Category: Speeches

  • Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-02-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel about allowing Mohammed Al -Qeeq to transfer to a hospital in Ramallah from Afula Hospital; and what further representations they plan to make concerning the use of torture in Israeli prisons.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    While we have not made any representations on this specific case, officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv are following this case and those of the other hunger strikers closely and have spoken to Amnesty International about them. Officials from our Consulate General in Jerusalem maintain a dialogue with the relevant Palestinian organisations about the condition of the hunger strikers. The EU in Jerusalem recently issued a local statement on administrative detentions, including the case of Mr Al Qeeq. We have been informed that Mr al-Qeeq is in a stable condition and has not been forced-fed as alleged.

    We remain concerned about Israel’s extensive use of administrative detention which, according to international law, should be used only when security makes this absolutely necessary rather than as routine practice, and as a preventive rather than a punitive measure. We also have concerns about mistreatment of Palestinian detainees and about Israel’s respect of its obligations in this regard as an Occupying Power under applicable international law. We have raised concerns over treatment of Palestinian detainees with the Israeli authorities on many occasions, including at Foreign Minister, Attorney General and National Security Adviser levels.

  • Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2016-03-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the impact on UK tax receipts of the corporate tax regimes in Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    The information requested is not available in this format.

    HM Revenue and Customs publishes estimates of the tax gap each year. The latest edition was published on 22 October 2015 and is available on the gov.uk website.

    Estimates are made for all major taxes, including corporation tax and income tax. However, this information is not broken down in such a way that can be used to identify the loss of tax receipts due to the tax regimes requested.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-04-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent progress has been made on the construction and procurement of HMS Prince of Wales and the accompanying aircraft for both Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The construction, test and commissioning of HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH and HMS PRINCE OF WALES continues in Rosyth. Around 80% of the structure of HMS PRINCE OF WALES has been built, and she will be structurally complete this summer. Aircraft will continue to be purchased incrementally, as part of a coherent build-up of capability, and we remain on track to deliver an Initial Operating Capability in the Carrier Strike role from 2020.

  • Douglas Chapman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    Douglas Chapman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-05-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many public engagement events to support the enterprise, business and produce sector in Scotland have been held at Dover House in the last 12 months.

    David Mundell

    A variety of events are held in Dover House, both by Scotland Office Ministers and by third parties, throughout the year.

    The events are aimed at engaging stakeholders on a wide variety of policy issues and aspects of life in Scotland.

  • Andrew Stephenson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Andrew Stephenson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Stephenson on 2016-07-06.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of HM Revenue and Customs’ preparedness for handling customer enquiries in advance of the January 2017 self-assessment deadline.

    Mr David Gauke

    January is always a peak time for customer contact and, as in previous years, will be subject to detailed resource planning. This planning is still at an early stage.

  • Baroness Thomas of Winchester – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Baroness Thomas of Winchester – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Thomas of Winchester on 2016-10-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government why the consultation on transforming the tribunal system Transforming our Justice System is not cross-referenced to the Department for Work and Pensions consultations website, given its relevance to the appeals process for Personal Independence Payment.

    Lord Keen of Elie

    The noble Lady will be aware that the Government is investing £1 billion to modernise our world-leading justice system. That means creating a system that is just, proportionate and accessible.

    The ‘Transforming our Justice System’ consultation is about the administration of justice across all courts and tribunals and not one specific area. My officials are engaging with appropriate stakeholders, including disability groups, on relevant matters.

  • Catherine McKinnell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Catherine McKinnell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine McKinnell on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of (a) independent domestic violence advisers and (b) independent sexual violence advisers operating in the criminal justice system in each year since 2010-11.

    Karen Bradley

    The previous Government ring-fenced nearly £40 million – £10 million per year – of stable funding up until 2015 for specialist local domestic and sexual violence support services, rape crisis centres, the national domestic violence helplines and stalking helpline. This funding has been extended until April 2016 and includes part-funding for 144 Independent Domestic Violence Advisers (IDVAs) and 87 Independent Sexual Violence Advisers (ISVAs).

    The Home Office supports these roles through training and awareness-raising, including for the majority of IDVAs and ISVAs who are employed by local authorities and third sector organisations.

    We recognise the importance of specialist support services and are working with voluntary sector partners and local commissioners to assess coverage and need for these specialist advisers.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Andy Slaughter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2015-12-11.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what Henry VIII powers were (a) enacted in legislation passed in the 2010 to 2015 Parliament and (b) since May 2015.

    Mr Oliver Letwin

    Each time the Government proposes a new delegated power in a Bill, it submits a memorandum to the Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee setting out the case for the power. These memoranda are published on Parliament’s website.

  • Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2016-01-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what progress the Government has made in negotiating with its EU partners about developing anti-dumping measures covering steel imports.

    Anna Soubry

    The EU’s anti-dumping procedures are driven by requests from EU producers to the European Commission. The Commission is responsible for considering requests for and, if appropriate, opening anti-dumping investigations. My International Comparisons working group agreed to work closely with the steel industry on supporting cases where they provide evidence of dumping, as we did with Celsa Steel and rebar last year.

    The Government is strongly in favour of effective trade defences to tackle unfair trade practices. The Government voted in favour of anti-dumping measures on steel products in July and November and it was the UK that lobbied successfully for an investigation into rebar. The Government secured agreement on the need for fast and effective action at an EU level and a robust dialogue with China and other producer countries at the Extraordinary Competitiveness Council in November. We have pressed the Commission to consider ways of speeding up investigations and recently wrote to the Commission with specific proposals. We will be attending a summit meeting on 15 February to push for further progress. Recent announcements by the EU on registration measures for cold rolled strip and rebar show they have listened and are taking swifter action.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to measure the effectiveness of his Department’s work to tackle obesity.

    Jane Ellison

    We will be setting out a comprehensive new strategy to tackle childhood obesity in due course.