Category: Speeches

  • Nigel Dodds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Nigel Dodds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2016-07-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what funding has been provided to tackle terrorism in Northern Ireland under the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015.

    Mrs Theresa Villiers

    The PSNI will receive Additional Security Funding totalling £160m over this parliament. Over the next 5 years £2.5 billion will also be invested in the Security and Intelligence Agencies to create a bigger more capable global security and intelligence network. This is significant funding. It matches the severity of the terrorist threat, it demonstrates our unwavering commitment to the brave men and women in the police and intelligence agencies, and it is helping to keep people safe.

  • Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government plans continued participation in the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training after the UK leaves the EU.

    Joseph Johnson

    The UK will continue to participate in the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training until we leave the EU. Future participation after we leave the EU is a matter for the forthcoming negotiations.

  • Frank Field – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Frank Field – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2015-11-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether all types of credit union account are eligible for the receipt of universal credit.

    Priti Patel

    DWP can pay Universal Credit into any credit union account.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andy Slaughter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations his Department has made to the Israeli government on the provision of services to communities of different ethnicities in the Negev region.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    Officials at our Embassy in Tel Aviv are monitoring the situation closely and will continue to demonstrate our concern by regularly visiting the Bedouin communities. They have raised the issue of provision of services with the Arab Affairs Officer in the Prime Minister’s Office and will continue to do so.

  • Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-01-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children are being cared for primarily by their grandparents.

    Edward Timpson

    The Department does not collect information on the number of grandparents who provide care to their grandchildren.

    The Department collects and publishes information about looked-after children who are placed in foster care with a relative or friend. At 31 March 2015, 7910 looked-after children were cared for in these arrangements.

  • Jamie Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Jamie Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2016-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make it his policy to ensure that West Cumbria Magistrates’ Court is not closed.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    On 11 February 2016 I announced the outcome of the consultation on the provision of court and tribunal estate in England and Wales. West Cumbria Magistrates’ Court and County Court has been retained.

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

    “

  • Lord Stoddart of Swindon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Stoddart of Swindon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon on 2016-03-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 10 February (HL5715), whether they now intend to legislate to allow heterosexuals to form civil partnerships, and if not, why not.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    The Noble Lord wrote to me on this topic previously (HL5715). As I previously said:

    In 2014, after the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 was passed, the government carried out a review of the operation and future of the Civil Partnership Act 2004, including a thorough public consultation on potential changes to civil partnership. Views were invited on three options: Abolishing, or phasing out civil partnerships; or extending them to opposite sex couples.

    The review found that there was no clear consensus on the future of civil partnerships. A majority of respondents to the consultation were against extending civil partnerships to opposite sex couples and several important organisations thought it was too soon to consider making changes to civil partnerships until the impact of extending marriage to same sex couples is known. Given the lack of any consensus the Government has no current plans to make changes to the Civil Partnership Act 2004.

    On 29 January 2016 the High Court dismissed a legal challenge to the lack of availability of civil partnerships to opposite sex couples. The Court ruled unequivocally that the current regime of marriage and civil partnership does not disadvantage anyone nor does it infringe anyone’s right to family or private life. We also welcome the Court’s view that it is entirely reasonable for the Government to wait to see the impact of extending marriage to same sex couples before deciding on the way forward.

  • Lord Watson of Invergowrie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Lord Watson of Invergowrie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Watson of Invergowrie on 2016-04-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the concerns expressed by the National Farmers Union and the Country Land and Business Association regarding the prospective loss of funding and access to markets to British agriculture in the event of the UK leaving the EU; and whether they have planned any measures in such an event.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    At the February European Council, the Government negotiated a new settlement, giving the United Kingdom a special status in a reformed European Union. The Government’s position is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU.

  • David Lammy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    David Lammy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Lammy on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans her Department has to increase the resources available for the processing of Dublin III asylum transfer requests.

    James Brokenshire

    We continue to work with a number of EU Member States and the European Asylum Sup-port Office (EASO) to ensure Dublin works effectively. We are in ongoing discussions with France, Italy and Greece, as well as the UNHCR, to ensure that we continue to have the right processes in place and the resources to make them work effectively.

    We have recently deployed two UK experts to the Greek Dublin Unit. We are currently providing bilateral support to the Italian Dublin Unit through a long term secondment. We are also due to deploy an additional UK expert to the Italian Dublin Unit shortly.

    Our work with France including the permanent official contact group and a recently sec-onded senior UK official to the French Dublin Unit to assist with the identification and transfer of cases has shown results of our collaborative efforts.

    The Home Office has a unit processing Dublin III asylum transfer requests from and to the United Kingdom. This unit comprises 78.34 full time equivalent managers, caseworkers and support staff. Staffing levels will remain in line with anticipated volumes.

    As announced on 4 May we are now looking to transfer children who were already present in Europe before the EU-Turkey deal came into force on 20 March, where it is in their best interests. It is important that we ensure we fulfil our obligations to children who are already in UK, as well ensuring we have the right support for those who may be brought to the UK from Europe. We are working with the relevant Member States, the UNHCR and other Non-Governmental Organisations and local authorities to establish the best way to implement the provisions of the Immigration Act 2016 for the transfer of unaccompanied refugee children from Europe to the UK.

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-07-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Answer of 1 December 2015 to Question 17582, what his Department’s timetable is for the closure of the remaining arrears-only Child Support Agency cases after the three-year cases closure programme involving cases with an on-going liability is completed.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The Department’s timetable for the closure of Child Support Agency arrears only cases is currently under consideration.