Category: Speeches

  • The Marquess of Lothian – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The Marquess of Lothian – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2016-02-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the current situation in Burundi; and whether they are concerned that the present levels of violence could lead to genocide.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The current situation in Burundi remains grave. The number of fatalities is high with at least 130 killed in December 2015. There is a daily rhythm of violence during the nights followed by quiet mornings. We were deeply concerned to hear of allegations that the police and the ruling party’s youth league are responsible for much of the violence, including sexual violence. The conflict remains essentially political in nature. Whilst there have been some limited signs of ‘ethnicisation’ of the crisis, these have not yet formed the kind of pattern that was seen in the run-up to previous genocides. The immediate risk is of a decline into multi-sided civil war. We continue to work closely with African and international partners to bring an end to the violence.

  • Jim Fitzpatrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Jim Fitzpatrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2016-02-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment has been made by the Commissioners appointed by his Department to the London Borough of Tower Hamlets of the level of fraud in that borough.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    My rt. hon. Friend, the Secretary of State (Greg Clark) has received no formal assessment from the Tower Hamlets Commissioners regarding the level of fraud in the borough. The Secretary of State is aware that the Commissioners have contributed both written and oral evidence to my rt. hon. Friend, the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Sir Eric Pickles’) review on electoral fraud.

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether an impact assessment has been undertaken of the proposal in Question 35 of his Department’s consultation on the extension of charging overseas visitors and migrants using the NHS in England.

    Alistair Burt

    In relation to the Department’s recent consultation on extending charging to overseas visitors using the National Health Service in England, a lack of available data means that it has not been possible to estimate the cost to industry of the proposal to remove the exemption from charge category for overseas visitors working on United Kingdom-registered ships. However, the proposal was included in the Impact Assessment and is thought to be small overall.

    We are currently analysing responses to the consultation.

  • Robert Flello – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Robert Flello – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Flello on 2016-04-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress his Department has made on signing the Luxembourg rail protocol.

    Claire Perry

    The United Kingdom signed the Luxembourg Rail Protocol on the 26th February 2016.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-06-07.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the effect of the UK’s tax treaties with developing countries on tackling poverty in those countries.

    Mr David Gauke

    The UK regularly reviews its treaty network and actively engages with developing countries. Discussions with Malawi over a new tax treaty began some years ago, and substantive agreement has been reached at official level. It is hoped that the treaty will be signed shortly. Although the UK’s starting point in negotiations is based closely on the OECD model double taxation convention, the Government recognises that developing countries will sometimes have different preferences, and treaties the UK has recently signed demonstrate that we are willing to accommodate at least some of those preferences as part of a balanced agreement. But the nature of the negotiating process is that it remains confidential to the two sides until the treaty is signed.

    By governing the taxation of cross-border income flows in a predictable manner and eliminating double taxation and excessive taxation, tax treaties promote international trade and investment, leading to sustainable tax revenues, which are vital in financing for development.

  • Sarah Wollaston – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Sarah Wollaston – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Wollaston on 2016-09-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what maximum length of time is considered safe from when an emergency call is received in a coastguard control room to when the coastguard vehicle is ready to leave its station.

    Mr John Hayes

    Each incident involving a Coastguard Rescue Team is different in its context given geography, terrain, weather conditions, prevailing traffic conditions and the availability of individual volunteer Coastguard Rescue Officers. For this reason the Maritime and Coastguard Agency does not collate or maintain data in the format you have requested either locally or nationally. However, it can provide specific response times for specific incidents.

  • Dawn Butler – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Dawn Butler – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dawn Butler on 2016-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what formal guidance the Government has issued to departments on equality impact assessments.

    Caroline Dinenage

    The Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) in the Equality Act 2010 ensures that public bodies take account of equality and consider the potential impact of decisions on groups with protected characteristics. All bodies exercising public functions are subject to the PSED and need to understand the impact of their policies and services on people with different protected characteristics, and be able to provide evidence that this has been taken into account during the decision-making process. However, the legislation does not prescribe how this information needs to be recorded and it is not a statutory requirement in England to prepare or publish information in a particular form, such as an Equality Impact Assessment.

    The Government Equalities Office has published a quick-start guide on the PSED and has circulated PSED guidance across Whitehall. It also provides advice to other departments on their legal obligations by delivering workshops and presentations to staff. A range of guidance on the PSED is also available from the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-10-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on steps to ensure that maintenance of flight connections between Belfast Aldergrove Airport and New York.

    Mr John Hayes

    The Department for Transport was briefed on several occasions by the Northern Ireland Office on the Northern Ireland Executive’s considerations on steps to ensure the maintenance of flight connections between Belfast Aldergrove Airport and New York. The Department was not actively involved in this matter.

  • Diana Johnson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Diana Johnson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2015-10-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to ensure that direct rail services between Hull, Leeds and Manchester continue regardless of which parts of that route are electrified.

    Andrew Jones

    The Government recognises the value that passengers attach to direct services in preference to having to change trains.

    The specification for the new TransPennine Express franchise, which starts in April 2016, requires the future franchisee to continue to operate through services between Hull and Manchester. The Government’s response to the consultation on the new Northern and TransPennine Express franchises, published in February, made clear that decisions on the post-electrification service pattern for Hull would be taken during the life of the new franchises. In the meantime, the specifications for the new franchises will provide Hull passengers with an improved weekday evening service back from Manchester, a full hourly all-day service to/from York, and additional trains to/from Scarborough.

  • Christopher Chope – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Christopher Chope – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2015-11-18.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 16 November 2015 to Question 15239, how much of the £3.6 billion of tax credits overpayments his Department has recovered in 2015 to date.

    Damian Hinds

    The most up to date information requested is available from the HM Revenue and Customs Annual Report and Accounts 2014-15. Available on page 28 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hmrc-annual-report-and-accounts-2014-to-2015