Category: Speeches

  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of air quality in London.

    Rory Stewart

    We assess compliance annually for a range of pollutants covered by European directives for all UK zones, including Greater London. The latest compliance report Air Pollution in the UK 2014 was published in September last year and is available on the UK-Air website:

    http://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/library/annualreport/viewonline?year=2014_issue_1

    The air quality plan we published in December last year sets out the measures we are taking to reduce levels of nitrogen dioxide in London. The plan is available on the GOV.UK website at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/air-quality-in-the-uk-plan-to-reduce-nitrogen-dioxide-emissions

    “

  • Martyn Day – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Martyn Day – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Martyn Day on 2016-03-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will take steps to require all oil products sold in the UK to carry a Certificate of Origin to ensure that they do not come from Daesh-controlled areas.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    There is no evidence of oil products originating from Daesh-controlled areas reaching the UK market. The majority of Daesh’s oil is refined and sold within the territory it controls with the rest being sold in other parts of Syria and Iraq, including to the Asad regime, and smaller amounts being smuggled onto the regional black market. By halting and reversing Daesh’s territorial advance, Global Coalition military action has squeezed Daesh’s revenue sources. Our targeting of Daesh’s oil facilities has reduced its production capability by 25%, which equates to approximately 10% of their total income.

    In parallel to this military assault on Daesh’s oil facilities, the UK has led efforts to create and enforce an international sanctions regime to cut Daesh off from trading with international markets, including in oil products. This regime is underpinned by UN Security Council Resolutions 2178, 2199, 1267 and 2253. We work closely with our regional partners to ensure these sanctions are fully implemented. We also work closely with the oil industry in the UK, and further afield, to prevent Daesh procuring the equipment and fuel additives it needs to keep its oil production going.

  • Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts on 2016-03-23.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there was any prior consultation before the decision was taken to end the post transaction valuation check and PAYE health check currently provided by HMRC with effect from 31 March 2016 and, if not, why not.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has been consulting representative bodies through the Valuation Fiscal Forum over the last 18 months.

    HMRC has not withdrawn valuation services that are most relevant to employee share ownership schemes.

    HMRC has withdrawn valuation checks for income tax and PAYE as in most cases acceptable valuations were submitted, and therefore the service offered was not of sufficient value.

  • 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 2016-05-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to Minute No. 16/20 of Network Rail’s Board minutes of 24 February 2016, who carried out the third pay review of Network Rail’s renewal proposals; and what was the cost of that review was to the public purse.

    Claire Perry

    An independent peer review of Network Rail’s renewals proposals, as referred to in Network Rail’s Board minutes of 24 February 2016, was conducted by Sotera Risk Solutions. The cost was £4,700 exclusive of Value Added Tax.

  • Angela Crawley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Angela Crawley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angela Crawley on 2016-06-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many women who claimed asylum on the grounds of sexual violence in their home country were deported in each of the last three years.

    James Brokenshire

    Information concerning the basis of a claim for asylum is not readily accessible from central statistical records and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost through a manual search of individual case files.

  • Lord West of Spithead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord West of Spithead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2016-09-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the planned in-service dates for the offshore patrol vessels presently on order or planned; and how much each vessel will cost.

    Earl Howe

    In August 2014, the Ministry of Defence placed a contract valued at £348 million with BAE Systems on the Clyde for the procurement of three River Class Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs). On current plans, we expect these three vessels to enter service between 2018 and 2019.

    The Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 set out the Government’s plan to build two additional OPVs and we have begun the planning work necessary to contract for these additional ships. As with all equipment procurement programmes, the cost and schedule are set at the main investment decision, and we have not yet reached that decision point.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-10-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on (a) opportunity for students and (b) universities in general of not having access to the (i) Erasmus and (ii) Interreg programmes after the UK leaves the EU.

    Mr Robin Walker

    We have been clear that we want to create an environment in which the UK as a whole can continue to be a world leader in research, science and the tertiary education sector more broadly. The government has already announced that UK researchers can still apply for Horizon 2020 funding projects while the UK is a member of the EU and the Treasury will underwrite the payment of such awards, even when specific projects continue beyond the UK’s departure from the EU. The Treasury will also guarantee funding for European Territorial Cooperation projects signed before we leave the EU and which continue after we have left, where they provide strong value for money and are in line with domestic strategic priorities. Horizon 2020 funding supports collaboration between EU Member States or Associated countries.

    Leaving the EU means we will want to take our own decisions about how to deliver the policy objectives previously targeted by EU funding. We will consult with stakeholders to review all EU funding schemes in the round, to ensure that any ongoing funding commitments best serve the UK‘s national interest, while ensuring appropriate investor certainty.

    The UK remains a member of the EU until our withdrawal is completed. There is no change to those currently participating in, or about to start, programmes such as Erasmus+ exchanges. Erasmus+ is open to a number of countries across Europe and beyond. We are not going to provide a running commentary on every twist and turn of the negotiations, but we will work hard to get the best deal for Britain, its universities, and the wider research sector.

  • Hilary Benn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Hilary Benn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2015-11-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his Department’s counter-extremism budget was for (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13, (d) 2013-14 and (e) 2014-15; and how much has been budgeted for (i) 2015-16 and (ii) future financial years.

    Mr Philip Hammond

    Counter-extremism is an integral part of the FCO’s counter-terrorism work. It is also a core element of activities funded through the cross-Whitehall Conflict Security and Stabilisation Fund. Disaggregating FCO-specific spend on counter-extremism activities from wider counter-terrorism work would incur disproportionate cost.

    Future counter-terrorism and counter-extremism spending is subject to the outcome of the Spending Review and SDSR.

  • Julian Knight – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Julian Knight – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Knight on 2015-12-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what protections she plans to put in place for landlords who, unwittingly and after carrying out reasonable checks, allow an illegal immigrant to rent their property.

    James Brokenshire

    The Immigration Act 2014 prohibits landlords from leasing property to persons who are disqualified from renting by reason of their immigration status. Right to rent checks are simple to conduct and comprise of an examination of documents from a range prescribed in law as acceptable for the purposes of establishing a right to rent. Landlords are not expected to be immigration or forgery experts and the Act provides defences in law for the landlord who may have accepted a falsified document in good faith and having acted reasonably.

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-01-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his Answer of 18 December 2015 to Question 19717, which were the 28 communities in Syria supported by the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The Conflict Stability And Security Fund is supporting communities in opposition held areas located in the north west and south west of Syria. A specific list of these communities is not published for reasons of security (it could put civilians in those areas at risk). More information on the work being taken forward can be found at http://www.project-tamkeen.org/category/news-from-the-programme/