Category: Speeches

  • Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will publish (a) the revised list of the membership of the Department’s Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment and (b) a revised register of interests of the Committee’s members.

    George Eustice

    The current membership of the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment (ACRE) is:

    Professor Rosemary Hails MBE (chair), Centre for Ecology and Hydrology

    Dr Kathy Bamford, Imperial College

    Professor Michael Bonsall, University of Oxford

    Dr Rosemary Collier, University of Warwick

    Professor Ian Crute CBE, self-employed consultant

    Dr Matthew Heard, Centre for Ecology and Hydrology

    Professor David Hopkins, The Royal Agricultural University

    Simon Kerr, National Institute of Agricultural Botany

    Dr Peter Lund, University of Birmingham

    Dr Ben Raymond, University of Exeter

    Dr Andrew Wilcox, Harper Adams University

    An updated register of the interests of the Committee members will be published as soon as possible on the ACRE pages of the GOV..UK website. (at https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/advisory-committee-on-releases-to-the-environment).

    “

  • Lord Lester of Herne Hill – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Lord Lester of Herne Hill – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lester of Herne Hill on 2015-11-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government which instruments have been used to grant exemptions from deposit in the National Archives under the Public Records Act 1958 since the introduction of the rule that closed records should be deposited after 20 years.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    Departments that wish to physically retain custody of records for an administrative or other reason (such as national security) for longer than the prescribed period require a retention instrument.

    Since 2013, when the Government began its move towards transferring records to the National Archives when they are 20 years old, rather than 30, retention instrument numbers 111 to 119 have been approved.

  • Jo Stevens – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Jo Stevens – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jo Stevens on 2015-12-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate his Department has made of the value of the contract of tender for the employers’ digital apprenticeship account; and when he plans to put that contract out to tender.

    Nick Boles

    The Department has completed an assessment of the cost to implement the Digital Apprenticeship Service. In line with Cabinet Office best practice, we do not intend to procure the full scope of the Digital Apprenticeship Service. We supplement in-house expertise with services from a range of suppliers and will procure any further services through government frameworks in phases over the next 12 months.

  • Ben Howlett – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Ben Howlett – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ben Howlett on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will take steps to protect Christians in Syria from persecution by Daesh.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    We recognise the situation is desperate for many communities within Syria and Iraq. We condemn in the strongest terms the atrocities committed by Daesh against all civilians, including Christians and other minorities, as well as the majority Muslim population in Syria and Iraq.

    The International Syria Support Group (ISSG) has agreed that protecting the rights of all Syrians, regardless of ethnicity or religious denomination is fundamental. This means that Syrian minorities will be included as the political process progresses. Through our membership of the ISSG, we will ensure that this is adhered to.

    The Global Coalition has provided air support to the Syrian Democratic Forces (which include Syrian Christian members) in their fight against Daesh.

    Ultimately, the best way of safeguarding minority rights is by defeating Daesh and establishing peace and stability in the region. The UK has been at the forefront of these efforts and, together with our allies, has a comprehensive strategy to deal with Daesh.

  • Lord Mawson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Mawson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mawson on 2016-02-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government why they decided to cancel the transfer of police custody healthcare services to the NHS after several years of preparation; whether that change in policy was announced to Parliament; and what assessment they have made of how that decision will ensure equivalent standards and quality of healthcare and safety of patients in all police services across England and Wales.

    Lord Bates

    The decision not to pursue the transfer of custody healthcare commissioning from Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) to NHS England was taken in the context of wider decisions about the Provisional Police Funding Settlement for 2016/17, details of which were announced to Parliament in a written statement by the Minister of State for Policing, Crime and Criminal Justice and Victims on 17 December.

    The Government is clear that Police and Crime Commissioners should retain full flexibility to be able to prioritise resources towards police custody healthcare functions based on their local needs.

    A number of sources of information and guidance are available to PCCs to inform their commissioning of custody healthcare services.

    The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1983 (PACE) sets out the statutory framework for custodial care and the rights and entitlements of a detainee in police custody. The College of Policing, as the professional body for policing, has published Approved Professional Practice (APP) on custody and detention. Police officers and staff are expected to have regard to the APP in discharging their responsibilities.The APP references wider guidance published by professional medical bodies including the Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine. In addition there is a NHS England national service specification setting out clinical standards for the commissioning and provision of police custody healthcare functions. This is currently being reviewed and updated.

