Category: Speeches

  • Julian Sturdy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Julian Sturdy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Sturdy on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the likelihood of private hire operators straddling licensing authorities in order to avoid more thorough licensing requirements under the Deregulation Act 2015.

    Andrew Jones

    Before these measures were introduced, the Department undertook an informal targeted consultation, which focused on key stakeholders such as national licencing associations, respected solicitors in the taxi and private hire industry and a union. The Department also conducted an impact assessment for this policy.

  • Nigel Adams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Nigel Adams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Adams on 2016-05-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what plans her Department has for ensuring an orderly shutdown of coal-fired power plants as the Government moves towards taking all coal-fired power plants offline by 2025; and what consideration her Department has given to the numerous technical mechanisms that necessarily entail removing all coal-fired stations simultaneously.

    Andrea Leadsom

    My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State has announced that the Department will be launching a consultation on proposals to end unabated coal generation by 2025. Options will be set out in that consultation.

  • Lord Willoughby de Broke – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Lord Willoughby de Broke – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Willoughby de Broke on 2016-06-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 17 June (HL446), why that answer did not include the information that on 8 June the EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Phil Hogan, announced an extension until 15 October of the payment window for the Rural Payment Agency to make payments to qualifying farmers.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    Commissioner Hogan announced his intention to allow applications from Member States for CAP direct payments to be made after the closure of the payment window without incurring the penalties that would otherwise fall on paying agencies for making late payments. Defra and the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) noted this announcement.

    Once we have received information from all UK paying agencies concerning the value of payments made by 30 June, we will be in a position to consider whether the UK should submit a request for such penalties to be waived.

    The RPA remains focused on getting top up 2015 BPS payments to those that received bridging payments, out as promptly as possible.

  • Liz Saville Roberts – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Liz Saville Roberts – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liz Saville Roberts on 2016-09-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which authority is responsible for the safety of (a) beach users and (b) swimmers at beaches in Gwynedd.

    Mr John Hayes

    Safety at public beaches is generally the responsibility of the local authority, who carry out risk assessments to determine appropriate safety measures.

    Gwynedd Council have information guides about beach and harbour safety on their website.

  • Gareth Thomas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Gareth Thomas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 5 September 2015 to Question 14459, whether the Civil Aviation Authority plans to make the conclusions of the review into the safety of operations at RAF Northolt publicly available; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The review was conducted by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in response to concerns raised by the operator of Biggin Hill Airport. The CAA has advised Biggin Hill of the conclusions of the review. The CAA remains satisfied that operations by civil aircraft at Northolt are safe. The CAA has no plans to publish the conclusions of the review but will continue to ensure that all operators using RAF Northolt have access to all relevant information about the aerodrome.

  • Lord Greaves – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Greaves – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

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

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether it is a requirement of the new Northern Rail franchise that the Pacer trains that will be withdrawn from service in the North of England will be scrapped or whether they can be redeployed elsewhere.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    There is no such requirement in the new Northern Franchise Agreement. As the Pacers are owned by two Rolling Stock Companies, any future use is for them to decide.

  • Ian Blackford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Ian Blackford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Blackford on 2016-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much the Forestry Commission England has spent on replanting in each year since 2000.

    Rory Stewart

    I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Dumfries and Galloway, Richard Arkless, on 5 January 2016, PQ20410.

  • 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 the re-opening the Red Cross offices closed by recent violence in Gaza.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We understand that the International Committee of the Red Cross office in Gaza closed on 7 February for security reasons following protests in solidarity with a Palestinian hunger striker in Israeli detention. We have not raised this specific issue with the Palestinian Authority (PA) but we have urged the PA to make progress on resuming control in Gaza.

  • Christopher Chope – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Christopher Chope – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2016-03-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what checks his Department carries out to ascertain the (a) immigration status and (b) nationality of benefits claimants.

    Priti Patel

    Access to means-tested benefits is conditional upon satisfying the Habitual Residence Test (HRT) where claimants must provide proof of their nationality and immigration status; their employment (where appropriate) and habitual residence in the UK.

    Generally, access to disability benefits is conditional upon satisfying the Past Presence Test (PPT) where claimants must provide proof of their nationality and immigration status; their habitual residence in the UK; and presence in the UK for 2 years out of the last 3 years.

    Access to contributions-based benefits is not dependent on a residency test, but the claimant must be present in the UK and they must have made the required number of national insurance contributions.

  • 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, what the projected savings accruing to the public purse are from the proposed closure of the Marine Offices in (a) Tyne and (b) Plymouth in 2017; and what the value of (i) land and (ii) buildings is on each site.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    Both (a) Tyne and (b) Plymouth operate from leasehold properties ((i) land and (ii) building), as such the only value to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency is the cost of the lease.

    (a) Assuming that the office at Tyne closes in September 2017, the projected savings realised to the public purse in that year would be £50K. The projected annual steady state savings would be £103K.

    (b) Assuming that the office at Plymouth closes in December 2017, the projected savings realised to the public purse in that year would be £12K. The projected annual steady state savings would be £50K.

    Through the proposed new ways of working both Tyne and Plymouth would continue to see a surveyor presence through remote working, either within spare civil estate, such as the Marine Management Organisation or the Land Registry, or working from home depending on the operational and business need