Category: Speeches

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to introduce a limit to the number of Hackney carriage and private hire driver licences local authorities can issue.

    Andrew Jones

    Under section 16 of the Transport Act 1985 local licensing authorities outside of London have the power to limit the number of licensed Hackney carriages if they are satisfied that there is no significant demand for the services of Hackney carriages (within the area to which the licence would apply) which is unmet. There are no powers to restrict the number of Hackney carriages in London or private hire vehicles in or outside of London and the Government has no plans to introduce any such legislation at this time.

  • Lord Lester of Herne Hill – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Lord Lester of Herne Hill – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lester of Herne Hill on 2015-11-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government which instruments have been used to grant exemptions from deposit in the National Archives under the Public Records Act 1958 since the introduction of the rule that closed records should be deposited after 20 years.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    Departments that wish to physically retain custody of records for an administrative or other reason (such as national security) for longer than the prescribed period require a retention instrument.

    Since 2013, when the Government began its move towards transferring records to the National Archives when they are 20 years old, rather than 30, retention instrument numbers 111 to 119 have been approved.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-01-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many times the Prison Service Gold Command opened in each month since May 2010; and what the nature was of each incident that caused it to be opened.

    Andrew Selous

    The safety of staff and prisoners is a priority. Gold Command is opened in order to deal with incidents as quickly and safely as possible. Not all incidents turn out to be serious, but all incidents are regarded as potentially serious at the point of Gold being opened up.

    Prisons are dealing with an increasingly violent population, and the effects of novel psychoactive substances. We take a zero tolerance approach to drugs in prisons, and have recently introduced tough new laws which will see those who smuggle packages over prison walls, including drugs, face up to two years in prison. There are already a range of robust measures in place to detect drugs, including the use of sniffer dogs, searches of cells, and mandatory drugs tests.

    Table 1: Gold Command Openings by Month and Incident Type May 2010 – December 2015

    Month

    Total

    Hostage

    Concerted Indiscipline

    Incident at Height

    Industrial Action

    Escape

    Barricade

    Fire

    Civil Unrest

    May-10

    2

    2

    Jun-10

    1

    1

    Jul-10

    3

    1

    2

    Aug-10

    1

    1

    Sep-10

    2

    2

    Oct-10

    4

    2

    1

    1

    Nov-10

    8

    2

    5

    1

    Dec-10

    3

    1

    2

    Jan-11

    4

    4

    Feb-11

    4

    2

    1

    1

    Mar-11

    1

    1

    Apr-11

    4

    2

    1

    1

    May-11

    2

    2

    Jun-11

    0

    Jul-11

    0

    Aug-11

    3

    1

    1

    1

    Month

    Total

    Hostage

    Concerted Indiscipline

    Incident at Height

    Industrial Action

    Escape

    Barricade

    Fire

    Civil Unrest

    Sep-11

    1

    1

    Oct-11

    2

    1

    1

    Nov-11

    7

    4

    1

    1

    1

    Dec-11

    2

    2

    Jan-12

    5

    5

    Feb-12

    3

    2

    1

    Mar-12

    5

    2

    1

    1

    1

    Apr-12

    2

    2

    May-12

    6

    5

    1

    Jun-12

    3

    1

    1

    1

    Jul-12

    6

    4

    2

    Aug-12

    3

    2

    1

    Sep-12

    3

    1

    2

    Oct-12

    2

    2

    Nov-12

    6

    4

    2

    Dec-12

    2

    2

    Jan-13

    2

    1

    1

    Feb-13

    1

    1

    Mar-13

    7

    4

    1

    1

    1

    Apr-13

    6

    4

    1

    1

    May-13

    6

    3

    1

    1

    1

    Jun-13

    13

    9

    3

    1

    Jul-13

    4

    4

    Aug-13

    4

    3

    1

    Sep-13

    12

    7

    1

    4

    Oct-13

    4

    2

    1

    1

    Nov-13

    6

    3

    2

    1

    Dec-13

    6

    5

    1

    Jan-14

    10

    8

    2

    Feb-14

    4

    3

    1

    Mar-14

    5

    3

    2

    Apr-14

    6

    5

    1

    May-14

    0

    Jun-14

    8

    7

    1

    Jul-14

    12

    7

    1

    1

    1

    1

    1

    Aug-14

    5

    3

    2

    Sep-14

    5

    3

    1

    1

    Oct-14

    5

    4

    1

    Nov-14

    10

    6

    4

    Dec-14

    8

    4

    3

    1

    Jan-15

    5

    4

    1

    Feb-15

    2

    2

    Month

    Total

    Hostage

    Concerted Indiscipline

    Incident at Height

    Industrial Action

    Escape

    Barricade

    Fire

    Civil Unrest

    Mar-15

    13

    9

    2

    2

    Apr-15

    5

    3

    1

    1

    May-15

    6

    4

    2

    Jun-15

    9

    5

    2

    1

    1

    Jul-15

    14

    7

    2

    5

    Aug-15

    3

    1

    2

    Sep-15

    9

    6

    2

    1

    Oct-15

    6

    3

    2

    1

    Nov-15

    5

    2

    3

    Dec-15

    5

    2

    1

    2

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-01-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much the National Institute for Health Research has invested in research into (a) lung cancer, (b) adult asthma, (c) pneumonia, (d) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, (e) idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, (f) mesothelioma and (g) childhood wheezing and childhood respiratory infection in each of the last five years.

