Category: Speeches

  • Anna Turley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Anna Turley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anna Turley on 2016-10-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the power conferred on Ofcom to regulation offensive communications sent in the UK on (a) the internet and (b) social media platforms.

    Matt Hancock

    We are aware of concerns about offensive content on social media. Where this is the case Government expects social media providers to have robust process in place and act promptly when abuse is reported. The UK has strict laws governing such content, which apply equally online and offline.

    Ofcom does not regulate offensive communications on either the internet or social media platforms. The Communications Act 2003 requires Ofcom to set standards to ensure that generally accepted standards are applied to the content of television and radio programmes.

  • George Howarth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    George Howarth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by George Howarth on 2015-11-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the extent of gambling addiction in young people in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement.

    Tracey Crouch

    The Gambling Commission recently published the findings from a 2015 survey of gambling participation and problem gambling amongst 11-15 year olds. It found that 0.6% of 11-15 year olds being classified as problem gamblers. More information can be found here:

    http://www.natlotcomm.gov.uk/publications-and-research/research-programme/underage-play/ipsos-mori-young-people-omnibus-2015.html

    “

  • Chris Evans – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Chris Evans – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Evans on 2015-12-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will revise the bidding procurement process for the Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme in order to increase the number of bidders for the provision of mobile services.

    Mike Penning

    The Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme (ESMCP) Mobile Services procurement attracted all national mobile network operators and on 13 November announced its intention to award a contract to EE. Subject to an application decision in the High Court on 8-9 December to lift the automatic suspension, following a challenge by one of the down-selected bidders, EE will be awarded the contract for Mobile Services.

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-01-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much is allocated in her Department’s operational plan budget for projects in (a) Jordan and (b) Iraq for 2015-16.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    In the financial year 2015/16 DFID’s latest Operational Plan budgets are £47 million in Jordan and £40 million in Iraq.

  • Gordon Henderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Gordon Henderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Henderson on 2016-02-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to support smaller building firms in building high-quality new homes.

    Brandon Lewis

    We have put in place a number of initiatives to help smaller builders to build more homes and grow their businesses including the Housing Growth Fund and Builders’ Finance Fund. A new £1 billion short-term housing development fund, announced at Autumn Statement, will be launched in the Spring.

  • Lord Hamilton of Epsom – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Hamilton of Epsom – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hamilton of Epsom on 2016-02-25.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the judgment of the European Court of Justice in Rottmann v Freistaat Bayern (Case C-135/08) that a decision by an EU member state to deprive a person of national citizenship cannot result automatically from the fact that the person in question acquired that status by deception, in particular in the light of Section A of the Decision of the Heads of State or Government, meeting within the European Council, concerning issues raised by Denmark regarding the Treaty on European Union (Official Journal C348/1, 31/12/92).

    Lord Bates

    The European Court of Justice confirmed in the case of Rottmann that it was required to take into account the Edinburgh Decision of 1992 when interpreting the EU Treaties. On the facts of the case, the Court found that the decision to deprive the applicant of German nationality had to comply with the EU principle of proportionality. The Court considered that this conclusion was consistent with the Edinburgh Decision.

    In its application of this judgment, the UK Court of Appeal confirmed in the case of G1 that Member States retain competence over the acquisition and loss of citizenship and the principle in Rottmann only applies if EU law is engaged on the particular facts of each case.

  • Louise Ellman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Louise Ellman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Ellman on 2016-03-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many fixed penalty notices have been issued by police forces for driving on a motorway lane closed with a red X in each of the last 10 years; and if she will make a statement.

    Mike Penning

    Information on the number of fixed penalty notices (FPNs) issued by police forces for driving on a motorway lane closed with a red X is not available.

    Driving in a motorway lane closed with a red X comes under the broader offence category ‘neglect of traffic signs’ and cannot be separately identified.

    The Home Office has issued no formal guidance or instructions to the police on the enforcement of non-compliance of red X light signals. The enforcement of this offence is an operational matter for the police, as determined locally and based on local priorities.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-04-26.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate his Department has made of the number of neonatal deaths in (a) Coventry, (b) the West Midlands and (c) the UK in each of the last ten years; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Rob Wilson

    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

  • Helen Hayes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Helen Hayes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Hayes on 2016-06-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what further steps the Government plans to take to reduce the incidence of drownings of refugees and migrants in the Mediterranean.

    Mr David Lidington

    The Government’s focus is on addressing the root causes of irregular migration so as to reduce the need for people to make perilous journeys to Europe. We have taken action to tackle smugglers and save lives at sea: HMS Enterprise is deployed as part of the EU’s counter migration operation, Operation Sophia. The UK has rescued almost 18,000 people, and disrupted suspected people smugglers, in the Mediterranean since 2015. At the G7 Summit in Japan on 27 May, the Prime Minister announced that the UK will work on a plan to boost the capability of the Libyan coastguard to stem the flow of illegal migration across the Mediterranean into Europe. Once a detailed plan has been agreed with the Libyan authorities, the UK will send a training team to assist in its implementation, and as soon as the relevant permissions and UN Security Council Resolution are in place, we will deploy a naval vessel to the South Central Mediterranean.

  • Jamie Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Jamie Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will meet with the hon. Member for Copeland and representatives of the Civil Nuclear Police Federation to discuss the Civil Nuclear Constabulary Police Officers’ retirement age.

    Jesse Norman

    The Minister responsible for matters relating to the Civil Nuclear Constabulary has agreed to meet with all parties to discuss the pension age of Civil Nuclear Constabulary officers.