Category: Speeches

Ian Austin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-09-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the role of Gaelic language broadcasting in delivering the BBC’s commitment to public service broadcasting.

Matt Hancock

During the BBC Charter Review public consultation we have listened to views across a range of issues in relation to the BBC, including Gaelic language broadcasting.

There is a successful partnership between the BBC and MG Alba for the delivery of Gaelic language broadcasting. The White Paper, published in May 2016, sets out the Government’s intention to require maintain a commitment to minority language broadcasting through the new Charter.

The level of funding dedicated to BBC ALBA and the number of hours of in-house Gaelic language programming broadcast are matters for the BBC Board to consider when fulfilling this requirement under the new Charter.

01/01/2023
Keith Vaz – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2015-11-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of Public Health England’s report, Sugar reduction: the evidence for action, published in October 2015.

Jane Ellison

We are considering the evidence and advice in Public Health England’s report Sugar Reduction: The evidence for action, along with other areas for potential action, as we develop our childhood obesity strategy which will be published in the new year.

01/01/2023
Luciana Berger – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2015-12-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to improve the mental health of young carers and young adult carers as part of the Future in Mind policy.

Alistair Burt

We recognise that young carers may have particular vulnerabilities and are more likely to develop mental health problems because they fulfil that caregiver role.

That is why the local transformation planning process, currently being implemented by every clinical commissioning group across England, will be so important. Local Transformation Plans establish an integrated whole system approach to driving the improvements children and young people want, with the NHS, public health, voluntary and community, local authority children’s services, education and youth justice sectors working together to provide improved support to those children and young people who have a mental health need or who as a young carer might be more likely to develop a mental health need.

01/01/2023
Lord Storey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2016-01-14.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what regulations are in place to prevent schools installing vending machines on their premises which allow children to buy sugary drinks.

Lord Nash

As a cornerstone of the government’s commitment to healthy eating in schools, new school food standards came into force from January 2015. These standards regulate the food and drink provided both at lunchtime and at other times of the school day, including food and drink provided in vending machines.

The standards ensure that children are eating nutritious food at school by setting out clear, easy to follow guidance based on food groups and by giving school cooks the flexibility to create their own meals. The standards severely restrict foods high in fat, salt, and sugar, including high sugar drinks. The regulations permit only healthy drinks with an emphasis on water, milk and fruit juice (with 5% or less added sugars).

01/01/2023
Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

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

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his policy is on the proposal from the European Parliament’s Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee for an extended definition of a tax haven, with sanctions for countries defined as tax havens and companies using them to avoid taxes; and if he will press for the introduction of such a definition with other EU member states in the Council.

Mr David Gauke

The European Parliament’s Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee (ECON) has a keen interest in tax, and hence put forward certain proposals. However, the Commission has the sole power of initiative in relation to legislative measures. Tax files are to be agreed by unanimity at the Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN). The European Parliament’s role in this process in not formal, and purely consultative.

The term tax haven is often used as shorthand for low or zero tax jurisdictions. However, low tax rates are not by themselves harmful and the UK supports fair tax competition. The UK is working with other Member States in the EU Code of Conduct Group to identify harmful tax regimes and will continue to take strong action against aggressive avoidance and evasion.

The UK and other Member States have not yet seen any proposals from the European Commission or the European Parliament on public country-by-country reporting (CbCR). The Commission is due to publish an Impact Assessment on public CbCR shortly, and we are interested in the results of their analysis. The UK will carefully consider any proposals put forward by the Commission.

The UK played a leading role in encouraging other countries and jurisdictions to sign up to international tax transparency agreements during its G8 presidency in 2013. Thanks in large part to the UK’s continuing leadership on this agenda, over 90 countries have now committed to exchange information on offshore accounts, beginning in 2017 or 2018. The UK also initiated the international work on CbCR and was the first country to formally commit to implementing the OECD model for CbCR, with legislation in the Finance Act 2015. We support the proposal to amend the Directive on Administrative Co-operation to require all EU Member States to adopt and exchange the OECD CbCR template.

