Category: Speeches

Jonathan Lord – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Lord on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of children who receive free school meals in (a) Woking constituency, (b) Surrey, (c) the South East and (d) the UK have participated in higher education in each year since 2010.

Joseph Johnson

Information is given on the number and percentage of students completing Key Stage 5 study (A level and other Level 3 qualifications) in mainstream state-funded schools and colleges, before progressing to study at a UK higher education institution for at least two terms the following year, in each of the last five years for which information is available. Free school meal eligibility is as recorded when students were in Year 11.

The table below show figures for the Woking constituency for the years 2010/11 to 2014/15. Numbers of pupils are shown rounded to the nearest ten, in line with how published information was shown in these years. Percentages are calculated using unrounded figures.

In each of the last five years, ten students in the Woking constituency (rounded to the nearest ten), who had been eligible for free school meals in Year 11 and completed Key Stage 5 study, progressed to higher education. This compares to between 180 and 250 students who had not been eligible for free school meals. In 2014/15, this represents 34% of free school meals students and 50% of other students who had completed Key Stage 5 study. Due to the small numbers of students involved, these proportions have varied year on year.

Comparable information on pupil destinations for b) Surrey, c) the South East and d) England is published annually at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-destinations

Woking constituency	Number of students completing KS5		Number at UK Higher Education Institution		% at UK Higher Education Institution (calculated on unrounded figures)
	(rounded to nearest 10)		(rounded to nearest 10)
	FSM	Non-FSM	FSM	Non-FSM	FSM	Non-FSM
2014/15 (2013/14 KS5 cohort)	30	510	10	250	34%	50%
2013/14 (2012/13 KS5 cohort)	20	370	10	180	32%	49%
2012/13 (2011/12 KS5 cohort)	30	450	10	200	31%	45%
2011/12 (2010/11 KS5 cohort)	20	450	10	230	61%	52%
2010/11 (2009/10 KS5 cohort)	30	490	10	220	41%	45%

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01/01/2023

Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-10-27.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent representations he has received on the use of plastic bank notes; and if he will make a statement.

Harriett Baldwin

The Bank of England is the issuing authority for banknotes. Following research and a public consultation in 2013, the Bank decided that new polymer £5 and £10 banknotes would come into circulation at the end of 2016 and 2017 respectively. In September 2015, the Bank announced that the next £20 note will also be printed on polymer after considering further developments in banknote technology.

01/01/2023
Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2015-11-23.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will make representations to the government of China about not returning to North Korea nine refugees transferred to China from Vietnam; what assessment they have made of conclusions by Human Rights Watch that, should those refugees be repatriated, they will be at grave risk; and what assessment the British Ambassador in Pyongyang has made of the fate of other refugees returned to North Korea.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We are aware of the situation and are discussing the case with the relevant authorities. We raise the issue of non-refoulement with the Chinese government regularly, including at the last UK-China Human Rights Dialogue.

01/01/2023
Stephen Gethins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Gethins on 2016-01-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to prepare for the outcome of the EU referendum.

Mr Desmond Swayne

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

01/01/2023
Maria Eagle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2016-01-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to help members of the public to attend First World War centenary events held in 2016 in (a) Orkney, (b) Manchester and (c) Thiepval.

David Evennett

The commemorative events in Orkney, Manchester and Thiepval are focal points for the nation to remember those who fought and died at the Battles of Jutland and the Somme. Ensuring that the public can be part of each one is at the heart of our plans, whether that’s the thousands of people who will be able to attend or the very many more who will follow events through live broadcasts or media coverage.

A public ballot for Thiepval tickets was launched on 1 July 2015, with people able to register their interest. This attracted significant media attention at a national and regional level. We have also reached out to Jutland descendants to be part of events in Orkney and had a great response. In due course we will let the public know how to take part in UK events marking the Somme, including those to be held in Manchester.

