Category: Speeches

  • 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 2016-07-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding reports of the confiscation and sinking of fishing boats by Israeli forces in the past three months.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    Whilst we have not raised this specific issue with the Government of Israel, officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv have expressed our concern previously over the Israel Defence Forces’ use of live fire against fishermen and also about the confiscation of their boats.

  • Gloria De Piero – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Gloria De Piero – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gloria De Piero on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans to reply to the letter of 18 July 2016 from the hon. Member for Ashfield on the proposed closure of the children’s heart surgery unit at Glenfield Hospital.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    I responded to the hon. Member’s letter on 11 October.

  • Rupa Huq – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Rupa Huq – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rupa Huq on 2015-11-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what financial and advisory assistance his Department offers to businesses to encourage them to employ, train and support people with physical and learning disabilities.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The Government’s award-winning Disability Confident campaign continues to work with employers to raise awareness of the business benefits of employing disabled people. It offers information and guidance to support employers in becoming more confident when attracting, recruiting and retaining disabled people and signposts further resources.

    We also deliver a number of programmes and initiatives that have successfully supported disabled people to find employment and which can also engage with and encourage employers, such as Access to Work (ATW), which provides a grant for support that is over and above the kinds of reasonable adjustment that employers have a duty to provide and Specialist Employability Support (SES).

    The Hidden Impairment National Group (HING) has made its Hidden Impairment Toolkit publically available to employers, providers, support organisations and other government departments. This Toolkit helps employers to support and employ individuals with Hidden Impairments such as learning disabilities, autism, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-12-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what comparative assessment he has made of the potential economic benefit to the north of England of faster rail links between north and south and better connectivity within the north of England.

    Andrew Jones

    The Department and Transport for North (TfN) are currently developing options for delivering the transformational rail connectivity in the north of England set out in the Northern Transport Strategy, and aim to have an understanding of the relative scale of costs and benefits of these options in autumn 2016.

    As outlined in the recent HS2 Economic Case published in November 2015, the benefits of the full HS2 Y-Network are estimated to be £72.8bn (2011 prices, PV). This analysis calculated that the benefit cost ratio (BCR) of HS2 is 2.2 for the full Y-network, including wider economic impacts. Therefore, over £2 worth of benefits are expected for every £1 spent which represents high value for money.

  • Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-01-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have for new or additional housing to which single and other occupants of existing hostels could move; what assessment they have made of the plans of London boroughs, and others, to provide such housing; and when they expect that additional housing to be completed.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    This Government is committed to increasing the supply of housing. We have doubled our plans for affordable housing delivery from 2018-19 to £8 billion, to deliver 400,000 affordable housing starts.

    It is the responsibility of local authorities to plan and assess the likely housing needs for their areas as part of the process for bringing forward a Local Development Plan. Our planning guidance asks local planning authorities to factor in market signals such as household affordability and land prices, as well as forecast employment trends when calculating their overall housing need. The primary objective of identifying need is to identify the future quantity of housing needed, including a breakdown by type, tenure and size.

  • 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 2016-02-23.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the cost of their support for the Syrian moderate opposition in each year since 2011.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The UK has delivered over £100m in non-humanitarian support to Syria, Jordan and Lebanon since the start of the crisis from the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund and its predecessor, the Conflict Pool. This has focussed on strengthening the moderate opposition, including the High Negotiations Committee of the Syrian Opposition, the Syrian National Coalition, civil society, civil defenders, local councils, human rights and media activists. We have also provided some non-lethal support to elements of the Syrian armed opposition

    The UK’s support is building resilience against extremists, fostering civil society in besieged areas, providing search and rescue training, medical support, promoting human rights, delivering basic governance and laying the foundations for a more peaceful and inclusive future for Syria.

  • 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 2016-03-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of Government support for Kurdish minority groups in Syria on the peace process in that country.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    Syrian Kurds, as with all minority groups in Syria, will have an important stake in a future political settlement for their country. It is for Syrians to decide the exact nature of that settlement, with the help and support of the international community and the United Nations. The Higher Negotiations Committee (HNC), which represents a broad cross section of the Syrian opposition, including Kurdish groups, has made clear its intent to enter into political negotiations with the Syrian regime to achieve a political solution to the conflict. Not all Kurdish groups are members of the HNC, or necessarily part of the internationally recognised list of Syrian “opposition” groups. But to be successful, any political settlement in Syria must be inclusive, taking account of the interests of all parties to the conflict.

  • 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 2016-04-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what investigative process the Government has to investigate alleged international humanitarian law violations involving the use of British equipment in the Syrian conflict.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The UK does not provide lethal assistance to any party in Syria. We have provided life-saving equipment, including communications, medical and logistics equipment, and equipment to protect against chemical weapons attacks to the moderate Syrian opposition.

    The Government is satisfied that extant licences for Syria are compliant with the Consolidated EU and National Export Licensing Criteria and EU restrictions on the provision of goods to Syria. A licence will not be issued, for any country, if to do so would be inconsistent with any provision of the mandatory Criteria. This includes where we assess there is a clear risk that it might be used in the commission of a serious violation of International Humanitarian Law, taking account of all relevant factors at the time of the application.

  • Chris Green – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Chris Green – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Green on 2016-05-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the effect of antimicrobial resistance on hospital budgets.

    Jane Ellison

    The current cost of antimicrobial resistance to the National Health Service is estimated to be in excess of £180 million per annum.

  • Lord Hutton of Furness – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord Hutton of Furness – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hutton of Furness on 2016-07-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they plan to take to ensure continued public access to the archives and collections of the Royal Artillery museum once the existing site at Woolwich is closed.

    Earl Howe

    Regimental museums are provided and sustained by individual Regiments. However, I understand that the Royal Artillery intends to follow the precedent set by the National Army Museum, which is to close all access to the archives and collections during the transition of the Royal Artillery Museum to a new location. I understand that the Royal Artillery is examining ways to provide some access to a limited selection of archive materials whilst it develops longer term plans.