Category: Speeches

  • Hilary Benn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Hilary Benn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-02-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he expects to reach a decision on the Leeds New Generation Transport Trolley Bus scheme.

    Claire Perry

    We are continuing to make progress towards announcing the decision on the scheme. You will appreciate the issues raised by the case have required very careful consideration. We are however mindful of the importance in resolving the uncertainty for Leeds as soon as possible and we hope to be in a position to announce our conclusions shortly.

  • Vicky Foxcroft – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Vicky Foxcroft – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Vicky Foxcroft on 2016-03-24.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what contribution his Department is making to Government steps to reduce the incidence of serious youth violence.

    Mr Rob Wilson

    Cabinet Office is committed to supporting young people from all backgrounds to make positive life choices and give back to their communities. In January 2016 Home Office published Ending Gang Violence and Exploitation which sets out how Cabinet Office programmes such as NCS and Step Up to Serve provide meaningful alternatives to gangs. Over 200,000 16-17 year olds have participated in NCS since 2011 and Step Up To Serve’s #iwill campaign aims to increase the number of 10-20 year olds participating in social action by 50% by 2020. These programmes have a powerful impact on young people at a formative time in their lives.

  • Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-05-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the outcome of the last round of the UK-China human rights dialogue; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    The 22nd round of the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue was held in Beijing on 21-22 April 2015. It provided for detailed, expert engagement on a wide range of human rights concerns, resulting in a frank exchange of views. Our current assessment of the human rights situation in China can be seen in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy.

  • Kirsten Oswald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Kirsten Oswald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2016-06-08.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the distributional effect of the exclusion from National Insurance contributions of property, dividends, pensions and other forms of non-employment income.

    Mr David Gauke

    National Insurance contributions (NICs) are not intended to tax all forms of income. As a system of social security, the purpose of NICs is that individuals contribute when they are working, in order to build entitlement to contributory benefits such as the State Pension.

    Taxes are levied on non-employment income through the rest of the tax system, and the government’s policies since 2010 have repeatedly increased the contribution of the wealthy. The richest fifth of households will contribute more than half (52%) of UK household tax receipts in 2019-20; under the 2010-11 tax system, they would have paid 49%.

  • Lord Ahmed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Ahmed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ahmed on 2016-09-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether any military equipment exported from the UK to India is being used against the civilians of Kashmir.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We are concerned to see reports of excessive violence against protesters in Kashmir.

    The UK Government takes its arms export responsibilities very seriously and operates one of the most robust arms export control regimes in the world.

    In light of media reports on the situation in Indian Administered Kashmir (IaK), we have undertaken checks regarding shotguns being licensed to the Indian Security Forces (ISF) in IaK covering the last 10 years. We are confident from these checks undertaken that no such weapon has been licensed to this specific force in IaK.

    All export licence applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria, taking account of all relevant information available at the time of the application. A licence will not be issued, for any country, including India, if to do so would be inconsistent with any provision of the mandatory Criteria, including where we assess there is a clear risk that the items might be used to facilitate internal repression.

    The Government is confident in our case by case assessment and routinely keeps factors relevant to the licensing of arms exports under active review. Ministers are consulted as necessary in the event of any significant changes in the circumstances relating to UK-licensed exports.

    Our export licensing system allows us to respond quickly to changed circumstances, with the option to suspend or revoke any licence where we consider this a necessary step.

  • Lord Porter of Spalding – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Porter of Spalding – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Porter of Spalding on 2016-10-21.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what funding has been allocated to local authorities to support unaccompanied children being resettled in the UK beyond 31 March 2017.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    In July 2016, we increased the national rate of funding to local authorities taking responsibility for unaccompanied asylum seeking children, from £34,675 to £41,610 a year for those aged under 16 and from £25,915 to £33,215 a year for those aged 16 or 17. We will keep these arrangements under review.

  • Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-11-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps are taken by (a) his Department and (b) Ofcom to investigate objections to the content of a UK-licenced radio station made by a foreign government.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    Any complaint made by a foreign government about a television or radio station that is licensed in the UK is a matter for Ofcom to deal with.

    Ofcom will apply the same procedures that they use for evaluating any other complaint. Those procedures are available from Ofcom’s website at:

    http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/broadcasting/guidance/complaints-sanctions/standards/

    “

  • Tim Farron – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Tim Farron – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Farron on 2015-12-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much his Department has spent on advertising the Right to Buy scheme in each month of 2015.

    Brandon Lewis

    My Department has run two targeted campaign bursts during 2015 to make sure eligible council and housing association tenants are aware of their opportunity to buy their home at a discount, through the Right to Buy scheme and to give them up-to-date information on changes to the discount rates and eligibility criteria.

    We are currently in the middle of a burst of the campaign so figures for October and November are provisional and may not reflect all costs incurred. The monthly breakdown of invoiced expenditure for 2015 is:

    January – £5,100
    February – £68,600
    March – £299,300
    April – £0
    May – £100
    June – £0
    July – £200
    August – £600
    September – £64,700
    October – £155,000
    November – £171,200

  • Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-01-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 12 January 2016 to Question 21436, whether the UK will reconsider humanitarian assistance by air to Madaya in Syria if the Assad regime resumes its blockade; and if the Government will monitor the situation in order to take action if land access is blocked again.

    Penny Mordaunt

    The UK will consider any option compliant with international law that might save lives in Syria. However, the UK does not plan to drop aid to besieged and hard to reach areas inside Syria. This is not the most effective way to improve the humanitarian situation. It would also involve a considerable risk to slow, low-flying transport aircraft both from hostile air defence systems and even low-technology threats such as machine-gun and small-arms fire.

  • Gavin Shuker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Gavin Shuker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Shuker on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the appointment process was for members of the National Police Chiefs’ Council working group on prostitution.

    Karen Bradley

    Within the structure of the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), chief officers are elected by their peers and take the lead on specific issues from a national operational perspective. It is for the national leads to establish working groups to support them in their role. The Home Office is in regular dialogue with on the NPCC Lead for Prostitution’s office, and as such discussed and commented on the current revision of the strategy.

    Prostitution is a complex issue, which can impact on individuals and communities in many different ways, and we are therefore clear that local areas and police forces are in the best position to identify and respond to issues around prostitution in their area. Police forces are assisted in doing so by the National Policing Lead’s refreshed Policing Sex Work Strategy, which stresses the priority of the public protection duty that the police services have in relation to the safety of those involved in prostitution.