Category: Speeches

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Women and Equalities

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Women and Equalities

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-04-18.

    To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what recent discussions has the Government had with businesses on reducing discrimination and promoting equal opportunities.

    Caroline Dinenage

    The Government is committed to ensuring equal opportunities, so that everyone can reach their full potential and is working with business to achieve this. The Government has done so in a number of ways, including: The Hampton and Alexander review of women on boards and the chair of the Women’s Business Council, Baroness Ruby McGregor-Smith will lead a review of issues faced by businesses in developing black and minority ethnic (BAME) talent, and access to the labour market.

    The Women’s Business Council, established in 2012, has produced a range of products to encourage older women to enter and stay on in the workplace. The Women’s Business Council has also been active in working with the finance sector to address some of the barriers facing some BAME women entrepreneurs. The Government has worked closely with employers to develop a range of measures that will help promote gender equality in workplaces and will require all companies with at least 250 employees to report their gender pay gaps. It is expected that employers will publish the required information from April 2017.

    This builds upon actions already undertaken by the Government including a series of equality roadshows with the British Chambers of Commerce. These roadshows highlighted the benefits and challenges of diverse workforces for business whilst helping the Government shape guidance for business on older workers, women and disabled people in the workplace to tackle discrimination.

  • Christian Matheson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Christian Matheson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christian Matheson on 2016-05-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information he holds on the (a) military representation that will accompany President Santos of Colombia on his state visit to the UK in November 2016 and (b) rank and function of each such military representative.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    I am delighted that Her Majesty The Queen has invited President Santos and the First Lady of Colombia to the UK for the Autumn State Visit. HMG is in regular communication with the Colombian Government in the preparation for the Visit. Details of the programme including the composition of the Official Suite accompanying the President are yet to be confirmed.

  • Neil Coyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Neil Coyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Coyle on 2016-07-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether any councils have asked for attendance allowance funding to be distributed to recipients via the provision of social care services.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    The Government announced in December that it would consider giving more responsibility to councils in England to support older people with care needs – including people who, under the current system, would be supported through Attendance Allowance.

    We intend to continue to discuss openly with interested parties what the options are, and give all stakeholders a voice in determining whether and how to proceed with any reform. The Government is currently consulting on the implementation of commitments on 100% business rates retention for councils in England. The consultation seeks views on options for devolving new responsibilities to local government as part of those reforms, and this is one of the options about which we are consulting. The consultation document is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/self-sufficient-local-government-100-business-rates-retention

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  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2016 to Question 44396, for what reason there has been a decrease in the number of HC3 certificates issued between 2008 and 2016.

    David Mowat

    The direct costs of administering the NHS Low Income Scheme in England in the last three financial years are set out in the table. The figures do not include overheads associated with the wider infrastructure of the NHS Business Services Authority.

    Year

    Direct costs (England only) (£ million)

    2015/16

    £1,327

    2014/15

    £1,397

    2013/14

    £1,414

    Source: provided by the NHS Business Services Authority

    There is no apparent reason for the decrease in the numbers of HC3 certificates issued between 2008 and 2016. There has been no significant change to the scheme criteria nor the rules for calculation during this period. However, as the application numbers have decreased, there has been a corresponding decrease in the certificates issued.

  • 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 2015-11-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with Brittany Ferries on the carriage of game birds on their ships.

    James Brokenshire

    Home Office Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of international partners, as well as organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors, as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of ministerial meetings are passed to the Cabinet Office on a quarterly basis and are subsequently published on the Gov.uk website: http://data.gov.uk/dataset/ministerial-data-home-office

  • Barry Sheerman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Barry Sheerman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2015-12-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what support services there are for young people who victims of cybercrime.

    Mike Penning

    The provision of victim care is a matter for the police and police and crime commissioners, who, since April 2015, have the responsibility for commissioning victim service provision. Where a crime has been reported, the Victims Code (October 2015) sets out key entitlements to victims of all crime. Victims under 18 years of age automatically qualify for enhanced entitlements. The service provider must ensure that this information is passed on as necessary to other services providers with responsibilities under the Code and to victim support services where appropriate.

    Through the National Cyber Security Programme (NCSP), Government has also invested over £90m over the last five years to increase law enforcement capability and capacity to respond to cyber criminality. This has included funding for bespoke officers within the Regional Organised Crime Units and the Metropolitan Police Service to deliver protective advice and support to victims and those at risk.

    It has also included training for all police officers and staff by the College of Policing, which has specific modules on working with young victims. We will look to build on this work over the next five years, as part of the increased investment of £1.9bn to protect the UK from cyber attack.

  • Ian Murray – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Ian Murray – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Murray on 2016-01-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what consultation he has had with the Scottish Parliament on the consultation period on the repeal of the Human Rights Act 1998 and its replacement with a British Bill of Rights.

    Dominic Raab

    We have already sought views and will continue to engage with the devolved administrations to deliver a modernised and reformed human rights framework for the whole of the United Kingdom. We are committed to consulting fully on our proposals prior to the introduction of any legislation and will announce further details in due course.

  • Sadiq Khan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Sadiq Khan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sadiq Khan on 2016-02-11.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much the climate change levy raised from non-domestic users in London in each year since 2010.

    Damian Hinds

    The climate change levy is collected on a national basis from energy suppliers and it is not possible to break down receipts by region. Detail on Climate Change Levy receipts on a national basis can be found at https://www.uktradeinfo.com/Statistics/Pages/TaxAndDutyBulletins.aspx.

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-03-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 15 February 2016 to Question 26567, how many (a) calls and (b) enquiries the Pay and Work Rights helpline received (i) by each employment sector of caller and (ii) regarding each of the topics on the Pay and Work Rights Helpline’s database.

    Nick Boles

    The attached table shows the total number of enquiries made to the Pay and Work Rights Helpline (PWRH) by trade sector and whether the call relates to Employment Agency Standards, the Agricultural National Minimum Wage (NMW), Gangmasters Licensing Authority, Health and Safety Executive or NMW issues, where call topic information is collected, for 2014/15.

  • Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2016-04-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what process he is following to develop the Apprenticeship Levy Digital Voucher.

    Nick Boles

    The digital apprenticeship service is being built by the Skills Funding Agency in accordance with Cabinet Office best practice.

    To ensure that the service is focused on employer and training provider needs we are performing extensive user research. The service will build on insights gathered from over 2000 employers and around 400 training providers. To make sure that the service is ready for the levy in April 2017, we plan to launch a substantial pilot with employers and providers later this year.

    Further details on the apprenticeship levy and the digital apprenticeship service will be available in the guide for employers which will be published shortly on gov.uk.