Category: Speeches

  • Lord Patten – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Lord Patten – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2016-06-20.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 26 May (HL137), whether they will place a record of their consultations with the Stakeholder Working Group and local authorities in the Library of the House; and if so, by what date.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    The Explanatory Memorandum to the regulations amending the Local Authorities (Recovery of Costs for Public Path Orders) Regulations 1993 will record the outcome of both the public consultation in 2012 and the Government’s further discussions with the Stakeholder Working Group and local authorities.

    Extracts of the minutes from the relevant meetings of the Stakeholder Working Group will be placed in the Library of the House when the amendments to the Local Authorities (Recovery of Costs for Public Path Orders) Regulations 1993 are laid before the House for approval.

  • Chi Onwurah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Chi Onwurah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-09-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the Department for Communities and Local Government on how to replace the funding potentially lost to public sector organisations for rooftop rental as a result of the changes to rooftop valuation proposed in the Digital Economy Bill.

    Matt Hancock

    Government remains committed to a Code that is fit for a digital economy, delivers improved coverage and connectivity for the UK, and greater investment in UK infrastructure . The revised Electronic Communications Code has been developed in discussion with colleagues across Government including the Department of Communities and Local Government.

  • Stephen Hammond – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Stephen Hammond – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Hammond on 2016-10-20.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has made any calculation of the numbers of citizens of other EU member states working in different sectors of the economy.

    Chris Skidmore

    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

    The UK needs a fair and controlled immigration policy and that is exactly what this Government will deliver. The Government has been clear that we want to protect the status of EU nationals already living here, and the only circumstances in which that would not be possible is if British citizens’ rights in European member states were not protected in return.

  • Caroline Ansell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Caroline Ansell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Ansell on 2015-11-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential opportunities to enhance local services on pre-existing estates by co-locating services as part of proposals on the provision of the court and tribunal estate; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    The consultation on the provision of court and tribunal services in England and Wales included details of plans to integrate services in 31 existing court buildings. The court estate is kept under review and any further opportunities to integrate services will be carefully considered.

  • Gareth Thomas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Gareth Thomas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2015-12-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the cost of regional school commissioners in each of the next three years; and if she will make a statement.

    Edward Timpson

    At present, I am unable to provide detailed information on the budget for the Regional Schools Commissioners for each of the next three years.

    The Department’s spending review settlement was agreed in November. The Department has now begun a business planning process to devolve this budget internally to specific activities and functions. This work is intended to finish in early 2016, when the future budgets for all the Regional School Commissioners’ offices, including the South-Central and North-West London office, will be agreed for the next financial year (2016-17) and beyond.

  • Damian Collins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Damian Collins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Damian Collins on 2016-01-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish advice received by his Department from Highways England on the sites considered for providing off-road lorry parking to address Operation Stack on the M20 in Kent; and what the reasons were for rejecting sites not included in the current consultation.

    Andrew Jones

    Taking account of past studies and the work of the European Gateway Group, Highways England and local partners drew up a number of criteria for a proposed lorry park. Based on these criteria, a range of sites were considered, and two viable sites were identified.

    The current public consultation describes these two potential sites and invites suggestions as to other sites that may be suitable. Following the consultation, Highways England will assess all sites suggested and report on their suitability for an off road lorry area.

  • Tania Mathias – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Tania Mathias – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tania Mathias on 2016-02-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with his European counterparts about EU proposals to block public access to Mandatory Occurrence Reports; and what assessment he has made of the potential effect of those proposals on public confidence in aircraft safety.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The reporting, analysis and follow-up of occurrences in civil aviation is governed by Regulation (EU) No 376/2014 which was adopted on 3 April 2014 and became applicable on 15 November 2015.

    The open reporting of safety occurrences is vital to help ensure that significant issues can be identified and addressed before they lead to an accident. To foster open reporting the Regulation aims to create a just culture in which occurrences can be reported without fear of any detriment. To support the just culture the Regulation requires that reports be given an appropriate level of confidentiality and that information derived from occurrence reports shall be used only for safety related purposes. However, the Regulation does permit information to be released on request to interested parties that have a genuine safety related need for the information.

    The Regulation also recognises the need to keep the public informed on aviation safety matters. It requires Member States to publish, at least annually, a safety review setting out the type of occurrences and safety-related information that has been reported, any trends that have been identified and any corrective action taken. In addition, the European Aviation Safety Agency is required to include information about the analysis of occurrence reports in its annual safety review.

  • Diane Abbott – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Diane Abbott – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diane Abbott on 2016-03-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his Department’s expenditure on the Bloodhound Supersonic Car project in South Africa on reducing poverty in that country.

    James Duddridge

    The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has incurred no expenditure on the development of the Bloodhound Supersonic Car.

  • Greg Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Greg Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Knight on 2016-03-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what representations he has received on British service personnel being served food which contains mould and maggots; and what monitoring his Department undertakes to ensure that all food served to such service personnel is of a satisfactory standard.

    Mark Lancaster

    The Department is aware of concerns that have been expressed in the media about the standard of food.

    The Department has in place a number of safeguards to ensure a good quality of food. These include; contract monitoring, site visits, reviews, customer engagement and assurance by Single Service catering subject matter experts to improve on the service provided.

    Any complaint over food can be raised through the chain of command or directly with the contractor by way of a complaints book.

  • Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-05-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether it is their policy that the other members of NATO have a responsibility to ensure that Turkey only uses proportionate force when dealing with insurgents and alleged terrorists; and whether they intend to call for discussions about that issue amongst NATO members.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    Turkey is a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) ally and valued security partner for the UK. All countries, including NATO Allies, have a responsibility to use proportionate force when dealing with insurgents and alleged terrorists. We have no plans to call for discussion about that issue amongst NATO members.