Category: Speeches

  • Conor McGinn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Conor McGinn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Conor McGinn on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the time taken to (a) implement broadband roll-out and (b) tackle non-spots on people and businesses in (i) St Helens North constituency, (ii) Merseyside and (iii) the UK.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The Government is committed to achieving the availability of superfast broadband to 95% of UK premises by December 2017. In May 2015 superfast coverage had reached 83% of UK premises.Of the 44,815 premises in the St Helens North constituency we estimate that 94% will have superfast broadband available to them through planned commercial rollout. The Connected Merseyside project will add a further 4% to that total.

    Telefonica (O2) have agreed a licence obligation to deliver indoor 4G coverage to 98% of premises in the UK by 2017; other Mobile Network Operators have indicated that they will also match this commitment.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-12-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that doctors from the EU working in the NHS have adequate English skills to practice.

    Ben Gummer

    In 2014 powers were given to the General Medical Council to enable them to carry out proportionate language checks on doctors from the European Union who wish to practise in the United Kingdom. This is a major step forward for quality of care and patient safety by ensuring that only doctors with adequate English language skills are able to practise in the UK.

    Local checks are also carried out by individual employers as part of their recruitment processes.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the rules are on the use, style and designation in UK passports of UK titles of honour, such as knighthoods, granted to both UK and dual nationals by one of Her Majesty’s Commonwealth Realms as well as titles of honour granted by Commonwealth states where the Queen is not Head of State; and whether those rules have been amended or revised in the last five years.

    James Brokenshire

    British titles of nobility bestowed by the Queen are presented on the biographical page of the British Passport. These include members of the House of Lords, holders of knighthoods and baronetcies as well as Dames of the Realm.

    The response to parliamentary question 19413 on the 15 November 2015 provided information on awards offered by other countries. Her Majesty’s Passport Office guidance states that a title may be recorded as an observation on the British passport to recognise the holder is also known by another name.

    Her Majesty’s Passport Office policy on titles has not been revised in the last five years. Published guidance can be found at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/118548/titles-included-in-passports.pdf

  • Andrew Bingham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Andrew Bingham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Bingham on 2016-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to publish the Lead Ammunition Group’s final report; and if she will make a statement.

    Rory Stewart

    The Government is considering the Lead Ammunition Group’s report on the effects of lead ammunition to human health and wildlife and will respond as soon as possible.

    I am shortly due to meet the chairman of the Group to discuss their report on the 22nd March.

    The Lead Ammunition Group’s report is independent of Government. It will be for the Group to decide when to publish their report.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-03-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many cases of twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome there have been in each of the last five years.

    Ben Gummer

    We are advised by the Health and Social Care Information Centre that the data requested is not held.

  • Virendra Sharma – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Virendra Sharma – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has held with the government of the United Arab Emirates on the number of political prisoners held in that country; and what representations he has made on behalf of such prisoners.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    We regularly discuss human rights with the UAE. If we have concerns regarding arrests, convictions or sentencing we make these clear to Emirati authorities, as part of our broader strategic engagement.

  • Lord Mendelsohn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Mendelsohn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mendelsohn on 2016-05-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to support research and development to provide continually up-to-date defence against cybercrime.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The Home Office continues to work closely with police forces to ensure that we are best placed to tackle the threat posed by cyber crime.

    Through the National Cyber Security Programme (NCSP), we invested over £90 million during the last Parliament to bolster the law enforcement response.

    As the Chancellor announced in November, this Government has committed to spending £1.9 billion on cyber security over the next five years, including for tackling cyber crime.

    The Home Office is also supporting the work led by Chief Constable Stephen Kavanagh, the National Policing Lead for Digital Investigation and Intelligence (DII), to build capabilities to combat the full range of digital crime types. In addition we are providing funding through the Police Transformation Fund to support police led programmes to provide a step-change in digital capability.

  • Ann Clwyd – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Ann Clwyd – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ann Clwyd on 2016-06-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that the Burmese government relaunches the Prisoner of Conscience Affairs Committee or establishes a new Committee with a mandate to review the cases of people charged or deprived of their liberty for the exercise of their human rights.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    The release of some 200 political prisoners during its first few weeks in office is a strong demonstration of the new Burmese Government’s commitment to reforming human rights and the rule of law in Burma. However, we remain concerned that arrests, detentions and sentencing of political activists could continue while the military retains control of the Home Ministry, Police and Courts.

    Tackling the causes of political prisoners will require a thorough but longer-term process of legislative and judicial reform. Having an effective Political Prisoners Committee will be an important element of that process and is something we have consistently called for and will continue to do.

    The Government has long campaigned on the issue of political prisoners in Burma. We have maintained pressure through bilateral and international actions such as the two annual UN resolutions on Burma in which we have played an instrumental part. I raised this issue directly with the then Minister for the Presidency, U Aung Min, during my visit to Burma in July 2015. We will work with the new Government to help it continue to make progress.

  • Keith Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Keith Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2016-09-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will estimate the number of (a) refugees, (b) internally displaced persons and (c) persons of concern resulting from conflict in Yemen.

    Rory Stewart

    Since March 2015, the United Nations (UN) estimates that:

    1. 179,654 people have arrived in Djibouti, Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, Saudi Arabia and Oman from Yemen, including Yemeni refugees and asylum-seekers;
    2. 2,205,102 people are internally displaced within Yemen; and
    3. 21.2 million people are in need of some form of humanitarian assistance.
  • Dan Jarvis – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Dan Jarvis – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues about providing more comprehensive support for ex-servicemen and women and their families.

    Mark Lancaster

    The Career Transition Partership (CTP) contract for Service personnel was re-let on 1 October 2015; for the first time, CTP pulls all elements of transition support under one mechanism so that every Service leaver, regardless of time-served or reason for departure, has access to transition support. In addition, using the CTP contract mechanism, Joint Forces Command and the Royal Air Force are running an initial two year Spouse Employment Support trial offering a limited number of places for eligible Service spouses to access tailored employment support at selected locations.

    Spousal support is mirrored in wider initiatives, such as the Wolverhampton University business startup course. Originally funded for a two year period by the Armed Forces Covenant (LIBOR) funding, HSBC have provided additional funding to extend the project. It is a 10 month business start-up and mentoring programme designed specifically for Armed Forces families. Current funding will provide 540 places between now and 2020.

    The Ministry of Defence (MOD)has announced the development of a Families Strategy, in coordination with families and the 3rd Sector, during its annual Welfare Conference on 9 November 2015. At the same event, the Secretary of State welcomed Barclay’s Veterans Employment Transition Support (VETS) programme, which was launched on 19 November 2015 following an initial trial period; this is due to provide mentoring, training and advice to veterans. A partnership of leading companies and charities, it will support the MOD and CTP with additional avenues of support to help veterans and Service leavers.

    As part of the Armed Forces Covenant, the Covenant Reference Group (CRG) chaired by the Cabinet Office includes representatives from all of the main Government Departments. The CRG meets regularly to guide and direct work on the Armed Forces Covenant, including support for the veteran community. Other members of the CRG include the three Service Families Federations, the Confederation of Service Charities and other Armed Forces charities.