Category: Speeches

  • Lord Hoyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Hoyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

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

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what role Network Rail has in the HS2 project, and whether it will have a role in deciding where the steel required for that project should be purchased from.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    Network Rail will be responsible for undertaking works on their network where they interact with the HS2 network. The materials used for such works will be subject to future procurements. However, currently, around 95% of Network Rail’s total aggregated demand for steel is procured from Tata steel.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-02-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that children from the poorest families have not fallen behind their peers when they start school.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    We want every child, regardless of birth or background, to fulfil their full potential. Good quality early education can positively affect a child’s later attainment, which is why local authorities in England have a legal duty to ensure all three- and four-year-olds and the most disadvantaged two-year-olds are able to take up a funded early education place free of charge.

    Each eligible child is entitled to 570 hours of free early learning a year, equivalent to 15 hours a week of early education for 38 weeks per year. Government figures show 99% of four-year-olds and 96% of three-year-olds are accessing free childcare. Survey findings also indicate 70% of disadvantaged two year-olds are taking up the offer.

    The early years pupil premium, which was introduced in April last year, provides nurseries and schools delivering the early education entitlement for three- and four-year-olds with an extra 53p an hour for each eligible child to help them improve the outcomes of disadvantaged children and close the gap in school readiness between disadvantaged children and their peers.

  • Debbie Abrahams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Debbie Abrahams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Debbie Abrahams on 2016-03-24.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 2.59 of the Summer Budget 2015, if he will make an assessment of the potential effect of restricting finance cost relief for landlords on the ability of private individuals who operate buy-to-let businesses with large private buy-to-let companies.

    Harriett Baldwin

    An individual’s property income is subject to a separate set of tax rules to those of a private company.

    Once the changes are fully in place by 2020-21, all individuals will get finance cost relief at the basic rate of income tax, 20%. Incorporated businesses will continue to receive relief at the corporate tax rate which is currently 20% and due to fall to 17% in 2020.

  • Kirsten Oswald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Kirsten Oswald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2016-04-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure British citizens employed on international marine vessels are not arrested for entering the territorial waters of a country with incorrect paperwork for arms held on the ship to combat pirates.

    James Duddridge

    It is the responsibility of employers and employees to ensure that they hold the correct paperwork for any arms held. The Department for Transport’s advice to UK flagged vessels employing Private Maritime Security Companies (PMSC) on board their ships is that the PMSC has, amongst other things: access to legal advice, given the imprecise position of armed guards under various national jurisdictions and international law; and an understanding of port State and coastal State laws and requirements with respect to the possession, carriage, and movement of firearms, ammunition and other security related equipment (such as body armour).

    The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills trade controls in the private armed sector apply to UK companies operating in the UK, and to UK nationals working for non UK companies. The use of the Open Government Trade Control License Maritime Anti-Piracy ensures that companies operating in the sector do so in adherence to industry standards and international law.

  • Ian Murray – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Ian Murray – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Murray on 2016-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on (a) businesses and (b) local communities in Scotland of the decision to allow the closure of Post Office branches in Scotland and their replacement by franchises.

    George Freeman

    Post Office Limited runs and operates its directly managed Crown post offices. Changes to its network and proposals to franchise of some of its Crown branches are the operational responsibility of the Post Office. The Post Office’s proposals for franchising some of its Crown branches are part of its work to ensure its branch network is sustainable in the long term and ensure that Post Office services remain on our high streets across the country. The change from a Crown to a franchise branch has been undertaken successfully in many locations across the UK and helps sustain Post Office services in these locations, and each change is subject to local consultation.

    Over 97% of the UK’s post office network is run on a franchise or agency basis.

  • David Winnick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Leader of the House

    David Winnick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Leader of the House

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Winnick on 2016-09-06.

    To ask the Leader of the House, when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Walsall North, dated 8 August 2016, on the renewal and restoration of the Commons building; and what the reason is for no reply having yet been sent.

    Mr David Lidington

    I regret that the hon. Member’s letter of 8 August was never received. I have now received a copy of the letter and responded on 7 September.

  • Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-10-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made in setting up a coordinated and effective health care system in Sierra Leone, following the Ebola outbreak.

    Lord Bates

    DFID is supporting the President’s Recovery Plan (PRP) that focuses on delivering its two health priorities to strengthen Sierra Leone’s health system post Ebola. They are:

    (i) Prevent, detect and respond to epidemics to ensure zero cases of Ebola. DFID is providing £38.5million to support epidemic preparedness in the country by strengthening disease surveillance, laboratory services, maintaining a rapid deployable treatment centre and monitoring Ebola survivors. This programme has been operational since December 2015 and will finish in December 2017.

    (ii) Saving the Lives of 600 women and 5,000 children. DFID is providing £150million over five years (2016 – 2021) to support the Government’s saving lives target by June 2017 and then increase the availability and quality of Reproductive Maternal Neonatal Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH) services by 2021. This is being done by equipping emergency obstetric centres, providing adolescent reproductive health services, increasing the availability of skilled health workers and by providing bed nets and free medicines to mothers and children. This programme commenced implementation this month.

    Each health priority has a clearly defined work plan with milestones and is coordinated by the Ministry of Health. Progress against the milestones is monitored and reported weekly with the President reviewing progress each fortnight. District surveillance reports are submitted weekly to track the incidence of notifiable diseases (such as Ebola, Cholera and Lassa fever), detect clusters of unexplained deaths and trigger immediate investigation. In additional DFID is engaging in the longer term planning to strengthen Sierra Leone’s health system, including the development of a five year RMNCAH strategy.

  • Lord Scriven – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Scriven – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Scriven on 2015-11-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have carried out to determine whether the police facial recognition database complies with the Data Protection Act 1998; and what were the findings of that review.

    Lord Bates

    There is no facial recognition database as such. The Police National Database (PND) includes photographs of persons taken on their arrest. These images can be uploaded onto the PND by police forces. Full face images of a suitable size and quality are then enrolled in the facial image recognition gallery within the PND, which can be searched using automated facial recognition software. As set out by the Code of Practice on the Operation and Use of the PND, chief police officers are responsible for the development and implementation of appropriate procedures and systems so that personal data is processed in accordance with the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998 and other relevant legislation and guidance.

  • Lord Kilclooney – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord Kilclooney – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kilclooney on 2015-12-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many refugees have penetrated security at the sovereign base of Akrotiri in the past two months; how many of those refugees remain on that base; and where those refugees who are no longer on that base have gone.

    Earl Howe

    115 migrants arrived by boat at RAF Akrotiri on 21 October 2015. None penetrated the robust and established security measures we have in place to protect the base. The migrants came under the control of the Sovereign Base Area Administration as soon as they set foot on shore and at no point were they near any secure facilities within the base. Operational activity was not affected.

    All of the migrants were transferred from RAF Akrotiri on 27 October 2015 to a specially prepared transit facility in the Eastern Sovereign Base Area of Dhekelia outside of the military garrison.

    As at 4 December 2015, 54 migrants are accommodated in the transit facility, one is held within HMP Dhekelia and 60 have transferred to reception centres in the Republic of Cyprus.

  • Owen Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Owen Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Owen Smith on 2016-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when the final version of the Evaluation of Removal of the Spare Room Subsidy was agreed within his Department.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The contractors who were commissioned to undertake the report into the evaluation of the Removal of the Spare Room Subsidy provided the Department with the final version of the report on 8 December 2015.

    It was agreed within the Department on 11 December 2015 and publication details were announced on the same day.