Category: Speeches

  • Deidre Brock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Deidre Brock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Deidre Brock on 2016-07-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he plans to bring forward proposals to change any aspect of current legislation on food, animal feed safety and food hygiene formerly dealt with by the EU after the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.

    Nicola Blackwood

    Until we leave, the United Kingdom will remain a full member of the European Union, with all of the rights and obligations. The content of future food and feed legislation will be dependent on the outcome of negotiations on the UK’s exit from the European Union. The Food Standard Agency’s priority will remain the same: to protect the interests of consumers in relation to food.

  • Desmond Swayne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Desmond Swayne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Desmond Swayne on 2016-10-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when the new high commissioner for St Lucia will be accredited to the Court of St James.

    Sir Alan Duncan

    The request is proceeding in line with normal procedures. We will respond to the St Lucia High Commission when the process is completed.

  • Cat Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Cat Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cat Smith on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support is being provided to refugees currently on the island of Lesbos.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    The UK has so far provided around £4.5 million to partners working in Greece, many of which are active on Lesbos. This includes supporting the Red Cross for assistance and emergency first aid to refugees and migrants arriving on the beaches. We are also providing assistance to the IOM and UNHCR who are delivering essential coordination, reception and registration support, as well as direct physical assistance.

    It is right that the vast majority of our support goes to the region, our support is helping to build long term stability and resilience to help refugees build a life in neighbouring countries and prevent them falling prey to people smugglers and traffickers. For this reason, the UK has been at the forefront of the response to the crisis in Syria and the region. The UK has pledged over £1.1 billion to date, our largest ever humanitarian response to a single crisis. We are the second largest bilateral donor after the US and have done more than any other European country.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-12-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will undertake a distributional analysis of the effect of recent changes to the work allowances within universal credit.

    Priti Patel

    We have no plans to publish further distributional analysis. Changes to work allowances are one part of a package of changes to the tax and welfare systems at the Summer Budget and Autumn Statement, which are intended to move Britain from a low wage, high welfare economy to a high wage, lower welfare economy.

  • Maria Eagle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Maria Eagle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2016-01-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when his Department plans to publish the UK Digital Strategy.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    We plan to publish the Digital Strategy in early 2016. The Minister for the Digital Economy launched a public call for ideas on 29 December. We are now analysing these responses, and we continue to work closely with Whitehall departments on the Strategy.

  • David Anderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    David Anderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2016-02-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if she will place in the Library any information her Department holds on the number of jobs imported coal supports in each of its source countries; and if she will make a statement.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The number of jobs imported coal supports in each of its source countries is not information that the Department of Energy and Climate Change holds.

  • Margaret Hodge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Margaret Hodge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Hodge on 2016-03-15.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many non-taxpaying individuals have been required by HM Revenue and Customs to repay tax paid to charities under Gift Aid in the last (a) 12 months and (b) five years; and what the total value was of the required repayments in those periods.

    Mr David Gauke

    During the period between February 2015 to January 2016, HM Revenue and Customs recovered some £858,261.00. In 2014/15 it was £700,000, in 2013/14 £844,646.00 and in 2012/13 £398,020. All of these figures reflect amounts recovered from both non-taxpaying individuals and tax payers. We do not hold figures for periods before 2012/13.

  • Karl Turner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    Karl Turner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl Turner on 2016-04-19.

    To ask the Attorney General, what his policy is on expanding the Unduly Lenient Scheme; and if he will consult on any such changes before their introduction.

    Jeremy Wright

    The Government has committed to extending the scope of the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme and is carefully considering its approach.

  • Michelle Donelan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Michelle Donelan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michelle Donelan on 2016-05-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether it is planned that the Government’s childhood obesity strategy will include targets for industry to reduce levels of (a) fat and (b) salt in food and drink.

    Jane Ellison

    Our Childhood Obesity Strategy, which will be launched in the summer, will look at everything that contributes to a child becoming overweight and obese. It will set out what more can be done by all.

  • David Anderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    David Anderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2016-07-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make it his policy to impose an embargo on the sale of arms between the UK and Israel.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The Government takes its arms export responsibilities very seriously and operates one of the most robust arms export control regimes in the world. All export licence applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the consolidated EU and national arms export licensing criteria. We do not believe that imposing a blanket arms embargo on Israel would promote the urgent progress towards the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict which we want to see. We continue to monitor the situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories and take into account the latest circumstances when assessing licence applications. Israel, like any state, has the right to ensure its own security, as its citizens also have the right to live without fear of attack and we will continue to support Israel’s right to defend itself.