Category: Speeches

  • Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-01-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he plans to publish a timetable for those UK’s Overseas Territories with financial centres producing credible plans to adopt public registers of beneficial ownership.

    James Duddridge

    The Government is in discussion with the governments of the Overseas Territories on their plans to improve company transparency. The Territories have agreed to hold beneficial ownership information in central registers, or similarly effective systems, which need to meet the three criteria the UK set out in a letter to Territory leaders in March 2015. These are laid out in the answer my hon. Friend, the Member for South West Hertfordshire (David Gauke MP), gave on 16 October 2015 (PQ10437, PQ10438 and PQ10448).

  • Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-02-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment the Government has made of the effectiveness of the technical assistance programme for the Bahraini police and prisons service in preventing the use of torture in police stations and prisons in that country.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    We are aware of ongoing allegations against Ministry of Interior personnel, and we have expressed our concerns to the authorities.

    The Government of Bahrain has previously committed to consider ratifying the Optional Protocol of the Convention Against Torture. The UK strongly supports this and we have been working with the authorities to share best practice on torture prevention measures. We also ask the Government of Bahrain to allow a visit of the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture.

    We believe that UK support to Bahrain’s reform programme is the most constructive way to achieve long-lasting and sustainable reform in Bahrain. While it will take time to see the full results, UK support is having a direct, positive impact on areas of concern. All Foreign and Commonwealth Office programmes and project work is routinely monitored and evaluated to inform and improve future assistance.

  • Bridget Phillipson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Bridget Phillipson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bridget Phillipson on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department has allocated funding to defend a legal challenge against his decision to impose a new junior doctors contract.

    Ben Gummer

    The Department has an allocated budget to fund the legal services it requires, which would include funding for any challenge in relation to the junior doctors’ contract.

  • Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-03-22.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 21 March 2016 to Question 31068, how many meetings the Government’s Anti-Corruption Champion had with (a) Ministers and officials of other government departments and (b) representatives from civil society and business between July 2015 and the end of February 2016.

    Matthew Hancock

    All Cabinet Office costs are published in its annual report and accounts available on the GOV.UK website.

    The Anti-Corruption Champion has had a range of meetings with Ministers and officials from other government departments, as well as representatives from civil society and business, both in the United Kingdom (UK) and overseas.

  • Baroness Henig – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Baroness Henig – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Henig on 2016-04-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many of the successful candidates admitted to the Direct Entry Inspector programme were still in post as of 1 April.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The direct entry to superintendent scheme has been running since 2014; over the three years of its operation it has had a total of 2,049 applications.

    The first direct entry scheme to inspector launched this year. There were 1,647 ap-plications and the selection process is ongoing. The first cohort are expected to start in November.

    Details of success and retention for the direct entry to superintendent scheme are outlined in the table below.

    Year

    Applications

    Successful at the assessment centre

    Started the scheme

    In post at 1 April 2016

    2014

    867

    13

    9

    8

    2015

    542

    7

    6

    6

    2016

    640

    –

    –

    –

    Assessment centres for the 2016 inspectors’ and superintendents’ schemes will take place this summer.

  • Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-06-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many projects related to freedom of religion of belief are being funded by the Magna Carta Fund for Human Rights and Democracy; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr David Lidington

    The Government places great importance on defending freedom of religion or belief globally. The Magna Carta Fund is one of the tools we use to pursue this goal. The allocations for 2016-2017 are still being finalised.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 4 March 2016 to Question 29005, if Ministers of his Department have concluded whether further steps are required to improve clarity and transparency on employment status for employers and individuals.

    Margot James

    These issues are still being considered by the recently established Cross-Government Working Group on Employment Status.

    The group consists of officials who work on employment status policy from Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC), HM Treasury, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, the Department for Work and Pensions and the Office of Tax Simplification. The group is chaired by the head of employment status at HMRC.

    Further information on the group and its work can be found on the Government website at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/cross-government-working-group-on-employment-status

    “

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-10-17.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will extend the matching requirement for the Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme.

    Jane Ellison

    The Small Charitable Donations and Childcare Payments Bill relaxes the eligibility criteria for the Gift Aid Small Donation Scheme. These changes will ensure that the Scheme operates effectively and flexibly for a greater number of charities and a greater number of donations.

    The Government has no plans to extend the Gift Aid matching requirement.

  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with the fisheries Minister in the Northern Ireland Executive on the level of cod stocks in the Irish Sea.

    George Eustice

    Defra holds regular discussions on a wide range of fisheries issues, including cod stocks, with counterparts in the Northern Ireland Executive. We are currently working together to prepare for the annual European fisheries negotiations that will take place in Brussels on 14-15 December 2015.

  • Luciana Berger – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Luciana Berger – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2015-11-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to support children and young people who are referred to NHS Mental Health services but do not receive treatment as they did not meet the clinical threshold to quality for treatment at a Child and Mental Health Services centre.

    Alistair Burt

    The Government is committed to transforming the support for children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing as set out by the vision in Future in mind. This includes both clinical services commissioned by the NHS, and the wider support on offer in a range of settings.

    One of the first stages in achieving this vision is the implementation of Local Transformation Plans for children’s mental health and wellbeing developed by clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), together with their local partners. These Plans cover the full spectrum of mental health issues: from prevention and resilience building, to support and care for existing and emerging mental health problems, as well as transitions between services and addressing the needs of the most vulnerable.

    This means that by 2020, local offers will be transformed so that the emotional welfare and mental health of children will be supported whether or not their mental health issues are clinically diagnosable. In many cases, by building resilience in schools or by early intervention, we hope to prevent the emergence of mental disorders.