Category: Speeches

  • Lady Hermon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Lady Hermon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lady Hermon on 2016-01-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Home Affairs on the resettlement in Belfast of those Syrian refugees who arrived in Northern Ireland before Christmas 2015; and if she will make a statement.

    Mrs Theresa Villiers

    I have participated in general discussions with colleagues, including the Home Secretary, on the resettlement of Syrian refugees in the UK. The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State sits on the Government’s Syrian Refugee Relocation Ministerial Group.

    The Home Office are working with local authorities and the Devolved Administrations, including the Northern Ireland Executive, to put in place the necessary arrangements for the resettlement of Syrian refugees. My Department is in regular contact with the Home Office about these matters.

  • Brendan O’Hara – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Brendan O’Hara – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Brendan O’Hara on 2016-01-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether there is a shortfall in the number of Ministry of Defence Police Officers; and what provision there is for tasking such officers beyond their contracted hours of work.

    Mark Lancaster

    The Ministry of Defence Police (MDP) currently has a number of vacancies within the Force. Where there is a shortfall in numbers at an MDP station the use of overtime working may be authorised in order to cover essential duties. Volunteers to work additional hours are sought in the first instance, but officers may be directed to work additional hours if insufficient volunteers are available.

  • Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne Main on 2016-02-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) the Think Kidneys programme, (b) ongoing work relating to acute kidney injury and (c) other work programmes being led by the National Clinical Director for Renal Disease for NHS England will continue to be taken forward following the discontinuance of that director’s post.

    Jane Ellison

    Following a review of the National Clinical Directors (NCDs), NHS England will be supported by 16 NCDs from 1 April 2016. Objectives for the NCDs will be set according to the priority areas and major programmes, as set out in the Mandate and planning guidance, and where there are established programmes of service improvement.

    Where there will no longer be a specific NCD role for renal disease, NHS England will secure expert clinical advice from its Clinical Networks and through its relationships with professional bodies and by appointing clinical advisors.

    Think Kidneys is scheduled to continue until the end of 2016, and a strategy for the longer term is being developed. Wider work on renal disease will be taken forward through the specialised commissioning infrastructure within NHS England and through joint working with the Royal Colleges and specialist societies.

  • Nick Clegg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Nick Clegg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Clegg on 2016-03-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department provides to police forces on dealing with offenders who use cannabis to treat a serious medical condition.

    Karen Bradley

    The Home Office does not collect data on this.

    Decisions on disposal options for those who possess cannabis for any reason are an operational matter for the police and the Crown Prosecution Service.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mendelsohn on 2016-04-25.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will be participating in the Investment Association’s roundtables on executive pay; and whether Minister or officials intend to communicate with the Investment Association in preparation of those roundtables.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    The Government welcomes the interim conclusions of the Executive Remuneration Working Group. They represent a valuable source of ideas for ensuring more effective engagement between investors and directors and ensuring that executive pay policies are tailored to the needs of individual businesses. We also welcome the Working Group’s plans to consult interested stakeholders on practical ways of improving the current approach to executive pay. Departmental officials will be engaging with the roundtables that are being planned.

    The Government made significant reforms to the governance of executive pay in 2013. Under these reforms, companies are required to put their pay policies to shareholders at least every three years. These policies have to include information on how each director will be paid and how that is linked to different levels of performance. This is subject to a binding vote. Companies also have to provide shareholders with an Annual Remuneration Report which reports the pay of each director in a single figure and again has to set out clearly how the actual payments relate to performance. Shareholders have an advisory vote on this report, but if they reject the report, the company must submit a revised pay policy to a binding vote at the next AGM.

    These reforms give shareholders effective powers to challenge excessive pay and hold boards to account on executive pay policies. There is strong evidence from the current AGM season that shareholders are willing to use these powers, particularly where levels of pay are out of line with performance.

    The Government has no current plans for further legislation or regulation, but is looking for firm evidence that companies are liaising effectively with shareholders and adjusting pay policies where there is shareholder dissatisfaction.

  • Lord Storey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Storey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2016-06-06.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government further to the Written Answer by Lord O’Neill of Gatley on 12 May (HL8031), what percentage of diplomatic missions in the UK issued with the annual letters on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office requesting staff lists with details of all locally engaged staff and private servants replied with full information in 2015.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    The HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) Embassy team issued 279 letters to the various Embassies and their different sections requesting staff lists for the 2014-15 tax year in September 2015. The requests also ask for details of private addresses and Remuneration. As a result of that letter we received 24 responses. That is an 8% return.

    Article 10 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (VCDR) outlines a mission’s responsibility to keep the host State informed of the arrival and departure of staff. Embassies therefore only have a legal obligation to notify HM Government of their leavers and new starters so we rely greatly on the goodwill of Embassies to supply us with this additional information.

  • Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-07-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her policy is on future collaboration with the EU on fish stock management; and what discussions she has had to date with the European Commission on that matter.

    George Eustice

    Exit from the EU presents us with an opportunity under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea to improve the way in which waters within the UK’s Exclusive Economic Zone are managed. Defra officials will be working with the new Department for Exiting the European Union, Devolved Administrations and stakeholders to develop proposals that will allow the UK to best take advantage of this opportunity.

    No formal discussions have taken place with the European Commission at this stage.

  • George Howarth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    George Howarth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by George Howarth on 2016-10-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to increase investment in decentralised renewable energy to benefit the world’s poorest people.

    James Wharton

    The UK Government is playing a leading role in improving energy access in developing countries. DFID has a range of programmes which are working with developing countries to ensure renewable energy markets work effectively as well as supporting energy businesses to grow, and providing consumers with access to funding to buy solar goods. For example, our Energy Access Ventures programme is investing in off-grid electric and we are delivering green mini-grid solutions across Africa.

    Through the UK Government’s Energy Africa campaign we are working with solar firms to help them access the finance they need to expand their businesses, create jobs and help reach millions of people in Africa without electricity access.

  • Andrew Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Andrew Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2015-10-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much centrally-provided capital funding has been provided to each further education college in each of the last five years.

    Nick Boles

    The amount of centrally-provided capital funding provided to each further education college in each of the last five years is shown in the attached table.

  • Nicola Blackwood – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Nicola Blackwood – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicola Blackwood on 2015-11-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much of his Department’s funding allocated in the Spending Review 2015 will be for research and development expenditure up to 2020.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    I refer the hon. Member to para 6.44 of the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 (Cm9161) for the proportion of our defence budget dedicated to science and technology.