebuild vital local highway infrastructure in Cumbria and Lancashire damaged by the recent storms, including the damaged section of the A591. This announcement built on the government’s earlier provision of up to £2 million in the initial aftermath of the severe wet weather to enable Cumbria and Lancashire authorities to carry out an initial assessment of what repairs were required to roads and bridges.

A follow up announcement regarding the A591 was made on 14 January 2016 which highlighted that Highways England, along with their contractors, has been brought in to deliver a full and permanent reinstatement of the road as quickly as possible.

Further information is in the following weblink: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/transport-secretary-announces-plans-to-reopen-a591-in-cumbria-following-storm-desmond-and-eva

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01/01/2023

Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-02-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how much her Department has paid to staff in overtime in each of the last 24 months.

Andrea Leadsom

In the period January 2014 to end January 2016 overtime payments made totalled (to the nearest £k) broken down as shown below:-

2013-14	£k	2014-15	£k	2015-16	£k
January	43	April	63	April	26
February	52	May	85	May	34
March	58	June	10	June	32
		July	60	July	34
		August	38	August	22
		September	30	September	21
		October	32	October	23
		November	47	November	32
		December	59	December	37
		January	36	January	28
		February	49
		March	49

01/01/2023

Ian Murray – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Murray on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of assessment reports conducted by contractors for Scottish claimants of (a) employment and support allowance and (b) personal independence payments were returned by his Department as not being of a sufficient standard to enable a decision to be made in each of the last four quarters for which information is available.

Priti Patel

In each of the last four quarters for which information is available, less than 0.1% of all Employment and Support Allowance and less than 0.1% of all Personal Independent Payment assessment reports completed in Scotland have been returned to the provider for rework, meaning that the report has been deemed not fit for purpose by the Department.

01/01/2023
Rebecca Long Bailey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rebecca Long Bailey on 2016-04-25.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many stakeholders responded to his Department’s informal consultation on the transitional arrangements for the removal of the Climate Change Levy exemption for renewably sourced electricity.

Damian Hinds

At Autumn Statement 2015 it was announced that a transitional period for electricity suppliers to apply the Climate Change Levy exemption on renewably-sourced electricity generated before 1 August 2015 would end on 31 March 2018. This followed an informal consultation by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) which received 18 written responses. In addition to these responses, HMRC held a number of meetings with organisations affected by the change.

01/01/2023