Category: Speeches

  • Kirsten Oswald – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Kirsten Oswald – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2015-12-08.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, on how many occasions the Financial Conduct Authority and the Financial Services Authority used powers under Section 382 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 to compel a registered firm to compensative investors for losses incurred as a result of that firm’s breaches of its statutory obligations; and whether he is satisfied that the legislation is being implemented effectively.

    Harriett Baldwin

    This is a matter for the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which is operationally independent from Government.

    This question has been passed on to the FCA. They will reply directly to the Honourable Member by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

  • David Mackintosh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    David Mackintosh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Mackintosh on 2016-01-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will add pulmonary arterial hypertension to the conditions which are exempt from prescription charges.

    Alistair Burt

    There are no plans to change the list of medical conditions which provide exemption from prescription charges.

    Other extensive exemption arrangements are in place, in England, including those based on low income, which support those who cannot afford to pay for their prescriptions. For those who need multiple prescriptions and do not qualify for exemption, Prescription Prepayment Certificates (PPC) can be purchased, which allow someone to claim as many prescriptions as needed. A 12 month PPC costs £104 and benefits anyone who needs 13 or more prescriptions a year.

  • Kate Hollern – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Kate Hollern – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Hollern on 2016-02-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department plans to take to engage with (a) industry bodies and (b) trades unions on the sourcing of steel for equipment procured by his Department from UK suppliers.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The Government is committed to implementing measures to address any barriers that prevent UK steel suppliers from competing effectively for public sector contracts. To that end, new guidelines for departments on sourcing and buying steel for major projects were published in October 2015. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has written to its largest defence contractors to highlight these guidelines, which emphasise the importance of pre-market engagement, including through industry days and signalling future pipelines for steel.

    The MOD would not routinely meet with trades unions on this type of issue and has not received any representations. It has met with the UK steel industry through its membership of the Cabinet Office Steel Procurement Working Group. This group is looking to ensure that UK steel suppliers can compete on a level playing field with international suppliers on major projects.

  • Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-03-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he plans to take to ensure that people who lost money to Ecohouse Development Ltd will receive compensation.

    Anna Soubry

    The activities of the company are subject to an ongoing investigation by the Insolvency Service. The outcome of that investigation may influence the likelihood of a civil recovery using existing provisions in insolvency legislation.

    Where, on the application of the liquidator, the court is satisfied that the business of a company has been carried on fraudulently or recklessly, the court can declare that persons such as directors of the company are liable to contribute to the company’s assets.

    In addition, for future cases a new measure in the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 enables the Secretary of State to seek a compensation order from a disqualified director (this measure does not apply in this case as the legislation only came into force after the company went into liquidation).

  • Douglas Carswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Douglas Carswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2016-03-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many staff in his Department were in receipt of Continuity of Education Allowance in (a) 2012-13, (b) 2013-14 and (c) 2014-15; and what the cost to his Department was of providing that allowance for staff based (i) in the UK and (ii) overseas in each such year.

    Joseph Johnson

    Continuity of Education Allowances are not paid to any staff in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills at present or in the past.

  • Lord Mendelsohn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Mendelsohn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mendelsohn on 2016-05-04.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the initiative at Woodford Investment Management to publish monthly all the costs that investors pay.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    The Government is committed to the principle that people should have access to appropriate and accessible investment options and understand the charges that they face. We appreciate the efforts that industry have made to fulfil this aim.

    The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is conducting a market study into asset management, where such issues fall under its scope. The FCA expect to publish an interim report in summer 2016 and a final report in early 2017.

  • Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-06-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 14 June 2016 to Question 39766, on offshore industry helicopters, how many and what proportion of flights in the UK North Sea oil and gas sector were undertaken by each other licensed model helicopter in each year since 2007.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The proportion of flights between UK airports and oil rigs undertaken by helicopters other than AS3332 SUPER PUMA and Eurocopter EC225 aircraft in each year since 2007 is in the attached table.

  • Lord Blencathra – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Blencathra – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

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

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the letter to the Times of 17 August by doctors of the Federation of Specialist Hospitals suggesting that some EU doctors will leave the UK, and the statement on the same day by the Royal College of Surgeons that EU doctors are three times more likely than other foreign doctors to face disciplinary action for inadequate command of English and that patients lives are being put at risk, what plans they have to advertise for doctors in Canada, Australia and New Zealand and other fluent English speaking countries.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    It is not for the Government to become involved in the advertising and employment of clinical and healthcare staff. Local healthcare organisations, with their knowledge of the people they serve, are best placed to plan and employ a workforce based on clinical need and sound evidence.

    It is vital for patient safety that all doctors and dentists practising in the United Kingdom have the necessary English language skills.

    Under the Mutual Recognition of Professional Qualifications Directive (MRPQ) regulatory healthcare bodies, including the General Medical Council and the General Dental Council, are required to recognise primary and specialist medical qualifications gained in an European Economic Area (EEA) doctor’s home member state.

    National Health Service employers are expected to carry out local checks, which are compliant with European Union Law, to ensure that EEA applicants have the right skills needed to carry out their job, including the appropriate level of English language. The revision to the MRPQ Directive states that language controls must be proportionate to the activity to be pursued.

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-10-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2016 to Question 44308, on primary education, where the information requested is held.

    Nick Gibb

    The information requested is not held, because the data supplied by the consultation does not provide a breakdown by profession of respondents to question 1 of the consultation.

    As set out in answers 44308 and 35933, the Department’s analysis of the consultation responses is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/new-national-curriculum-primary-assessment-and-accountability.

    “

  • Mark Williams – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Mark Williams – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Williams on 2015-11-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the options that were agreed by the UK, Morocco and the Saharawi under the 1990-91 ceasefire agreement for a referendum on self-determination in Western Sahara have changed.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The options for a referendum on the self-determination of Western Sahara, as set out in the UN Secretary General’s 1990 report and the 1991 MINURSO mandate, have not changed. The UK fully supports UN-led efforts to encourage Morocco and the Polisario Front to agree a lasting and mutually acceptable political solution that provides for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara.