Category: Speeches

  • Drew Hendry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Drew Hendry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Drew Hendry on 2016-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when he estimates the sale of 5G licences will take place; what estimate his Department has made of the revenue from the sale of the 5G spectrum; and whether he plans to invest the revenue from the sale of the 5G spectrum in digital infrastructure.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    Once 5G as a technology standard has been finalised, we will know which frequencies are more likely to be used for 5G services. Receipts from spectrum auctions are paid into the Consolidated Fund operated by HM Treasury.

  • Neil Coyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Neil Coyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Coyle on 2016-03-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effect of changes to local authority funding on levels of homelessness.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    This Government has always been clear that we are committed to supporting the most vulnerable people in our society. One person without a home is one too many. During the last Parliament the Homelessness Prevention Grant and our investment in homelessness programmes helped prevent 935,700 households from becoming homeless.

    We have protected the homelessness prevention funding that local authorities receive, totalling £315 million by 2019-20. This builds on our commitment to increase central government funding for homelessness programmes to £139 million over the next four years.

  • Anne-Marie Trevelyan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Anne-Marie Trevelyan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne-Marie Trevelyan on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 17 March 2016 to the hon. Member for St Albans to Question 30489, on schools: admissions, if she will commission research on the effect on additional school places of inward migration from (a) EU and (b) non-EU countries.

    Edward Timpson

    As set out in the written response to PQ 30489, supporting local authorities in their responsibility to ensure sufficient school places remains one of this Government’s top priorities. The basic need capital funding we allocate to local authorities to create new school places is based on their own data on school capacity and future pupil forecasts. Any increase in need for places should be reflected in the local authority’s final basic need allocation. We allocate basic need funding three years ahead to give local authorities time to plan and deliver the new places needed in their area.

    The Government has committed to investing £7 billion in new school places up to 2021, which, when added to our investment in the free schools programme, will help to create 600,000 new places.

    Beyond the information already provided to the Department by local authorities, we do not plan to commission further research on the effect of inward migration on the need for school places.

  • Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2016-05-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 18 April 2016 to Question 33117, which programmes the reprioritisation of £100 million in capital funding to deliver low-cost second stage accommodation for rough sleepers will affect.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

  • Nic Dakin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Nic Dakin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2016-06-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to support British jobs and industry through its procurement process.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The Ministry of Defence spends some £20 billion a year in the UK, making us British Industry’s largest single customer. Around half of this spend is in manufacturing and some £4 billion with small and medium-sized enterprises. We are determined to drive greater innovation into defence procurement, maximising opportunities for small and medium-sized businesses, investing in skills and supporting responsible exports, to help ensure we maintain a healthy and competitive UK defence sector.

  • Matthew Pennycook – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Matthew Pennycook – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Pennycook on 2016-09-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the revised 30 September 2016 deadline for DCC the go-live on energy consumers.

    Jesse Norman

    The Data and Communications Company is in the final stages of testing the national new data and communications infrastructure for smart metering. It is important to get this right to ensure a good consumer experience from the outset.

    In parallel, the roll out continues to make good progress. Consumers are able to receive smart meters ahead of the national infrastructure going live and more than 3.6 million smart meters are already operating in homes and businesses across the country.

  • Helen Jones – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Helen Jones – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when post-16 education in Warrington is planned to be reviewed under the area review process; and if he will make a statement.

    Nick Boles

    All colleges in England will be subject to an Area Review. The timing of individual areas will be published in due course once they have been agreed by the National Area Review Steering Group. We have said that we will announce the area reviews in a series of waves, decisions on which area will be included in each wave will take account of a number of factors including whether colleges are deemed to be at financial risk.

    We expect reviews to last 3-4 months based on our early experiences, and we anticipate they will all be completed by March 2017.

  • Nicholas Soames – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Nicholas Soames – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2015-12-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to paragraph 2.152 of Budget 2015, published in March 2015, whether his Department has had discussions with the European Commission on the compatibility of the Horserace Betting Right with the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.

    Tracey Crouch

    Officials have held discussions with the European Commission on the compatibility of a new Horserace Betting Right with the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to improve (a) training for army reservists and (b) social cohesiveness between reservists and full-time soldiers.

    Mr Julian Brazier

    As a result of constant reviews conducted by the Army to improve and modernise the delivery of training, opportunities for Army Reservists have never been better.

    Initial training for the Army Reserve was restructured last year. This has streamlined progression through the training programme, as Reservists enjoy greater flexibility with how they complete the modules in Phase 1.

    Phase 2 sees Reservists receive instruction at the same specialist training schools as their regular counterparts, equipping them with the professional skills required to fully integrate with the Regular Army.

    The Army currently offers 22 bespoke overseas training exercises for Reservists, which Reserve units lead with their paired Regular units integrated to improve interoperability and social cohesion. In addition, Reservists routinely train alongside their Regular counterparts from their paired and other units, in complex exercises at home and overseas, using the same equipment.

    Social cohesion between Reservists and Regular soldiers is further fostered though the growth of sports, social and Regimental events facilitated by the pairing mechanism, whereby each reserve unit is paired with a Regular Unit.

  • Christopher Chope – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Christopher Chope – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2016-02-09.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Prime Minister’s Answer of 9 February 2016 to Question 25906, if he will place in the Library a copy of the analysis carried out by the Department for Work and Pensions and HM Revenue and Customs on benefit and tax credit claims by recently arrived EEA migrants.

    Damian Hinds

    On 10th November 2015, DWP published an ad-hoc statistical release that provides the background to DWP’s figures regarding recently arrived EEA nationals’ claims to benefits. This can be found here – https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-benefit-and-tax-credit-claims-by-recently-arrived-eea-migrants

    The background to the figures on tax credits claimed by recently arrived EEA nationals can be found here – https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tax-credit-statistics-on-eea-nationals