Category: Speeches

Danny Kinahan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Wales Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Danny Kinahan on 2016-10-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what steps he is taking to ensure that Wales receives the maximum funding possible from the EU before the UK leaves the EU.

Alun Cairns

The Government is taking a practical approach to EU funding. As my Rt hon Friend the Chancellor has made clear, structural and investment funds projects signed before the date of exit will be fully funded by the Treasury even where payments fall after we leave the EU; in keeping with the devolution settlement, it will be for the Welsh Government to decide the conditions used to assess projects within its devolved competence.

01/01/2023
Philip Hollobone – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Hollobone on 2015-10-30.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has for replacement of the HST 125 trains on the Midland mainline.

Claire Perry

The Department considers that franchisees are normally best placed to procure the rolling stock that they require to deliver the necessary levels of service and capacity. We expect the competition for the next East Midlands long-term franchise to deliver those improvements to the rolling stock that are required.

01/01/2023
Nic Dakin – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2015-11-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effect on the academic performance of sixth form students of the use of unconditional offers of places by universities.

Nick Boles

It is for individual higher education institutions to determine their own admission arrangements. No assessment has been made of the effect on the academic performance of sixth form students of the use of unconditional offers of places by universities.

01/01/2023

Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-01-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department spent on purchasing bearskins and other associated headgear containing real fur in each of the last 10 years.

Mr Philip Dunne

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not buy bear pelts; it buys ceremonial caps direct from suppliers who source pelts from animals culled as part of a programme to manage the wild population licensed by the Canadian government. Animal welfare standards relating to the bear cull are a matter for the Canadian government.

The MOD also purchases coney skin (rabbit fur) for the Royal Engineers’ and Royal Signals’ busby and fox fur for the Royal Horse Artillery, Kings Troop Officers’ busby. The current contract requires a commitment to sustainable procurement.

Depending on usage and maintenance, bearskin busbys can last for up to 50 years. The coney skin and fox fur busbys have indefinite lifespans if properly maintained.

Calendar Year	Cost of Bearskin Busby Headgear (£)	Financial Year	Cost of Coney Skin Busby Headgear (£)	Cost of Fox Fur Busby Headgear(£)
2005	Not held	2005-06	1,532	0
2006	Not held	2006-07	0	1,472
2007	Not held	2007-08	0	0
2008	31,319	2008-09	9,173	406
2009	148,891	2009-10	0	0
2010	131,886	2010-11	0	0
2011	90,822	2011-12	0	861
2012	126,087	2012-13	1,779	861
2013	65,108	2013-14	0	0
2014	136,671	2014-15	10,257	1,899
2015	149,379	2015-16	2,558	0

All figures are rounded to the nearest pound.

Calendar Year	Number of Bearskin Busby Headgear	Financial Year	Number of Coney Skin Busby Headgear	Number of Busby Headgear made of Fox Fur
2005	Not held	2005-06	4	0
2006	Not held	2006-07	0	2
2007	Not held	2007-08	0	0
2008	35	2008-09	22	1
2009	195	2009-10	0	0
2010	158	2010-11	0	0
2011	99	2011-12	0	1
2012	126	2012-13	4	1
2013	63	2013-14	0	0
2014	127	2014-15	20	2
2015	122	2015-16	5	0

Historically the MOD has undertaken a number of trials on synthetic alternatives to bear skin but none of these matched the properties of the natural material. No trialling has taken place since 2007. Information about costs of these trials is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. In 2012 the Ministry of Defence loaned a sample bearskin to the animal rights organisation, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, to aid its research and development programme on a synthetic alternative.

There has been no research and development carried out to find a synthetic alternative to coney skin or fox fur.

01/01/2023

Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-01-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will take steps to introduce independent checks to ensure that rented properties are genuinely abandoned within the provisions of the Housing and Planning Bill.

Brandon Lewis

The new abandonment procedure will enable landlords to legally regain possession of their property where it has been abandoned, without the need to obtain a possession order. We have introduced a number of safeguards to ensure that tenants are adequately protected against potential misuse of the procedure. These include a requirement that at least 8 weeks or 2 months rent is unpaid and requiring the landlord to serve at least 3 warning notices before they can repossess the property.

01/01/2023
Stephen Metcalfe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Metcalfe on 2016-02-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the data used to predict traffic flow at the proposed new Lower Thames Crossing – Option C was generated; and whether that data is publicly available.

Andrew Jones

The traffic modelling carried out to inform the assessment of alternative options has been based on an extensive assessment of travel and road usage patterns. The underlying data was collected through extensive observations and roadside surveys as part of the London Area Transport Surveys in 2001. This data was updated in 2009. A ‘Review of Lower Thames Crossing Options: Model Capability Report’ which was produced in 2013 examined the suitability of the traffic modelling, including the use of the 2009 data, for strategic assessment of the Lower Thames Crossing options, and this report concluded that the overall model performance was suitable for options assessment at this stage. This report is available online at gov.uk.

Further detail on the recent modelling for Options A and C is available in Volume 5 of the Scheme Assessment Report which can be viewed on line at the consultation website on the project website via www.lower-thames-crossing.co.uk. It is also available as a hard copy at the public information events and local libraries as a reference document but not to be taken away. Highways England can also send out a copy to anyone who requests it through the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

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01/01/2023
Richard Burgon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burgon on 2016-03-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what statutory duty there is on NHS England or clinical commissioning groups to provide notice of closure of a GP practice to its patients.

Alistair Burt

GP Contract regulations require a practice to give NHS England written notice of their intention to terminate their contract. Where the contract is with a partnership, the contract terminates six months from the date of the notice. In the case of a single handed practice, the contract terminates three months from the date of the notice.

There is no specific statutory duty on NHS England to notify patients of the closure of a practice however the National Health Service Act 2006 requires NHS England to ensure the provision of primary medical services throughout England.

However, NHS England take the closure of a practice very seriously and will look to engage with patients at the earliest opportunity.

01/01/2023
Lord Empey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Empey on 2016-04-22.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to appeal against the decision of the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf that the Falkland Islands are in Argentinian territorial waters.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

I refer the noble Lord to the answer given by the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon. Friend the member for East Devon (Mr Swire), on 13 April 2016 (PQ 33811).

"The UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) has no jurisdiction to consider areas subject to competing claims and therefore has no locus to make recommendations in relation to the Falkland Islands. The UN itself has acknowledged that the CLCS could not consider those parts of the original Argentine submission of 2009 that were subject to dispute. This would include the Falkland Islands."

Furthermore, the UK has no doubt about its sovereignty over the Falklands and surrounding maritime areas, nor about the Falkland Islanders’ right to decide their own future. We will continue to make that clear to Argentina and other countries in the region.

01/01/2023
Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-06-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many civil servants in his Department are paid through limited companies.

Mr Edward Vaizey

There are no Civil Servants in DCMS paid through limited companies.

01/01/2023
Margaret Hodge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Hodge on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will publish a list of all secondees to her Department from (a) PwC, (b) Deloitte, (c) Ernst and Young, (d) KPMG and (e) other consulting firms in the last three financial years; and what the role was of each of those secondees.

Rory Stewart

DFID has not seconded any individuals from PWC, Deloitte, Ernst & Young, KPMG in the last 3 years. Nor have we seconded any individuals from any other consulting firm in the same period.

01/01/2023