Category: Speeches

  • Julian Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Julian Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Knight on 2016-04-14.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what investments his Department plans to be (a) permitted and (b) excluded under a lifetime ISA.

    Harriett Baldwin

    The new Lifetime ISA will provide savers with the flexibility to save towards a first home and retirement at the same time.

    From April 2017, people aged 18 to 40 will be able to save up to £4,000 each year into a Lifetime ISA and receive a 25% bonus from the Government.

    The Government is engaging with the industry on the detail of implementation and regulation of the Lifetime ISA. Further details will be announced when the Government brings forward legislation to enact the Lifetime ISA in the autumn.

  • Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-05-23.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of action being taken in Greece to (1) increase capacity for processing asylum applications, (2) speed up family reunion cases from Greece to all EU member states, and (3) improve reception and living conditions for refugees and migrants.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    We welcome the action that is being taken in Greece to: increase capacity for processing asylum applications; speed up family reunion cases from Greece to all EU member states; and improve reception and living conditions for refugees and migrants.

    The UK continues to support Greece and other Member States. As notified in my statement of 21 April, HCWS687, 75 UK expert personnel will be deployed to Greece to support implementation of the EU-Turkey Migration Agreement and will conduct a number of duties. A proportion of the UK expert personnel will work closely with European Asylum Support Officer (EASO) coordinators and the Greek Asylum Service to process cases through the admissibility process and provide expert support to the Greek authorities and other EU partners on overall co-ordination of the response. Supporting the operation of the Greek asylum service is a fundamental part of this Government’s approach to identifying individuals in need of protection at the earliest possible opportunity and ensuring they are identified as eligible for family reunification consideration under the terms of Dublin Regulation.

    This deployment is in addition to the support that we are already providing to the Greek asylum service. Two UK experts have already been deployed to the Greek Dublin Unit and have provided valuable assistance. A third was due to be deployed, however, EASO has informed us that support to the Greek Dublin Unit is currently at full complement. We stand ready to deploy further experts as soon as they are required. We are confident that through our cooperation and concerted joint efforts we can identify and facilitate the swift transfers of cases through our national systems and make effective use of the Dublin Regulation.

  • Debbie Abrahams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Debbie Abrahams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Debbie Abrahams on 2016-07-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the average loss incurred by people in receipt of Universal Credit who are in regular employment and paid every four weeks and receive two sets of earnings in one assessment period compared with claimants with the same annual income who are paid monthly with one set of earnings in each assessment period since the roll-out of the digital service.

    Damian Hinds

    The specific information requested could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.

    Unlike tax credits which meant that claimants received demands for repayments and could never be sure they were receiving the correct entitlement, Universal Credit assesses monthly earnings and income in that month. That lessens the burden on claimants who have fluctuating incomes or irregular payments so they can budget with greater confidence and without the anxiety they will be hit with a demand for repayment.

    We are currently implementing a test and learn approach to understand the interaction of Universal Credit and employer pay cycles and its effect on awards. This work will include discussions with employers.

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, (a) how many and (b) what proportion of the staff employed by her Department are non-UK nationals.

    Rory Stewart

    All Government Departments are bound by legal requirements concerning the right to work in the UK and, in addition, the Civil Service Nationality Rules.

    Evidence of nationality is checked at the point of recruitment into the Civil Service as part of wider pre-employment checks, but there is no requirement on departments to retain this information beyond the point at which it has served its purpose.

    More broadly, the Government will be consulting in due course on how we work with business to ensure that workers in this country have the skills that they need to get a job. But there are no proposals to publish lists of the number or proportion of foreign workers.

  • Jim Dowd – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Jim Dowd – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Dowd on 2015-11-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has to review the Pet Animals Act 1951.

    George Eustice

    Defra is reviewing the Pet Animals Act 1951 as part of a wider review of some of the animal related licensing schemes. We are looking to consult on a set of proposals shortly.

  • Richard Arkless – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Richard Arkless – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Arkless on 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the effect of Scottish Government policies on the level of new affordable social housing in Scotland.

    Brandon Lewis

    Delivery of affordable housing in Scotland is a devolved matter.

  • Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-01-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, in what circumstances his Department can terminate the (a) Southern, (b) Thameslink and (c) GTR contracts early.

    Claire Perry

    Whilst Southern and Thameslink are used as operating names by the franchisee, they are in fact part of the GTR franchise, which operates the Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern (TSGN) Franchise.

    Schedule 10.2 of the TSGN Franchise Agreement (https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/488198/tsgn-franchise-agreement.pdf p.506) specifies how this franchise can be terminated by the Department.

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  • Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-02-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel on the suspension of three Arab-Israeli members from speaking in the Knesset.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We have not raised this specific issue with the Israeli authorities.

  • Gordon Marsden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Gordon Marsden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2016-03-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 14 March 2016 to Question 30445, how many full-time equivalent staff are working for the Careers and Enterprise Company; and what estimate she has made of what the final number of full-time equivalent staff at that body will be.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    The Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) has made excellent progress in its work to transform the provision of careers, enterprise and employer engagement experiences for young people.

    The CEC is aiming for Local Enterprise Partnerships to recruit 50 Enterprise Co-ordinators and 300 volunteer Enterprise Advisers between September 2015 and March 2016. The Department for Education is in the process of agreeing the CEC’s funding and targets for the forthcoming financial year.

    The number of full-time equivalent staff currently employed by the CEC is 18. Further recruitment will depend on the funding available to the company and its objectives for future years.

  • Danny Kinahan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Danny Kinahan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Danny Kinahan on 2016-04-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when compensation payments to veterans with mesothelioma caused by service were commenced.

    Mark Lancaster

    The Government has continuously made compensation available under the War Pension Scheme for injuries, illness or disease caused by service before 6 April 2005, including mesothelioma.

    The War Pension Scheme provides veterans with mesothelioma with the maximum award paid on a weekly/monthly basis and additional supplementary allowances and, where appropriate, entitlement to dependant’s benefits.

    Following representations from ex-Service organisations and others, on 11 April 2016 a new legislative provision was introduced under the War Pension Scheme, this allowed individuals diagnosed with mesothelioma to opt for a lump sum payment of £140,000.

    The first lump sum payments under the new provisions were made on 11 April 2016.