Category: Speeches

  • Barbara Keeley – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Barbara Keeley – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barbara Keeley on 2015-12-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Oral Answer of 17 November 2015, Official Report, column 515, on non-hospital care, on what date he commissioned Paul Johnson of the Institute for Fiscal Studies to examine pressures in the care home sector; and if he will make a statement.

    Alistair Burt

    Paul Johnson has not been commissioned to examine pressures in the care home sector, nor are there any plans to commission him or the Institute for Fiscal Studies to undertake such a review.

  • John Howell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    John Howell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Howell on 2016-01-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received of the glorification by the Fatah movement of terrorists who have murdered Israelis.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    I am aware of reports of statements praising the actions of terrorists. This includes the recent statement from the Palestinian Ministry of Health, which praised Nashat Milhem as a martyr following his attack in Tel Aviv on New Year’s Day. We condemn the glorification of terrorism and all incitement to commit violence, whichever side it comes from. We regularly raise incitement with the Palestinian Authority, and have urged key figures to encourage calm and condemn violence.

  • Caroline Flint – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Caroline Flint – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Flint on 2016-02-05.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the contribution of the Financial Secretary to the Treasury of 3 February 2016, Official Report, column 975, what level of information has been disclosed to him in respect of Google’s tax return and the HM Revenue and Customs agreement with that company.

    Mr David Gauke

    The information to which Ministers have access is the same as that in the public domain.

    HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is responsible for the conduct of tax inquiries. Ministers are not privy to information about the individual tax arrangements of any company.

  • Chris Heaton-Harris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Chris Heaton-Harris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Heaton-Harris on 2016-03-02.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish the statistical information on active National Insurance numbers issued to EEA citizens requested by Jonathan Portes under the Freedom of Information Act on 2 December 2015.

    Mr David Gauke

    I refer the honourable members to the recent HMRC release.

    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tax-credit-statistics-on-eea-nationals

  • Lord Tebbit – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Tebbit – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Tebbit on 2016-03-23.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people held in Immigration Control Centres are not free to leave to go to other jurisdictions.

    Lord Keen of Elie

    There are no countries to which, as a matter of immigration policy, the Home Office does not return people if they wish to return voluntarily.

    There may be a small number of people who might be detained for immigration purposes who are not free to leave the jurisdiction of the UK because, for example, of ongoing criminal proceedings but this is not centrally recorded.

    For those being detained with a view to removal, detention may continue lawfully only for as long as there is a realistic prospect of removal within a reasonable period of time. Home Office guidance is clear that detention must be used sparingly and for the shortest period reasonably necessary to achieve its purpose.

  • Grahame Morris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Grahame Morris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2016-05-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reasons and in what roles Air Accident Investigation Branch officials are attending the scene of the fatal crash of an EC225L Super Puma helicopter on the south west coast of Norway on 29 April 2016; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) are assisting the Norwegian Safety Investigation Authority with an Accredited Representative and two advisors to the EC225 accident on 29 April. This is due to the death of a UK national on board the helicopter and previous experience with EC225 accidents in the North Sea. The AAIB also successfully downloaded the combined cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder (black box) last weekend and have provided that information to the investigation.

  • Jeremy Lefroy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Jeremy Lefroy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeremy Lefroy on 2016-06-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many undergraduates studying (a) soil biology, (b) soil chemistry and (c) combined soil biology and chemistry her Department is sponsoring at (i) UK universities and colleges and (ii) universities and colleges in third countries.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    DFID is not currently centrally funding any undergraduates studying (a) soil biology, (b) soil chemistry or (c) combined soil biology and chemistry at (i) UK universities and college or (ii) universities and colleges in third countries.

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-09-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, following North Korea’s launch of three ballistic missiles on 5 September, the UN Security Council will be convened to consider the implications of that launch and an international response.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The UN Security Council (UNSC) met on 6 September to discuss a response to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) ballistic missiles launches on 5 September. The UNSC subsequently issued a statement condemning these launches as a flagrant violation of UN Security Council Resolutions. The UK strongly supports this statement, as we have with previous UNSC statements condemning DPRK provocations in 2016. We will continue to discuss at the UNSC, and with close partners, further measures in response to the DPRK’s destabilising and provocative actions.

  • Mark Durkan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Mark Durkan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Durkan on 2016-10-20.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many tax claims stoppages made directly by HM Revenue and Customs in August 2016 were related to compliance with annual renewals.

    Jane Ellison

    Between 1 August 2016 and 31 August 2016 HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) automatically stopped 365,483 tax credit claims as a direct result of customers failing to comply with the requirements of the annual renewal process.

    Alongside the annual renewal process, HMRC records the number of awards that have been amended, which could be stopped, reduced or increased. Therefore, data showing the total number of claims stopped following a compliance intervention is unavailable.

    During the course of the contract, HMRC delegated a total caseload of 2,209,500 cases for high risk renewal checks by Concentrix. Of these 1,635,676 cases were not the subject of further investigation for fraud or error by Concentrix. This amounts to 74% of the total caseload.

    The volume of high risk renewals referred to Concentrix are broken down into the three risk categories as follows:

    • Undeclared Partner: 1,398,908

    • Work & Hours: 564,983

    • Child Care: 245,609

  • Craig Whittaker – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Craig Whittaker – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2015-11-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what guidance her Department provides to local authorities on reducing energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Department of Energy and Climate Change provides the following guidance and support to Local Authorities: a Model Energy Performance Contract and guidance note to assist public sector organisations carry out energy efficiency retrofits and a Guide to Financing Energy Efficiency in the Public Sector. The Department also requested the Committee on Climate Change to produce a guidance note for local authorities on reducing their carbon emissions in 2012.

    A number of schemes run by the Department also provide guidance as part ofwider support to public sector organisations, such as the Salix Finance public sector energy efficiency loan scheme which provides interest-free capital and the RE:FIT scheme which provides a streamlined procurement framework for energy efficiency retrofit work.