Category: Speeches

  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-12-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to prevent online identity theft.

    Mike Penning

    Cyber Streetwise is a cross Government campaign designed to improve the online safety knowledge, behaviour and confidence of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and individuals; driving down crime, saving victims’ money and reinforcing perceptions of the UK as a safe place to do business. Since its launch in January 2014, approximately 2 million adults have adopted safer online behaviours that will better protect them. Our 2015/16 strategic approach aims to drive measurable shifts in three key behaviours: using strong passwords made up of three random words; installing security software on all devices; and regularly downloading software updates which experts agree will provide SMEs and individuals with the most protection against cyber-crime.

    The City of London Police and Action Fraud have also brought together advice from a range of sources through the ‘Not With My Name’ campaign, to help people protect their identity, including online. The campaign is supported by the Metropolitan Police Service, Experian, Cifas, Financial Fraud Action UK, Get Safe Online and Cyber Streetwise.

  • Lord Chadlington – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Lord Chadlington – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Chadlington on 2016-01-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to publish an updated policy on fixed odds betting terminals.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    On 21 January the Government published its evaluation of the £50 regulations introduced in April 2015, which is attached.

    The evaluation indicates that a large proportion of players of FOBTs may now be making a more conscious choice to control their playing behaviour and their stake level. We will now consider the findings of the evaluation before deciding if there is a need for further action.

  • Geoffrey Clifton-Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Geoffrey Clifton-Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Geoffrey Clifton-Brown on 2016-02-04.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reason trade statistics are collected on a different basis by HM Revenue and Customs and the Office for National Statistics; and what plans the Government has to align the collection of such data.

    Mr David Gauke

    HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is required to collect trade in goods statistics by EU legislation. This legislation sets out the detail and frequency of the data to be collected and provided to the EU Commission.

    Council Regulation (EC) No 471/2009 and Commission Regulations (EU) No 92/2010 and No 113/2010 set out the requirement for HMRC to collect trade in goods statistics between the UK and non-EU countries. Council Regulation (EC) No 638/2004 and Commission Regulation (EC) No 1982/2004 sets out the requirement to collect the corresponding statistics between the UK and other EU Member States.

    HMRC provides trade in goods data to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). As required by the sixth edition of the International Monetary Fund’s Balance of Payments Manual (BPM6) and the European System of Natural and Regional Accounts (ESA 2010), National Accounts and Balance of Payments also include trade in services. The ONS collects this data.

  • John Howell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    John Howell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Howell on 2016-03-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to improve education in prisons; and if he will make a statement.

    Andrew Selous

    We want prisons to be places of rigorous education and hard work, As Dame Sally Coates will recommend in her impending report, we want to give control of education in prisoners to governors so they can bring in new providers and hold them to account. That’s why we are also protecting the £130m prison education budget in cash terms.

  • Anne-Marie Trevelyan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Anne-Marie Trevelyan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne-Marie Trevelyan on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many school-aged pupils there are with at least one parent who is a national in another EEA member state in households with a total income within the threshold for pupil premium eligibility.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    Pupil premium eligibility in 2015/16 is based on whether pupils are known to have been looked after by the local authority; have left care through adoption, a special guardianship, child arrangements or residence order; or if a pupil has been registered as eligible for free school meals at any point in the last 6 years. It is not determined through a household income threshold.

  • Nicholas Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Nicholas Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Brown on 2016-05-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he plans to publish the results of the consultation on proposed changes to the National Planning Policy Framework which concluded on 22 January 2016.

    Brandon Lewis

    A consultation on specific changes to the Framework, aimed at increasing housing supply in sustainable locations, closed on 22 February. We are analysing the responses and will publish the results of the consultation when we issue the revised Framework.

  • Kevan Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Kevan Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2016-06-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department made an assessment of the potential merits of procuring an alternative to the P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft before the decision on that procurement was made.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    As my hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Armed Forces said on 23 June 2015 in response to Question 3244 to the hon. Member for East Lothian (George Kerevan) the capabilities required from a Maritime Patrol Aircraft were studied by the Department for two and a half years before the UK’s requirement for the capability was confirmed in the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015. During that time the Boeing P-8 Poseidon and a number of other potential platforms were assessed against their ability to meet the Department’s Key User Requirements, using a combination of scientific, technical and operational analysis, as well as industry’s ability to deliver the programme in a timely and cost-effective manner.

  • Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-09-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many Development Consent Orders for (a) energy and (b) transport projects his Department considered in each year since 2009-10 in each region; and how many such orders were (i) accepted and (ii) rejected by him.

    Gavin Barwell

    Following the abolition of the Infrastructure Planning Commission by the Localism Act 2011, decisions on whether to grant development consent for energy projects have been made by the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (formerly the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change) and transport projects have been decided by the Secretary of State for Transport. Prior to decision making powers being transferred to the Secretary of State by the Localism Act 2011, the Infrastructure Planning Commission determined one application for development consent for an energy project, granting consent in 2011.

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-10-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what plans his Department has for continuation of the Troubled Families programme.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    At the Spending Review 2015, £720 million was allocated to fund the remaining four years of the new Troubled Families Programme (2015 – 2020).

    We are absolutely committed to continuing to help this group of people, to help these vulnerable families that have some of the most complex needs of people in the country.

    We are looking at the evidence from the evaluation of the first Troubled Families Programme (2012-2015) to see how things could be done differently, to learn from it and see if there is even more we can do to improve the lives of troubled families

    We have already learnt lessons from the first Troubled Families Programme and reflected them in the design of the new programme. We have published an overview of the first programme which highlights the improvements that have been made:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-first-troubled-families-programme-2012-to-2015-an-overview

  • Stella Creasy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Stella Creasy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stella Creasy on 2015-11-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what meetings he has had with (a) the Low Pay Commission, (b) Which? and (c) members of the Trade Union Congress to discuss the payment and administration of service charges, tips, gratuities and cover charges on the income of employees.

    Nick Boles

    The Government’s Call for Evidence into tips, gratuities, cover and service charges closed on 10 November 2015. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has received formal or informal evidence from the named bodies. Where any clarification is required or the Government wishes to seek further information, we will request further discussions with these bodies, where appropriate.