Category: Speeches

  • David T. C. Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    David T. C. Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David T. C. Davies on 2016-10-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the number of smart meters which rely on 2G technology.

    Jesse Norman

    The Government has not made an estimate of the number of smart meters that operate using 2G technology. Energy suppliers are incentivised to make sure they have procured communications to allow them to carry on operating smart meters for the whole of their life.

  • Philip Davies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Philip Davies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2015-11-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 28 October 2015 to Question 12657, if he will commission an independent review into the procedures followed by the Tobacco Control policy team within his Department when awarding section 64 grants to Action on Smoking and Health.

    Jane Ellison

    There is no requirement to commission an independent review as the award of Section 64 grants to Action on Smoking and Health has followed the appropriate policies and procedures applicable to all Section 64 grants.

    The assessment of the grant application for funding from Action on Smoking and Health is undertaken by members of the Tobacco Control policy team.

    The assessment process is the same for all grants awarded under Section 64 powers. The assessment process uses standard business case criteria and consists of a Strategic Case, Economic Case, Financial Case, Commercial Case and Project Governance.

    The assessment is reviewed by the Department’s Voluntary Sector Grants Hub to ensure that the grant proposal is affordable within Departmental budgets; relevant Efficiency Review Group Controls have been considered; the grant has been assessed as delivering value for money and the grant is considered to be appropriate for the Grant funding route rather than procurement.

  • Stephen Phillips – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Stephen Phillips – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Phillips on 2015-12-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the UK plans to be represented before the Permanent Court of Arbitration in Philippines v. China.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    The UK is not party to the case of Philippines v China before the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and is therefore not entitled to be formally represented before the PCA in this case.

  • Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-01-11.

    To ask the Prime Minister, how many mental health services he has visited since May 2010; and what the (a) date and (b) location was of each such visit.

    Mr David Cameron

    Details of my visits within the United Kingdom are published on the gov.uk website.

    Most recently, on 11 January I visited Family Action in London where I announced £290 million of new investment over the next 5 years to provide mental healthcare for new mums, £247 million to invest in liaison mental health services in emergency departments, over £400 million to enable 24/7 treatment in communities as a safe and effective alternative to hospital and expanded services to help teenagers with eating disorders. This builds on previous government funding commitments for mental health over the last 12 months, including £150 million for young people with eating disorders and £1.25 billion for perinatal and children and young people’s mental health.

  • Lord Laird – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Lord Laird – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2016-02-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether, under the Belfast Agreement 1998, which underlined equality and parity of esteem for Irish and Ulster Scots languages, both languages are treated in an equal way, and of the causes of any inequalities that that assessment has identified.

    Lord Dunlop

    Her Majesty’s Government has not made an assessment of whether, under the Belfast Agreement, both Irish and Ulster Scots languages are treated in an equal way. The Northern Ireland Executive has responsibility for issues relating to Irish and Ulster Scots in Northern Ireland under the terms of the devolution settlement.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-02-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the potential change in the level of employment in law firms arising from the changes to personal injury law and procedure announced in the Autumn Statement 2015; and if he will make a statement.

    Dominic Raab

    The Government will be consulting on the detail of the proposals in due course. The consultation will be accompanied by an impact assessment.

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what routine responsibilities are required of Amey by Highways England in its maintenance and response contract for the East Midlands.

    Andrew Jones

    The Maintenance and Response (M&R) Contractor for Area 7. Amey Highways Ltd, will be required to undertake cyclic and reactive maintenance, incident response, severe weather response and traffic management across the East Midlands and Lincolnshire. This includes :

    Cyclic and reactive maintenance:

    • Schedule and deliver the annual programme of cyclical work to meet requirements in the most efficient and effective way
    • Carry out defect repairs to the requirements for each asset type

    Incident Response:

    • Attend incident, assess and advise Area 7 Control
    • Make safe and clear up, including environmental containment
    • Act as lead if other parts of the Highways England supply chain is used
    • Carry out associated defect repairs
    • Act as the on-road incident support function for Area 7
    • Be Principal Contractor if other contractors are used

    Severe Weather Response:

    • Provide severe weather response for winter, flooding and high winds
    • Work with Highways England on weather intelligence to be prepared and proactive
    • Provide trained driver / operatives to cover the full winter service
    • Maintain vehicles and equipment
    • Provide fuel used by fleet and management of salt

    Traffic Management (TM):

    • Provide TM for all M&R cyclical work
    • Provide TM for all reactive work, including incidents
    • Provide TM for Highways England activities and Support Services, including inspections and technical survey work
    • Provide TM for events when requested

  • Karl McCartney – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Karl McCartney – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl McCartney on 2016-04-27.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what representations he has received on the potential merits of exempting drivers between the ages of 17 and 25 who have telematics car insurance policies from insurance premium tax.

    Harriett Baldwin

    HM Treasury receives representations on a wide variety of issues. We have received representations from parts of the insurance industry indicating that they would support a reduction in, or exemption from, Insurance Premium Tax for telematics insurance policies, particularly for young drivers. We keep all taxes under review.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-06-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what information his Department collects on the (a) cost of tribunal hearings for sanctioned jobseeker’s allowance claimants and (b) costs of tribunals for other benefits.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    Her Majesty’s Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) cannot isolate cost data relating to specific benefit types. I refer the hon Member to my answer to PQ 39104, which states that the estimated average cost of a tribunal case for all benefits in the First Tier Tribunal (Social Entitlement Chamber) in 2014/15 (the latest period for which figures are available) was £468.

  • Hilary Benn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Hilary Benn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-09-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many meetings have taken place between ministers of his Department and their Saudi Arabian counterparts since 25 March 2015; and at how many of those meetings concerns were discussed about alleged breaches of International Humanitarian Law in Yemen by air strikes.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    We are aware of reports of alleged violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) by actors in the conflict and take these very seriously. It is important that all sides conduct thorough and conclusive investigations into all incidents where it is alleged that IHL has been breached.

    We regularly raise the importance of compliance with IHL with the Saudi Arabian Government and other members of the military Coalition. We continue to monitor the situation closely, seeking further information where appropriate.

    The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Mr Johnson) raised the issue of IHL compliance with his Saudi counterpart, Foreign Minister Al Jubeir on 22 August. I also raised it during my meeting with Foreign Minister Al Jubeir on 25 August in Jeddah. I also held an open meeting for parliamentarians on 7 September with Foreign Minister Al Jubeir where members from across the House raised questions, including alleged breaches of IHL.