Category: Speeches

  • Kirsten Oswald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Kirsten Oswald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2016-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many times have mines and improvised explosive devices in the vicinity of UK military bases caused (a) minor injuries and (b) serious or fatal injuries to service personnel in the last 10 years.

    Penny Mordaunt

    Specific statistics regarding mines and IEDs either detected or causing injuries or fatalities in the vicinity of UK military bases are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-06-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS of patients with long-term health conditions who cannot afford to pay the charges associated with their prescribed medication and subsequently require additional treatment.

    Alistair Burt

    We have made no such estimate. This information is not available in the format requested.

  • Julian Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Julian Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Knight on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what progress has been made on the rollout of superfast broadband in the B91 1 postcode area.

    Matt Hancock

    Nine out of ten UK homes and businesses can now access superfast broadband and we’re on track to reach 95 per cent of the UK by the end of next year. We’re committed to a Universal Service Obligation (USO) for broadband.

    We want a USO at a speed of 10Mbps as an absolute minimum, enough to meet the needs of a typical family or small business so no-one is left behind.

    We estimate that approximately 98% of premises in the Solihull constituency now have access to superfast broadband. We do not hold data specific to each postcode.

  • Lisa Nandy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lisa Nandy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lisa Nandy on 2016-10-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on what date she first became aware that allegations of racism had been made against Dame Lowell Goddard in her capacity as Chair of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse; and who made her aware of those allegations.

    Sarah Newton

    No such allegations have ever been raised with the Home Secretary.

  • Andrew Percy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Andrew Percy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2015-11-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department intends to take to reduce the number of children who do not attend school due to bullying.

    Edward Timpson

    No child should be frightened of going to school because they might be bullied.

    All schools are required by law to have a behaviour policy with measures to prevent all forms of bullying and they are held closely to account by Ofsted for their effectiveness. Inspectors consider pupil behaviour and welfare, including how well schools prevent and tackle bullying, discriminatory and prejudicial behaviour.

    We are also providing a total of £1.3 million of funding over 12 months from April 2015 to the Diana Award, Kidscape and the National Children’s Bureau to work with schools to prevent bullying and deal with its impact when it occurs. This is in addition to the £4 million provided in 2013/15. We are also providing £2 million this year to help schools tackle homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying.

    Good schools create an ethos of good behaviour where pupils treat each other and staff with courtesy and respect. Where bullying does happen schools should move to tackle it and provide support for the bullied child. We issued advice to schools last year to help them identify children that may be most vulnerable to bullying and how to provide support to ensure their mental health and wellbeing. This is available online at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/preventing-and-tackling-bullying.

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  • Ms Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Ms Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ms Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh on 2016-01-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what funding and other support her Department has given for UN agencies, non-governmental agencies and civil society to (a) identify children at risk of human rights violations in Yemen, (b) support the development and implementation of programmes to secure the release and rehabilitation of children associated with armed groups and (c) respond to other violations of children’s rights in that country.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    The UK has more than doubled its humanitarian commitment to Yemen over the last year to £75 million for 2015/16. This includes funding for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and Save The Children to raise awareness of child rights, monitor and support displaced children, and provide food, nutrition, water and sanitation to children.

    The UK continues to raise the importance of compliance with international law with all parties to the conflict, including urging against the recruitment and use of child soldiers. We are also supporting the UN’s efforts to achieve a ceasefire and end to the conflict.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-02-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the reduction in single-use plastic carrier bag usage in England since the carrier bag charge was introduced.

    Rory Stewart

    Retailers are required to provide data for the first reporting period ending 6 April 2016 by 31 May 2016. Any assessment the department makes on the reduction of single use carrier bags will be after that point.

    In December, Tesco reported a 78% reduction in the number of single-use carrier bags distributed since the introduction of the charge. They also reported an increase of nearly 50% in the number of online shoppers selecting ‘bagless’ deliveries.

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-02-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many civil law suits have been brought against her Department based either wholly or partially on grounds provided by the Human Rights Act 1998; how many such suits were settled out of court before a court judgment was delivered; and how much such settlements have cost the public purse since 2010.

    Karen Bradley

    The Home Office deals with thousands of cases every year and litigants frequently rely on arguments based wholly or partly on the Human Rights Act 1998. In most cases, the 1998 Act is relied on in addition to other claims. The Government Legal Department’s records do not, historically, distinguish between cases where the 1998 Act is invoked and cases where it is not. Nor do they record how many suits were settled out of court before a judgment was delivered; or how much has been paid out in such settlements. Consequently, it is not possible to provide the information requested.

  • Nic Dakin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Nic Dakin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2016-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 9 March 2016 to Question 29811, on further education, how many meetings have been held for area reviews in (a) Birmingham and Solihull, (b) Greater Manchester, (c) Sheffield City Region, (d) Tees Valley, (e) Sussex, (f) Solent and (g) West Yorkshire in each of the last nine months.

    Nick Boles

    A wide range of meetings are held within each area review, which is a locally owned process designed to meet the needs of each local area. Bilateral meetings will often take place, for instance, between individual colleges which might be exploring restructuring options. Local stakeholders will often meet in smaller groupings to discuss particular issues or themes, for example local enterprise partnerships and local authorities may have set up separate meetings. Additionally, some local stakeholders will seek meetings to ensure their involvement at particular points, for example local MPs once recommendations emerge.

    The number and type of meetings are likely to vary with each review, depending on local provision, circumstances and issues as well as local interest in engaging with the review work. The following focuses on the formal meetings which are a core part of the area review process and would therefore be consistent across the country.

    A number of formal area review steering group meetings have taken place in each area since September 2015. No steering group meetings were held prior to September 2015. Meetings held between September 2015 and March 2016 are as follows:

    • In Birmingham and Solihull, one meeting was held in each of the following months: September, October, November, December, January and March.
    • In Greater Manchester, one meeting was held in each of the following months: September, November and December.
    • In Sheffield City Region, one meeting was held in each of the following months: September, November, December and March.
    • In Tees Valley, one meeting was held in each of the following months: October, November, December, February and March.
    • In Sussex, one meeting was held in each of the following months: October, December, January, February and March.
    • In the Solent, one meeting was held in each of the following months: November, December, January and March.
    • In West Yorkshire, one meeting was held in each of the following months: November, December, January and March.
  • Chloe Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Chloe Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chloe Smith on 2016-05-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how her Department measures the effectiveness of spending in the Palestinian territories by UN agencies to which her Department contributes funds.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    In the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) the UK provides funding to a number of UN agencies including the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS), UN Women, the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN (FAO). We monitor programmes throughout the year and annually assess their delivery against targets. DFID also monitors its results framework for the OPTs quarterly to ensure results being delivered are in line with those planned.