Category: Speeches

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-02-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much funding the Government provided to the Female Genital Mutilation Helpline in (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16; how many full-time equivalent staff have been employed by that helpline; how many calls that helpline has received; and how much funding the Government plans to allocate to that helpline in financial year 2016-17.

    Karen Bradley

    The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) runs the UK’s 24-hour female genital mutilation helpline in partnership with the Home Office and the Metropolitan Police Service. The Government does not fund the helpline, but works closely with the NSPCC to raise awareness of the helpline. A total of 1,129 calls and enquiries have been received by the helpline between November 2013 and the end of January 2016.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what reason NHS England decided not to proceed with the Truvada commissioning process; and what plans the Government has to make that drug available on the NHS.

    Jane Ellison

    NHS England does not now consider pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV is suitable for prioritisation of specialised commissioning spend as it is a preventative measure. However given the potential benefits in this area, NHS England is keen to build on the work to date and will be making available up to £2 million over the next two years to run a number of early implementer test sites. These will be undertaken in conjunction with Public Health England and will seek to answer the remaining questions around how PrEP could be commissioned in the most cost effective and integrated way to reduce HIV and sexually transmitted infections in those at highest risk.

  • Geoffrey Cox – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Geoffrey Cox – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Geoffrey Cox on 2016-05-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he has taken to ensure that the Supported People programme funding to local authorities reaches vulnerable people in Devon.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    Funding for the Supporting People Grant was rolled into the local government finance settlement in 2011-12. Decisions on how money should be spent are best made by local authorities. Local authorities have the freedom and flexibility to prioritise and make their own decisions on how they spend their budgets.

  • Carol Monaghan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Carol Monaghan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Carol Monaghan on 2016-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many refugees currently housed in the refugee camp in Calais are unaccompanied children; and what steps are being taken to ensure that the asylum applications of those children are prioritised.

    James Brokenshire

    The French NGO France Terre d’Asile (FTDA) has carried out a survey of children in the camps in the Calais area, which identified, within the scope of the survey, 43 children with claimed family links to the UK. We are working closely with the French Government and FTDA to ensure that where family links are established, transfers take place efficiently under the Dublin Regulation.

    The transfer of cases deemed the responsibility of the UK on the basis of family unity provisions contained in the Dublin Regulation can take place relatively quickly and we have resources in place to facilitate this. An individual must first, however, claim asylum in France or another European state participating in the Regulation for the process to begin.

    Under the UK-France Joint Declaration of 20 August 2015, the UK and France have committed to ensuring that the provisions of the Dublin III Regulation are used efficiently and effectively. To assist the handling of such cases, the two Governments have established a permanent official contact group, agreed single points of contact within respective Dublin Units and we seconded an asylum expert to the French administration to facilitate the improvement of all stages of the process.

    The UK and France are running regular joint communication campaigns in northern France which inform unaccompanied children and others of their right to claim asylum in France and of the family reunion process.

  • Lord West of Spithead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord West of Spithead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2016-09-06.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the cost of the refit to RFA Diligence in 2015.

    Earl Howe

    Refits of RFA DILIGENCE were carried out from June 2012 to February 2013, and from September 2014 to February 2015, costing £17.6 million and £11 million respectively.

    The timings of the refits were driven by factors including the mandatory requirements to renew safety and environmental certification and the need to address equipment obsolescence issues.

  • Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-10-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she has taken to reduce homophobic hate crimes since January 2016.

    Sarah Newton

    The Home Office was part of the steering group of an Equalities and Human Rights Commission project to tackle homophobic, biphobic and transphobic hate crime, which ended earlier this year.

    As a result, we have committed to work with organisations such as the anti-violence charity Galop to develop resources that specifically meet the needs of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans (LGBT) communities. We are also sharing existing good practice, including across the LGBT Hate Crime Network which was established by the project and is made up of over 30 groups across the country.

    The cross-Government Hate Crime Action Plan, developed following consultation with a number of LGBT groups, contains actions designed to tackle hate crime against LGB&T people. This includes an assessment of the levels of homophobic bullying in schools, renewed CPS legal guidance on homophobic, biphobic and transphobic crime and funding for community groups who are working to tackle hate crime, including homophobic, biphobic and transphobic hate crime.

  • Craig Whittaker – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Craig Whittaker – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2015-11-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the level of growth of small and medium-sized enterprises across West Yorkshire since 2010.

    Anna Soubry

    Statistics on the small and medium-sized business population are not available for West Yorkshire. Covering a larger geographical area, The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills’ Business Population Estimates, in 2015 show there were 50,200 (15%) more small and medium-sized businesses in Yorkshire and the Humber region than in 2010.

    The closest suitable geography is that of the Local Enterprise Partnership. ONS statistics show there were 98,500 small and medium-sized businesses registered for VAT or PAYE in 2015 in the Leeds City Region Local Enterprise Partnership area. The figure reported for 2010 was 83,200, although this was calculated on a different basis and is not strictly comparable.

  • Lord Rana – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Rana – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Rana on 2015-12-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action the new Commonwealth counter-extremism unit will take to tackle extremism.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We are committed to tackling extremism and radicalisation. A number of Commonwealth countries face significant challenges. The Commonwealth Secretariat has done some work in this area but additional capacity is required to coordinate the sharing of expertise and support efforts to counter the causes of radicalisation. The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), announced UK funding of £5m over 5 years to establish a Counter-Extremism and Counter Radicalisation Unit in the Commonwealth Secretariat. Setting up a new unit recognises that Commonwealth countries must work together to counter extremist ideologies and build their counter extremism capabilities. The unit will:

    •Provide technical assistance to governments developing counter-extremism strategies.

    •Mobilise Commonwealth civil society networks to counter radicalisation through targeted counter-narratives and strategic communication training.

    •Enable Commonwealth members to meet their international counter extremism obligations. There is a demand from Commonwealth countries for support in implementing international counter extremism obligations (e.g. in relation to UNSCR 2178.).

    We will work closely with the Commonwealth Secretariat, Commonwealth members and key stakeholders to ensure that UK funding supports the work of countries across the Commonwealth to tackle the threat of extremism.

  • Bill Esterson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Bill Esterson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bill Esterson on 2016-01-13.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of late payment of claims by insurance companies on SMEs.

    Harriett Baldwin

    In the Enterprise Bill, Government has proposed to introduce a new requirement for insurers to pay claims within a reasonable time, which will also entitle policyholders to claim damages where a claims is paid late. An assessment of the impact of late payment of insurance claims, including on small and medium sized enterprises, has been published by the government:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/461200/BIS-15-517-IA-late-payment-of-insurance-claims.pdf

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has had discussions with her EU counterparts during the renegotiation of the terms of UK membership of the EU on EU fisheries policy; and if she will take steps to secure a better outcome for the British fishing industry within that policy.

    George Eustice

    The Government is fighting hard to fix the aspects of our EU membership that cause so much frustration in the UK, so that we get a better deal for the UK and secure our future. The Government is focused on delivering a successful renegotiation. We believe we can and will succeed in reforming and renegotiating our relationship with the EU.

    Separately, the UK continues to pursue effective implementation of the reformed Common Fisheries Policy through full use of the new provisions for regionalised decision making, and including the elimination of the wasteful practice of discarding fish. The UK is also seeking to simplify technical regulations in the fisheries sector, for the benefit of the UK fishing industry and the sustainability of fish stocks.