Category: Speeches

  • Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-12-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the fitness-for-purpose of the Air Navigation (Restriction of Flying) (Nuclear Installations) Regulations 2007 and their applicability to technical developments for unmanned aerial vehicles since their coming into force in 2007.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The airspace over UK nuclear licensed sites is restricted by the Air Navigation (Restriction of Flying) (Nuclear Installations) regulations 2007. These impose restricted airspace of a radius between 0.5 and 2 miles to a height of between 1000 and 2400 feet around the centre of all nuclear sites. Airspace usage in the UK is regulated by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). Therefore it is a criminal offence to fly in the vicinity of nuclear sites without the permission of the CAA. The CAA and nuclear sites work closely together on this.

    All of Britain’s nuclear power stations are robust and designed with safety in mind and are stress-tested to withstand a vast range of potential incidents. The independent regulator continuously monitors and evaluates the safety of each plant alongside the operator to protect it from outside threats.

  • Baroness Doocey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Baroness Doocey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Doocey on 2016-01-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they plan to issue statutory guidance for identifying and supporting victims, as set out in section 49 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

    Lord Bates

    Statutory guidance for identifying and supporting victims will be issued once the National Referral Mechanism pilots have concluded.

    The guidance is being developed in consultation with representatives from NGOs, Government and frontline agencies. This is in line with section 49 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

  • Baroness Jones of Whitchurch – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Baroness Jones of Whitchurch – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 2016-02-23.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 2 February (HL5437), when an announcement will be made about the funding of the National Wildlife Crime Unit from April 2016 onwards.

    Lord Bates

    A decision on funding the National Wildlife Crime Unit beyond March 2016 will be made shortly.

  • Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-03-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of a partition plan in Iraq relating to independence for Kurdish people.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The question of independence, and its potential merits and drawbacks, is ultimately one for the Kurds and the rest of the people of Iraq, rather than for the UK.

    We are committed to a stable, united, democratic and prosperous Iraq. We strongly believe that the Kurds have an important role to play in building that future and confronting the threat which Daesh pose to all of Iraq’s communities. The most effective way to combat Daesh will be moderate forces working together to defeat them, including close cooperation between the Government of Iraq and the Kurdish Regional Government.

  • Patrick Grady – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Patrick Grady – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2016-04-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will issue a response to EDM 1338, Selection of United Nations Secretary General.

    James Duddridge

    We welcome the work of the 1 for 7 Billion campaign. Last week’s informal hearings by the UN General Assembly with currently declared UN Secretary-General candidates were a key part of our campaign to reform the selection process. We want greater transparency, a structured process and a gender diverse field. The General Assembly and the Security Council have committed to providing opportunities for engagement and dialogue between candidates and member states and last week’s hearings were the first step. We will encourage further direct engagement throughout the process.

    Our efforts on the process are designed to ensure we get the best person for the job. Any successful candidate needs integrity, a proven track record, first class communication skills, suitable and relevant experience and unimpeachable character. They should be committed to transparency and accountability, have strong leadership skills, a bold vision for an activist UN at the heart of the rules-based system, and be committed to cost-effective management and reform.

  • Richard Fuller – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Richard Fuller – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Fuller on 2016-05-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when the next set of National Diet and Nutrition Survey data is planned to be published.

    Jane Ellison

    The next report of the National Diet and Nutrition Survey is being prepared and will be published as an Official Statistic; the publication date will be announced in advance in accordance with the Official Statistics Code of Practice.

  • Lord Faulkner of Worcester – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Lord Faulkner of Worcester – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Faulkner of Worcester on 2016-07-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have for revising the terms of reference for the Sports Grounds Safety Authority to ensure that they encompass disabled access requirements at licensed sports stadia.

    Lord Ashton of Hyde

    As set out in our Sports Strategy, we will enable the Sports Grounds Safety Authority to take on a more formal role in helping sports grounds reach the required standards for accessibility. We are currently in discussions with the SGSA on what role they will play in delivering accessible sports grounds.

  • Daniel Kawczynski – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Daniel Kawczynski – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Kawczynski on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many prescriptions for paracetamol were issued in England and Wales in the 2014-15 financial year.

    David Mowat

    The number of paracetamol prescription items dispensed in the community in England in the last two financial years is provided in the table. This includes for prescriptions written by doctors, dentists, nurses and pharmacists.

    Year

    Number of paracetamol prescription items (000s)

    2014/15

    23,326.6

    2015/16

    22,664.4

    Source: Prescription Cost Analysis system provided by NHS Digital

    Prescribing information relating to Wales is a matter for my Rt. hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Wales.

  • Clive Lewis – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Clive Lewis – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Clive Lewis on 2015-11-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to chart 4.2 of the Annual Fuel Poverty Statistics Report 2015, published by her Department on 28 May 2015, what proportion of the (a) local authority, (b) owner-occupied, (c) private rented and (d) housing association households are in fuel poverty.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The number and proportion of fuel poor households in England by tenure are shown below:

    Tenure

    Local Authority

    Owner occupied

    Private Rented

    Housing Association

    2003 – Number of fuel poor households (000s)

    496

    1,220

    483

    215

    2003 – Proportion of households (%)

    21

    8

    25

    14

    2013 – Number of fuel poor households (000s)

    193

    1,104

    816

    234

    2013 – Proportion of households (%)

    12

    8

    19

    10

  • Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-12-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department spent on the Help to Work scheme in the 2014-15 financial year; and how much of the budget for that scheme for the 2015-16 financial year has been spent to date.

    Priti Patel

    The Help to Work scheme contains a number of initiatives and programmes, delivered through Jobcentre Plus and Contracted Employment Provision.

    It is not possible to identify the costs of Help to Work activities separately from the total expenditure in Jobcentre Plus. The relevant data is not held in a form which allows it to be clearly identified and separated from other Jobcentre Plus activities.

    The two elements delivered through Contracted Employment Programmes are Community Work Placements and the Supervised Jobsearch Pilot. Expenditure on Community Work Placements was £1.8m in 2014-15. Expenditure on Supervised Jobsearch Pilot in 2014-15 was £6.3m. This is funded by income from the European Social Fund