Category: Speeches

  • Natalie McGarry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Natalie McGarry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Natalie McGarry on 2016-07-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect of (a) benefit sanctions, (b) work capability assessments and (c) other government welfare reforms on child poverty in (i) Glasgow and (ii) Scotland.

    Damian Hinds

    I refer the Hon. Member to the answer to question 905768 which was provided by Justin Tomlinson MP, the Minister for Disabled People at that time, which can be found at:

    https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2016-07-11/debates/1607114000024/WelfareReformEffectsOnPeopleWithDisabilitiesInScotland#contribution-1607114000168

    “

  • Lord West of Spithead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord West of Spithead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2016-09-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 13 September (HL1532) stating that HMS Ocean had an expected in service life of 20 years and would be paid off at the end of 20 years’ service, what was the expected in service life of HMS Vanguard and HMS St Albans when designed, and at what age they are expected to be paid off.

    Earl Howe

    The Type 23 frigates entered service with an anticipated service life of 18 years for each ship. A Type 23 sustainment programme, comprising a series of long-term planned upgrades, aligned with routine maintenance, has permitted the service life of the class to be extended so that HMS St Albans, which entered service in 2001 has a current Out of Service Date of 2035.

    For HMS Vanguard, I refer the noble Lord to the answer I gave to him on 7 December 2015 (Question HL4046). HMS Vanguard entered service in 1993 and is planned to remain in-service until the Successor submarines are introduced into service in the 2030s. I am withholding their respective planned Out of Service and In Service Dates as their disclosure would be prejudicial to national security.

  • David Simpson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    David Simpson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Simpson on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Prime Minister, whether he raised the issue of persecution and human rights abuse of Christians living in China during the recent state visit by President Xi Jinping.

    Mr David Cameron

    I was clear during my wide-ranging discussions with President Xi Jinping of the importance that the UK attaches to human rights as part of our wider relationship with China. The joint statement reconfirmed our commitment to the Human Rights Dialogue, an important part of our engagement.

    We raise the range of our human rights concerns directly with China, including during the annual UK-China Human Rights Dialogue, most recently in April 2015. We also highlight them publicly in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Annual Report on Human Rights. We will continue to pursue our concerns both privately and in public fora.

    We believe that freedom of religion or belief is a fundamental human right. I remain concerned by the restrictions placed on Christianity in China. We are aware of reports of the closure or demolition of churches, the removal of crosses from buildings, and that individuals are being harassed or detained for their beliefs.

  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps the Government is taking to promote Northern Ireland as a destination for meetings, events and conferences.

    Mr Ben Wallace

    Measures to provide a further boost to tourism were included in the economic pact, Building a Prosperous and United Community, which was agreed between the Government and the Northern Ireland Executive. This includes a UK-Ireland visa system, which means that people from China and India can visit both countries with a single visa, thus encouraging tourism, business links and inward investment.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-01-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to prevent extortion cases.

    Mr John Hayes

    We are clear that the police and other law enforcement agencies where appropriate, should take reports of extortion seriously and investigate them appropriately. Those who commit offences involving extortion should be taken through the courts and met with tough sentences.

    The Anti-Kidnap and Extortion Unit in the National Crime Agency undertakes awareness raising to assist law enforcement agencies’ understanding of the threat.

  • Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the number of (a) homes and (b) businesses flooded in 2015 which did not have flood insurance.

    Rory Stewart

    We understand some Local Authorities may collate information on the number of (a) homes and (b) businesses flooded in 2015 which did not have flood insurance, but we have made no assessment.

    To help those affected by the recent flooding, including the uninsured, the Government has announced nearly £200m to support recovery efforts. This includes grants of up to £5000 to make properties and businesses more resilient to future flooding, £500 per household to help with recovery costs, such as provision of temporary accommodation, an average of £2500 per business to support to businesses whose trade has been affected by flooding and Council Tax and Businesses Rate relief.

    We are also taking action to protect domestic properties at the highest flood risk by making sure that households can access affordable flood insurance, regardless of where they live. Flood Re has now been set up and it is expected to start accepting policies in April.

    We are aware that some small businesses in high flood risk areas may find accessing affordable insurance challenging. We are working to further understand what problems the small business community are experiencing and to discuss the options available for taking action.

  • Heidi Alexander – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Heidi Alexander – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Heidi Alexander on 2016-03-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure hospital trusts routinely collect and submit data on secondary breast cancer.

    Jane Ellison

    Public Health England (PHE) is responsible for collecting cancer data to support national cancer registration in England and recognises the importance of collecting data on recurrent breast cancer.

    At present pilot work in acute trusts has improved the reporting for breast cancer recurrence and metastasis to the National Cancer Registration Service but the uptake has been slow and the data is not complete. Further work is being scoped by NHS England and PHE based on the recommendation in the recent Independent Cancer Taskforce report to establish robust surveillance systems to collect this data on all cancers.

    Data on the number of people diagnosed with secondary breast cancer is not currently available.

  • Lord West of Spithead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord West of Spithead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2016-04-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 23 March (HL7168), whether they will now state whether there will be more or fewer Royal Navy ships in commission by 2025 than the 57 currently.

    Earl Howe

    On current planning assumptions there will be at least the same number of warships in service with the Royal Navy in 2025 as at present. However, the aggregate tonnage of the Royal Navy will have increased greatly due to the introduction of the aircraft carriers HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH and HMS PRINCE OF WALES. Due to the withdrawal from service of HMS GLEANER, an unarmed inshore survey vessel, the Royal Navy will have one fewer non-combat vessel that it does today.

  • Gavin Shuker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Gavin Shuker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Shuker on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Iranian government on the imprisonment of Ebrahim Firouzi and other Christians in that country.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    I discuss many issues with my Iranian counterpart. Restriction of freedom of expression, religion and belief continue to cause concern. I have repeatedly called on the Iranian government to end all persecution of individuals on the basis of their faith, and to guarantee the human rights of all Iranians, regardless of belief

  • Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-07-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of proposed insurance-based reimbursement funding models, including cap and collar models, on the UK’s ability to appropriately reward innovation whilst also tackling antimicrobial resistance.

    Nicola Blackwood

    The Department is in discussions with the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry regarding possible future approaches to the pricing and reimbursement of new antimicrobial products, including insurance-based reimbursement arrangements such as ‘cap and collar’ models.

    These discussions are not yet at a point where an assessment of their effect can be made. However there is potential for such models to reconcile the current contradiction between conservation goals and industry revenue, facilitating appropriate stewardship of antibiotics.