Category: Speeches

  • Ian Paisley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Ian Paisley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Paisley on 2016-03-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of (a) minimum pack-size requirements and (b) other elements of the new Tobacco Products Directive.

    Jane Ellison

    An assessment estimating the impact of the provisions introduced by the revised Tobacco Products Directive on business, including minimum pack size requirements, was published alongside a public consultation on transposition of the Directive in summer last year. A final impact assessment, reflecting the outcome of the consultation, will be published alongside the implementing Regulations.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Ansell on 2016-04-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Life Chances Strategy will include the provision of funding to support positive family relationships; whether funding under that strategy will include families with teenage children; and if he will make a statement.

    Priti Patel

    This government believes that families play an essential role in improving the life chances of children of all ages. As the Prime Minister announced in his speech on 11th January, funding for relationship support is being doubled in this Parliament with an extra £35 million to support family relationships. More details will be set out in the forthcoming Life Chances Strategy.

  • Richard Arkless – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Richard Arkless – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions the Government has had with the Brazilian government on ensuring the safety of athletes and tourists travelling from the UK for the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    I met the Brazilian Minister for Sport on 7 June and discussed preparations for the Rio 2016 Games, including security. The British and Brazilian Governments, as consecutive hosts of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, have cooperated across a range of areas in preparation for the Rio 2016 Games. We have shared our experience of hosting London 2012 through visits to both the UK and Brazil by security and safety experts and through regular discussion of athlete and tourist safety. In advance of the Rio 2016 Games, we encourage all visitors to Brazil to consult our ‘Stay ahead of the Games’ consular campaign, which provides further advice on how visitors can best ensure their own safety during Games time.

  • Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-07-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to provide legal support to children already in the UK who wish to sponsor their parents to join them, and for other complex reunion cases.

    Lord Keen of Elie

    UK Visas and Immigration issues guidance to help applicants, and the types of evidence requested to accompany an application – such as marriage and birth certificates – will usually be straightforward to collate. For these reasons, there are currently no plans to make changes to the legal aid provision in such cases.

  • Robert Neill – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Robert Neill – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Neill on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with the Law Commission as part of its scoping work on reform of surrogacy law.

    Nicola Blackwood

    The Law Commission is currently consulting on proposals for its 13th programme of law reform, and has asked consultees for their views on whether a project about surrogacy should be included in the programme. The consultation closes on 31 October 2016. The Department wrote to the Law Commission on 20 May 2016 supporting the inclusion of a project about surrogacy in the list of suggested possible projects being considered for the programme. No discussions have taken place with the Law Commission about scoping.

  • Andrew Tyrie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Andrew Tyrie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Tyrie on 2015-11-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the final file concerning the Metropolitan Police Service investigation known as Operation Lydd has been passed to the Crown Prosecution Service.

    Mike Penning

    This is a matter for the Metropolitan Police Service and the Crown Prosecution Service.

  • Lyn Brown – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lyn Brown – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lyn Brown on 2015-12-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many operational frontline staff are employed at the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau; and how many of those employees were employed on (a) 1 May 2015 and (b) 1 November 2014.

    Mike Penning

    With regards to the number of call-handling staff employed by the Action Fraud helpline:

    • As of December 2015 there were69.78 FTEs

    • As of May 2015 there were 81.92 FTEs

    • As of November 2014 there were 84.67 FTEs

    With regards to the number of frontline staff employed by the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB): The NFIB is overseen by the City of London Police, it is not a public facing part of the Force, so does not employ any frontline staff.

  • Sarah Wollaston – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Sarah Wollaston – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Wollaston on 2016-01-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to use the (a) £175 million cycling, safety and integration fund and (b) £75 million air quality investment fund referred to in the Government’s Road Investment Strategy for the period 2015-16 to 2019-20.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    a) £175 million cycling, safety and integration fund

    Highways England is developing a programme of initiatives to improve the safety of the network and to also improve facilities for cyclists, pedestrians and equestrians, identifying further opportunities for improved integration with wider transport networks such as Park & Ride.

    This fund supports their ambition to reduce the number of casualties on the strategic road network and encourage walking and cycling as an everyday mode of travel, as set out in the DfT Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy.

    (b) £75 million air quality investment fund referred to in the Government’s Road Investment Strategy for the period 2015-16 to 2019-20.

    Highways England’s Delivery Plan commits them to start 10 air quality pilot studies in the first 2 years of this road investment period.

    These studies are designed to identify new and innovative solutions that will be funded using the air quality designated fund, to improve air quality alongside the strategic road network and support delivery of the major improvement schemes identified in the Road Investment Strategy.

    Highways England’s work in relation to air quality, and the use of the £75million air quality designated fund (2015 – 20), is in support of the Government’s National Air Quality Plan.

  • Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her comments at the Oxford Farming conference on 6 January 2016 on decentralising decision-making, what steps she plans to take to ensure funding to tackle flooding and the maintenance of flood defences is allocated fairly and transparently to local groups.

    Rory Stewart

    The Environment Agency allocates funding according to where it will have the most benefit to people and property using System Asset Management Plans for each of its flood defence asset systems. The Environment Agency discusses local maintenance programmes with local communities and groups like internal drainage boards. The Environment Agency publishes its maintenance programme online: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/river-and-coastal-maintenance-programme.

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  • Mrs Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Mrs Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mrs Anne Main on 2016-03-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether local authorities are required to consider environmental factors when awarding contracts.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    The over-riding procurement policy requirement is that all public procurement must be based on value for money, defined as the best mix of quality and effectiveness for the least outlay over the period of use of the goods or services bought. This includes taking environmental issues into consideration.

    The Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 requires all public authorities, to have regard to economic, social and environmental well-being in connection with public services contracts; and for connected purposes. In addition under the Duty of Best Value, local authorities should consider overall value, including environmental value when reviewing service provision.