Category: Speeches

  • Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-03-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he plans to take to ensure that people in local authority areas with a larger ageing population do not have to pay disproportionately higher council tax as a result of the social care precept.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    We have set the social care precept at a maximum of 2% for authorities with adult social care responsibilities. The council tax referendum principles remain in place, and are approved on an annual basis by the House of Commons. Any council tax rise above the overall threshold levels approved by the House must go to a binding referendum of the local electorate.

  • Hilary Benn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Hilary Benn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-04-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the government of Iran on the imprisonment of Kamal Foroughi and Roya Nobakht.

    Mr Philip Hammond

    We regularly raise our dual national consular cases with the Iranian authorities at the highest possible levels. Most recently senior FCO officials raised these cases with the Iranian Chargé d’ Affaires in London on 13 April. I also raised these cases directly with the Chief of Staff to the Iranian President on 10 March and with Foreign Minister Zarif on 5 Feb during their trips to London.

  • Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-06-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much was spent on non-payroll staff in his Department in 2015-16.

    Mike Penning

    The MoJ spent £182,428,000 on non-payroll staff in 2015-16. Successive administrations have recruited non-payroll staff to fill short-term business critical roles where the permanent workforce does not have the required skills. These roles are mainly linked to major reform programmes. Agency workers are also recruited into administrative roles where it is value for money to have a flexible workforce due to peaks and troughs in demand. However as part of this Government’s MOJ Transformation programme the department is looking to reduce expenditure on non-payroll staff.

  • Martyn Day – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Martyn Day – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Martyn Day on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 9 May 2016 to Question 35941 and with reference to the Answer of 12 January 2016 to Question 21220, on industrial injuries disablement benefit: Durpuytren’s contracture, for what reasons a decision has not yet been made on whether to add that condition to the list of industrial injuries disablement benefit diseases.

    Penny Mordaunt

    A decision on whether to add Dupuytren’s contracture to the list of prescribed diseases can only be made after the potential impacts and other considerations have been fully evaluated. We will announce our response to the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council’s recommendation in due course.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-10-10.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much funding the Gulf Strategy Unit has received in each of the last 15 years.

    Ben Gummer

    The Gulf Strategy Integrated Delivery Team was established in 2015.

    Its remit is to coordinate the Government’s strategic approach to UK engagement with the Gulf States as set out in the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015.

    It employs three full-time and one part-time Government employees. One is military and three are civilian.

    Administration costs were £70,004 in the 2015-16 financial year and the budget for administration costs in the 2016-17 financial year is £423,000. The 2015-16 figure reflects the fact the unit was established later in the financial year.

  • Caroline Ansell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Caroline Ansell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Ansell on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the effect on Eastbourne’s local economy of potential reductions in connectivity of future rail projects along the South Coast; and if he will make a statement.

    Claire Perry

    No plans for reducing rail services to/ from Eastbourne are being considered by the Government or rail industry.

    In developing its successive rail investment strategies and specifying rail franchises, the Government carefully considers the impacts on local economies.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-01-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made representations to his North Korean counterpart on the recent nuclear weapons tests conducted in that country; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    I summoned the North Korean (DPRK) Ambassador on 7 January. During the meeting, I underlined the UK’s firm condemnation of the nuclear test which was a serious violation of UN Security Council Resolutions. I also made clear to the Ambassador that his country risked increased isolation and further action by the international community should it continue to threaten international security. I told the Ambassador that the North Korean regime should focus on feeding its people rather than regional instability.

  • Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck on 2016-01-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applications for Social Fund funerals were made in each year between 2010 and 2015; how many such applications were refused; and what the (a) budget and (b) lowest payment made was.

    Justin Tomlinson

    Table 1 shows the number of applications for Funeral Expenses Payments which were made and the number refused in the financial years 2010/11 to 2014/15.

    Table 1

    Applications (000)

    Initial Refusals (000)

    2010/11

    69

    34

    2011/12

    69

    36

    2012/13

    66

    34

    2013/14

    59

    27

    2014/15

    51

    24

    Data sourced from the DWP policy, Budget and Management Information System and is published in the Annual Report by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the Social Fund for the relevant year.

    The budget for the Social Fund, Funeral Expenses Payment (FEP) expenditure is demand-led. Legislation prescribes that payments are made to all eligible applicants. That is people responsible for arranging a funeral who meet the rules on relationships with the deceased and receive a qualifying benefit. Provision for FEPs is made by central Government through the supply estimate process, but these figures are not translated into an operational budget and do not impact eligibility or award amounts.

    In a minority of cases funeral expense payments are subsequently recovered from the deceased’s estate and in these cases the net amount can be very small. Given the small numbers involved it is not appropriate to release figures as there is a risk of identifying individuals.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the amount spent was from the public purse was on decommissioning and disposal of (a) HMS Ark Royal and (b) HMS Illustrious.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    Much of the work to decommission Royal Navy ships is undertaken using contracts that provide support services for all ships conducting Fleet activities at HM Naval Base, Portsmouth. Costs are not attributed to individual vessels.

    Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) was responsible for the removal of classified equipment and known hazardous materials from the former HMS ARK ROYAL. This work cost £0.7 million. Similar work is being carried out on the former HMS ILLUSTRIOUS which has yet to be sold. Expenditure incurred to date is £0.5 million.

    The Disposal Services Authority (DSA), part of DE&S, disposes of defence equipment that is surplus to requirement. DSA costs are not attributed to individual platforms and information on these ships is not held in the format requested.

  • Margaret Ritchie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Margaret Ritchie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2016-03-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the household median net income after the deduction of income tax and national insurance was for (a) all working-age adults, (b) working-age adults without children and (c) working-age adults with children, (i) including and (ii) excluding individuals in households without household earnings on the last date for which figures are available.

    Priti Patel

    Table 1: Median weekly household net income – including households without earnings, UK 2013/14

    Household median weekly net income

    All households with at least one working age adult

    £577

    All households with at least one working age adult and no dependent children

    £550

    All households with at least one working age adult and at least one dependent child

    £612

    Table 2: Median weekly household net income – excluding households without earnings, UK 2013/14

    Household median weekly net income

    All households with at least one working age adult

    £655

    All households with at least one working age adult and no dependent children

    £638

    All households with at least one working age adult and at least one dependent child

    £676

    Source: Family Resources Survey, 2013/14

    Notes:

    1. Net income includes earnings from employment and self-employment (after the deduction on income tax and national insurance contributions), income from benefits and tax credits, retirement pensions, private pensions, statutory payments, investments, royalties and income from any other sources.
    2. Net income has not been equivalised for household size and composition.
    3. Median calculations in Table 2 exclude those households with zero or negative net earnings (i.e. excludes those with losses from self-employment).
    4. The Family Resources Survey is a nationally representative sample of UK households.
    5. The figures from the Family Resources Survey are based on a sample of households which have been adjusted for non-response using multi-purpose grossing factors which align the Family Resources Survey to former Government Office Region population by age and sex. Estimates based on survey data are subject to uncertainty due to sampling error and remaining non-response error.
    6. Data are rounded to the nearest whole pound.