We have been clear that transport and accommodation is the responsibility of attendees – however, we are working closely with tour operators and other travel companies to ensure there are a wide range of options. For example, Eurostar has agreed to provide a dedicated train to a non-Eurostar stop for on-the-day travel to the Thiepval event. In addition, there are regular rail and coach services between the UK and France and a variety of accommodation options to suit all budgets. Those with tickets can get up to date information and ask questions via our dedicated somme2016.org website.

01/01/2023
Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-02-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many appeals against Local Planning Authority decisions by developers he has received under Section 78 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 in each year since 2009-10; in how many of those cases in each year did he exercise his powers under Section 79 of that Act to (a) allow under Section 79(1)(a), (b) dismiss under Section 79(1)(b), (c) decline to determine under Section 79(6), (d) dismiss under Section 79(6A) the appeal and (e) amend the planning authority’s original decision in any way; and in how many such cases the Local Planning Authority subsequently paid compensation to the developer as a result of his decision.

Brandon Lewis

The attached table only covers Section 79 (1)(a) and Section 79(1)(b).

We do not hold the data on section 79(6) as the legislation is very rarely used with only a handful of cases in the last 7 years. In addition, the Section 79 (6) ‘compensation’ element only allows for a party to apply for costs. This can only occur where a party has behaved unreasonably, and this has directly caused another party to incur unnecessary or wasted expense. The costs order states the broad extent of the expense the party can recover from the party against whom the award is made. It does not determine the actual amount. PPG ‘Appeals’ section 4 relates.

01/01/2023
Baroness Cox – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Cox on 2016-03-21.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the remarks of the Minister of State for the Department for International Development, Mr Desmond Swayne, on 16 March (HC Deb, col 937), whether non-state actors can be guilty of genocide, subject to a referral to the International Criminal Court from the United Nations Security Council.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

Under Article IV of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, persons committing genocide or any of the other acts enumerated in Article III of the Convention shall be punished whether they are constitutionally responsible rulers, public officials or private individuals. Any member of Daesh who has committed an act of genocide is therefore liable to prosecution. Individual criminal responsibility, rather than by organisations or groups, is determined by courts. The International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor has set out some of the complicated issues involved in the ICC investigating Daesh in her press statement of 8 April 2015.

01/01/2023
Lord Chidgey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Chidgey on 2016-04-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact on the normal functioning of parliamentary ratification processes in developing countries of the EU bringing forward the deadlines for ratification of EU Economic Partnership Agreements.

Lord Price

The EU has not brought forward the deadlines for ratification of Economic Partnership Agreements between the EU and African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) partners. EU Regulation 1528/2007 of 20 December 2007 states that ratification of the agreements should take place “within a reasonable period of time.” I expect the parliamentary ratification processes in developing countries to function as normal in relation to these agreements.

01/01/2023
Helen Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2016-05-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many free schools have opened in areas where there are surplus places in the age range covered by the school in each year since 2010.

Edward Timpson

Every free school has been approved for opening in response to either the need to provide extra school places for the future, the need to provide parents with greater choice or the need to provide more high quality places. Of the open mainstream free schools reported in School Capacity data in May 2015, all of which were approved prior to January 2014, seven in ten were approved in areas where there was a basic need for additional school places.

85% of mainstream free schools approved since January 2014 – the majority of which have not yet opened – are in areas where School Capacity data showed there was a basic need for additional school places. The remaining 15% were approved on the basis of more recent local authority intelligence of future need for places; in areas where there was a need for additional high quality places or to create additional choice or diversity.

01/01/2023
Rebecca Long Bailey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rebecca Long Bailey on 2016-07-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for what reason her Department has increased the small claims limit for minor whiplash claims.

Sir Oliver Heald

The government remains concerned about the number and cost of low value personal injury claims and has announced robust new measures to tackle them – including raising the small claims limit for personal injury claims to £5,000. This change has not yet been made.

01/01/2023