Category: Speeches

  • Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-12-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 30 November 2015 to Question 17311, what financial support his Department is providing for the Government’s Productivity Plan; and if he will make a statement.

    Joseph Johnson

    All Government Departments have a role in helping to raise productivity and foster a dynamic economy. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) holds many of the key productivity levers, including skills, innovation, competition and regulation. The bulk of BIS spending therefore supports the Productivity Plan. The table displays total BIS Departmental Expenditure Limits up to 2019/20, as set out in the Spending Review. Specifically with regard to research, the Government has committed to protect the science resource and capital budget in real terms during this Parliament.

    2015-16

    2016-17

    2017-18

    2018-19

    2019-20

    Total DEL (£bn)

    16.6

    16.5

    14.5

    13.4

    13.2

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/479749/52229_Blue_Book_PU1865_Web_Accessible.pdf

    “

  • Rachel Reeves – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Rachel Reeves – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rachel Reeves on 2016-01-13.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his policy is on increasing the annual limit for ISA contributions.

    Harriett Baldwin

    As announced at Autumn Statement 2015, the annual ISA subscription limit for 2016-17 is being maintained at its current level of £15,240. However, the government keeps all aspects of the tax system under review.

  • Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the evidential basis provided by his Department to HM Treasury was to inform the decision to cap housing benefit for people in supported housing.

    Alistair Burt

    The Department did not submit any evidence to HM Treasury to inform the decision to cap housing benefit for those in supported housing, announced in the Spending Review 2015.

  • Margaret Ritchie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Margaret Ritchie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2016-02-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the implications are of her Department exceeding its Capital Departmental Expenditure Limit for the funding of other policies in her Department.

    Mrs Theresa Villiers

    There are no implications for the funding of other policies in my Department as a result of exceeding its Capital Departmental Expenditure limit. The Department’s operational expenditure is not included in this category of expenditure. Details of the breach were provided in the Northern Ireland Office Annual Report and Account 2014-15 which is available at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/447028/NIO_Accounts_2014-2015.pdf

    “

  • Anne-Marie Trevelyan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Anne-Marie Trevelyan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne-Marie Trevelyan on 2016-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people from other EU member states were in receipt of housing benefit in each of the last 10 years; and what the total cost to the public purse was of those people claiming that benefit in each of those years.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The information requested is not available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

  • Grahame Morris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Grahame Morris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2016-05-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if she will bring forward proposals to give the Oil and Gas Authority powers to regulate commercial decisions in the offshore helicopter industry.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Civil Aviation Authority regulates the offshore helicopter industry.

  • Lord Storey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Lord Storey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2016-06-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what safeguards and governance arrangements have been put in place to prevent a recurrence of the situation where (1) the Principal of North East Surrey College of Technology allegedly paid her husband over £170,000 during the course of a contract with a Saudi Arabian college, and (2) the Board of Governors were unaware for over 18 months that such payments were made.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    As an independent corporation North East Surrey College of Technology is responsible for ensuring appropriate safeguards and governance arrangements are in place in relation to the corporation including subsidiary companies. The Skills Funding Agency has received a report from NESCOT and is considering whether there is any risk to public funds and if so what action should be taken.

  • Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-09-06.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to prevent the continued demolition of Palestinian homes.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We continue to raise our serious concerns over this issue with the Israeli Government at all levels. On 07 September, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood) emphasised our concerns about demolitions with Israeli Defence Minister Lieberman during their meeting.

  • Lord Maginnis of Drumglass – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Maginnis of Drumglass – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Maginnis of Drumglass on 2016-10-21.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the need for, and benefit to be derived from, the questionnaire issued by Brighton and Hove Council requesting information about children’s self-perception of their sexual orientation.

    Lord Nash

    These questions refer to an answer given by Viscount Younger of Leckie on 12 October 2016, and also link to previous questions asked by Lord Macginnis, and answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford in April 2016.

    As Baroness Williams set out in her previous reply, the Department for Education provides guidance on the Equality Act 2010 to schools which contains advice on the Public Sector Equality Duty and on the protected characteristic of gender reassignment.

    The Department is not responsible for the decision by Brighton and Hove Council to include gender identity information on the pupil registration form it issued in April 2016. The Council has the independence to make this decision. The Department has had no involvement and has not made any assessment of the questionnaire.

    The Department does not hold details of any additional information collected by local authorities outside of those required by the Department for our centrally specified, mandatory data collections. Brighton and Hove Council is responsible for securing answers and restricting access to information generated by any questionnaire it issues.

    The Department has not inquired into the gender identity of children in Brighton and Hove and has no correspondence on the matter.

  • Seema Malhotra – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Seema Malhotra – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Seema Malhotra on 2015-11-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he expects to publish his review of the residential conversion threshold for agricultural buildings.

    Brandon Lewis

    We announced in the Rural Productivity Plan that we will review the planning constraints facing rural businesses. This will include a review of the current threshold for agricultural buildings to convert to residential buildings. A Call for Evidence will be published later in the autumn.