Category: Speeches

  • Lord Kilclooney – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord Kilclooney – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kilclooney on 2016-01-21.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to releasing parts of one or both of the Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus to facilitate a political settlement on the island.

    Earl Howe

    The UK will continue to support the efforts of President Anastasiades and Mr Akinci to reunite Cyprus through a just and lasting settlement. The UK has made a generous offer that, as part of a comprehensive settlement, we will cede a significant proportion of the land mass of the Sovereign Base Areas. However, the Sovereign Base Areas continue to have a significant operational value for defence that is expected to endure for the long term.

  • Lord Rooker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Rooker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Rooker on 2016-02-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government which department is leading on preparations for the Anti-Corruption Summit planned in London following the Prime Minister’s Speech in Singapore on 28 July 2015.

    Lord Bridges of Headley

    Preparations for the Anti-Corruption Summit are being taken forward by the Joint Anti-Corruption Unit in the Cabinet Office, in close cooperation with a range of other government departments.

  • Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-03-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many (1) Royal Navy vessels, and (2) vessels from other NATO members, are being deployed for search and rescue operations in the Aegean Sea; whether the orders given to those vessels include arresting traffickers; and what assessment they have made of whether the available forces are sufficient.

    Earl Howe

    I refer the noble Lord to the statement I made to this House on Monday 7 March (Official Report, column 1079). The Royal Navy has deployed Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) Mounts Bay and a Wildcat helicopter to support NATO activity in the Aegean Sea. These will work alongside three Home Office vessels: VOS Grace, which has been deployed since November; the cutter Protector, which is en route to the region; and a further cutter that is expected to start operations later this month.

    In addition to RFA Mounts Bay, there are five NATO ships on station at the moment. Canada, Germany, Greece, Italy, and Turkey have each deployed a ship.

    NATO ships will provide information to enable Greek and Turkish civilian authorities to intercept migrant vessels and arrest traffickers. It is not an interdiction or search and rescue operation, but RFA Mounts Bay would give assistance to any vessel it found in distress, in accordance with international obligations.

    With regards to sufficiency, we note the substantial contribution being made by the UK and other members of NATO, but we always look to see what further contributions members of the Alliance can make.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-04-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of households that owned their home in each year since 2010; and if he will make a statement.

    Brandon Lewis

    Of the estimated 22.5 million households in England in 2014-15, 14.3 million or 64% were owner occupiers. The proportion of all households in owner occupation increased steadily from the 1980s to 2003 when it reached a peak of 71%. A period of gradual decline in owner occupation followed but this has recently abated with a slight increase in owner occupation rates between 2013-14 and 2014-15.

    The department publishes this information annually in the English Housing Survey headline report. Percentage of households that are owner occupiers, England:

    Thousands of households

    percentages

    1980

    9,680

    56.6

    1981

    9,860

    57.2

    1982

    10,237

    58.6

    1983

    10,613

    60.0

    1984

    10,990

    61.3

    1985

    11,305

    62.4

    1986

    11,619

    63.5

    1987

    11,934

    64.6

    1988

    12,248

    65.7

    1989

    12,515

    66.3

    1990

    12,782

    67.0

    1991

    13,050

    67.6

    1992

    13,069

    68.2

    1993

    13,280

    68.3

    1994

    13,429

    68.7

    1995

    13,467

    68.5

    1996

    13,522

    68.5

    1997

    13,629

    68.6

    1998

    13,817

    69.0

    1999

    14,091

    69.9

    2000

    14,340

    70.6

    2001

    14,359

    70.4

    2002

    14,559

    70.5

    2003

    14,701

    70.9

    2004

    14,678

    70.7

    2005

    14,791

    70.7

    2006

    14,791

    70.1

    2007

    14,733

    69.6

    2008

    14,628

    68.3

    2008-09

    14,621

    67.9

    2009-10

    14,525

    67.4

    2010-11

    14,450

    66.0

    2011-12

    14,388

    65.3

    2012-13

    14,337

    65.2

    2013-14

    14,319

    63.3

    2014-15

    14,324

    63.6
  • Stuart C. McDonald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Stuart C. McDonald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stuart C. McDonald on 2016-05-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people of each nationality were held in detention for over (a) six and (b) 12 months between 2005 and 2015 for the purpose of removal.

