Category: Speeches

  • Maria Eagle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2016-05-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to page 31 of the White Paper, A BBC for the future: a broadcaster of distinction, published in May 2016, if he will publish the minutes of the roundtable events held with the creative sector as part of the BBC Charter review process.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport will not be publishing minutes of the events held with the creative sector as part of the BBC Charter review process. A list of the attendees of these meetings are however available in Annex 2 of the White Paper.

  • Kirsten Oswald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    Kirsten Oswald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2016-07-19.

    To ask the Prime Minister, with reference to the 2015-16 Annual Report of the Intelligence and Security Committee, for what reasons it was decided not to provide the Intelligence and Security Committee with evidence on the UK’s role in US air strikes against (a) Junaid Hussain and (b) Mohammed Emwazi.

    Mrs Theresa May

    I refer the hon. Member to paragraph 15 of the 2015-16 Annual Report of the Intelligence and Security Committee.

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when steps have been taken to enact the provisions within section 165 of the Equality Act 2010.

    Andrew Jones

    Government is committed to building transport networks that work for everyone, including ensuring that disabled people have the same travel choices as other members of society.

    I am committed to commencing Sections 165 and 167 of the Equality Act, making it unlawful for drivers of wheelchair accessible taxis and Private Hire Vehicles to refuse to provide assistance to passengers in wheelchairs or to charge them extra.

    We will shortly be consulting on Regulations regarding the exemption certificates for drivers unable to provide such assistance, and on relevant guidance. We will commence the Sections once the Regulations and guidance are ready for issue.

  • Tim Loughton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Tim Loughton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2016-10-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his Chinese counterpart on the case of Tashi Wangchuk who is currently awaiting trial in Yushu, Qinghai Province.

    Alok Sharma

    We raised the case of the Tibetan language advocate Tashi Wangchuk at the UK-China human rights dialogue, scheduled which took place on 27 October.

    I previously raised our concerns about Tashi Wangchuk with the Chinese Ambassador, in writing, on 1 August 2016.

  • Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support initiatives to increase hedgehog numbers.

    Rory Stewart

    Defra is working with partners to identify actions that will help the conservation of hedgehogs though the Terrestrial Biodiversity Group, chaired by Natural England.

    In addition, the Wild Pollinator and Farm Wildlife Package element of the new Countryside Stewardship scheme will deliver specific management focused on improving farmland biodiversity across most farming systems. The package supports management options, including the conservation and enhancement of hedgerow systems and the creation and maintenance of field margins, which will help to provide suitable habitat for a range of species, including hedgehogs.

    We also welcome the work being undertaken by a number of non-government organisations in helping to establish the facts behind the decline of the hedgehog and raise public awareness.

  • Baroness Randerson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Baroness Randerson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Randerson on 2015-12-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government why their representatives at the Technical Committee on Motor Vehicles voted on 28 October to weaken and delay the introduction of real driving emissions tests for air pollution emissions by diesel light duty vehicles.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    Government officials voted to secure the best possible outcome on the 28th October. This meant ensuring that real driving emissions tests will be introduced as early as possible and so make a significant contribution towards lowering emissions of nitrogen oxides from light duty diesel vehicles.

  • Alison McGovern – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Alison McGovern – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison McGovern on 2016-01-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to develop polices on confirming the date a transgender person has begun living in role.

    Jane Ellison

    Specialised gender identity services are directly commissioned by NHS England.

    NHS England has considered the outcomes of the listening exercise conducted by Professor Field and has put in place a significant programme of work to improve healthcare services for transgender and non-binary people. A dedicated task group has been established to provide leadership and coordination of NHS England’s work to improve transgender and non-binary people’s experience of the National Health Service, and NHS England holds a Transgender Network event twice a year. Regular updates on NHS England’s work to improve gender identity services are given on NHS England’s website by the Regional Director of Specialised Commissioning (London) who chairs the task group.

    A Clinical Reference Group for Gender Identity Services has been established, comprising professional and lay experts. This group makes recommendations to NHS England on clinical matters. Issues around the standardisation of pathways across gender identity services and clinical protocols are being considered as part of the current work to develop a service specification that, it is proposed, will describe how NHS England will commission these services in the future. The process for developing a proposed service specification has included a period of public consultation.

  • Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to bring forward proposals to ban the use of wild animals in circuses.

    George Eustice

    A ban on the use of wild animals in travelling circuses is a manifesto commitment and will be introduced as soon as parliamentary time allows. In the interim, the welfare of any wild animals still being used by travelling circuses in England is protected by the Welfare of Wild Animals in Travelling Circuses (England) Regulations 2012. During the 2015 circus touring season, 18 wild animals were licensed by Defra under the Regulations for use by two circuses.

  • Jess Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jess Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2016-03-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many pupil referral units have employed trainees on an employment-based teacher-training basis in each of the last four years.

    Nick Gibb

    Of those Pupil Referral Units that provided information to the School Workforce Census, there were 11 in 2014 and 11 in 2013 that reported having trainees on an employment-based teacher-training basis in service. The employment based training routes covered include the Graduate Teacher Programme, Overseas Trained Teacher Programme, Registered Teacher Programme, School Direct (Salaried) and Teach First Programme. In both years there were 11.3 full-time equivalent trainees employed by the 11 Pupil Referral Units.

    Information for previous years is not available.

  • Dawn Butler – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Dawn Butler – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dawn Butler on 2016-04-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what procedures and checks her Department has put in place to ensure that the new supplier of language analysis testing are fully qualified to conduct those tests.

    James Brokenshire

    Language analysis assists us in determining whether asylum seekers are of the nationality or national origin they claim. It is one of the tools used by asylum decision makers to help resolve fairly issues of doubtful nationality or national origin and to ensure that those claiming asylum in a false identity are detected quickly. It does not replace the requirement during substantive interview to fully probe and investigate doubted nationality/national origin cases.

    Professional linguists have communicated with the Home Office regarding their particular preference for the different models available for language analysis testing. As part of the contract competition undertaken in 2014, language analysis companies provided strong evidence of the quality of the services offered. There are dedicated formal arrangements in place to monitor our suppliers’ compliance with the contract terms.