Category: Speeches

  • Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town on 2016-02-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to prevent overspend by an accredited campaign in a Recall Petition under the Recall of MPs Act 2015.

    Lord Bridges of Headley

    The Recall of MPs Act 2015 sets out that each accredited campaigner may spend up to a maximum of £10,000 campaigning either for or against the petition, while non-accredited campaigners may only spend up to £500.

    Each accredited campaigner must submit a statement which details all of the payments incurred in respect of the petition expenses, a statement of all unpaid claims and a statement of disputed claims. The return must be accompanied by a declaration, signed by the responsible person that to the best of his knowledge the return is complete and correct. The responsible person commits an offence if they fail to submit the return and if they knowingly submit a declaration knowing it to be false. The petition officer must then make the returns available for inspection by the public.

  • Lord West of Spithead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord West of Spithead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2016-03-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration was given in the Budget to the commitment made by the Prime Minister, when introducing the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015, that there would be a bigger navy by 2030.

    Earl Howe

    Government commitments to maintain defence spending above the NATO target of 2 per cent of GDP, and to increase the defence budget by 0.5 per cent above inflation each year until 2020-21 were unchanged by the Budget.

    We will publish our national shipbuilding strategy later this year, which will lay the foundations for a modern and efficient sector capable of meeting the UK’s future defence and security needs. Furthermore, as announced in the Strategic Defence and Security Review, we intend to launch a concept study to design and build a new class of lighter, flexible, and exportable frigate so that by the 2030s we can further increase our total number of frigates and destroyers.

  • 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 2016-04-14.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what investments his Department plans to be (a) permitted and (b) excluded under a lifetime ISA.

    Harriett Baldwin

    The new Lifetime ISA will provide savers with the flexibility to save towards a first home and retirement at the same time.

    From April 2017, people aged 18 to 40 will be able to save up to £4,000 each year into a Lifetime ISA and receive a 25% bonus from the Government.

    The Government is engaging with the industry on the detail of implementation and regulation of the Lifetime ISA. Further details will be announced when the Government brings forward legislation to enact the Lifetime ISA in the autumn.

  • Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-05-23.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what information they have about Palestinian refugees besieged by Government forces in Khan Eshieh near Damascus; and in particular, whether they intend to take action to press for a ceasefire to allow the evacuation of non-combatants, including women and children.

    Baroness Verma

    The UK is extremely concerned about the volatile situation in southern Damascus in recent weeks. We strongly condemn the indiscriminate attacks in the Khan Eshieh camp on 17 May 2016, killing five Palestinian refugees and a Syrian. We are particularly concerned by reports that the Khan Eshieh area has been placed under siege, blocking essential supplies from entering and risking the lives of thousands of civilians. We continue to call on all sides of the conflict, and their supporters, to respect and ensure respect for International Humanitarian Law and protect civilians.

    The UK will consider any option compliant with international law that might saves lives in Syria. We do not think it would be feasible to broker a local ceasefire in Khan Eshieh, given the parties involved in the fighting there. However, though the International Syria Support Group (ISSG), we will continue to support the fulfilment of the cessation of hostilities and full humanitarian access.

    The UK has given support to the UN and international NGOs since the start of the conflict to deliver aid to besieged and hard to reach areas. We will continue to use our position in the UN Security Council to push for humanitarian access across Syria. As a core member of the International Syria Support Group we agreed with other members of 11 February that humanitarian access should be opened to a number of priority areas as a first step to accelerating full and sustained access across Syria. Since then, UNRWA has delivered at least 25 convoys with multi-sectoral assistance to southern Damascus.

  • Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-07-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what discussions he has had with governments of other EU countries on the rights of residence of British citizens resident in EU countries.

    Mr David Jones

    The rights retained by EU nationals here and British citizens in other EU states once the UK has left the European Union will be agreed during the course of negotiations. The Government fully expects that the legal status of EU nationals in the UK will be properly protected when we leave the EU. We also expect the same for British nationals in other EU Member States.

  • Catherine McKinnell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Catherine McKinnell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine McKinnell on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to page 21 of her Department’s Annual Report and Accounts 2015-16, what assessment she has made of progress against its target of doubling its funding on improving tax systems in developing countries by 2020.

    Rory Stewart

    The UK is recognised as a global leader in tax and development, working to end aid dependency in developing countries. The UK, as a founding signatory to the Addis Tax Initiative, pledged to double our spend on tax and development by 2020. My Department has made strong progress and is on course to deliver this commitment by 2020.

  • Helen Hayes – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Helen Hayes – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Hayes on 2015-10-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will ring-fence the budget of the National Institute for Health Research in the forthcoming Spending Review.

    Alistair Burt

    The Government has protected the funding the National Health Service receives and increased the Department’s budget in real terms year on year. There is no plan to change this, fulfilling the Government’s manifesto commitment. By 2020-21, the Government will increase funding for the NHS by £10 billion a year in real terms compared to 2014-15 to support the implementation of the NHS’s own plan – the NHS Five Year Forward View – to transform services across the country.

    The Spending Review will conclude at the end of November and will set the Department’s overall budget for the remaining years of the parliament. Following this, funding for the National Institute for Health Research will be determined.

  • Helen Goodman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Helen Goodman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2015-11-25.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, who the special advisers to his Department are; what the salary is of each of those advisers; and which of those advisers are on the Council of Economic Advisers.

    Harriett Baldwin

    Information on Special Adviser numbers and remuneration across Government departments will be published in due course.

  • Diana Johnson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Diana Johnson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which local authorities reported an underspend on their public health budget in the last financial year; how much that underspend was for each of those local authorities.

    Jane Ellison

    The table attached shows the local authorities that underspent on their public health allocation (the ring fenced grant they received for public health) for 2014/15.

    The grant conditions permit local authorities to carry money forward to a future period in a ring-fenced public health reserve.

  • 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 2016-01-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of staff employed in each young offender institution are qualified speech and language therapists.

    Andrew Selous

    The information requested could only be provided at disproportionate costs.

    The Youth Justice Board is responsible for commissioning and oversight of the secure youth estate. The Youth Justice Board funds dedicated social workers at each under-18 Young Offender Institution (YOI). All young people undergo a health and education assessment upon arrival into custody, whilst all staff undergo training in child and adolescent development and safeguarding.

    Under-18 YOI providers should ensure that they meet the needs of all detained persons including those with Special Education and Needs (SEN) requirements, and that all staff are suitably qualified to support young people and make referrals to other specialist support where this is appropriate.