Category: Speeches

  • Neil Coyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Women and Equalities

    Neil Coyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Women and Equalities

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Coyle on 2016-05-23.

    To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Home Affairs on the number of pregnant women who have been detained for immigration purposes since central recording statistics on such cases began and the outcomes of their detention.

    Karen Bradley

    The detention of pregnant women under Immigration Act powers occurs only in very limited situations, either where there is a clear prospect of early removal or in very exceptional circumstances. Very few pregnant women are detained. Central recording of the number of detained women who have disclosed their pregnancy started in August 2015. Options for the collection of wider data on pregnant women is being considered as part of the Immigration Act 2016 implementation.

  • Madeleine Moon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Madeleine Moon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Madeleine Moon on 2016-07-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effect of the vote to leave the EU on her policy on the EU nature directives; and if she will make a statement.

    Rory Stewart

    Until we leave the EU, current arrangements for farming, fisheries, food and drink, rural affairs and our environment remain in place.

    Defra will continue to ensure the right policies are in place for a cleaner, healthier environment for everyone.

    The priorities for negotiating our exit from the EU will be a matter for the new Prime Minister and their Cabinet.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2016-09-15.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the progress of badger culls in England and the effects of those culls on the welfare of cattle.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    The Government plans to publish a report on this year’s licensed badger control operations as it has done for the first three years of the programme. The Animal and Plant Health Agency continues to assess annually the incidence of tuberculosis in cattle in areas where badger control is licensed for the purposes of controlling the disease. The analysis of the first two years impact is available on the GOV.UK website.

  • Nic Dakin – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Nic Dakin – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department has taken to embed the Family Test into its policy making.

    Priti Patel

    Officials have undertaken a number of activities to embed the Family Test into the policy making process. This has included training officials on applying the Test, as well as disseminating relevant evidence, learning materials and best practice.

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Tulip Siddiq – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2015-12-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to paragraph 19 of the Prime Minister’s written response to the Foreign Affairs Committee’s report on British military operations in Syria published on 26 November 2015, what the evidential basis is for the statement that within Syria local councils and emerging local governance structures (a) have become stronger and (b) deliver basic services to a population of over 1.1 million people.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The UK, through the Conflict, Security and Stability Fund, is supporting local councils and emerging local governance structures in 28 communities across Syria. These communities contain a population of 1.1 million people. Our support means that local councils have the assistance they need to deliver essential services, including health, education and utilities, in a way that they were not able to previously. This also includes specific support for building good governance practices. This is confirmed by our project partners who operate in Syria.

  • Sadiq Khan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Sadiq Khan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sadiq Khan on 2016-01-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many school pupils were eligible for free school meals in each London borough in December 2015.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    The department does not hold data for the number of pupils eligible for free school meals specifically in December 2015. The latest published figures, drawn from the January 2015 school census and broken down by local authority, are available in tables 8a, 8b and 8c of the ‘Schools, Pupils and their Characteristics: January 2015’ statistics.[1]

    [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2015 – refer to the local authority tables.

    “

  • Ruth Cadbury – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Ruth Cadbury – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ruth Cadbury on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what representations she received from religious organisations on steps to prevent civil society organisations from objecting to school admission arrangements prior to her announcing proposals to limit such objections to local parents and councils.

    Nick Gibb

    The Department’s proposed changes are intended to ensure that the Adjudicator is able to focus on the concerns parents may have about the fairness of the admission arrangements of their local school, and is not held up by the need also to consider objections referred by interest groups from outside the area.

    We do not believe that preventing other organisations from submitting objections will have a detrimental impact.

    A full public consultation will be conducted in due course and careful consideration will be given to all the views expressed in that consultation.

  • Craig Whittaker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Craig Whittaker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2016-03-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how often he reviews the level of threat to each of the UK’s overseas territories.

    Penny Mordaunt

    The Ministry of Defence undertakes regular assessments of potential threats to each of the UK overseas territories and ensures that we retain an appropriate level of defensive capability to address any such threats. We remain vigilant and committed to the protection of our overseas territories.

  • Cat Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Cat Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cat Smith on 2016-04-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he has received any representations from NHS staff who feel they are being harassed outside NHS buildings by protesters.

    Ben Gummer

    There have been no representations from National Health Service staff who feel they are being harassed outside NHS buildings by protesters.

    Although protesters are democratically entitled to make their views known on abortion and other issues and can do so outside NHS hospitals and other NHS buildings, we would condemn any harassment of NHS staff, patients and others. We would expect NHS trusts, as responsible for providing a safe environment for all using their facilities, to work with the Police and other agencies as appropriate to ensure they have adequate arrangements in place to prevent harassment of staff and patients. If staff are subject to criminal activity such as physical assaults, these should be reported so that employers can take appropriate action.

    Currently, NHS trusts have access to Security Incident Reporting Systems which helps NHS Protect measure the nature and scale of security incidents across the NHS, not just those involving physical assaults on staff but also those involving non-physical abuse and theft of/damage to NHS assets.

  • Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne Main on 2016-05-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential effect on his Department’s expenditure of the UK leaving the EU.

    Michael Fallon

    None.