Category: Speeches

  • Judith Cummins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Judith Cummins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Judith Cummins on 2016-06-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential economic benefits to Bradford of improvements to rail connectivity in and around the Bradford area.

    Andrew Jones

    The Government recognises the economic benefits of investing in transport and is committed to spend £13 billion on transport in the north of England which through the new franchises will provide more than 500 brand-new carriages, the removal of the outdated and unpopular Pacer trains, room for 40,000 extra passengers at the busiest times, and more than 2,000 extra services a week.

    As part of the North of England programme we are investing in journey time, capacity and connectivity improvements to give passengers more and faster services to and from Bradford.

    Specific improvements in improving connections to and from Bradford include:

    • A new direct link to Wakefield, Sheffield, Chesterfield and Nottingham as part of the Northern Connect network, with at least 10 services per day in each direction operated by brand new diesel trains.
    • One additional train per hour between Bradford Interchange and Leeds.
    • Later trains to Bradford from Leeds.
    • One extra train per hour to Manchester, with a significantly enhanced evening service and double the current hourly frequency on Sundays.
    • New direct links to Liverpool, Chester, Warrington and Manchester Airport, with an hourly service to each using brand new trains as part of the Northern Connect network.
    • Increased frequency on Sunday services from Bradford to Skipton and Ilkley, with hourly trains
    • Six additional trains to/from London.
  • Nigel Dodds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Nigel Dodds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2016-09-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of training of assessors for asylum applications where religious persecution is the reason for the application.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Home Office carefully considers all asylum claims on their individual merits, including claims based on religious persecution. We grant protection to those who genuinely need it in accordance with our international obligations under the Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights.

    Published guidance on the interviewing and consideration of asylum claims is regularly reviewed and takes into consideration the views of stakeholders, including religious groups. The current training and support available for asylum caseworkers includes a the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees endorsed Foundation Training Programme. This, and follow-on courses, covers all aspects of the asylum interview and decision making process, including the assessment of credibility and country information in religious based claims. Real-life case studies and role-play are used throughout the training programme to reinforce knowledge and understanding of the issues.

    We are carefully considering the report and recommendations of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom of Religion or Belief published in June 2016 and will provide a response in due course.

  • Kirsten Oswald – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Kirsten Oswald – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what legislative provision exists to ensure that directors responsible for misconduct can be appropriately dealt with.

    Anna Soubry

    Where companies enter formal insolvency, there are powers under the Company Director’s Disqualification Act for the Secretary of State to apply to the court for the disqualification of directors who are found to be responsible for misconduct. Disqualification is a civil restriction which bars an individual from being appointed as a director, or being involved in the promotion, formation or management of a company for a period of between 2 and 15 years. Contravention of a disqualification is a criminal offence which may lead to prosecution and civil penalty.

    That Act provides other grounds for disqualification of up to 15 years following misconduct in relation to companies not necessarily subject to insolvency proceedings, including disqualification on conviction of an indictable offence, for repeated breaches of company legislation and following investigations under the Companies Act.

    In addition to disqualification, there are a number of criminal offences in the Insolvency Act for misconduct related to Insolvency, and other offences particularly in the Companies Act and Fraud Act.

  • John Healey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    John Healey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Healey on 2015-12-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the (a) housing benefit claimant count and (b) average weekly housing benefit award is for tenants in supported accommodation in each (i) county, (ii) region, (iii) local authority and (iv) valuation office agency area.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The information requested is not available.

    DWP and DCLG have commissioned an evidence review to provide more robust and up-to-date information relating to supported housing. The report will be published in 2016.

  • Lord Wallace of Saltaire – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Wallace of Saltaire – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 2016-01-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many accredited diplomats from (1) Saudi Arabia, (2) the United Arab Emirates, (3) Kuwait, (4) Bahrain, (5) Qatar, (6) France, (7) Germany, (8) the Netherlands, and (9) the US, were resident in the UK on 1 January.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    According to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s records, the number of individuals resident in the UK on 1 January 2016 who were notified, with some form of diplomatic or consular status, to represent the following countries are:

    Saudi Arabia

    209

    The United Arab Emirates

    46

    Kuwait

    54

    Bahrain

    8

    Qatar

    15

    France

    196

    Germany

    138

    The Netherlands

    32

    The USA

    478

  • Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 9 February 2016 to Question 25993, whether his Department had a Cycling Health sub-group.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Department had a Cycle Stakeholder Forum, established from 2011 – 2014, which had some sub-groups including a group on cycle health, chaired by the Department of Health. The sub-group was disbanded when the Cycle Stakeholder Forum was dissolved.

  • David Davis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    David Davis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Davis on 2016-03-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the methodology and data sources set out in his Department’s paper, Benefit claims by EEA nationals, published in November 2015, how many individuals are recorded in government computer systems who were nationals of an EEA member country, other than the UK at time of registration for a National Insurance number and are recorded as having arrived in 2004-05 using the earlier of (a) arrival date or (b) NINO registration date and have either (i) paid National Insurance contributions over the previous year, (ii) paid PAYE income tax over the previous year, (iii) registered any other form of activity in the relevant systems, including payments of other tax or tax in respect of self-employment or (iv) claimed benefits or tax credits over the previous year and these; and how many such people (A) claimed benefits or tax credits only and (B) paid NI or PAYE or self-assessment tax only in each year from 2004-05 to 2014-15.

    Priti Patel

    The information requested is not available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

  • Jonathan Reynolds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jonathan Reynolds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Reynolds on 2016-04-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the consultation on the database created by the Access to Medical Treatments (Innovation) Act 2016 will involve (a) medical research charities, (b) the pharmaceutical sector and (c) the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency.

    George Freeman

    The Health and Social Care Information Centre will consult with stakeholders including charities, the relevant Royal Colleges, industry, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and other relevant bodies in the creation of the Database described in the Act, when the power vested on the Secretary of State is enacted.

  • Liz McInnes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Liz McInnes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liz McInnes on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what account his Department is taking of the substance of responses to Question 11 in the Government’s consultation on the future of the BBC published in July 2015, which are set out in Annex 7 of its White Paper, A BBC for the future: a broadcaster of distinction, published in May 2016, in formulating its policy on paying for access to BBC iPlayer services.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    Responses to all questions in the BBC Charter Review public consultation were analysed and the results published in a Summary of Responses document in April. This document set out the strong support for the continued provision of the licence fee from consultation respondents, as well as significant support for reform or modernisation. On the basis of this, and wider consultation with stakeholders, the government has committed to modernise the licence fee to include BBC on-demand programmes.

  • Michelle Donelan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Michelle Donelan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michelle Donelan on 2016-06-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether he plans for the provision of charging points for electric cars at multiple locations in the UK.

    Anna Soubry

    Plug-in vehicles are generally charged at home and overnight, and so the Government provides grants of up to £500 for the installation of domestic chargepoints. More than 60,000 have been installed to date. The UK also has over 11,000 publicly accessible chargepoints; in streets, car parks and motorway service areas. This includes almost 900 rapid chargepoints that can charge a car in 20-30 minutes – the largest network in Europe.

    The Department for Transport’s Road Investment Strategy includes funding of £15m to improve the network of chargepoints on the strategic road network, and the Go Ultra Low city scheme is expected to deliver around 750 more publicly accessible chargepoints in UK towns and cities by 2020. We will announce further targeted support for plug-in vehicle chargepoints in due course.