Category: Speeches

Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-05-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the taper arrangements will be for the proposed phasing in of EU migrants’ entitlement to in-work benefits.

Mr Shailesh Vara

I refer the right hon. Member to the February European Council Conclusions. The restrictions on in-work benefits will apply to each newly arriving EU worker for a period of four years from the commencement of employment, with the limitation tapered “from an initial complete exclusion but gradually increasing access to such benefits to take account of the growing connection of the work with the labour market of the host Member State”. Precise details are a matter for the implementation of the proposal, and further announcements will be made in due course.

01/01/2023
Rachael Maskell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rachael Maskell on 2016-07-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress she has made on publishing the Food and Farming Plan.

George Eustice

Following the result of the EU Referendum, we now have an opportunity to consider our long term vision for food and farming outside of the EU.

It remains essential that the UK has a thriving food and farming industry with high animal welfare and environmental standards, access to international markets and a long term commitment to boosting productivity through innovation and skills. We are now focused on taking forward the actions that support these objectives, in order to develop our long term vision. To do this, we will continue to work with a wide range of interests to develop that vision, and to work together to deliver it.

01/01/2023
Baroness Barker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Barker on 2016-10-03.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what performance targets they have set for the UK Trade Office in Raleigh, North Carolina for (1) 2016–17, and (2) 2017–18.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The new UK Government Office in Raleigh, North Carolina will promote a broad range of British prosperity interests, including trade and investment and engagement with industry, research and development and higher education institutions. Performance objectives will be agreed with a broad range of HMG stakeholders, including the Department for International Trade, the UK Science and Innovation Network and policy teams in the British Embassy in Washington DC. The Office will be managed and supported by Her Majesty’s Consul General in Atlanta.

01/01/2023
Toby Perkins – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Toby Perkins on 2015-11-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the total expenditure was on the Single Source Regulation Office in each quarter since its formation.

Mr Philip Dunne

Total expenditure on the Single Source Regulations Office (SSRO) in financial year (FY) 2014-15 was £2.184 million for setup costs. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) funds the SSRO on an ongoing basis via a Grant in Aid, which is £4.707 million for FY 2015-16. Further details of the expenditure can be found in the published accounts for the SSRO at:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/ssros-first-annual-report-and-accounts or by contacting the SSRO directly. From 2017, the SSRO will be jointly funded by MOD and industry.

01/01/2023

Caroline Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Women and Equalities

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2015-12-14.

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, pursuant to the Answer of 19 February 2015 to Question 223992, how many applications were made to the Access to Elected Office Fund in each year following its establishment; how many of those applications were (a) granted and (b) refused; and what the total amount paid to successful applicants was.

Caroline Dinenage

The number of people who have applied to the Access to Elected Office for Disabled People Fund is in the table below:

Financial Year	Number of applicants (some applicants made more than one application)
2012/13	27
2013/14	34
2014/15	48

The total amount claimed by successful applicants was £271,260 (out of awards totalling £418,733)

An evaluation of the pilot fund is currently being undertaken and will be published in due course. An announcement regarding the future of the fund is anticipated early in 2016.

The information on regional breakdown of expenditure and the diversity of candidates can be found in the tables below:

Region (location of election seat)	Amount claimed and paid (£)
East Midlands	1,099
East of England	480
Greater London	89,399
North East England	4,382
North West England	20,567
South East England	69,474
South West England	21,260
West Midlands	20,281
Yorkshire and Humberside	17,882
Total (rounded)	271,260

Political Party	Amount claimed and paid (£)
Conservative	32,361
Democracy 2015	350
Green	5,791
Labour	120,846
Liberal Democrat	32,601
Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition	276
UKIP	53,236
Independent	25,798
Total (rounded)	271,260

Gender	Amount claimed and paid (£)
Male	139,524
Female	131,736
Total	271,260

Ethnic Group	Amount claimed and paid (£)
White; all backgrounds	218,117
Mixed ethnic origin	1,348
Asian; all backgrounds	26,680
Black/African/Caribbean/Black British	22,977
Other ethnic group	350
Prefer not to say	1,788
Total	271,260

01/01/2023

Baroness King of Bow – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness King of Bow on 2016-01-21.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets currently receive Universal Credit.

Lord Freud

The latest published statistics show that, as at December 2015, there were 1,409 Universal Credit claimants in Tower Hamlets.

01/01/2023
Lord Naseby – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps the Department of Health plans to take to ensure that it complies with the announcement of the Cabinet Office on 6 February that no payments or grants awarded to organisations should be used for the influencing or attempted influencing of (1) Parliament, government or political parties, (2) the awarding or renewal of contracts and grants, or (3) legislative or regulatory action.

Lord Prior of Brampton

The Department will review the terms of its grant awards and associated grant monitoring processes in line with guidance issued by the Cabinet Office on the 6 February 2016.

01/01/2023
Lord Greaves – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government on which dates the Community Engagement Forum met following the first meeting in October 2015; what were the main topics discussed at each meeting; and who attended each meeting.

