Category: Speeches

  • Stewart Malcolm McDonald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Stewart Malcolm McDonald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stewart Malcolm McDonald on 2016-05-23.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what representations his Department have received from the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) on the list of addresses of British entities registered with the Mossack Fonseca law firm in Panama published by the ICIJ on their website on 9 May 2016.

    Mr David Gauke

    We welcome the statement from the source of the Panama Papers that they are willing to speak to law enforcement bodies. Tax evasion and money laundering are global issues, which is why the HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and National Crime Agency (NCA) taskforce is working with international tax and law enforcement partners to take up this offer, and develop as many leads as possible from the data that is currently available.

    HMRC has been in regular contact with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), who have refused to share their full data with HMRC, stating that their policy is not to hand over such material. While we welcome the steps the ICIJ has taken in exposing this issue, its decision not to release the full set of information is disappointing.

    HMRC has begun analytical work on all the data published by the ICIJ, in addition to a wide range of other intelligence. As a result of this, the HMRC and NCA taskforce has opened a number of detailed and forensic enquiries.

  • Rosie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Rosie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rosie Cooper on 2016-07-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what support is available in West Lancashire for children with autistic spectrum disorders.

    David Mowat

    The provision of local health services is a matter for the local National Health Service. This information can be obtained from the West Lancashire Clinical Commissioning Group.

  • Andy McDonald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Andy McDonald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy McDonald on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the cost to his Department was of each re-tendering exercise held for franchises for (a) long distance and (b) regional passenger rail services in each year since 2005-06.

    Paul Maynard

    Prior to the re-launch of the Franchising Programme in spring 2013, the costs of different franchising projects were not individually recorded.

    The cost of each re-franchising project since the re-launch is as follows:

    Franchise

    Cost (£M)

    Notes

    Essex Thameside

    4.815

    1

    Thameslink, Southern & Great Northern

    7.288

    East Coast

    8.429

    2

    Northern

    8.668 (to date)

    3

    TransPennine Express

    7.577 (to date)

    3

    East Anglia

    7.413 (to date)

    3

    These figures include adviser costs (financial, technical and legal advisers), pay costs for the project team, “non-pay” costs (such as bidder day seminars, public consultations, etc), and VAT where applicable, for the duration of the procurements.

    The (admin) sums invested in competent staff and advisors are dwarfed by the (Resource) SPRS benefits to the Department – £200 for every pound spent.

    Notes

    NOTE 1: The Essex Thameside figure represents the work done after the relaunch of the Franchising Programme. There was a significant amount of work completed prior to the pausing of the programme in autumn 2012 which is not included here.

    NOTE 2: The costs for the refranchising of the Intercity East Coast Franchise were not charged to the public purse, but were covered by the Performance Bond that National Express put forward following its default of the previous East Coast contract.

    NOTE 3: The figures for Northern, TransPennine Express (TPE) and East Anglia are the latest figures (as at the end of August 2016). East Anglia is still a ‘live’ project. Whilst Northern and TPE have concluded, there are still some residual costs that may affect the final figures.

  • Seema Malhotra – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Seema Malhotra – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Seema Malhotra on 2015-10-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she has taken to secure continued funding for the Short Breaks pathfinder initiative.

    Edward Timpson

    The Short Breaks pathfinder initiative was part of Aiming High for Disabled Children and ran in 21 local authorities from 2008. Since the pathfinder initiative, funding has been provided to support short breaks provision in all English local authorities. For example, between 2011-12 and 2014-15, short breaks were supported by £800m in the Early Intervention Grant. In 2011-12, and again in 2012-13, local authorities benefitted from an additional £40m per annum of capital funding for short break services.

    Since 2011, local authorities have also been under a duty to provide a range of short breaks services and to publish a local Short Breaks Duty Statement showing what services are available; how they are responding to the needs of local parent carers; and how short breaks can be accessed, including any eligibility criteria. Local authorities are responsible for funding this short breaks provision.

    This year, the Department for Education has awarded £250,555 to the Short Breaks Partnership (a consortium made up of Contact a Family, the Council for Disabled Children, Action for Children and KIDS) to provide information and advice to those involved in designing, commissioning, providing and taking up short breaks for disabled children.

  • Matthew Pennycook – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Matthew Pennycook – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Pennycook on 2015-11-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps she is taking to ensure that the Capacity Market does not favour any class of generators.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Capacity Market is technology neutral, i.e. it does not seek to procure specific volumes of capacity from different types of technology. Before the start of pre-qualification for the auction, National Grid discounts the capacity available from each technology according to its historic reliability. These steps ensure that all types of eligible capacity are able to participate on an equal basis. The principle of technology neutrality allows the market to identify which technology type is cost efficient in delivering security of supply.

