Category: Speeches

  • John Spellar – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    John Spellar – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Spellar on 2016-01-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she had made of the implications for her policies of the findings on domestic violence in the report of the chief inspector of Borders and Immigration entitled, An Inspection of Settlement Casework, published in November 2015.

    James Brokenshire

    The Home Office published its formal response to the Chief inspector of Borders and Immigration entitled, An Inspection of Settlement Casework, published on 19 November 2015 and this can be found at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/responses-to-reports-by-the-independent-chief-inspector-of-borders-and-immigration

    The Home Office is revising its guidance for those who apply for Settlement because of Domestic Violence and intend to publish this as a priority. The guidance will make it clearer what weighting should be given to the evidence presented by applicants in support of their application and will be published on the Gov.UK website.

  • Bill Wiggin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Bill Wiggin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bill Wiggin on 2016-01-26.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, to which (a) government departments, (b) agencies, (c) commercial companies and (d) charities HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) Fast Stream civil servants are (i) attached or (ii) seconded; what the average length of time is for such (A) attachments and (B) secondments; and what assessment HMRC makes of the benefits of those attachments and secondments to its own work and to the tax payer.

    Mr David Gauke

    Civil Service Resourcing coordinates the Fast Stream for the Civil Service and manages all Fast Streamers on the central corporate schemes.

    A list of Government departments, Agencies, Arms Length Bodies, NDPB’s, Commercial (private) organisations and charities to which Fast streamers are currently posted to as at January 2016 can be found at Annex A.

    • Fast stream postings in the Civil Service are either 6 or 12 months depending on the timing of the posting

    • The average length of time for a secondment to an external organisation is 6 months.

      Civil Service Resourcing assesses the value of these postings and placements to the Civil Service (including HMRC) in the following ways:

    • Individual performance management through postings; mid and end of scheme assessments to track developments against the Fast Stream aims (core skills, competency framework and leadership potential)

    • Posting and secondment evaluation to ensure the effectiveness of each posting in supporting Fast Streamers’ development.

    • Overall assessment via Fast Stream Annual survey to measure ongoing effectiveness of the Fast Stream

  • Cheryl Gillan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Cheryl Gillan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cheryl Gillan on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much the UK paid to the EU for agricultural levies in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

    George Eustice

    UK Contributions to the EU budget are set out in Table C3 of HM Treasury publication “European Union Finances 2015: statement on the 2015 EU Budget and measures to counter fraud and financial mismanagement” in December 2015.

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/483344/EU_finances_2015_final_web_09122015.pdf

    The contribution from sugar levies for the previous 5 years were:

    2010: £8m

    2011: £8m

    2012: £10m

    2013: £9m

    2014: £2m

    “

  • Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-03-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 29 February 2016 to Question 27465, what the budget is for the Child Maintenance Group’s Financial Investigations Unit for 2015-16.

    Priti Patel

    The Financial Investigations Unit does not have a separate budget, but there is sufficient funding in the wider Child Maintenance Group budget for the planned level of staffing in the Unit.

  • The Lord Bishop of Leeds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The Lord Bishop of Leeds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Lord Bishop of Leeds on 2016-04-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 5 April (HL7332), what assessment they have made of the documentation work undertaken by the Kurdistan Regional Government’s committee on genocide and committee on mass graves.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We have not carried out an assessment of any documentation work undertaken by the Kurdistan Regional Government committees on genocide and mass graves. However, we are working with our partners in the international community to find further ways to support the gathering of evidence which could be used by courts to hold Daesh to account.

  • Stewart Jackson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Stewart Jackson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stewart Jackson on 2016-05-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he plans to approve the draft selective licensing scheme for landlords for Peterborough City Council; and if he will make a statement.

    Brandon Lewis

    My department is reviewing the evidence submitted by Peterborough City Council in support of their proposed selective licensing scheme and will make a decision on this in due course.

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-07-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, who in her Department authorised the decision to trial in London the use of Go Home advertisement vans in 2013; and what information her predecessor had received on that trial before it commenced.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The pilot to use the AdVans referred to was authorised by former Immigration Minister, Rt. Hon. Mark Harper MP.

    The former Home Secretary, Rt. Hon. Theresa May MP was informed of the intention to pilot this campaign.

  • Nic Dakin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Nic Dakin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the relative proportion of children from poorer backgrounds who attend religiously selective schools.

    Caroline Dinenage

    Underlying data for ‘Schools, pupils and their characteristics’ provides information for each school, including religious denomination (where applicable), alongside the number and percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals.

    This is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2016

    “

  • Frank Field – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Frank Field – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2015-10-27.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the average duration is of an in-work tax credit claim containing an underlying entitlement to Working Tax Credit.

    Damian Hinds

    The information is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

    This Government is committed to moving from a high welfare, high tax, low wage economy to a lower welfare, lower tax, higher wage society. As the Chancellor has made clear, the Government will set out at Autumn Statement how we plan to achieve the same goal of reforming tax credits, saving the money we need to save to secure our economy, while at the same time helping in the transition.

  • Lord Laird – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Laird – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2015-11-24.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will consider amending electoral law to provide for and require the amounts and details of parliamentary candidates’ election expenses to be published online, and whether this could be implemented voluntarily in the meantime.

    Lord Bridges of Headley

    Electoral legislation sets out the process for publicising the details and amounts of candidates’ election expenses; election expenses are made available for two years after they are submitted.

    Current electoral law does not expressly require candidates’ election expenses to be published online, but nor is this expressly excluded.

    The Law Commission has raised the matter of online publication of this information in their review of electoral law. This review is on-going and we are awaiting the recommendations of the Law Commission before consideration is given to further legislation in respect of this matter.

    The Government is therefore not persuaded of the need to change legislation at this time.