Category: Speeches

  • Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2016-10-21.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their latest assessment of the human rights situation in Somalia.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The Government set out an assessment of the human rights situation in Somalia in the UK statement to the UN’s Human Rights Council’s 33rd Session on 28 September 2016. In summary, Somalia has committed to upholding human rights, but implementation has been slow. Some progress has been made but overall the human rights situation in Somalia remains severe

    We will urge the Federal Government of Somalia to uphold human rights and respect its international obligations. Key human rights legislation should be implemented swiftly and effectively.

  • Sadiq Khan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Sadiq Khan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sadiq Khan on 2015-11-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many and what proportion of first time buyers there were in each London (a) borough and (b) constituency in each of the last 10 years.

    Brandon Lewis

    The requested information is not available.

  • Rebecca Long Bailey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Rebecca Long Bailey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rebecca Long Bailey on 2015-12-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what modelling his Department has done to estimate the potential effect on household income for tax credit claimant families who are migrated to universal credit before 2020; and if he will place that modelling in the Library.

    Priti Patel

    The government is committed to moving the UK from a high tax, high welfare, low wage society to a lower tax, lower welfare, higher wage society. This remains the case, and Universal Credit (UC) is delivering this.

    UC is fundamentally different from the current legacy benefit system and supports people into work and encourages them to earn more.

    Therefore there is no meaningful way of comparing an unreformed Tax Credit system with UC. The Government has committed to transitional arrangements as we reform the benefits and Tax Credit system. Those transferred by DWP from tax credits to UC will receive Transitional Protection. In addition, estimates of entitlements under UC of the sort requested will vary depending on assumptions on the level of earnings.

  • Chi Onwurah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Chi Onwurah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-01-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many (a) homes and (b) businesses have (i) received and (ii) redeemed rural satellite broadband vouchers.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    Since the launch of the scheme 2 months ago, 1265 eligible applications have been received and are being processed, and 126 households and businesses have placed orders for installations.

  • Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans her Department has to take account in its policies of the conclusions of the Muslim Brotherhood Review, HC 679, published on 17 December 2015.

    Karen Bradley

    The Review into the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) has highlighted concerns about the Brotherhood and concluded that aspects of its ideology and tactics in the UK, and overseas, have been contrary to our values, national interests and national security.

    The Government will intensify its scrutiny of the views and activities that Brotherhood members and associates promote, both here and overseas. It will also continue to consult, and share information and analysis, with other governments in the Middle East and North Africa as appropriate.

    We have looked carefully at the findings of the review and will continue to:

    • refuse visas to members and associates of the Brotherhood who are on record as having made extremist comments, in line with our existing policy guidelines and approach to extremism in all forms; • seek to ensure charities that have links to the Brotherhood are not misused to support or finance the Brotherhood instead of their lawful charitable purpose; • strengthen liaison arrangements with international partners to ensure that allegations of illicit funding or other misuse of charities are robustly investigated and appropriate action taken; • enforce the EU asset freeze on Hamas; and • keep under review whether the views and activities of the Brotherhood meet the legal test for proscription.

  • Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-02-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will review entitlement to universal credit of people whose wages are paid two weeks in arrears after their temporary employment contract has ended.

    Priti Patel

    Universal Credit takes earnings into account in a manner that is fair and simple to understand. Earnings are taken into account in the assessment period in which they are received and the Universal Credit award adjusted accordingly. We have no plans to change this policy.

    Claimants have access to help and support from the first day they make a claim to Universal Credit, regardless of when earnings are received.

  • Vicky Foxcroft – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Vicky Foxcroft – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Vicky Foxcroft on 2016-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, in how many towns there is no choice of secondary education provision.

    Edward Timpson

    The information requested is not held in the required format.

    The Department’s register of educational establishments in England and Wales, EduBase, contains the postal address details of all schools including the postal town which may differ from the actual town where the school is located.

    The EduBase system is publically available and can be accessed at: http://www.education.gov.uk/edubase/home.xhtml

    “

  • Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-05-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in (a) other NATO member states and (b) Russia on bilateral reductions in stockpiles of non-strategic nuclear weapons; and whether such reductions were discussed at the meeting of the NATO-Russia Council in April 2016.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    Reductions in US and Russian nuclear forces have been negotiated directly between those two countries. Officials regularly discuss the implementation of those agreements, including the Intermediate Nuclear Forces agreement, with the US and other NATO partners. Nuclear weapons were not discussed at the meeting of the NATO/Russia Council held on 20 April 2016, which mainly focussed on the situation in Ukraine.

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-06-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the allegations of violence by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s against its citizens, and its use of threats to the international community for the purpose of advancing its political cause.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) arbitrary use of violence against its citizens, as documented in the UN Commission of Inquiry report, underlines the brutality of the regime and its lack of respect for basic human rights. The Government has made clear its concerns about the appalling human rights situation in North Korea, directly with the regime and in international fora, including at the UN General Assembly and the Human Rights Council.

    The DPRK’s flagrant violation of UN Security Council Resolutions and its continuing provocative behaviour is a clear threat to regional stability and international security. The UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2270 on 2 March 2016 in response to the DPRK’s nuclear test of 6 January and satellite launch, using ballistic technology, of 7 February. The EU has implemented additional measures.

  • Baroness Altmann – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Baroness Altmann – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Altmann on 2016-09-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many letters they have written to (1) women, and (2) men, to inform them of changes to their state pension age; of those letters sent out, how many were returned undelivered; and when letters were returned undelivered, what efforts they then made to contact those individuals.

    Lord Freud

    Between April 2009 and March 2011, the Department mailed all women born between 6th April 1950 and 5th April 1953, informing them of their State Pension age under the 1995 Pensions Act. This involved sending 1.16 million letters to the affected females.

    Following the 2011 changes DWP wrote to all individuals directly affected to inform them of the change to their State Pension age. This applied to women born between 6th April 1953 and the 5th of April 1960 and men born between 6th December 1953 and 5th April 1960. These letters were sent between January 2012 and November 2013. This involved sending 5.77 million letters to the affected males and females.

    We do not have the total number of letters returned undelivered over the course of all the exercises. However, I can confirm we have a robust process in place to review all incorrect address returns and properly scrutinise and update customer account details when an address is confirmed. For State Pension customers, this process includes re-establishing contact through Local Authority Social Services or a DWP Visiting Officer.