Category: Speeches

  • Lord Aberdare – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Lord Aberdare – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Aberdare on 2016-05-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what role the new Institute for Apprenticeships will have in regulating the quality of apprenticeships, and what powers it will have to undertake that role.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    The role of the Institute for Apprenticeships will be to ensure the quality of apprenticeship standards.

    Apprenticeships will only attract funding from government or the levy if they are against an approved standard or framework. Each standard will contain a plan for how the apprenticeship will be assessed. Although this will be approved by the Institute, the Institute will not assess the apprenticeship training itself: the register of training providers is owned by the Skills Funding Agency and Ofsted will continue to inspect providers.

    The Institute will, however, need to ensure there is consistency between the levels of assessment being applied, as part of its role in approving standards and assessment plans.

  • Chi Onwurah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Chi Onwurah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-07-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to his Department’s distributed ledger technology benefits payments trial, whether restrictions are placed on where benefit recipients can spend their benefits payments; whether benefit recipients’ spending will be tracked; what information is given to benefit recipients taking part in that trial about the potential risks to their privacy; what incentives are provided to benefit recipients to take part in that trial; what data analysis is being carried out as part of that trial and how that analysis complies with Government guidelines on conducting data science projects; and when his Department plans to publish the privacy impact assessment on that trial.

    Damian Hinds

    The DWP works continuously with industry partners to identify and test new innovations that could save taxpayer money, safeguard information and better protect payments to customers.

    The DWP is undertaking some small scale research involving blockchain technology which is expected to last 3-6 months with the results available in the last quarter of 2016. It uses a private permissioned distributed ledger to allow participants to store their transactions, including payments from DWP. Those transactions can then be viewed securely on a mobile application so that they can, if they wish, monitor and allocate their spending into categories, check their available balance and plan future spending. There are currently about 12 people in the trial which we expect to increase to around 24 people by the close.

    The participants in the trial have complete control over their data and how it is used; the government does not receive or see any of that data. The DWP takes privacy and security extremely seriously and this will form part of the learning from the trial.

  • David Simpson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    David Simpson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Simpson on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the conclusion in the Flood Resilience Review, published in September 2016, that a 20 to 30 per cent increase in winter rainfall is possible over the next 10 years.

    Dr Thérèse Coffey

    The National Flood Resilience Review identified that over the next 10 years we could see extreme rainfall events that could be up to 20-30 per cent higher than recent past extreme rainfall events.

    The Environment Agency will use 20 and 30 per cent extreme rainfall scenarios with local detailed models used to design new flood risk management schemes.

    The scenarios will also be considered for wider flood incident planning and operational readiness that might be needed by relevant responders.

  • Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2015-11-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the recent UN Commission of Inquiry report on human rights abuses in Eritrea under President Isaias Afwerki.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We recognise the important work of the UN Commission of Inquiry and are concerned by their findings on human rights in Eritrea, in particular reports of arbitrary detention, and shortcomings in the rule of law and respect for fundamental freedoms. At the Human Rights Council in July, we supported an extension of the Commission’s mandate so that it can continue its work.

    We regret that the Commission has been unable to visit Eritrea and therefore had to rely on witnesses who are outside of Eritrea and whose testimony may have been based on first-hand experience of Eritrea some time ago. We have made clear to the Government of Eritrea that it must improve respect for human rights and honour its international obligations, including allowing the Commission access.

  • Andrew Percy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Andrew Percy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2015-12-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the likely value of increased trade between the UK and Canada as a result of the EU Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership; and what steps he plans to take to encourage trade in (a) Alberta, (b) British Columbia and (c) the rest of Canada.

    Anna Soubry

    I assume my hon. Friend means the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), which is the trade deal between the EU and Canada and this is the subject on which I will be answering.

    Analysis suggests that, as a result of CETA, UK exports to Canada will increase by 29% and Canadian exports to the UK will increase by 15%. In the long run, the benefit to the UK economy will be of the order of £1.3 billion per annum.

    UK Trade and Investment will promote to British businesses all the new opportunities arising from CETA through a range of marketing activities across the UK and through the network of UK Posts in Canada. An accompanying guide will translate the agreement into an easily accessible document to help businesses identify potential benefits, including the tariff liberalisation on manufactured goods and food and drink products; greater access to government procurement contracts in all provinces at all levels of the Canadian government, including British Columbia and Alberta; and longer patent protection provided for pharmaceutical companies to protect R&D investment.

  • Debbie Abrahams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Debbie Abrahams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Debbie Abrahams on 2016-01-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people receiving universal credit and aged under 25 are subject to a 48 hour working week claimant commitment agreement under the terms of the universal credit in-work conditionality pilot.

    Priti Patel

    The main objective of the In-Work Progression Randomised Control Trial is to support people to increase their earnings where possible. This is not necessarily about increasing hours, and there is no expectation that participants should work 48 hours per week. Requirements set as part of the In-Work Progression Randomised Control Trial are recorded in an individually-tailored claimant commitment, and will only include reasonable actions that the participant themselves agree to take.

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

    Lord Smith of Finsbury – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Smith of Finsbury on 2016-02-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they are giving, and on what timescale, to the drawing up of proposals for substantial change to the current arrangements for export licensing for nationally important works of art.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    The Government is open to considering practicable improvements to the export licensing system for cultural goods, but has no immediate plans to make any substantive change to the current arrangements.

    The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has written to the noble Lord in relation to his recently proposed changes to the system and is grateful for his correspondence on this matter.

  • Barry Gardiner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Barry Gardiner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Gardiner on 2016-03-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, which Minister in her Department is planned will lead work on Energy Union negotiations with other EU member states and the European Commission.

    Amber Rudd

    I shall continue to take the overall lead on negotiations on all DECC issues in the EU.

  • Christian Matheson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Christian Matheson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christian Matheson on 2016-04-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether the firm work commitments relating to Petroleum Exploration and Development Licence 189 which expire on 30 June 2016 have been satisfied.

    Andrea Leadsom

    Petroleum Exploration and Development Licence 189 carries an Initial Term Work Programme to obtain and reprocess seismic data and to drill a well. The seismic data has been acquired and reprocessed. The operator has requested from the Oil and Gas Authority an amendment of the licence to allow additional time for the drilling of the well.

  • Lord Eames – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord Eames – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Eames on 2016-05-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have for the removal of toxic waste left after conflict, in particular in Iraq and Afghanistan.

    Earl Howe

    The Ministry of Defence has a legal obligation to comply with UK and EU legislation on environmental protection. A policy statement made by the Secretary of State for Defence (Michael Fallon) in August 2014, ‘Health, Safety and Environmental Protection in Defence’ (HS&EP), states that "overseas we apply our UK arrangements where reasonably practicable and, in addition, respond to host nations’ relevant HS&EP expectations." This policy statement can be accessed at the gov.uk website:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/secretary-of-states-policy-statement-on-safety-health-environmental-protection-and-sustainable-development

    UK forces overseas operate under NATO regulations and therefore must also comply with ‘STANAG 7141 – Joint NATO Doctrine for Environmental Protection During NATO-led Military Activities’, which sets out the environmental planning guidelines for military activities.

    Following withdrawal from both the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, clean up of hazardous materials was carried out as far as practicable in accordance with relevant legislation.