Category: Speeches

  • Gavin Robinson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Gavin Robinson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Robinson on 2016-03-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether a ban on travelling to the UK still applies to US citizen Mr Robert Spencer.

    Mr John Hayes

    The Government does not routinely comment on individual immigration cases. As certain information on this particular case has been publicly disclosed, however, I can confirm that on 25 June 2013 the Home Secretary personally directed that Robert Spencer should be excluded from the UK on the grounds that his presence here would not be conducive to the public good.

    The Home Secretary considered that Mr Spencer brought himself within scope of the unacceptable behaviours policy by making statements that may foster hatred which might lead to inter-community violence in the UK.

  • Douglas Carswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Douglas Carswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2016-04-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether the UK could act unilaterally to take an equity stake greater than 25 per cent in Tata Steel while being a member of the EU.

    Anna Soubry

    It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

  • Jamie Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Jamie Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2016-06-03.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many births were recorded at (a) West Cumberland Hospital and (b) Cumberland Infirmary, Carlisle in 2015.

    Mr Rob Wilson

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

  • Roberta Blackman-Woods – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Roberta Blackman-Woods – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roberta Blackman-Woods on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the recent reduction in the number of school nurses does not affect the standard of sex and relationship education in schools.

    Edward Timpson

    The government believes that all children should have the opportunity to receive a high quality and appropriate sex and relationship education (SRE). SRE is compulsory in all maintained secondary schools, and many primary schools also teach it in an age-appropriate way. Academies do not have to teach SRE but many choose to do so as part of their statutory duty to provide a broad and balanced curriculum.

    Schools and teachers should decide what to teach based on their pupils’ needs, and taking account of pupil and parent views. Teachers are encouraged to develop their practice with the support of specialist organisations and expert professionals, as they deem appropriate, and schools work with a number of partners to deliver SRE in schools.

    Since April 2013, Local Authorities have been responsible for public health locally, including school nursing, and decisions should be based around local needs. According to NHS Digital there are 1,100 qualified school nurses (Specialist Community Public Health Nurses) in England and the workforce numbers have remained relatively stable over the last few years. More information can be found at: http://digital.nhs.uk/searchcatalogue?productid=21584&topics=0%2fWorkforce&sort=Relevance&size=10&page=1#top

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  • Flick Drummond – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Flick Drummond – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Flick Drummond on 2016-10-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with the French government on the deployment of armed police on ferries operating across the English Channel.

    Mr Ben Wallace

    Earlier this year officials met, and have since been working closely with, French counterparts to discuss the current trial deployments of French sea marshals.

    Arrangements for maritime security, including on cross -channel ferries, are kept under constant review.

  • Carolyn Harris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Carolyn Harris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Carolyn Harris on 2015-11-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent steps he has taken to tackle clustering of betting shops in town centres.

    Tracey Crouch

    In April 2014, the Coalition Government published its gambling strategy “Gambling protections and controls" which includeda number of measures to tackle problem gambling – this was in response to concerns following the implementation of the 2005 Act, brought in under the then Government.As part of this approach, new planning legislation came into effect in April 2015 which requires planning permission forany change to use to a betting shop.

    Councils can use their Local Plans to shape where retail development should go, ensure the right balance of use classes, and prevent any negative cumulative impact of multiple premises in the same vicinity. Some councils have issued supplementary planning guidance to address directly the proliferation of betting shops in a particular local area.

    Councils also have powers under gambling legislation to address problems by individual premises and review the licenses of premises which breach the licensing objectives (e.g. preventing crime and disorder; and protecting children and the vulnerable from harm).

    We believe that this balanced approach allows councils to take targeted action to tackle localised problems. We continue to monitor the effects of existing controls and will take action if these are found to be insufficient.

  • Lord Scriven – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Scriven – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Scriven on 2015-12-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress they have made in ensuring that management and statistical information concerning asylum claims on grounds of sexuality and gender identity are recorded accurately and comprehensively by the Home Office, and when that data will be published.

    Lord Bates

    We are still looking into the feasibility of publishing figures on the number of asylum applications by sexual orientation of the applicants. Any plans to publish will be subject to the data being of appropriate quality, in accordance with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.

  • Tristram Hunt – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Tristram Hunt – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tristram Hunt on 2016-01-07.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many jobs in (a) his Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies, executive agencies, non-ministerial departments, advisory bodies and other accountable statutory bodies (i) have been abolished or relocated from Stoke-on-Trent since 2010 and (ii) will be abolished in or relocated from Stoke-on-Trent by 2020.

    Harriett Baldwin

    No jobs within HM Treasury, Office for Budget Responsibility , Government Internal Audit Agency, Debt Management Office and Government Actuaries Department have been abolished or relocated from Stoke-on-Trent since 2010 and there are currently no plans for any to be abolished or relocated from Stoke-on-Trent by 2020.

    As announced in November 2015, HM Revenue and Customs plans to close Blackburn House in Stoke-on-Trent in 2019/20. The 256 posts currently in Stoke will transfer to new regional centres and the Department has committed to working with its staff to ensure that as many of those who do want to continue working for HMRC will be able to do so.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-02-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to (a) monitor and (b) help limit increases in costs for (i) airport parking and (ii) train travel.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Department does not monitor costs for airport parking. Airports are private commercial enterprises operating in a competitive market. Any charges the airport wishes to pass on to passengers or visitors (including car parking) is solely a matter for the airport to manage and justify.

    In terms of train travel, we recognise the pressure on hardworking families and have put a stop to above inflation (RPI) increases in regulated fares until 2020, extending the policy of a cap at RPI +0% for regulated rail fares we introduced in 2014. This will save the average season ticket holder £425 in this Parliament and means average earnings are outstripping rail fare increases for the first time in a decade.

  • Virendra Sharma – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Virendra Sharma – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the (a) policy and (b) other responsibilities are of each special adviser in his Department.

    Mike Penning

    The Code of Conduct for Special Advisers sets out the role of special advisers and describes the range of activities they may undertake. Copies of the Code of Conduct are available in the Library of the House and online at

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/468340/CODE_OF_CONDUCT_FOR_SPECIAL_ADVISERS_-_15_OCTOBER_2015_FINAL.pdf

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