Category: Speeches

  • Alistair Carmichael – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Alistair Carmichael – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alistair Carmichael on 2016-10-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will ensure better provision of public legal education to ensure people understand and can effectively claim their rights, and to provide parallel education to practitioners.

    Sir Oliver Heald

    As one of their regulatory objectives the legal services regulators have a duty to promote public understanding of citizens’ legal rights and duties. The regulators have established the Legal Choices website, which provides information to help with decisions on whether and how to seek legal advice and the available services the public might choose. There is also easy to understand information to help the public to be aware of their rights and the law on the ‘crime, justice and the law’ section of the GOV.UK website. Finally, independent advice is also provided at the Advicenow website, established by Law for Life, which provides information on rights and the law.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Caroline Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2015-11-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he has taken to ensure that military vehicle licences granted by the UK to the Egyptian government will not contribute to human rights violations.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The UK operates one of the most rigorous and transparent arms export control regimes in the world. All defence and dual-use exports are required to meet the UK’s strict export control legislation and adhere to the UK’s international commitments, including under international treaties and other arrangements. We do not issue an export licence if there is a clear risk that the proposed export might be used for internal repression or in the commission of a serious violation of international humanitarian law, and we take account of any risk that the goods might be diverted to undesirable end-users or end-use.

  • Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2015-12-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many adults applying for a passport for the first time have failed the personal interview test in each year since such interviews were required.

    Lord Bates

    Interview offices were established in 2008 for first time adult applicants. From 2008 to 2010 information on failed interviews was held in each Interview Office and not collated or transformed into centrally held data. A failed interview does not automatically mean the passport application has failed. It indicates that the interviewer was not fully satisfied with the answers given within the allotted interview time and the application requires further investigation.

    During this period a number of changes were made to the way in which we conduct our interviews; these changes have led to fewer interviews being failed. Our new interview processes are more flexible and allow us to gather more details from the applicant at the interview stage. This means that interview staff are able to progress the application to a point where they can advise central examining teams that a passport should be issued. Previously, with less freedom in the questions they could put to the applicant they may have had to fail the interview so that these details could be established by another means later on in the process.

    Calendar Year

    Volume of Interviews failed

    2010

    2,396

    2011

    2,009

    2012

    1,016

    2013

    795

    2014

    239
  • John Healey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    John Healey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Healey on 2016-01-07.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what organisations he has met to discuss the introduction of the capping of housing benefit for tenants in supported housing at the local rate of local housing allowance.

    Damian Hinds

    Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-giftsand-overseas-travel The lead department for this measure, the Department for Work and Pensions, has regular meetings with relevant organisations and will meet with them to discuss how the application of local housing allowance rates to social sector tenants, including those living in supported housing, will work as the policy is developed.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-02-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what the value of the most recent trade surplus or deficit between Scotland and the EU.

    David Mundell

    The trade position of a country reflects exports minus imports and includes goods and services. This comprehensive measure is only available for the UK as a whole. HMRC regional trade statistics provides just a partial picture of Scotland’s trade performance as it only takes account of goods and not services. According to the latest available data, Scotland’s trade performance on goods for the year including Q3 2015 with the EU shows a surplus, with a recorded value of £2.1 billion.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many responses to his Department’s consultation on the closure of Hammersmith Court were (a) in favour of and (b) against the closure.

    Andrew Selous

    The number of responses received on the proposal to close Hammersmith County Court (formally West London County Court) were (a) two in favour and (b) 14 against.

    The consultation response is available online at www.gov.uk/moj.

    “

  • The Lord Bishop of Coventry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The Lord Bishop of Coventry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Lord Bishop of Coventry on 2016-03-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of progress towards political reconciliation and community cohesion in Iraq.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We welcome the commitments that Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has made to reaching out to all of Iraq’s communities and delivering the reforms needed to progress reconciliation in Iraq.

    Although Prime Minister Abadi has taken a number of important steps in this regard, including appointing the most inclusive government that Iraq has seen for a decade and advancing decentralisation, the reconciliation process remains in the early stages, with progress slow.

    Key elements of the reconciliation agenda – including legislation aimed at addressing the grievances of Iraq’s communities – remain at various stages of deliberation in Parliament.

    During his recent visit to Iraq the Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), discussed the importance of genuine reform and meaningful reconciliation with Prime Minister Abadi and emphasised the importance of progress. We continue to support Prime Minister Abadi in his efforts to build a better future for all of Iraqis.

  • Anna Turley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Anna Turley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anna Turley on 2016-04-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will take steps to ensure the protective award is made to employees made redundant who worked across several establishments within one business.

    Nick Boles

    My Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills has no power to make a protective award to employees; the decision to make a protective award lies with the Employment Tribunal. The Employment Tribunal considers the facts of each case and decides whether to make a protective award, and if so, which employees are eligible, based on the circumstances of each case presented to it.

  • Julian Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Julian Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Knight on 2016-06-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what funding her Department provides for (a) litter awareness campaigns, (b) implementation of the National Litter Strategy and (c) litter clearance at sites of national and cultural significance.

    Rory Stewart

    Defra supported the Clean for the Queen campaign, run earlier this year on behalf of Country Life by Keep Britain Tidy, with a grant of £9,500 towards providing resource packs to help support and encourage schools to participate in the campaign and to support monitoring and evaluation of the impacts and effectiveness of the campaign. The Department for Communities and Local Government also spent £5,000 on promoting the initiative through Facebook.

    Defra also provides £5,000 per year to the Marine Conservation Society to carry out beach cleaning at priority beaches.

    It is up to local councils to determine their own spending priorities, including for litter clearance at local sites of national or cultural significance, and central Government does not provide any specific funding to them for this purpose. Where such sites are on private land, it is for the landowner to make arrangements for litter clearance.

    Where possible, we aim to ensure that the costs of dealing with litter issues are passed to those responsible for causing the problem. We will look to implement measures in the forthcoming Litter Strategy for England through working in partnership with business and campaigning organisations.

  • Lisa Nandy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Lisa Nandy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lisa Nandy on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether it is her Department’s policy that the UK should comply with the air pollution limits set out in the EU Industrial Emissions Directive.

    Dr Thérèse Coffey

    The Government takes air pollution seriously and is committed to improving the UK’s air quality, reducing health impacts, and fulfilling our legal obligations.

    As a full member of the European Union (EU), the UK aims to comply with all the rights and obligations of EU membership, including the air pollution limits set out in the Industrial Emissions Directive 2010/75/EU.