Category: Speeches

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-06-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reports from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that ISIS has (1) executed five activists who had been collecting evidence of ISIS genocide and crimes against humanity, (2) murdered the editor of Hentah, and (3) wounded the founder of the Syrian news site Eye on the Homeland; and what discussions they have held with the government of Turkey about bringing to justice those responsible for those crimes.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We are aware of these reports, which appear to be further examples of Daesh crimes in the region. The Government continues to support the collection of evidence against Daesh and pays tribute to those risking their lives to document its atrocities. We are working tirelessly with our Coalition partners, including Turkey, to defeat Daesh and ensure that those responsible for committing atrocities are held to account.

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-09-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of total spending on High Speed 2 has been on (a) wages and (b) performance bonuses.

    Andrew Jones

    From 2009-10 to 2015-16, the Government spent £1.4bn on the HS2 programme. The total payroll costs for HS2 Ltd permanent staff for the same period were £94.6m, out of which £113.5k was spent on performance related pay.

  • Kate Green – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Kate Green – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many of his Department’s policies have been assessed against the family test; what steps he has taken to publish the outcome of such assessments; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Family Test was announced by the Prime Minister in August 2014 and introduced in October 2014. Department of Work and Pensions published guidance for Departments and officials on how the Test should be applied when formulating policy and my Department follows that guidance- Family Test Guidance

    The Family Test is an integral part of the policy making process and is applied in a proportionate way in the development of all new policy in line with the Family Test guidance. As a result potential impacts of policy on family functioning and relationships are considered as part of the normal process of agreeing policy and any outcomes will be incorporated into the impact assessments published on legislation.gov.uk.

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  • Lord Greaves – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Lord Greaves – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Greaves on 2015-12-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the expected yield of an increase of two per cent in the council tax levied by each local authority with adult social care responsibilities, and in each case how much that is per (1) head of population, and (2) number of households.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    The Government announced on 17 December 2015, Official Report, Column 2238-2241, that Local Authorities with social care responsibilities will be able to increase their council tax by up to 2% above the core referendum principles of 2% (4% in total) which is expected to raise an extra £2billion by 2019/20. A breakdown of the £2billion, by how much individual local authorities could raise, has been made and can be viewed at the following link or in the attached document.

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/486708/Core_spending_power_supporting_information.xlsx

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  • Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information her Department holds on research taking place to find alternatives to neonicotinoid pesticides.

    George Eustice

    Research to bring individual insecticides to the market is carried out by pesticide companies. A number of public bodies fund research into pest control chemicals, biological controls and cultural methods. This includes funding from Innovate UK through mechanisms including the Agri-Tech Catalyst, which helps develop innovative solutions to challenges in crop production. Defra research into alternatives to current chemical pesticides can be found at http://randd.defra.gov.uk.

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  • Lord Turnberg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Turnberg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Turnberg on 2016-02-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Palestine about recent pronouncements by Mr Abbas praising the actions of Palestinians who have killed Israeli civilians.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    On 17 December, our Deputy Consul General in Jerusalem raised comments attributed to President Abbas, characterising events since last October as a “justified popular uprising”, with the President’s Diplomatic Adviser, Majdi Khaldi. Mr Khaldi informed us that President Abbas condemned violence against Israelis and Palestinians.

    On several occasions in recent months, our Consul General in Jerusalem has expressed our deep concern about comments made by other Palestinian figures.

  • Gerald Kaufman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Gerald Kaufman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gerald Kaufman on 2016-03-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he intends to answer the letter dated 22 December 2015 from the Right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mrs J. Brown.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Mr Iain Duncan Smith replied to the Rt. Hon. Member on 2 February 2016.

  • 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 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether it remains his policy that Learn Direct will take over the driving theory test contract from September 2016; what arrangements have been made between Learn Direct and the current contract holder to ensure a smooth handover; and what the total cost to the public purse was of the procurement process and associated fees.

    Andrew Jones

    The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) and learndirect have concluded an exit from the contract for the provision of the UK Driving Theory Test, which was due to transfer to learndirect in September 2016. Pearson Professional Assessments Ltd (formally Pearson Driving Assessments Ltd) will therefore continue to provide the service for some time.

    The cost of running the procurement process was reported to have been £510,380. This covers pay costs of £350,865 and £159,515 non-pay costs, which consists primarily of professional fees.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-05-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of employment and support allowance (ESA) applicants from Brighton and Hove are being sent to (a) Lewes and (b) Vauxhall for assessment; for what reasons such ESA applicants are being sent to those locations; what impact assessment has been made of sending ESA applicants to centres out of their home city; when and how applicants are remunerated for transport costs; and if he will make a statement.

    Priti Patel

    All Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) customers within the Brighton and Hove postcode areas are being asked to attend for an assessment at Lewes Assessment Centre as Lewes is the nearest Assessment Centre to Brighton and Hove.

    DWP policy ensures that claimants do not have to travel for more than 90 minutes by public transport (single journey) for a consultation. However, this limit is an absolute maximum and for the majority of claimants their journey will be less than this. For example, it would take applicants from Brighton and Hove approximately 20-30 minutes by bus to reach Lewes Assessment centre.

    All claimants who are asked to travel to an assessment are reimbursed either by cheque or directly into a bank account via BACS.

    If an ESA customer is unable to attend an appointment, they are asked to contact the provider to discuss their individual circumstances. A home visit can be arranged if there is supportive medical evidence about the claimant’s inability to travel due to their medical condition.

    ESA claimants are not asked to travel to the Assessment Centre at Vauxhall which is specifically for claimants of Personal Independence Payment and not ESA.

  • Amanda Solloway – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Amanda Solloway – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Amanda Solloway on 2016-06-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will bring forward proposals to enable people who have previously undertaken university education to be eligible for funded apprenticeships.

    Nick Boles

    Currently the apprenticeship funding rules allow a university graduate to take an apprenticeship standard at a higher level than their current qualification. Further detail on the proposed funding rules that will apply from 2017-18 will be published shortly.