Category: Speeches

  • Daniel Kawczynski – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Daniel Kawczynski – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Kawczynski on 2016-01-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the cost was to the public purse of the public inquiry into the death of Alexander Litvinenko; and what the average cost was to the public purse of inquiries into suspicious deaths undertaken by coroners over the last three years.

    Mr John Hayes

    The public inquiry into the death of Alexander Litvinenko publishes costs on its website https://www.litvinenkoinquiry.org/costs. As of 31st December 2015, the inquiry had spent £2.25m. Final figures are still being calculated.

    Coroners are a local service, funded independently of central government by local authorities. The total cost to the public of inquiries into suspicious deaths over the last three years is therefore not available.

  • Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many cases of Bovine TB there have been in Somerset in each of the last four years.

    George Eustice

    The latest National Statistics on the incidence and prevalence of tuberculosis (TB) in Cattle in Great Britain were published on 10 February 2016. These include detailed statistics at county level as at the end of November 2015 and can be found on GOV.UK.

  • Thangam Debbonaire – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Thangam Debbonaire – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2016-03-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for refugee family reunion from each country of nationality of such applicants were (a) submitted, (b) decided and (c) granted in 2015.

    James Brokenshire

    The published statistics relate to the ‘Family: other’ category, the vast majority of which are for family reunion. Data for applications, decisions, of which grants and refusals, withdrawns/lapsed, and grants by nationality, is given in the attached tables.

    The latest quarterly Home Office immigration statistics on entry clearance visas are published in ‘Immigration Statistics, October-December 2015’, available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-statistics

  • Charles Walker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Charles Walker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charles Walker on 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what provisions there are to enable UK citizens to check whether their names and data are held on the World Check database operated by Thomson Reuters Accelus; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) confers a number of rights on individuals in respect of the processing of their personal data by UK organisations. Subject to certain exemptions, section 7 of the DPA gives individuals the right to request a copy of information which an organisation holds about them. An individual can exercise this right, commonly known as ‘subject access’, by making a written subject access request to the organisation.

    If an individual would like to find out what information Thomson Reuters holds about them in World-Check, they can email contact@world-check.com. Further information about individuals’ rights concerning the processing of their personal data by Thomson Reuters Accelus can be found on their website at:

    https://risk.thomsonreuters.com/world-check-privacy-statement

    “

  • Lord Judd – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Judd – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Judd on 2016-05-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether improving the accessibility and clarity of the rules covering family reunion, and ensuring that those rules were more flexibility applied, would prevent perilous journeys being undertaken by children seeking asylum in the UK.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    Our family reunion policy is intended to allow immediate family members, who formed part of a family unit before the refugee fled their country, to reunite in the UK with the refugee and rebuild their lives together. Those family members can apply from the country in which they are resident.

  • Kate Green – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Kate Green – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2016-07-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of withdrawal from the EU on the UK’s role in global affairs.

    Mr Philip Hammond

    The UK referendum made a decision to leave the EU, not to turn our backs on Europe, let alone the world. Throughout the referendum debate, campaigns on both sides rejected any notion that a “Leave” vote would signal any kind of retreat from the world. The UK will remain a major player, fully engaged in world affairs, including through our membership of multilateral organisations. We are a Permanent member of the UN Security Council; the second largest contributor to NATO; a key member of the Commonwealth, of the G7 and the G20. We also remain committed to renewing the nuclear deterrent. Our voice will always be prominent – but we will perhaps have to work a little bit harder to ensure that our voice carries the same authority it did before.

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-09-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to encourage companies to use digital funds from the proposed Apprenticeship Levy to pay for apprentice training for (a) ex-offenders, (b) children leaving care and (c) other vulnerable groups.

    Robert Halfon

    Our proposed funding policy is designed to put employers of all sizes in more control, and support individuals from all backgrounds and regions.

    We are giving employers more control of the funding for apprenticeships training in return for them investing more in apprenticeships; this includes simplifying the funding system to encourage employers to recruit more apprentices of all ages and from all backgrounds.

    The Government provides additional support to employers for some groups. Under the funding proposals we sought feedback on by 5 September, the Government will provide extra support for 19-24 year old care leavers and 19-24 year olds with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHC). Apprentices aged 19 to 24 without an EHC Plan, who have a learning difficulty and/or disability, can benefit from additional funding through Learning Support.

    Apprentices can also apply for Access to Work funding for adjustments to the workplace and training providers can use funding to support the apprentice’s learning. Reasonable adjustments are available for any qualifications within apprenticeships to ensure the apprentice has the chance to demonstrate their skills and knowledge.

  • Wendy Morton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Wendy Morton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Wendy Morton on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in the EU, Africa and the Middle East on diplomatic steps to tackle the refugee crisis in the Mediterranean.

    Mr David Lidington

    Ministers discuss the current migration crisis with EU counterparts and those from other affected regions on a regular basis. Last night, The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) met with African and EU representatives as part of a British Chairmanship of the Khartoum Process.The UK is playing a leading role in taking forward joint efforts.

    For example, countering people smuggling will be a priority for the UK in its engagement with a new Libyan Government resulting from the UN-led process.The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron)announced in Valletta £200 million of new UK money for projects in Africa to address the root causes of migration. 31 European nations and 36 African nations attended the Valletta Summit on Migration earlier this month.

  • Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer on 2015-12-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what targets are in place to improve soil quality in UK agricultural land.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    The 2007 Countryside Survey measured changes in soil organic matter content of soils in Great Britain. It also measured bulk density and a number of other physical and chemical characteristics of soil. A new baseline survey for soil carbon was carried out in 2009 as part of the EU Land Cover and Land Use Statistics (LUCAS) exercise. The 2015 LUCAS soil samples are currently being analysed.

    Defra does not routinely monitor national rates of soil loss (erosion), but we are funding research to pilot a national soil erosion monitoring framework for monitoring soil erosion in England and Wales.

    Defra also funded a survey of soil compaction levels in grasslands in England and Wales in 2011.

    No formal assessment has been made of the sufficiency of the baseline data from which to measure changes in soil quality.

    The Government recognises that soil is essential for underpinning a range of benefits, including food production, but also biodiversity, carbon storage and flood protection.

    While the future direction of soils policy will be considered as part of the development of the 25 year plans for Food and Farming, and Environment, government is already taking action to improve soil quality.

    This includes new rules underpinning cross compliance which anyone claiming Common Agricultural Policy payments must comply with. The rules require a minimum level of soil cover, prevention of erosion and measures to protect the organic matter levels of soil. The new rules take an outcome based approach, instead of the previous paper-based system, thereby focussing on environmental improvements while reducing burdens for farmers. The Government will continue to monitor the implementation of the new rules.

    No single body or institution has responsibility for measuring and analysing soils in the UK. Soil testing is carried out by a mix of commercial laboratories and Public Analyst labs. Typically laboratories are accredited and adhere to British Standards on testing procedures. However, there are no regulations governing soil testing procedures themselves.

    There are existing soil maps for England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, which use different soil classifications. There are currently no plans to produce a new UK soil map, and we have not explored options for private sector investment.

  • Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-01-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much (a) the Legal Aid Agency and (b) HM Courts and Tribunal Service spent on intermediaries in each of the last four years.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    This information could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.