Category: Speeches

  • Simon Hoare – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Simon Hoare – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Simon Hoare on 2015-11-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the progress of Pakistan in securing justice for people killed in the 2007 Mumbai attacks.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The 2008 Mumbai attacks were a deplorable act of terrorism in which a British national was amongst the 166 innocent people killed. Many hundreds of others were seriously wounded. Given the gravity of those horrific events, the UK Government is deeply concerned by the release on bail of Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, one of the alleged planners, in April. Pakistan has committed to bring to justice the perpetrators and sponsors, and we continue to urge Pakistan at the highest levels to follow through on that commitment.

    The UK Government recognises that Pakistan is on the frontline of terrorism, and continues to make considerable sacrifices on a daily basis. We remain fully committed to working in partnership with Pakistan to tackle the scourge of violent extremism which threatens both our interests. It is essential for stability in the South Asia region and for the safety of UK nationals that Pakistan delivers on its commitment to tackle all terrorist groups.

  • Peter Kyle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Peter Kyle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2015-12-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress has been made on introducing (a) flexible rail season tickets and (b) rail season tickets targeted at part-time workers.

    Claire Perry

    We have challenged the rail industry to develop proposals for pricing and delivering more flexible season tickets for people who work or commute part-time, which could also attract new customers onto the railway. Some operators, like Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) and Arriva Trains Wales, already offer carnet products on selected routes. In addition, GTR and c2c have franchise obligations to offer carnet-based season tickets, and the prospectus for the South-Western franchise includes the expectation that bidders will introduce new, more flexible products that benefit passengers who work or commute part-time.

  • Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-01-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to paragraph 3.28 of English Apprenticeships: Our 2020 Vision, what information his Department holds on the proportion of planned apprenticeships provided by the five per cent club which are expected to be taken up by apprentices with special educational needs or disabilities.

    Nick Boles

    The Five Per Cent Club has been developed and is run by businesses themselves who commit to making a public declaration to achieve five per cent of their company’s overall UK headcount being an apprentice, a sponsored student or on a graduate programme. We do not hold any information on the proportion of planned apprenticeships provided by employers in the Five Per Cent Club which are expected to be taken up by apprentices with special educational needs or disabilities.

    Thousands of disabled people have benefitted from apprenticeships. Of the 499,900 starting an apprenticeship in the 2014/15 academic year, 44,090 of those declared a disability or learning difficulty (LDD).

  • 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 2016-02-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what response they have made to Israel’s reported decision to reject recommendation 13 of UNICEF’s report Children in Israeli Military Detention: Observations and Recommendations.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers and our Ambassador in Tel Aviv have spoken and written to the Israeli Justice Minister and Israeli Attorney General to urge Israel to take action on the report. While we welcome recent improvements made by the Israeli authorities, we remain concerned at the number of Palestinian minors held in Israeli detention. We will continue to raise these concerns with the Government of Israel to ensure that international standards are upheld in regards to the treatment of Palestinian children detained. We are also funding a further visit in February for the authors of the independent report.

  • Stephen Gethins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Stephen Gethins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Gethins on 2016-02-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when he plans to reply to the letter of 18 January 2016 from the hon. Member for North East Fife on the Royal Mail’s dismissal of David Mitchell.

    Nick Boles

    I replied to the hon. Member on 4 March.

  • David Burrowes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    David Burrowes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Burrowes on 2016-03-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans the Government has for the allocation of the £70 million funding for relationship support announced by the Prime Minister on 11 January 2016; and what the timetable will be for the distribution of that funding over the Parliament.

    Priti Patel

    The Department is developing the detail of how the funding will be allocated. For 2016/17 we are extending our programme of relationship support provision which will include supporting local authorities to improve the quality of couple or co-parenting relationships and extending the evidence base in this policy area.

    We are also exploring which interventions can maximise the important links between parenting and relationship support.

  • Lord Myners – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Lord Myners – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Myners on 2016-04-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Statement by the Business Minister, Anna Soubry, on 25 April (HC Deb, col 1174), what assistance they plan to offer BHS or Retail Acquisitions.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    Workers and their families will be worried by the news that BHS has been placed in the hands of administrators. The Administrator must secure the best possible result for the business, starting with rescuing it if possible as a going concern. If this does not prove possible, then we stand ready to help those affected, including through Jobcentre Plus’ Rapid Response Service, to help people move into new jobs as quickly as possible.

  • Tim Loughton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Tim Loughton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2016-06-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when her Department plans to publish the findings from areas piloting 30 hours of free childcare.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    We are currently commissioning the evaluation of early implementation of 30 hours free childcare. An invitation to tender was published in May 2016 with a view to awarding the contract to a successful bidder by the end of June 2016.

    The evaluation will focus on generating learning that can be used by Early Implementers and all local councils ahead of national implementation in September 2017.

  • Stephen Doughty – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Stephen Doughty – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-09-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure the security of British Embassy employees returning to Juba, South Sudan after the attacks on civilians at the Terrain hotel in July 2016.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    We are appalled by reports of aid workers coming under attack at the Terrain hotel. It is completely unacceptable to target people who have themselves gone to help those in greatest need. The UN Security Council emphasised concerns about this incident during the visit to Juba in early September 2016. We take very seriously the security of all our staff overseas – both UK and locally engaged – in line with our duty of care obligations, and regularly review security at our missions. Our Embassy was reduced to only essential staff during the crisis and careful consideration is being given on numbers returning.

  • Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-10-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her policy is on the rules that will apply to foreign students seeking employment after graduating (a) during negotiations on the UK leaving the EU and (b) once the UK has exited the EU.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The precise way in which the Government will control the movement of EU nationals to the UK after the UK has left the EU is yet to be determined and will be subject to the wider negotiations on the UK’s exit from the EU. We are not going to provide a running commentary on every twist and turn of these negotiations.