    In many police force areas the close ties which PCCs have established to local NHS England commissioners over recent years have already helped to drive up the standards and quality of provision. On 11 February my Rt Hon Friend the Home Secretary and my Right Honourable Friend the Secretary of State for Health wrote to Police and Crime Commissioners and NHS England Commissioners encouraging them to continue to build upon this work to further improve healthcare service delivery.

    Any recommendations made by the forthcoming independent review of deaths and serious incidents in police custody will be carefully considered in due course.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-03-11.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies on corporate taxation of the OECD’s report, Countering harmful tax practices more effectively, taking into account transparency and substance, published in September 2014.

    Mr David Gauke

    The OECD report published in September 2014 formed the basis of international discussions in the OECD Forum on Harmful Tax Practices, which lead to the publishing of the 2015 FHTP Report, chapter 4 of which creates a new international framework governing preferential intellectual property (“IP”) regimes, such as the UK Patent Box.

    This international framework makes the lower tax rates of preferential IP regimes dependent on, and proportional to, the research and development expenditure incurred by the claimant taxpayer in developing their IP. The UK Patent Box will be amended in line with this international framework, with the new rules coming into force on 1 July 2016.

    The Report also made provision for greater information exchange between tax authorities of rulings issued to individual businesses. HM Revenue and Customs is currently implementing these rules and has already begun to exchange information with other tax authorities.

  • Gordon Marsden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Gordon Marsden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2016-04-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 14 March 2016 to Question 30445, to which regions the 173 volunteer Enterprise Advisers have been appointed.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    The Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) is continuing to make excellent progress to transform the provision of careers, enterprise and employer engagement experiences for young people, including growing its Enterprise Advisers Network. The CEC is responsible for the administrative resources provided to the network. We therefore suggest contacting the company directly for detailed information about the network, including regions to which Enterprise Co-ordinators and Advisers have been appointed. The CEC can be contacted at info@careersandenterprise.co.uk.

    “

  • Lord Blencathra – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Lord Blencathra – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Blencathra on 2016-05-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what information they have collected on the number of racoon dogs in the UK; whether they have any plans to ban the ownership of racoon dogs outside licensed zoos; and what action they plan to take to exterminate any in the wild.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    No data is collected on the number of raccoon dogs in the UK.

    There are currently no plans to ban the ownership of this species inside or outside licensed zoos.

    It is currently an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to release a raccoon dog, or allow one to escape, into the wild. If an animal were to escape it would first be the responsibility of the owner to recapture the animal. If, however, there was a threat that the species were to become established in the wild, action would be undertaken to capture and remove the animals in accordance with a draft rapid response protocol currently being prepared as part of the GB non-native species strategy.

  • Thangam Debbonaire – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Thangam Debbonaire – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2016-07-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what training Job Centre Plus staff are required to undertake on the support that is available to people who have been granted refugee status.

    Damian Hinds

    Jobcentre Plus staff are trained to consider a person’s circumstances and to tailor support according to individual need. All staff complete customer awareness training that covers a wide range of customer circumstances that includes asylum seekers and refugees.

    Jobcentre Plus staff supplement national instructions with information on services and support available in their local area. This is accessed via the District Provision Tool which contains a wealth of information on the support available for vulnerable claimants including refugees. Staff are encouraged to access this regularly.

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the impact on the domestic ivory market of plans by other OECD countries to make it illegal to import and export ivory; and if she will make it her policy to impose a total ban on the domestic ivory trade.

    Dr Thérèse Coffey

    The Government is deeply concerned by the continued poaching of elephants for their ivory, which is why we are committed to maintaining the current global ban on any international trade in new ivory. The UK has made no formal assessment of the impact of other countries’ additional measures to restrict trade in ivory. However, as a further step in delivering the Government’s manifesto commitment to press for a total ban on ivory sales, on 21 September the Secretary of State announced plans for a ban on sales of items containing ivory dated between 1947 and the present day, putting UK rules on ivory sales among the world’s toughest. We will consult on plans for the ban early next year. This will complement the existing UK approach not to permit the trade of raw ivory tusks.

    The Government also successfully lobbied for the EU-wide adoption of the existing UK ban on sales of raw ivory tusks, which was advocated through the EU Council Conclusions on an EU Action Plan on Wildlife Trafficking and adopted in June. This urged EU Member States not to issue export or re-export documents under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) for raw, pre-Convention ivory (pre-1990) and to consider further measures to put a halt to commercial trade in ivory from elephants.

    At the CITES Conference that took place from 24 September to 5 October the UK was involved in negotiations that successfully secured a strong agreement calling for the closure of domestic ivory markets where they contribute to poaching or illegal trade. This was agreed by all 183 Parties to CITES.