    We are satisfied with the wide range of different technologies that have prequalified for the next Capacity Market auction, which will take place next month.

  • Debbie Abrahams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Debbie Abrahams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Debbie Abrahams on 2016-01-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of personal independence payment recipients the sample of 105 cases represented in his Department’s Consultation on aids and appliances and the daily living component of personal independence payment; what methodology his Department used in its review of those cases; and how that sample was selected.

    Justin Tomlinson

    As part of the consultation on aids and appliances and the daily living component of PIP, the Department reviewed a sample of 105 cases where claimants scored all, or the majority, of their points from aids and appliances. These were randomly selected.

    PIP is designed to provide a contribution to the additional costs faced by those with a long-term impairment or health-condition. Yet in over 90% of the cases reviewed claimants were likely to have only low or minimal additional costs. This was based on the professional opinion of DWP doctors who looked at all the information held on departmental systems relating to each case.

    The Department’s latest published statistics show that, as of October 2015, there were 611,121 PIP claimants. 105 cases would represent 0.02% of this figure. However, this includes claimants who receive the mobility component, which is not within scope of the consultation, as well as those who receive the daily living component, the majority of whom did not score all, or most, of their points from aids and appliances.

    Given the strength of the pattern that emerged from the review of the 105 cases, we believe that the cases provide an important indication of how the assessment is working and that it was important to include these findings in the consultation document.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-01-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Spanish counterpart on recent illegal entry into Gibraltarean waters by Spanish vessels.

    Mr David Lidington

    The Government continues to make diplomatic protests to Spain with respect to all incursions into British Gibraltar Territorial Waters (BGTW). Since the agreement of August 2015 to prioritise safety at sea and to step up law enforcement cooperation, there have been fewer incursions that have raised safety concerns and work on improving cooperation between law enforcement agencies is ongoing. Neither I nor the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend, the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond ), have therefore had cause to raise incursions into BGTW with our Spanish counterparts since my response to Written Question 11709 on 22 October 2015.

  • David Davis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    David Davis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Davis on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what procedure was followed before the authorisation of the use of RAF Lakenheath for airstrikes in Libya on 19 February 2016.

    Michael Fallon

    I confirmed in a statement on 19 February 2016 that I had authorised the request. Permission was granted once I was satisfied with the legality of the operation.

  • 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 2016-03-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many artificial football pitches in which locations have been supported by funding from his Department since May 2015.

    David Evennett

    In the last year, £39 million has been invested across the country on artificial grass pitches in Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Hampshire, London, Manchester, Devon, Essex, Staffordshire, West Riding, Middlesex, Wiltshire, Durham, Liverpool, Lincolnshire, Staffordshire, North Riding, Lancashire, Hertfordshire, Birmingham Northumberland, Cambridgeshire, Cheshire, Nottinghamshire, Surrey, Dorset, Cumberland and East Riding. Further details on the individual grants awarded are available from the Football Foundation.

    The Government is also investing £8 million over the next 4 years in Parklife, to increase the number of full-size publicly accessible artificial grass pitches in England by 50 per cent. The Football Association is matching government funding, with further contributions from the Premier League and Local Authorities in this new £200 million grassroots facilities investment programme.

  • Liz McInnes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Liz McInnes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liz McInnes on 2016-04-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will review provision of the FRANK drug advice service to support reducing risks to young people.

    Jane Ellison

    FRANK provides impartial, reliable and confidential information and advice about drug use. Public Health England (PHE) updates FRANK to reflect new and emerging patterns of drug use and is currently considering how best to enhance the service to remain in line with young people’s media habits and strengthen situational advice to reduce risks to young people.

    Local authorities are responsible for commissioning drug and alcohol education prevention and treatment services to young people and parents. PHE supports local authorities in this work by providing a range of supportive guidance and materials, as well as bespoke data, value for money tools, topical briefings, and advice on good practice.

    PHE is supporting a range of prevention and information programmes for young people and parents, including jointly funding Mentor UK’s Alcohol and Drug Education and Prevention Information Service which is a web-based platform for sharing information and resources aimed at schools and practitioners working in drug and alcohol prevention.

    PHE also provides Rise Above, an online social marketing programme that aims to reduce the uptake of risky behaviours, including drug taking, by young people aged 11-16. It aims to give them the skills required to make better decisions in ‘risky’ situations to delay and prevent them from engaging in exploratory behaviours.