Category: Speeches

  • Cheryl Gillan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Cheryl Gillan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cheryl Gillan on 2016-07-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he expects the timetable for construction of High Speed 2 Phase One in Chesham and Amersham constituency to be published.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    Finalising the construction timetable for works in this area will be the responsibility of the Main Works Contractor when they are appointed following Royal Assent. An indicative construction programme for Chesham and Amersham is set out in Volume 2 of the Environmental Statement (ES) – CFA reports 8-9. This indicates advanced works commencing in the first quarter of 2017, with civil engineering works commencing in the fourth quarter of 2017.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kilclooney on 2016-09-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether HE Dan Mulhall is the Irish Ambassador to Great Britain or to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    All Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary accredited to the Court of St James’s are Ambassadors to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

  • Callum McCaig – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Callum McCaig – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Callum McCaig on 2015-11-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment she has made of the effect of the National Grid’s assumption of electricity supply from interconnectors increasing from 0GW to 1GW of electricity at the same time as electricity margins on the continent shrink on the UK being able to import electricity at times of peak demand.

    Andrea Leadsom

    National Grid makes an assessment of the extent to which all GB interconnectors can be relied upon to provide electricity to GB when needed. The assumptions around electricity imports are informed by an assessment of connected markets, including consideration of their electricity margins, the wider network to which they are connected and the chance of coincident scarcity with the connected markets.

    Beyond these market arrangements, should GB need additional support, it is also possible for National Grid as the System Operator to call upon interconnectors at a time of system stress.

  • 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 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many illegal firearms were seized in each of the last five years; and how many of those were (a) pistols, (b) rifles, (c) shotguns and (d) machine guns.

    Mike Penning

    The Home Office does not maintain records of firearms seized by police forces in England and Wales.The National Ballistics Intelligence Service regularly assesses the volume and type of illegal firearms in use in the UK. The information is operationally sensitive and is not suitable for release.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-01-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people have been diagnosed with tinnitus in each of the last five years.

    Jane Ellison

    This information is not collected. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence estimates that around six million people in the United Kingdom have some form of tinnitus with about 600,000 experiencing it to an extent that it affects their quality of life.

  • Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what training on mental health awareness is provided to foster carers.

    Edward Timpson

    The statutory framework is clear that fostering services must provide carers with the training, information and support necessary in the interests of children placed with them.

    The Training, Support and Development (TSD) Standards provide a national post-approval training framework for what foster carers should know and understand. This includes knowing what ‘healthy care’ means for the mental health of young people, and how children develop relationships. My Department’s expectation is that fostering services should ensure that foster carers complete the training within 12-18 months of approval. The TSD Standards form part of the National Minimum Standards for foster care.

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-03-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of student nurses who have childcare responsibilities.

    Ben Gummer

    Information on the proportion of student nurses who have childcare responsibilities is not collected by the Department.

    The table below shows the total number and percentage of student nurses who were in receipt of a National Health Service bursary and also claimed an allowance in respect to potential childcare responsibilities in 2014/15.

    Award Element

    Number of student nurses

    Percentage of total student nurses1

    Childcare Allowance

    6,881

    11.4%

    Parent Learning Allowance

    12,451

    20.7%

    Dependents Allowance (Child Element)

    11,533

    19.1%

    Source: NHS Business Services Authority

    1Students may be in receipt of one or a combination of all three allowances

  • Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick on 2016-04-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they plan to help revive the UK’s oil industry.

    Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

    At the Budget, my rt. hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a radical £1bn package to support the North Sea Oil and Gas industry, including reductions to the headline rates of tax and targeted measures to encourage investment in exploration, infrastructure and late-life assets.

    This package will ensure the UK has one of the most competitive tax regimes for oil and gas in the world, safeguarding jobs and investment.

    The Budget measures build on the action plan the Prime Minister set out in January to help build a bridge to the future for the industry, which included:

    • A £20m package of new investment in exploration, innovation and skills;

    • A new Inter-Ministerial Group on Oil and Gas to coordinate the UK’s response to the oil price crash and focus on vital issues such as exports, skills and investment, and;

    • Funding for the £250m City Deal Package for Aberdeen, which includes a new energy innovation centre to support exploiting remaining reserves.

    In addition, we have established the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) and it is already helping industry to drive down costs and improve efficiencies. Subject to the will of parliament, the OGA will transition to a fully empowered, strong, independent regulator in summer 2016.

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in other EU countries and the EU Commission on the demolition of EU-funded structures by Israeli authorities in Jabal al Baba on 16 May 2016; and what steps he plans to take (a) independently and (b) with those counterparts to ensure that any further such planned demolitions are halted.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The UK and the EU continue to raise concerns about demolitions with the Government of Israel. These demolitions cause significant human suffering, undermine chances of progress towards a two-state solution, and are contrary to international humanitarian law in all but the most exceptional cases. Within the EU, we are considering how to respond to demolitions, including the demolition and confiscation of EU-funded structures.

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-07-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with his (a) Ministerial colleagues and (b) US counterparts on cooperation and assistance on counter-drone technology.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    I have regular discussions with both Ministerial Colleagues and US counterparts on a range of issues, including counter-drone technologies.