    James Brokenshire

    The table attached shows the number of people removed on leaving detention, by nationality who were held for over six and over twelve months.

    Published statistics relating to immigration detention are only available from 2010 onwards. It is not possible to provide pre-2010 figures and this information could be provided only by examining individual case records, which would result in disproportionate cost.

    The Home Office publishes quarterly and annual statistics on the number of people detained in the United Kingdom for immigration purposes, within the Immigration Statistics release on the GOV.UK website:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office/series/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-07-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 30 June 2016 to Question 41302, whether he has made an estimate of the total cost to his Department of hiring additional lawyers, and financial and trade experts as a result of the outcome of the EU referendum; and if he will make a statement.

    Greg Hands

    The new unit established by the Cabinet Office will review arrangements for the UK’s exit from the EU.

  • Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2016-10-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many claims made by young asylum seekers in Calais in the past 12 months were refused, and on what grounds.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    The number of asylum claims made in France over any given period, and their outcome, is a matter for the French authorities.

    The Dublin Regulation is the mechanism for determining responsibility for considering an asylum claim. If accepted for transfer to the UK, the asylum claim is considered in the UK after the individual has been transferred.

    The Home Office has accepted responsibility to consider the asylum claims of over 80 unaccompanied minors from France under Dublin since the start of the year and many more are in train.

    Dublin transfer requests involving children are now generally processed within 10 days by a dedicated team in the Home Office. Children can then be transferred within weeks and are now arriving in the UK on an almost weekly basis. A senior Home Office official has been seconded to the French Interior Ministry to help speed up the process of identifying children who may qualify for transfer to the UK.

  • Anne Marie Morris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Anne Marie Morris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne Marie Morris on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will change the criteria for multi-specialty community providers better to benefit rural areas.

    George Freeman

    All new care model vanguards, which include multispecialty community providers, integrated primary and acute care systems, enhanced health in care homes, urgent and emergency care and acute care collaborations have now been selected.

    Selection of the 50 vanguards followed an open and rigorous process, with participating organizations being selected from urban and rural areas.

    While NHS England is only able to have a limited number of vanguards as part of its national programme, it aims to support all local areas with an ambition to deliver care in new ways that improve patient experience and outcomes.

  • Derek Thomas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Derek Thomas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Derek Thomas on 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will offer military resources to assist with the refugee crisis (a) in Lesbos and (b) elsewhere.

    Penny Mordaunt

    The Ministry of Defence is already supporting the Home Office in its work with refugees. In the Mediterranean, Royal Navy medics and a Royal Marine force protection team are deployed on board the Border Force chartered vessel MV VOS Grace currently in the Aegean Sea, supporting the EU’s FRONTEX-led search and rescue operation. The Ministry of Defence has also supported HM Government’s Syrian Resettlement Programme through the provision of medical escorts on board some of the charter flights that recently brought Syrian refugees to the UK.

    HMS ENTERPRISE is also deployed to the EU Naval Force operation in the Mediterranean tackling the migrant smugglers who profit from the perilous journeys made by migrants across the Central Mediterranean. Royal Navy assets operating in this operation and the earlier search and rescue operation in the summer, have rescued over 7,500 persons in the Mediterranean since May.

  • Lord Northbourne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Northbourne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Northbourne on 2016-01-21.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to encourage or require maintained secondary schools to prepare young people, whilst they are still at school, for their probable future role as parents.

    Lord Nash

    This Government believes that schools are best placed to make decisions about the education of their pupils. Teachers can cover parenting skills in personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education lessons. The non-statutory programme of study for PSHE includes the roles and responsibilities of parents, parenting skills, the value of family relationships, and the impact of separation, divorce and bereavement on families.