Category: Speeches

  • Julian Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Julian Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Knight on 2016-04-14.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of people taking out a lifetime ISA who will take that ISA in the form of (a) a cash only lifetime ISA and (b) an equity investment lifetime ISA in each of the first three years that those ISAs are available.

    Harriett Baldwin

    The new Lifetime ISA will provide savers with the flexibility to save towards a first home and retirement at the same time.

    From April 2017, people aged 18 to 40 will be able to save up to £4,000 each year into a Lifetime ISA and receive a 25% bonus from the Government.

    The Lifetime ISA is a voluntary product. For further information on the costing of this policy, please see page 9 of the Budget 2015 Policy Costings document: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/508147/PU1912_Policy_Costings_FINAL3.pdf

    ISA statistics are published on the GOV.UK website. Table 9.7 sets out the number of individuals subscribing to ISAs: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/number-of-individuals-subscribing-to-an-individual-savings-account-isa-by-income

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  • Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-05-23.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the remit of the National Infrastructure Commission includes the provision of sufficient social and affordable housing.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    The National Infrastructure Commission will have a mandate to examine all sectors of economic infrastructure – including flood defences, energy, transport, water and sewage, waste and digital communications. While the Commission’s remit will not include housing supply directly, the Commission will consider the potential interactions between its infrastructure recommendations and housing supply.

  • Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-07-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether any staff of EU institutions will be eligible to transfer their employment to the UK Government under the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006.

    Mr Robin Walker

    The new Department for Exiting the European Union will oversee negotiations to leave the EU and establish the future relationship between the UK and EU. At every step of the negotiations we want to get the best deal for Britain and for the British people, including for British nationals employed by the EU institutions.

  • Gareth Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Gareth Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the recommendations in the UN High Level Panel on Access to Medicines report, published in September 2016, on stimulating research and development in underfunded areas and improving access to medicines; whether she has plans to take those recommendations forward; and if she will make a statement.

    James Wharton

    The UK government is committed to ensuring access to low cost, effective medicines in the developing world. We support the provision of essential medicines and other health products through global partnerships such as the Global Fund for AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM), UNITAID, Gavi the Vaccine Alliance, and the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP). We place a great emphasis on research and development of new vaccines, medicines and diagnostics for conditions that affect millions of poor people. For example, the UK is a leading investor in public-private Product Development Partnerships (PDPs), an innovative financing mechanism to stimulate research and development (R&D) where market incentives are insufficient.

    We support the aims of the UN High Level Panel on Access to Medicines and welcome efforts to shed light on this important issue. However, we note that this panel of experts could not reach agreement on the best approach, given the evidence presented. Our view is that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has already undertaken a large amount of work to consider the full range of barriers that limit access to medicines, and is well placed to consider which recommendations add the most value.

  • Gordon Marsden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Gordon Marsden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2016-10-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions she has had with employers and providers of apprenticeships on the effect on take-up of the new funding arrangements proposed for apprenticeships for 16 to 18 year olds, published on 12 August 2016.

    Robert Halfon

    Department for Education officials have held regular discussions with employers, training providers and representative organisations since the publication of the funding proposals in August. We will be publishing details of our final funding policy for apprenticeships in England from May 2017 shortly.

  • Philip Davies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Philip Davies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2015-11-19.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what factors were considered by HM Revenue and Customs when making its decision to locate its regional hub in Leeds rather than Bradford.

    Mr David Gauke

    On 12 November, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) announced the next stage of its ten-year modernisation programme. As part of that, the department demonstrated its long-term commitment to Yorkshire and the Humber by setting out that it would establish a Regional Centre in Leeds.

    A number of factors were considered by HMRC when deciding where to locate its new Regional Centres. In addition to cost, it considered local and national transport links, the local labour market, supply of future workforce and the retention of current staff and skills.

    HMRC modelled the impact of locating the Regional Centre for Yorkshire and the Humber in both Bradford and Leeds. For both scenarios, it took into account the potential loss of jobs for staff expected to be outside of reasonable daily travel (defined as approximately 1 hour from home to work, though dependent on individual circumstances).

    HMRC first shared its transformation plans with its employees 18 months ago. Since then has held more than 2,000 events across the UK, setting out how and why it is changing. The department is committed to continuing to support all of its employees who are affected by these changes.

    Staff in Yorkshire attended a number of face-to-face events, providing feedback on the potential location of the regional centre. They will also have the opportunity to discuss their personal circumstances in one-to-one meetings with their manager.

    This transformation programme will ultimately enable HMRC to deliver better public services at lower cost to the taxpayer. It will generate estate savings of £100 million a year by 2025.

  • Diana Johnson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Diana Johnson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which local authorities reported an underspend on their public health budget in the last financial year; how much that underspend was for each of those local authorities.

    Jane Ellison

    The table attached shows the local authorities that underspent on their public health allocation (the ring fenced grant they received for public health) for 2014/15.

    The grant conditions permit local authorities to carry money forward to a future period in a ring-fenced public health reserve.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-01-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of staff employed in each young offender institution are qualified speech and language therapists.

    Andrew Selous

    The information requested could only be provided at disproportionate costs.

    The Youth Justice Board is responsible for commissioning and oversight of the secure youth estate. The Youth Justice Board funds dedicated social workers at each under-18 Young Offender Institution (YOI). All young people undergo a health and education assessment upon arrival into custody, whilst all staff undergo training in child and adolescent development and safeguarding.

    Under-18 YOI providers should ensure that they meet the needs of all detained persons including those with Special Education and Needs (SEN) requirements, and that all staff are suitably qualified to support young people and make referrals to other specialist support where this is appropriate.

  • Lord Laird – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Laird – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2016-02-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to make any changes to freedom of information legislation, in particular on the use of false names when seeking disclosure; and if so, what changes they propose, and when will they be brought forward.

    Lord Bridges of Headley

    The Government established the Freedom of Information Commission to review the Freedom of Information Act and we will give careful consideration to its recommendations. Section 8(1)(b) of the FOI Act already requires applicants to provide their real name.

  • Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2016-03-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what recent assessment she has made of the availability of bank loans for oil exploration companies which operate in the North Sea.

    Andrea Leadsom

    Banks must make commercial decisions with regard to lending. The Government’s clear view is that the UK’s offshore oil and gas industry has a bright future and will remain a significant and important industry and energy supplier for the UK. The Government’s confidence in the sector was underlined in the tax reform package outlined by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Budget , worth £1 billion. In the Budget, the Chancellor also announced that the government is willing to consider proposals for using the UK Guarantees scheme for infrastructure where it could help secure new investment in assets of strategic importance to maximising economic recovery of oil and gas. Any proposals would also need to meet the existing criteria of the scheme, including in relation to commerciality and financial credibility