Category: Speeches

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-01-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Home Office has received any applications from researchers at the Francis Crick Institute to study the impact on implantation or miscarriage of genetic alterations introduced by genome editing in non-human primates, and if so, when.

    Lord Bates

    The use of non-human primates in scientific procedures is highly regulated and non-human primates can only be used where there is no other suitable animal and where a full harm-benefit analysis has been carried out. In 2014, the last year for which we have data, there was no use of genetically altered non-human primates.

    The release of information on specific licence applications is restricted in order to protect the identities of people and places and to avoid the release of valuable intellectual property.

  • Geoffrey Clifton-Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Geoffrey Clifton-Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Geoffrey Clifton-Brown on 2016-02-04.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reason trade statistics are collected on a different basis by HM Revenue and Customs and the Office for National Statistics; and what plans the Government has to align the collection of such data.

    Mr David Gauke

    HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is required to collect trade in goods statistics by EU legislation. This legislation sets out the detail and frequency of the data to be collected and provided to the EU Commission.

    Council Regulation (EC) No 471/2009 and Commission Regulations (EU) No 92/2010 and No 113/2010 set out the requirement for HMRC to collect trade in goods statistics between the UK and non-EU countries. Council Regulation (EC) No 638/2004 and Commission Regulation (EC) No 1982/2004 sets out the requirement to collect the corresponding statistics between the UK and other EU Member States.

    HMRC provides trade in goods data to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). As required by the sixth edition of the International Monetary Fund’s Balance of Payments Manual (BPM6) and the European System of Natural and Regional Accounts (ESA 2010), National Accounts and Balance of Payments also include trade in services. The ONS collects this data.

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-03-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made at the UN Security Council in drafting a new Resolution on sanctions against North Korea, in particular to require that (1) in stemming the flow of illicit goods, UN member states conduct mandatory inspections of all cargo passing through their territory to or from North Korea; (2) member states freeze the assets of North Korean entities linked to Pyongyang’s nuclear or missile programmes; and (3) the opening of new branches or offices of North Korean banks, or the engagement with North Korean banks, is prohibited.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2270 on 2 March 2016 in response to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) nuclear test of 6 January 2016 and subsequent satellite launch, which used ballistic missile technology, of 7 February 2016.

    The Government welcomes this Resolution, which was agreed unanimously. This is a clear demonstration that the international community is prepared to take tough measures in response to the North Korea’s repeated violations of UN Security Council Resolutions.

    The Resolution contains a comprehensive set of measures aimed at tackling DPRK’s illicit proliferation. These include a ban on the export of coal, titanium, gold and other specialist metals which finance North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. In addition to this, all states are now required to conduct inspections of DPRK flagged vessels, and small arms and light weapons are included in the arms embargo.

    UN Member States are obliged to freeze the assets of companies and entities linked to North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programme. The Resolution also bans DPRK banks and their subsidiaries from opening new branches overseas and prohibits financial institutions from establishing any joint ventures with these banks.

    We urge all states to ensure these measures are implemented and all obligations under previous UN Security Council Resolutions are enforced.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Small Business, Industry and Enterprise of 10 March 2016, Official Report, column 425, in what way Mr Newby has been assisting with the Pubs Code.

    Anna Soubry

    Mr Newby has not been involved in the drafting of and consultation process for the Pubs Code.

    Officials in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills met the Adjudicator after his appointment to provide him with a high level briefing on Part 4 of the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act and some areas of the draft Pubs Code in order to familiarise him with key aspects ahead of him taking up this important role. During the course of this briefing there was a discussion of some technical aspects of the Market Rent Only arbitration process – for example, the length of time it takes to appoint an independent expert – where the Adjudicator shared his professional insights.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-05-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of the Troops to Teachers scheme in each year since that scheme began; and if she will make a statement.

    Nick Gibb

    The amount spent on the Troops to Teachers scheme by financial year is listed below:

    Financial years

    Amount spent on the Troops to Teacher scheme

    2013/14

    £1.7m

    2014/15

    £976,000
  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-06-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Civil Service employees of her Department were based in Coventry in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

    Nick Gibb

    The numbers of employees of the Department for Education based in Coventry in each of the last five years is shown in the table below.

    Year

    2012

    2013

    2014

    2015

    2016

    Number at 31st March

    182

    411

    369

    367

    373

    Source: RM

  • Richard Graham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Richard Graham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Graham on 2016-09-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to publish updated guidance on opening a university technical college.

    Robert Halfon

    Each University Technical College (UTC) application round opens with the publication of the ‘University Technical Colleges How to Apply Guide’, which sets out the application window for each round. The next How to Apply Guide will be published in due course.

  • Rachel Reeves – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Rachel Reeves – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rachel Reeves on 2016-10-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools applied to the Education Funding Agency for funding for asbestos removal between 2010 and 2016; and what the (a) name, (b) type and (c) local authority is of each such school.

    Nick Gibb

    The Education Funding Agency (EFA) does not hold a breakdown of funding information, in the format requested, in relation to the removal of asbestos or renovation of school buildings.

    Under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, the primary responsibility for managing asbestos lies with the person or persons responsible for the maintenance or repair of a building. For schools, this will be the local authority, school governors or academy trust.

    The table below summarises the capital budgets from 2011-12 to 2016-17 that were provided for school maintenance, refurbishment and rebuilding, including where appropriate the removal and/or safe containment of asbestos-containing materials. As these works are covered by the capital funding programmes listed below, the Department does not allocate a separate budget for this purpose; and there are no plans to do so in future years.

    The Department does not hold directly comparable allocation or expenditure data on prior years.

    (All values £m)

    2011-12 Budget

    2012-13 Budget

    2013-14 Budget

    2014-15 Budget

    2015-16 Budget

    2016-17 Budget

    School Condition Allocations (funding provided to local authorities and voluntary-aided schools)

    1,054

    861

    749

    699

    690

    661

    Devolved Formula Capital (funding provided direct to schools)

    185

    162

    149

    138

    134

    130

    Funding for academies, multi-academy trusts, state-funded special schools and other specialist providers for state-funded pupils (including DFC).

    161

    376

    504

    562

    576

    617

    Priority Schools Building Programme (PSBP) (delivered by central government)

    0

    0

    90

    603

    999

    1,050

    Total

    1,400

    1,399

    1,492

    2,002

    2,399

    2,458
  • Christopher Chope – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Christopher Chope – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2015-11-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 2 November 2015 to Question 13951, which foreign military awards have been approved for members of the UK armed forces to wear; and what criteria are applied in determining such approval.

    Mark Lancaster

    The UK Armed Forces have a distinguished history of serving with great courage and professionalism in a wide-range of conflict situations; over the years various foreign military awards have been approved for acceptance and some of these have also been approved for wearing. A full list of the qualifying criteria for, and permission to wear, campaign medals, foreign medals and medals awarded by international organisations is available in Joint Service Publication 761 which can be found at the following website: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/396186/JSP761_honours_awards.pdf

    Information on the numbers of UK Service personnel or veterans who have been awarded the NATO Africa Medal is not held by the Ministry of Defence as this is administered by NATO.

    “

  • Neil Coyle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Neil Coyle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Coyle on 2015-12-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect of the judgment in the case of R v Secretary of State [2015] EWHC 3382 (Admin).

    Justin Tomlinson

    The Government is considering the judgment and will set out its position in due course.