Baroness Williams of Trafford

The Community Engagement Forum met on 19 November 2015 and focused on education and the role it can play in promoting integration. The following individuals attended:

Rt. Hon. Nicky Morgan MP, Education Secretary and Minister for Women and Equalities

Lord Ahmad, Minister for Countering Extremism

Louise Casey, Independent review on isolated communities

Alun Francis, Principal and Chief Executive of Oldham College

Aina Khan, Head of Islamic Department, Duncan Lewis Solicitors

Sajda Mughal OBE, Managing Director at Jan Trust

Mary Ney, Supporting Commissioner, Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council

Syima Aslam, Organiser of Bradford Literary Festival

Farook Yunus, Leader of Kumon Y’all

Sara Khan, Director and Co-founder of Inspire

Shaukat Warraich, Chief Executive, Faith Associates

Anil Bhanot OBE, Managing Trustee and Director of Hindu Council UK

Gillian Merron, Chief Executive of the Board of Deputies of British Jews

William Nye, Secretary General of the General Synod of the Church of England

Lord Singh of Wimbledon CBE, Director of the Network of Sikh Organisations

Christine Fischer, Catholic Education Service

Pascale Vassie, Executive Director, National Resource Centre for Supplementary Education

Martin Pratt, Director of Children, Schools and Families, Camden Council

Matthew Coffey, Chief Operating Officer, Ofsted

Phil Champain, Director 3 Faiths Forum

Her Honour Judge Khatun Sapnara, Circuit Judge East London Family Court and Kingston Crown Court

Sue Robb, Head of Early Years, 4Children

The Community Engagement Forum also met on 14 January 2016 and focussed on the contribution of Muslim women in Britain. The following individuals attended:

Rt. Hon. David Cameron, Prime Minister

Rt. Hon. Nicky Morgan MP, Education Secretary and Minister for Women and Equalities

Lord Ahmad, Minister for Countering Extremism

Baroness Williams, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government

Louise Casey, Independent review on isolated communities

Camilla Cavendish, Head of the No. 10 Policy Unit

Max Chambers, Special Adviser, Home Affairs and Justice, No.10

Sajda Mughal OBE, Managing Director at JAN Trust

Syima Aslam, Organiser of Bradford Literary Festival

Sara Khan, Director and co-founder of Inspire

Diana Nammi, Executive Director of Iranian and Kurdish Women’s Rights Organisation

Aysha and Kiran Iqbal Patel, Directors of Odara

Fahma Mohamed, FGM activist and Trustee of Integrate Bristol

Faeeza Vaid, Chair of ‘Sister 2 Sister’ in Birmingham and Executive Director of the Muslim Women’s Network

Henna Rai, Director for the Association of British Muslims

Yasmin Khan, Director of Staying Put and Aspire-I

Hasina Khan, Chair and founder of Saheliyaan Asian Women’s Forum and Councillor on Chorley Council

Nahid Rasool, Director of Shantona Women’s Centre

Farmida Bi, Head of Islamic Finance and a partner at Norton Rose.

Zahra Al-Alawi, Presenter of Woman’s View on Ahlulbayt TV

Farah Mirza, TV Presenter and previous UN representative for Islamic Human Rights Commission

Sarah Joseph OBE, Chief Executive and Editor of emel magazine

01/01/2023
Sarah Wollaston – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Wollaston on 2016-04-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether regulations are in place to ensure that (a) town councils, (b) parish councils and (c) local communities can exercise a community right to bid for independent qualified contractors to deliver highways infrastructure works that are funded by Section 106 contributions from developments within their parish as part of any competitive bidding process carried out by the local highways authority.

Brandon Lewis

Provisions are in place under the Community Right to Challenge to enable town and parish councils and voluntary and community organisations to challenge how council services are delivered by submitting a bid (Expression of Interest) to the relevant council.

Expressions of Interest need to be made in respect of an existing service and one that the local authority has responsibility for providing, which councils must consider and can only reject if specific circumstances set out in legislation apply. If a developer is undertaking work as part of an agreement under Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, then this would not fall under the scope of the Right to Challenge as it would not be a local authority service.

However, if a highways service was to be delivered by a local authority as a result of a Section 106 contribution then this would be within the scope of the Right, although it is important to note that local authorities are able to reject an Expression of Interest if a service is already the subject of a procurement process or pre-procurement negotiations. If this is the case, the town or parish council or community group would be able to participate in the procurement process.

The Community Right to Bid provides local people and parish councils with the opportunity to nominate a building or land for listing by a local council as an Asset of Community Value (ACV), which, if the owner decides to sell, a moratorium of up to six months is triggered. During the moratorium period, the asset cannot be sold except to a community bidder.

If a highways service was to be delivered by a local authority as a result of a Section 106 contribution then this should be within the scope of the Community Right to Challenge. It is important to note though that local authorities are able to reject an expression of interest if a service is already the subject of a procurement process or if the authority has entered into negotiations with a third party to deliver the service and these are at least in part conducted in writing. Where the services are currently being procured, the organisation in question would be able to participate in the procurement exercise.

01/01/2023
Louise Ellman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Ellman on 2016-05-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the cost of tunnelling between Darenth and South Ockenden as an option for the Lower Thames Crossing.

Andrew Jones

Two long tunnels were considered and evaluated as part of the options for a new Lower Thames Crossing scheme. The long tunnel options connected Darenth to South Ockenden either through junctions 2 and 30 on the M25 or by direct connection to the motorway beyond the junctions.

The cost of these tunnel options was estimated at £6.6 billion compared with £4.3 billion for the proposed option, described in the consultation material, and therefore these options were not taken forward as they did not represent good value for money.

01/01/2023