Category: Speeches

  • Imran Hussain – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Imran Hussain – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what preparations her Department has made for the UK Anti-Corruption Summit to be held in London in May 2016.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    The UK is determined to make the Anti-Corruption Summit in May 2016 a success. This requires concerted action by a large number of interested parties. DFID is working closely with other Government Departments and a wide range of domestic and international partners, including civil society and business, to work together to deliver a successful summit.

  • Tim Farron – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Tim Farron – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Farron on 2016-05-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department plans to carry out an (a) impact and (b) equality assessment of the Government’s policy of replacing the Human Rights Act 1998 with a British Bill of Rights.

    Dominic Raab

    We will set out our proposals for a Bill of Rights in due course. We will fully consult on our proposals.

  • Rachael Maskell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Rachael Maskell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rachael Maskell on 2016-07-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with the insurance industry on the development of a Flood Re scheme for businesses.

    Rory Stewart

    I am aware that some small businesses exposed to high flood risk may be experiencing challenges in finding affordable insurance. My predecessor has met with representatives from the Association of British Insurers, Federation of Small Businesses and the British Insurance Brokers Association (BIBA) among others to discuss the extent of this problem.

    BIBA is developing a commercial insurance product that is intended to help businesses in flood risk areas access appropriate cover. Government officials are in regular contact with BIBA to monitor how that product is developing.

  • Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her policy is on retaining access to EU agri-environment schemes for new applicants after the autumn statement; and what discussions her Department has had with HM Treasury on those schemes.

    George Eustice

    As announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, agri-environment agreements signed after the Autumn Statement and which continue after we have left the EU are guaranteed funding if they are good value for money and in line with domestic strategic priorities.

    Defra will have responsibility in England for the allocation of funds to agri-environment agreements in line with these conditions and the wider rules on public spending.

  • Lord Harris of Haringey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Lord Harris of Haringey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Harris of Haringey on 2015-11-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, for each of the last three years, in how many instances people have been imprisoned for defaulting on payment of their council tax.

    Lord Faulks

    Data showing how many people were imprisoned for non-payment of council tax in 2012, 2013 and 2014 are presented in the table below:

    Year

    Total

    2012

    107

    2013

    108

    2014

    89

    Notes:

    These data are sourced from the Libra Management Information System (MIS). As such this data set is not subject to the same levels of quality assurance as national statistics

    In extracting this data only offences of complaint for council tax committal application have been included where the court hearing date occurred within each year reported (i.e. between 1 January and 31 December).

    It should also be noted that, although committals to prison are reported as occurring within a particular financial year, the non-payment of council tax itself may relate to a previous financial year or even a period covering more than one financial year.

    Committal to prison for non-payment of council tax can be challenged through a judicial review in the High Court. The table below shows the number of judicial reviews relating to imprisonment for non-payment of council tax in 2012, 2013 and 2014, and the outcomes.

    Year

    Number of Judicial Reviews

    Upheld

    Refused

    2012

    0

    0

    0

    2013

    0

    0

    0

    2014

    2

    0

    2

    Notes:

    These data were obtained from a manual check of judicial reviews carried out specifically to answer this question.

  • Lord Hay of Ballyore – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Hay of Ballyore – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hay of Ballyore on 2015-12-15.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what actions they are taking to promote equal pay for women in the workplace.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    Unequal pay for equal work is unlawful, and it has been for over 40 years. We have made changes that require employment tribunals to order any employer who loses an equal pay case to carry out an equal pay audit.

  • Robert Flello – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Robert Flello – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Flello on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information her Department holds on who took the decision not to use a professional heavy vehicle recovery operator to recover the bus which was trapped in floodwater in Dailley, Ayrshire, in December 2015.

    Rory Stewart

    These decisions would have been taken by the Scottish Government, as flooding is a devolved matter.

  • Lord Addington – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Addington – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

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

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the percentage of pupils in an average class who will have some form of special educational need.

    Lord Nash

    The percentage of children with special educational needs is collected in the January schools census.

    In January 2015, 14.4% of pupils attending state funded primary schools and 14.3% attending state funded secondary schools were identified as having some form of special educational need. These figures include pupils with a statement of special educational needs, an Education, Health and Care plan, or children who receive SEN support. This figure does not include pupils who attend special schools or pupils who attend independent schools. Nationally, 15.4% of all pupils were identified as having special educational needs in January 2015.

    There has been a decline in the proportion of children with SEN since 2010 when 21.1% of pupils had SEN. This has occurred because the number of pupils with SEN without statements/ EHC plans has declined, due to more accurate identification of those with SEN following implementation of the SEND reforms.

  • Baroness Grey-Thompson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Baroness Grey-Thompson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Grey-Thompson on 2016-03-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what involvement the Department for Work and Pensions has had with disabled people and their families to inform their thinking on the forthcoming white paper on improving support for disabled people and people with health conditions.

    Baroness Altmann

    The department regularly engages with disability charities and organisations, as well as disabled people and their families and carers, at both Ministerial and official level. We proactively seek stakeholder views on current health, care and employment services to understand what works and where improvements can be made through roundtables, focus groups and face-to-face meetings. These discussions inform and provide the opportunity to test our thinking as we being to develop proposals for the forthcoming White Paper, and we will continue to engage at all levels over the coming months.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-04-18.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the implications for economic security of the proposed merger between the London Stock Exchange and Deutsche Börse.

    Harriett Baldwin

    Once formally notified of the proposed merger, the Bank of England and the Financial Conduct Authority (as supervisors of the London Stock Exchange Group’s UK-authorised subsidiaries) must assess the proposal from a regulatory standpoint.

    In addition the proposed merger must be approved by competition authorities and is subject to a range of other assessments including those of overseas regulators and shareholders.