The European Commission intends to publish a revised proposal for a mandatory Common Consolidated Corporate Tax Base (CCCTB) later this year. The Government will wait to see the detail of the Commission’s proposal, including a robust impact assessment, before finalising its position. However, we have stated that the UK will not sign up to anything that undermines our tax sovereignty.

01/01/2023
Andrea Jenkyns – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrea Jenkyns on 2016-03-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether juvenile victims of incestuous sexual abuse are eligible to claim criminal injury compensation; and what limitations apply to that eligibility.

Mike Penning

We deeply sympathise with anyone who has been a victim of crime. Some victims of incestuous sexual abuse may be eligible for compensation under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme which awards taxpayer-funded payments to victims who are seriously injured as a result of violent crime.

From 1964 to 1979 the scheme did not allow compensation to be awarded where the offender and victim lived in the same household as members of the same family. The so called ‘same roof rule’ was part of the original scheme and was introduced to stop offenders benefiting from compensation paid to victims who lived with them. It was amended in 1979 so the restriction only applied to adults who remained living together after the incident. This was to protect payments to the most seriously injured victims of crime, while reducing the burden on the taxpayer. The changes to the ‘same roof rule’ were not applied retrospectively. This decision was consistent with the general Government approach that rule changes apply to future claimants, rather than in respect of historical claims.

The Government puts the highest emphasis on the needs of victims, which is why the Ministry of Justice has given them more rights and increased funding for specialist support to help victims of such heinous crimes.

01/01/2023
Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether holders of Latvian non-citizen status are considered to be EEA nationals for the purposes of immigration policy.

James Brokenshire

Holders of Latvian non-citizen status are not considered to be European Economic Area (EEA) nationals for the purposes of immigration policy.

01/01/2023
Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-05-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to encourage other countries to accept unaccompanied refugee children in Europe.

James Brokenshire

The government is at the forefront of assisting and protecting vulnerable children, wherever they are. Children in Europe are mostly already able to access support from countries that have similar legal obligations to our own.

The UK has been playing its full part in supporting European neighbours to provide support to those who have arrived. We have provided nearly £46 million of funding to the Europe wide response to help the most vulnerable, including children and infants.

In addition the £10 million the Department for International Development fund announced on 28 January will support UNHCR, Save the Children and International Rescue Committee to work with host authorities to care and assist unaccompanied or separated children.

This is in addition to resettling those from conflict regions through our Syrian Resettlement Programme and Children at Risk Resettlement Scheme. The UK is playing a leading role in the resettlement of the most vulnerable and supports other EU Member States in establishing and developing their resettlement schemes, through bilateral and multinational discussions.

01/01/2023
Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-06-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the additional cost of repairing the F35 in the USA rather than the UK during its lifetime; and if he will take steps to allow the electronics of the F35 to be repaired in the UK.

Mr Philip Dunne

The UK Lightning Force will be able to conduct all necessary maintenance of the F-35 aircraft at RAF Marham, including electronic equipment, following aircraft arrival in 2018. When components cannot be repaired on the front line and need to be returned to industry, this will be done via a global network of depots. The global repair network will be adopted by all of the F-35 partners and offers significant benefits in terms of economies of scale and operational availability. It does not mean that components specifically have to go back to the US for repair.

The UK has a through life cost for the F-35, which includes repair costs. I am withholding this information as it has the potential to undermine the UK’s commercial position when negotiating contracts with industry.

01/01/2023

Lisa Nandy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lisa Nandy on 2016-09-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of grammar school entrants are in receipt of the pupil premium in (a) England and (b) each region.

Edward Timpson

The proportion of grammar school pupils in receipt of the pupil premium in (a) England and (b) each region are given in the table.

Region	Number of grammar schools	Proportion of pupils receiving pupil premium
East Midlands	15	12.5%
East of England	8	5.6%
London	19	7.6%
North West	19	6.9%
South East	57	8.1%
South West	20	9.2%
West Midlands	19	10.0%
Yorkshire and the Humber	6	7.4%
England Total	163	8.5%

01/01/2023