Category: Speeches

  • Baroness Northover – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Baroness Northover – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Northover on 2016-01-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will nominate a candidate to serve on the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women, and if not, why not.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    The UK strongly supports the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and is committed to advancing women’s rights through the United Nations machinery.

    We have not nominated a candidate to the CEDAW Committee and do not intend to do so. Our decision not to nominate a UK expert for election to the Committee is based on a number of considerations, including the need to allow for a reasonable amount of time and substantial resources to mount a campaign.

    CEDAW Committee members serve in their personal capacity and do not represent the Member State that nominated them. We have full faith in the independence of the Committee and applaud the high quality of its work.

    UK nationals are well represented on other UN treaty monitoring bodies, such as the Human Rights Committee and the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

  • Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-02-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many (a) ducts and (b) poles have been built with BDUK funding which are (i) more than one km in length and cost more than £50,000 to build and (ii) less than one km in length and cost less than £50,000 to build.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    BT predominately uses existing duct and pole infrastructure in BDUK project areas, but where state funded infrastructure has been used, they report it on their website at: https://www.openreach.co.uk/orpg/home/products/ductandpolesharing/contracts/contracts/downloads/State_Aided_Infrastruture_One_Truth.xls“

  • Joan Ryan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Joan Ryan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Joan Ryan on 2016-02-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department holds on A&E attendance, performance and emergency admission statistics for the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust in each of the last three years.

    Jane Ellison

    Accident and emergency (A&E) attendances and emergency admissions data, including performance against the A&E waiting time standard (for 95% of patients to be admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours of arrival at A&E) are collected by NHS England and published on their website at the links below. Until June 2015, data were collected on a weekly basis; from June 2015 they are available on a monthly basis.

    Data for 2013-14 are available at the following link:

    https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ae-waiting-times-and-activity/weekly-ae-sitreps-2013-14/

    Data for 2014-15 are available at the following link:

    https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ae-waiting-times-and-activity/weekly-ae-sitreps-2014-15/

    Data for April and May 2015 are available at the following link:

    https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ae-waiting-times-and-activity/statistical-work-areasae-waiting-times-and-activityweekly-ae-sitreps-2015-16/

    Data for June 2015 to December 2015 are available at the following link:

    https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ae-waiting-times-and-activity/statistical-work-areasae-waiting-times-and-activityae-attendances-and-emergency-admissions-2015-16-monthly-3/

    “

  • Mark Hendrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Mark Hendrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2016-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 16 March 2016 to Question 30801, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to amend section 136 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 to introduce a requirement on local authorities to ensure that home-schooled children are being educated to the same standard as schooled children.

    Edward Timpson

    The standard to which home schooled children have to be educated is already the same as for those attending school. Section 7 of the Education Act 1996 requires parents to ensure that a child of compulsory school age receives full-time education suitable to the child’s age, ability and aptitudes, either by regular attendance at school, or otherwise. ‘Education otherwise than at school’ includes elective home education, and therefore, although methods may differ, the overall requirement is the same.

    Section 136 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 deals with the inspection of local authorities by Ofsted and would not be an appropriate method for imposing a new duty on them.

  • Naz Shah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Naz Shah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Naz Shah on 2016-05-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department takes to limit the effect on service users of contracts with sub-contractors being terminated early due to the provider being at risk of failure.

    Nick Boles

    Where a subcontractor is impacted by the Skills Funding Agency’s (SFA) decision to terminate a provider contract, the SFA ensures that the learners can remain in their programme of learning either through the subcontractor or through a transfer to another provider depending on the circumstances of the termination. However, the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) does not terminate contracts on the grounds of a provider being ‘at risk of failure’.

  • Rachel Reeves – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Rachel Reeves – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rachel Reeves on 2016-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make it her policy that any children who would have been entitled to free school meals under the previous system retain that entitlement under the new eligibility criteria under universal credit.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    We will continue to ensure that children from the poorest families benefit from a free school meal. My Department is continuing to work closely with the Department for Work and Pensions to consider eligibility criteria for free school meals following the introduction of Universal Credit. In the meantime, any child in a family in receipt of Universal Credit will continue to be entitled to free school meals.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-09-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many officials in his Department are working on climate change policy; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    The Department leads on the Government’s clear commitment to tackle climate change. Many teams deliver against multiple cross cutting objectives

    Consequently, it is not possible to give an exact figure of the number of staff involved in this work. However, the Government has been clear in the need to meet our remission reduction targets while keeping our energy supply secure and low cost.

  • Marcus Fysh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    Marcus Fysh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Marcus Fysh on 2016-10-24.

    To ask the Attorney General, what steps the Government is taking to increase the number of prosecutions for hate crime.

    Robert Buckland

    We are committed to tackling hate crime in any form. The cross Government Hate Crime Action Plan, published in July 2016, focuses on reducing hate crime, increasing reporting and ensuring that all criminal justice partners and key stakeholders deliver the appropriate outcomes for victims.

  • Lord Naseby – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Naseby – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Naseby on 2015-11-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government which rebel groups in Syria are recognised and supported by the UK.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We support several moderate opposition groups in Syria who we would want to see involved in a political process. We define these groups in terms of ideology and tactics: moderates are liberal, secular or Islamist in their political outlook, call for a wider pluralistic system that respects the rights of all Syrians and reject terrorism and terrorist tactics, for example by seeking to protect civilians from harm and to prevent abuses. Several moderate opposition groups refer to themselves as being part of the Free Syrian Army. The UK does not support designated terrorist organisations in Syria or groups who use terrorist tactics, such as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and Jabhat al Nusra, which are designated terrorist organisations under the UN al Qaeda sanctions regime.

  • Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2015-12-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proposals they have to strengthen legislation in order to prevent cyber bullying.

    Lord Faulks

    Legislation that can be used to prosecute cyber-bullying related offences includes the Protection from Harassment Act 1997; the Public Order Act 1986; the Malicious Communications Act 1988; and the Communications Act 2003. The Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015 made changes to the relevant offences in these last two Acts which will help to ensure that people who commit them are prosecuted and properly punished.

    The Government believes that this is sufficient and therefore does not intend to introduced specific additional legislation to address the issue of cyberbullying.