Category: Speeches

  • Lord Avebury – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Avebury – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Avebury on 2015-11-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will amend the gov.uk website to reflect the changes made by the Immigration Act 2014 to the British Nationality Act 1981; and whether they will also cause legislation.gov.uk to be updated accordingly.

    Lord Bates

    Section 65 of the Immigration Act 2014 was commenced on 6 April 2015 and inserted new registration provisions into the British Nationality Act 1981 for persons born before 1 July 2006 to British fathers. Information about this is published on the Gov.UK website at: https://www.gov.uk/register-british-citizen/born-before-2006-british-father.

    The National Archives is bringing all the primary legislation on legislation.gov.uk up to date. The British Nationality Act 1981 (c. 61) is up to date to the end of 2009. A further 50 subsequent amendments affecting this Act have been identified. A fully revised version, including the effects by the Immigration Act 2014 (c. 22), will be published and available by the end of 2015.

  • Lord Bruce of Bennachie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Lord Bruce of Bennachie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bruce of Bennachie on 2016-01-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will consider re-opening a bilateral development programme in Burundi, in the light of recent violence in that country.

    Baroness Verma

    The UK Government is extremely concerned by the ongoing political unrest in Burundi, and its humanitarian consequences, including the flow of Burundian refugees to neighbouring countries.

    DFID offices across the region, including in Tanzania, DRC, Rwanda and Uganda, are working closely to monitor the situation, review preparedness activities and provide humanitarian support. £18.15 million has been committed by DFID for refugee response in the region through UN agencies, such as UNHCR, UNICEF and WFP, and international NGOs. This funding includes £14.25 million to support refugees in Tanzania, and £3.9 million to support refugees in Rwanda. We are staying in close contact with the UN system about future funding needs. Additionally, DFID is working closely with the FCO to coordinate HMG’s response, and international partners such as the EU on Article 96 discussions, to ensure that humanitarian assistance continues to reach those in need.

    DFID is monitoring the situation closely and may consider additional funding. DFID has deployed a Humanitarian Advisor to the region in support of the response and to monitor funding provided so far.

    DFID is currently undertaking a Bilateral Aid Review, but there are no plans to reopen the DFID office in Burundi.

  • John Pugh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    John Pugh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Pugh on 2016-02-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Members of the House of Lords are sponsors of academies in England.

    Edward Timpson

    A list of approved academy sponsors is published by the Department for Education on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/academy-sponsor-contact-list. A hard copy provided at attachment 1.

    The Department does not specifically collect information about the involvement of members of the House of Lords in academy sponsorship.

    “

  • Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-02-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many long-term unemployed people have been helped back into work through the Help to Work scheme in each of the last five years.

    Priti Patel

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

    Published information available on Help to Work shows the number of programme referrals and Community Work Placement starts and can be found at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/help-to-work-quarterly-statistics

    This covers the period from April 2014 (when the programme started) to September 2015 inclusive.

    “

  • William Wragg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    William Wragg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by William Wragg on 2016-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent discussions he has had with the Home Secretary on steps to remove foreign national offenders from UK prisons to their home countries.

    Andrew Selous

    The Secretary of State for Justice and the Home Secretary have regular bilateral meetings where they discuss progress on removal of FNOs. As announced in the Prime Minister’s speech on 8 February, MoJ officials have also been working closely with the Home Office to introduce a legal requirement for defendants appearing in court to provide their name, date of birth and nationality. This will enable earlier identification of foreign national offenders and help with the removals process.

  • Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-04-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 25 April 2016 to Question 34699, when her Department expects to (a) receive advice from the UK Export Committee on Pesticides about the two applications for emergency authorisation for the use of neonicotinoids and (b) make a decision on whether to grant such authorisation.

    George Eustice

    The UK Expert Committee on Pesticides (ECP) considered these applications at its meeting on 4 May. I expect to receive its advice shortly.

    The decision on whether or not to grant the authorisations will be made once the ECP and other experts have concluded their examination of the applications and the Government has received and considered their findings.

  • Julian Sturdy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Julian Sturdy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Sturdy on 2016-06-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for what reason the Government is proposing to raise the small claims limit to £5000 rather than to £3000.

    Dominic Raab

    The Government is determined to crack down on the compensation culture and has announced reforms, including raising the small claims limit, to tackle the problem. These reforms will build on previous measures taken by the MoJ to control costs, tackle fraud, strengthen the medical evidence process and reduce incentives to pursue trivial whiplash claims. £5,000 is considered to be the appropriate level for the small claims limit and the rationale for this will be set out in the consultation document which will be published in due course.

  • Alistair Carmichael – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Alistair Carmichael – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alistair Carmichael on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to make an assessment of the potential merits of extending visa-free access to the UK to Nepalese citizens.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The UK keeps its visa system under regular review. There are currently no plans to change the visa requirements for Nepalese citizens.

  • Lord Campbell of Pittenweem – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord Campbell of Pittenweem – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Campbell of Pittenweem on 2016-10-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 22 February (HL6098), what progress they have made towards identifying and costing a long-term solution to the full integration of female soldiers in close combat roles in the Infantry and Royal Armoured Corps, the Royal Marines and the Royal Air Force Regiment.

    Earl Howe

    On 8 July 2016, the former Prime Minister (Rt Hon David Cameron MP) announced that following a recommendation by the Chief of the General Staff the previous exclusions on women serving in the Royal Marines (RM), Royal Armoured Corps (RAC), Infantry and Royal Air Force Regiment (RAF Regt) have now been lifted. This applies to both Regular and Reserve units.

    The Ministry of Defence (MOD) will initially open certain RAC units from November 2016, with all other Ground Close Combat roles opening from 2018. This will enable implementation to be rolled out in a deliberate, responsible and methodical manner that will allow mitigation measures, such as updated Physical Employment Standards, to be put in place.

    Delivering the necessary organisational changes will be covered within current programmes and initiatives. Infrastructure changes across Defence will be achieved through existing development strategies and will not impact on the successful delivery of this policy change. The amount of funding required for longer term infrastructure solutions will be dependent on the number of women posted to particular establishments.

  • Lord German – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord German – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord German on 2015-11-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the implications for British tourists of the recent state of emergency declared by the President of the Maldives.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    Following the declaration of a State of Emergency, the Maldives government made clear that there would be no restrictions on tourist movements and that tourist resorts were unlikely to be significantly affected. Our travel advice was updated to reflect this and advised British nationals visiting the Maldives to take extra care and follow local advice. On 10 November the Maldivian government lifted the State of Emergency. Our travel advice has been updated accordingly.