Category: Speeches

  • Lord Mawhinney – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    Lord Mawhinney – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mawhinney on 2016-09-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they envisage any form of public consultation before they decide their negotiating position, once Article 50 has been invoked, on those relationships with Ireland that fall outside EU competence.

    Lord Bridges of Headley

    The Department for Exiting the EU will be conducting the UK’s negotiations to leave the European Union in support of the Prime Minister. We will be working closely with Parliament, devolved administrations, and a wide range of other interested parties.

    Our relationship with Ireland is unique and we have already engaged extensively with Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The Prime Minister and the Taoiseach met in London on 26 July and the Secretary of State for Exiting the EU visited both Belfast and Dublin in early September to engage with government and business stakeholders.

    We look forward to working closely with the Irish Government and other key stakeholders as we develop our approach, and to make the most of the opportunities for both countries.

  • Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 13 November 2015 to Question 15120, on Western Sahara: human rights, whether he discussed reports of intimidation, harassment and kidnapping of human rights defenders in the Occupied Territories of Western Sahara during the visit of King Mohamed VI.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    I discussed Western Sahara during my visit to Morocco on 11-12 November. We will continue to raise with the Moroccan authorities allegations of human rights abuses in the territory which are brought to our attention.

  • John Healey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    John Healey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the average weekly rent and service charge for supported accommodation including (a) foyers, (b) direct access hostels, (c) supported housing for older people and (d) other supported housing has been in each (i) region and (ii) local authority area in the last three years.

    Brandon Lewis

    Average rents for supported housing are provided by private registered providers to the Homes and Communities Agency’s Statistical Data Return. This is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistical-data-return-statistical-releases

    “

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which (a) ministers attended and (b) departments are represented on the Government’s working group on drones; when that group was formed; and what its schedule of meetings is.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Cross Government Working Group on Drones is a group of officials tasked with developing policy on drones. Ministers do not attend. Participation is from the following Departments and agencies:

    Department for Transport

    Home Office

    Ministry of Defence

    Department of Energy and Climate Change

    Cabinet Office

    Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs

    Business Innovation and Skills

    Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure

    Civil Aviation Authority

    Information Commissioner’s Office

    Maritime and Coastguard Agency

    Department for Communities and Local Government

    The group was formed in March 2013 and it meets quarterly. The schedule of meetings for 2016 is February; May; September and December.

  • Dan Jarvis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Dan Jarvis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the average pay is of (a) men and (b) women working in his Department.

    Joseph Johnson

    This information is published by the Office for National Statistics for all departments on an annual basis. The latest publication date was 8 October 2015.

    Detailed breakdowns of mean and median salaries for both men and women (including within BIS) are contained in the Civil Service Statistics 2015 Statistical Bulletin Tables (tables 24 to 35), available here:

    http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/re-reference-tables.html?edition=tcm%3A77-414427

    “

  • Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-03-03.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will place in the public domain the complete set of submissions that were made to the Boundary Commission’s review of parliamentary constituency boundaries in the previous Parliament.

    John Penrose

    This is a matter for the independent Boundary Commissions.

    All the representations that the Boundary Commissions for Scotland and Northern Ireland received at the boundary review in the previous Parliament are available on their websites, and the representations that the Boundary Commission for Wales received on its initial proposals and during the secondary consultation period at that review are available on its website. The Boundary Commission for England makes available on its website the representations received for the review ongoing at the time only.

  • Lord Myners – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Myners – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Myners on 2016-04-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what actions they will take to ensure that arrangements for post-trade collateral management consequent on the takeover of the London Stock Exchange by Deutsche Börse does not increase risks to financial stability.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    I refer the noble Lord to the investor relations section of the London Stock Exchange Group website, which contains information about the proposed merger, including some information on the combined group’s proposed structure. I also refer the noble Lord to my previous written answer HL7153.

    Once formally notified of the proposed merger, the Bank of England and the Financial Conduct Authority (as supervisors of the London Stock Exchange Group’s UK-authorised subsidiaries) must assess the proposal from a regulatory standpoint.

    In addition the proposed merger must be approved by competition authorities and is subject to a range of other assessments including those of overseas regulators and shareholders.

    European Regulation No 648/2012 (EMIR) sets out detailed standards on the quality of collateral that a central counterparty (CCP) can accept, and includes a general requirement that the CCP can demonstrate to its supervisor that the form of collateral in question does not present unmanageable risk to the CCP. Furthermore, CCPs are permitted under EMIR to invest their collateral “only in cash or in highly liquid financial instruments with minimal market and credit risk.”

    Any proposals for inter-CCP links would need to be assessed against relevant parts of EMIR by the Bank of England, as supervisor of LCH. EMIR requires that models used to set CCP margin requirements (and any changes to them) are validated by the CCP’s supervisor. EMIR also requires that a CCP wishing to extend its business to additional products or services must obtain the authorisation of its supervisor.

  • Shabana Mahmood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Shabana Mahmood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Shabana Mahmood on 2016-05-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the Complex Casework Directorate resources to manage the application for renewal of asylum-related discretionary leave to remain; and what the average time taken is for such application renewals to be processed.

    James Brokenshire

    The Home Office has an internal target to consider all new Further Leave applications within six months of application. The resources in place in Complex Casework Directorate for Further Leave applications from failed asylum seekers granted Discretionary Leave to Remain is based around meeting this internal target. Our records indicate that the average time taken to decide such applications is 186 days.

    Note: This is provisional management information that is subject to change. It has not been assured to the standard of Official Statistics

  • Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-06-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department’s publication entitled Bus Reform Workshops: background information, published in September 2015, for what reason provisions related to Clause 21 of the Bus Services Bill on the prohibiting of local authorities from forming bus companies were not discussed in that document.

    Andrew Jones

    The workshops held in September 2015 were designed to help shape the content of the Bill. The provisions related to Clause 21 had not yet been drafted when the workshops took place.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-09-13.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people earning less than £11,000 per year are full-time employees.

    Chris Skidmore

    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.