Category: Speeches

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

    Dawn Butler – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dawn Butler on 2016-06-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will bring before the House legislative proposals on requiring bus companies to instal audio-visual technology to aid visually impaired passengers.

    Andrew Jones

    I know that accessible on-board information can give a range of passengers the confidence to use bus services, safe in the knowledge that they will know when to alight.

    Previously, the systems to provide such information have been expensive to fit and maintain, but I understand that new technology may make it more affordable.

    We are currently considering the most appropriate next steps, but in the meantime I encourage bus operators to consider the benefits of better, more accessible information for all their customers.

  • David Winnick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    David Winnick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Winnick on 2016-09-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, on how many occasions the Chief Executive of the Education Funding Agency met her predecessor in the last two years.

    Edward Timpson

    As Chief Executive of the EFA, Peter Lauener has been a board member of the Department for Education since September 2012. As part of these roles, he regularly met the previous Secretary of State.

    The information on the number of occasions in the last two years when the Chief Executive of the EFA met the Secretary of State’s predecessor is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

  • Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-10-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what checks his Department has in place to measure the standard of work carried out by contractors under the Energy Company Obligations scheme.

    Jesse Norman

    All Energy Company Obligation (ECO) measures are installed in accordance with the appropriate industry standards including PAS 2030 (Publicly Available Specification) and building regulations.

    Ofgem, the scheme administrator, carries out checks to ensure that the relevant scheme requirements have been met and that the energy bill and carbon savings reported by suppliers are accurate. These checks include technical monitoring which verifies that measures have been installed in accordance with the relevant installation standards.

    Ofgem also conducts audits on measures notified to them by suppliers and have a counter-fraud team which works to detect, prevent and deter fraudulent activity. In addition, energy suppliers are required to conduct their own technical monitoring to ensure their measures are compliant.

    Further to this, last year Government commissioned the Bonfield review, an independent review of consumer advice, protection, standards and enforcement for energy efficiency and renewable energy which will be published shortly.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Greg Mulholland – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-11-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what representations he has received on responding to correspondence from hon. Members by email rather than by letter.

    Justin Tomlinson

    We have received representations from a small number of hon. Members and where appropriate the Department obliges with email replies. Where there is sensitive personal information in a reply, it will be posted for security reasons.

    The cost differential between sending postal replies and email replies is minimal.

    The exact information requested on the method of dispatch is not available other than at a disproportionate cost.

  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-12-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the government of Romania on (a) Central Media Enterprise, (b) Adrian Sârbu and (c) Ronald Lauder.

    Mr David Lidington

    The Department has had no recent discussions on these specific issues with the government of Romania.

  • 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 2016-01-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Prime Minister’s announcement of 11 January 2016, whether the £290 million of investment announced for perinatal mental health care is in addition to the (a) £1.25 billion investment for perinatal and children and young people’s mental health announced by the then Deputy Prime Minister in March 2015 and (b) £660 million investment for mental health announced in the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015.

    Alistair Burt

    The £290 million announced by the Prime Minister for perinatal mental health is in addition to the £1.25 billion announced by the Deputy Prime Minister. It is funded from within the Department’s overall Spending Review Settlement.

  • Lord Turnberg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Lord Turnberg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Turnberg on 2016-02-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of total annual benefit payments are paid to EU immigrants.

    Lord Freud

    The information on benefit receipt by nationality is not available.

    The Department has published statistics on working age benefit recipients claiming within 6 months of National Insurance Number (NINO) registration. This information is known as “Nationality at point of National Insurance number registration of DWP benefit claimants” and is included in the “Statistical Bulletin on National Insurance Number Allocations to Adult Overseas Nationals”.

    The Government is looking at ways to reform the current administrative system under Universal Credit so that it will systematically record nationality and immigration status of migrants who make a claim.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-02-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many people owned shares in Royal Mail at (a) the launch of the share offer and (b) 1 January 2016.

    Anna Soubry

    At the time of Royal Mail Initial Public Offering (IPO) in October 2013, approximately 16% of the company was sold to 690,000 individual investors through a retail offer. A further 10% of the company was awarded to the company’s eligible UK employees with approximately 147,000 employees receiving shares.

    Since the IPO, shareholders who purchased shares through the retail offer have been free to trade their shares. The Government does not hold records of these share dealings. Royal Mail has responsibility for maintaining a register of shareholdings in company.

    The shares awarded to employees have been held in trust by Royal Mail’s Share Incentive Plan (SIP) to enable the employees to benefit from tax and national insurance advantages. Employees will be able to sell shares from October 2016. Eligible UK employees were also awarded a further 1% of the company’s shares in October 2015 and a further 1% award will be made later this year. These shares will also be held in the Royal Mail SIP for 3 years before they can be sold.

  • Nicholas Soames – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Nicholas Soames – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, who is responsible for litter clearance on the A1.

    Andrew Jones

    Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, Highways England is responsible for litter clearance on all England’s motorways and a few selected A roads or trunk roads for specific operational reasons. Local authorities are responsible for litter on all local roads, including the vast majority A roads on the strategic road network.

    Highways England is responsible for litter clearance on all sections of the A1(M). All sections of the A1 in England are cleared by the relevant local authorities, with the exception being of a short section of the A1 from the A1(M) junction 1 to the boundary between the Borough of Hertsmere and the London Borough of Barnet.

    Litter clearance of the A1 within the Greater London Authority boundary is the responsibility of Transport for London or the relevant London Boroughs. Litter clearance of the A1 in Scotland is a matter for the devolved administration.

  • Ian Murray – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Ian Murray – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Murray on 2016-04-27.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the total outstanding debt liabilities held with the Public Works Loans Board (PWLB) are for each local authority in England, Wales and Scotland; how much of the total of PWLB debt still requires servicing on the terms on which it was taken out between 1988 and 1998; how much was taken out between 1999 and 2003; how many separate liabilities from 1988 to 1998, inclusive, each local authority holds; how many separate liabilities from 1999 to 2003 each local authority holds; and what the average rate of interest paid on these liabilities is for each period.

    Greg Hands

    Information in relation to total outstanding PWLB debt owed is available from the Debt Management Office (DMO). The DMO website publishes details of loans advanced from 2010 onwards. The other information requested in respect of outstanding PWLB loans for each local authority from 1988 to 1998 and from 1999 and 2003 and average rates of interest are available on request from the DMO.