Category: Speeches

  • Lord Allen of Kensington – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Lord Allen of Kensington – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Allen of Kensington on 2016-06-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to introduce a broadband universal service obligation for businesses.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    The Government has committed to putting in place a new broadband Universal Service Obligation (USO) by the end of this Parliament. Once in place the USO will act as a safety net, giving both households and businesses the legal right to request an affordable broadband connection of at least 10 Mbps (Megabits per second). A connection speed of 10 Mbps will support many small businesses, and will help them make an even greater contribution to our economy.

  • Alison Thewliss – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Alison Thewliss – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison Thewliss on 2016-09-02.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress has been made by the Financial Conduct Authority in its review of nuisance calls relating to consumer credit.

    Simon Kirby

    The FCA has committed to review its rules on unsolicited marketing calls, emails and text messages from consumer credit firms, including payday lenders. The review includes specifically looking at whether these unsolicited communications should be banned.

    The FCA will publish the results of this review before the end of this year.

  • Gareth Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Gareth Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-10-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential level of volatility of local authority income once business rates income is fully retained by local authorities; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    We recently conducted a consultation on our approach to the implementation of 100% Business Rates Retention. This consultation included questions on how to take account of changes in need over time, how to manage volatility in business rates income and how to distribute funding between different tiers of government. My officials are currently considering the 454 responses we have received to this consultation and we will publish a summary of the responses and our proposed way forward in due course. In the meantime, we will continue close collaboration with the Local Government Association, other groups representative of local government, and individual local authorities, in taking this work forward.

  • Dan Jarvis – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Dan Jarvis – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2015-11-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what account his Department plans to take of the closure of steel plants in 2015 in the strategic defence and security review process.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The Strategic Defence and Security Review will be a comprehensive review of our defence and security capabilities.

    Separately, the Cabinet Office are leading a cross-Government Steel Procurement Working Group on which the Ministry of Defence is represented. The Government has published new guidelines for Departments to apply to major projects when sourcing and buying steel directly. Departments will be encouraged to take into account social impacts of competing suppliers when placing contracts directly.

  • Ben Bradshaw – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Ben Bradshaw – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ben Bradshaw on 2015-11-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department has made an assessment of the effect of inflammatory arthritis on an individual’s ability to stay in work.

    Jane Ellison

    We are aware that a high proportion of people with inflammatory arthritis are of working age. Inflammatory arthritis is a major cause of sickness absence.

    Treatment for inflammatory arthritis has improved dramatically with the development of new drugs. It is essential for people with relevant symptoms to present early to their general practitioner and for the condition to be diagnosed promptly. Ensuring that people have access to the best possible treatment and support provides the greatest scope to enable people with inflammatory arthritis to stay in work.

    The newly formed Work and Health Unit is a joint endeavour between Department of Health and Department for Work and Pensions. The Unit has been established to lead the drive for improving work and health outcomes for people with health conditions and disabilities, as well as improving prevention and support for people absent from work through ill health and those at risk of leaving the workforce.

    In the Spending Review the Government has provided at least £115 million of funding for the Unit including a Work and Health Innovation Fund.

  • Lord Sharkey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Sharkey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Sharkey on 2016-01-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the proposal not to publish the Financial Conduct Authority’s report on banking culture outlined in its Business Plan 2015–16; to whom they have communicated that assessment; and what response they have received.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    No Treasury Minister or official had any discussions with the FCA before the FCA took its decision to discontinue the review of banking culture included in its 2015-16 Business Plan.

    The FCA has published (in response to the Noble Lord’s Freedom of Information request) the dates when it communicated its decision to discontinue this review to other organisations. This response is available on the FCA website.

  • Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-02-03.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, at which offices the 4,000 staff of HM Revenue and Customs who are expected to live outside the reasonable travel to work area after the Building Our Future reorganisation work.

    Mr David Gauke

    HM Revenue and Customs’ (HMRC) Location Programme is the result of an extended period of consultation and deliberation. The Department has taken account of a number of criteria in reaching its decisions, including the quality of local transport links, the local labour market and future workforce supply, the cost of buildings and asset value, and the need to retain the staff and skills it needs to continue its transformation. These changes will reduce HMRC’s estates costs by around £100 million a year by 2025.

    HMRC conducted high level People Impact and Equality Assessments to inform its planning. The Department plans to update these once discussions have been held with its staff.

    HMRC’s modelling estimates that the majority of staff live within Reasonable Daily Travel of a regional centre. Reasonable Daily Travel is calculated in line with established HR policies and procedures. Every worker at HMRC will have a one-to-one meeting with their manager to discuss their individual circumstances.

  • Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-02-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2016 to Question 26614, on children in care: housing, how many young people he expects to be on the Positive Pathway Framework in 2016.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    The Positive Pathway is a framework to support local authorities and their partners to design their services to prevent homelessness and meet the housing and support needs of vulnerable young people rather than a service to individual young people.

  • The Lord Bishop of Leeds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The Lord Bishop of Leeds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Lord Bishop of Leeds on 2016-03-23.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken to record the atrocities that have been committed by Daesh in Iraq so that, in due course, offenders may be brought to justice.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    This Government wants to see accountability for Daesh abuses, and has supported efforts to document them. The UK co-sponsored the UN Human Rights Council Resolution in September 2014 mandating the investigation of Daesh abuses.

    In Iraq, we are funding training for human rights defenders to improve victim support and case documentation of sexual violence committed by Daesh. It is hoped that this evidence will be able to be used in the future to hold the perpetrators to account.

  • Gordon Marsden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Gordon Marsden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2016-04-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions he has had with other government departments on the future roles of HEFCE and the Quality Assurance Agency.

    Joseph Johnson

    The Government published a Green Paper ‘Fulfilling our Potential: Teaching Excellence, Social Mobility and Student Choice’ on 6 November 2015. This set out our proposals to drive up the quality of teaching in higher education, and for simplifying the higher education regulatory landscape with a higher education regulator that has the student interest at its core. The consultation closed on 15 January 2016 and we received over 600 responses. In developing both the Green Paper and our response to the consultation, we have consulted extensively across the sector and continue to do so. No decisions have yet been taken and the Government will issue its response in due course.