Category: Speeches

  • Thangam Debbonaire – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Thangam Debbonaire – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2016-03-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with her EU counterparts on the use of teargas against refugees and migrants at the Macedonian border.

    James Brokenshire

    We continue to work closely with our European partners to address all aspects of the current migration situation as it continues to develop, including regular bilateral and multilateral discussions. There have been no specific discussions on the use of tear gas.

    Public order is a matter for national governments and we expect all our international partners to ensure that migrants’ human rights are fully respected.

    We are clear that protection in the region of origin is often the best solution, including for refugees, and that those reaching the EU should claim asylum in the first Member State they enter (as per EU rules) rather than seeking to travel further across Europe to their destination of choice.

  • Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans his Department has to work with Muscular Dystrophy UK on increasing access to hydrotherapy pools for people with muscular dystrophy and neuromuscular conditions.

    Jane Ellison

    NHS England continues to work with Muscular Dystrophy UK through the Bridging the Gap Project, which aims to ensure people with neuromuscular conditions, along with their families, play a leading role in the development and commissioning of the services they use.

    NHS England commissions some services for patients with neuromuscular conditions nationally as part of its remit to deliver specialised neurological services. However, the majority of services are provided outside of specialised centres and are the responsibility of clinical commissioning groups to provide, should they deem it clinically appropriate. This includes services such as hydrotherapy.

    In 2012 Muscular Dystrophy UK, working with the Department’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) issued a call for research proposals into the clinical effectiveness of hydrotherapy in maintaining physical function in people with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). The call was made because there is little evidence to support the use of hydrotherapy in relation to DMD and other neuromuscular disorders. The NIHR Health Technology Appraisal programme is now funding a pilot study to look at hydrotherapy for the treatment of DMD, with an evaluation report expected in January 2017.

  • David Lammy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    David Lammy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Lammy on 2016-05-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the average price of affordable starter homes that will be built in (a) Tottenham, (b) Islington, (c) Barnet, (d) Haringey, (e) Enfield and (f) London in (i) 2016 and (ii) each of the next four years.

    Brandon Lewis

    The Starter Homes policy is expected to deliver at least a 20% discount from market value on new homes built for first time buyers under 40 years of age. We recognise that first time buyers can face affordability pressures within parts of London which is why we want Starter Homes to make a significant contribution to housing delivery. The London £450k price cap is not an expectation of the going price for a Starter Home. In London in 2014, the average price paid by a first time buyer was £364k – which would equate to a starter homes price of £291k. We are consulting on starter homes regulations which will set the requirement for starter homes and any exemptions. The Department does not make assessments on the number of starter homes that are to be built by local authority area.

  • Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick on 2016-06-29.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the implications for small businesses of the UK leaving the EU.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    There will be no immediate changes to the UK’s relationship with the EU, in the way goods can move or services can be sold. The Government is committed to ensuring that the UK remains open for business and continues to grow and thrive.

    The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is engaging with small businesses about the issues, risks and opportunities arising as a result of the decision to leave the EU. The Government is working to ensure that the UK remains one of the best places in the world to start and grow a business.

  • Lord Eames – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Lord Eames – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Eames on 2016-09-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their current assessment of the significance of the possible changes in the status of the land border between the UK and the Republic of Ireland for commercial life in Northern Ireland.

    Lord Dunlop

    The open border for people and businesses has served us well and no-one wants to see a return to the borders of the past. There is a strong will – within this Government, among the Northern Ireland parties and in the Irish Government – to preserve the common travel area and to ensure we get the right deal for trade in goods and services with the European Union. We must now focus on securing a deal that is in the interest of both of the UK and the Republic of Ireland.

  • Lucy Powell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lucy Powell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lucy Powell on 2015-10-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the target countries are of her Department’s STEM international recruitment programme; and how many teachers have been recruited from each target country.

    Nick Gibb

    Schools have always been able to recruit teachers from overseas. Outstanding mathematics and physics teachers are in demand across the globe, and where schools wish to recruit from overseas we want to ensure they are able to do so and from those countries whose education standards are as high as our own.

    The Department for Education is committed to ensuring that schools are able to recruit appropriately to fill their teacher vacancies. We are working to grow a strong pipeline of teachers from within the UK and have a package of measures in place to support both recruitment of trainees and retention of existing teachers.

    The Department for Education recently embarked on an additional £67 million package of measures to target recruitment of 2,500 additional specialist maths and physics teachers and up-skill 15,000 existing non specialist teachers in these subjects. The vast majority of these additional 2,500 teachers will come from within the UK, but the government recognises the valuable contribution made by overseas trained teachers particularly for certain shortage subjects. Therefore a small part of the package is focused on supporting schools to recruit internationally for qualified maths and physics teachers where necessary.

  • Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2015-11-25.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of whether continuing efforts to press the government of Sudan to tackle sexual and gender-based violence in Darfur have been successful, in the light of (1) the incidence of rape in the areas currently monitored by the UN and (2) the requirement in the legal framework in Sudan for a victim to provide four male witnesses to confirm that a rape was without consent.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We remain deeply concerned by the reported prevalence of sexual and gender-based violence in Darfur. While we welcome amendments to Sudanese law earlier this year that separated the crimes of rape and adultery we are concerned about how the law is implemented.

    In addition to engaging the Government of Sudan, we will continue to support a wide-range of efforts to progress this issue. We strongly support the presence of the African Union/UN Hybrid Mission operation in Darfur (UNAMID) and have worked to ensure that the mission has a strong mandate to protect civilians across Darfur. We are also vocal – both bilaterally and through the UN’s Security and Human Rights Councils – in urging all armed actors to address sexual and gender-based violence in Darfur. The UK played a significant role in the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2242 reflecting the importance of Women, Peace and Security-related issues for the UN family. Bilaterally, we have provided support to over 150 survivors of rape in Darfur and contributed to the successful prosecution of members of the police and armed forces.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-12-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2015 to Question 12462, when he expects to announce further policy details of the Youth Obligation.

    Priti Patel

    The detailed policy design is still under development. We will make further announcements over the coming months as we develop the policy detail.

  • Chris Stephens – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Chris Stephens – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Stephens on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many staff employed by his Department (a) receive working tax credits and (b) work part-time; and what proportion of each such group are women.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The information requested in part (a) is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

    On 31 December 2015 in the Department for Work and Pensions 35,834 employees work part-time and 88% of this group are women.

  • 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 2016-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the prevalence of slavery in Mauritania.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    We remain concerned about continued reports of slavery in Mauritania, and about the modest sentences handed down in the few successful prosecutions for slavery offences. We welcome the establishment of three courts with specific responsibility for slavery cases. We continue to monitor this topic closely. We regularly raise our concerns with the Mauritanian authorities in the UK and in Nouakchott, and meet human rights and anti-slavery campaigners to discuss the subject.