    George Freeman

    The information requested is not available. Spend on research funded directly by the Department’s National Institute for Health Research is categorised by Health Research Classification System (HRCS) health categories including ‘cancer’ and ‘respiratory’. There are no HRCS health sub-categories, such as for specific cancer sites or respiratory diseases.

  • Melanie Onn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Melanie Onn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Melanie Onn on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to encourage young people to take up a career in the fishing industry.

    George Eustice

    Such matters fall primarily to the Non-Departmental Public Body Seafish, which is funded by an industry levy. Seafish launched a three-week ‘Introduction to Commercial Fishing’ course in September 2011 to help recruit and train new entrants to the fishing industry. Drawing on funding from the European Fisheries Fund (EFF), Seafish has delivered 84 courses throughout the UK and trained 741 new entrants.

    Seafish has also developed a one-year (minimum) ‘Apprenticeship in Sea Fishing’ programme to attract new entrants looking for a career in commercial fishing. It has been delivered in England by the Whitby & District Fishing Industry School, and is now being offered as a Modern Apprenticeship in Scotland by the NAFC Marine Centre in Shetland and the North East Scotland College in Peterhead. Between 1 January 2013 and 31 December 2015 51 apprentices registered for, and 44 completed, the programme. Moreover, Seafish has developed ‘Fish and Shellfish Apprenticeships’ to help the onshore sectors of the seafood industry recruit new high-calibre entrants.

    In addition, Seafish created ‘The World is Your Oyster’, a recruitment campaign designed to showcase the diverse employment opportunities and career prospects in the seafood and fishing industries. The campaign launched in November last year, and is targeted at school leavers, youngsters and those considering a career change. Further information can be found on the Seafish website.

    The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) has provided financial support via the EFF to Fisheries Local Action Groups for schemes which include apprenticeships and training for the fishing industry. Funds paid for such schemes under EFF with MMO matched funding are in the region of £208,829. Support for training programmes and apprenticeships will continue to be available under the European Maritime Fisheries Fund, replacing the EFF, which opened on 18 January.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-03-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 14 March 2016 to Question 27469, what representations she has received on whether the admissions criteria employed by religiously selective schools are sufficiently clear for parents to be able to understand them; and if she will make a statement.

    Nick Gibb

    As part of our current review of the School Admissions Code, we are considering whether changes need to be made to address some of the issues highlighted by the Schools Adjudicator. The School Admissions Code requires that the oversubscription criteria of all state-funded schools, including schools with a religious character, are reasonable, clear, objective, and procedurally fair. Schools operating faith-admission arrangements must ensure that parents can easily understand how any faith-based criteria will be reasonably satisfied. Parents should be able to look at a set of arrangements and understand easily how places for that school will be allocated.

    If parents consider arrangements are unclear or unfair they can object to the Schools Adjudicator.

    Officials regularly meet with a range of stakeholders to discuss admissions policy.

  • Alison Thewliss – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Alison Thewliss – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison Thewliss on 2016-04-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people from Yemen claimed asylum in the UK in 2014.

    James Brokenshire

    There were 66 and 111 asylum applications from Yemeni nationals in 2014 and 2015, respectively.

    The Home Office publishes figures on asylum applications by nationality in the quarterly Immigration Statistics release. A copy of the latest release, Immigration Statistics, October to December 2015, is available from:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-october-to-december-2015.

  • Maria Eagle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Maria Eagle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2016-05-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when his Department plans to publish the draft BBC Charter.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The government is in the process of drafting the Royal Charter and we expect to publish a draft version in the coming months.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-07-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations his Department has made to the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights in response to his Memorandum on surveillance and oversight mechanisms in the United Kingdom, published in May 2016.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    Following his visit to the United Kingdom from 17 – 22 January, Commissioner Muižnieks published his “Memorandum on surveillance and oversight mechanisms in the United Kingdom” on 17 May. The same day Her Majesty’s Government formally responded, detailing the necessity of surveillance powers and the ways in which the Government has bought world-leading oversight and transparency to these powers. The Government’s full response, which runs to 27 pages, can be found on the Commissioner’s website here: http://www.coe.int/en/web/commissioner/country-report/united-kingdom

  • Andy McDonald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Andy McDonald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy McDonald on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many coastguards were employed by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency in each year since 2010-11.

    Mr John Hayes

    The number of Coastguards employed by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency in each year since 2010/11 is as follows:

    2010/11

    2011/12

    2012/13

    2013/14

    2014/15

    2015/16

    2016/17

    517

    491

    469

    418

    386

    416

    424

    When interpreting the above numbers, it is important to note that the new HM Coastguard structure enables the National Maritime Operations Centre (NMOC) and nine Coastguard Operation Centres (CGOC) to coordinate any incident around the UK coast. Workload and incidents continue to managed locally but all Coastguard Centres now have a national support network available to them during busy periods. These arrangements are most effectively deployed from a smaller national footprint.