Category: Speeches

Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-05-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in other EU countries and the EU Commission on the demolition of EU-funded structures by Israeli authorities in Jabal al Baba on 16 May 2016; and what steps he plans to take (a) independently and (b) with those counterparts to ensure that any further such planned demolitions are halted.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The UK and the EU continue to raise concerns about demolitions with the Government of Israel. These demolitions cause significant human suffering, undermine chances of progress towards a two-state solution, and are contrary to international humanitarian law in all but the most exceptional cases. Within the EU, we are considering how to respond to demolitions, including the demolition and confiscation of EU-funded structures.

01/01/2023
Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-07-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with his (a) Ministerial colleagues and (b) US counterparts on cooperation and assistance on counter-drone technology.

Mr Philip Dunne

I have regular discussions with both Ministerial Colleagues and US counterparts on a range of issues, including counter-drone technologies.

01/01/2023
Baroness Altmann – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Altmann on 2016-09-12.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their latest estimate of the impact of falling long-term gilt yields on the deficits of UK defined benefit pension schemes.

Lord Freud

Recent movement in gilt yields could have a material impact on the funding position of defined benefit pension schemes in the short term.

However, the precise effect on deficits will depend on a number of factors including how assets are allocated, the approach to hedging and the demographics of the scheme. We continue to monitor the position.

01/01/2023
David Anderson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2015-11-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to introduce in the rest of the UK the General Licence Restriction Order for the protection of birds in use in Scotland; and if she will make a statement.

Rory Stewart

The introduction of a new regulatory measure requires evidence that it will be effective.

We will monitor the situation in Scotland to consider whether this measure is necessary and proportionate to assist in tackling wildlife crime in England.

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

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2015-12-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many and what proportion of clinical commissioning group transformation plans address the mental health needs of (a) children who have experienced abuse and (b) looked after children.

Alistair Burt

As part of improving transparency, all Local Transformation Plans must be published locally and made widely available.

NHS England’s guidance Local Transformation Plans for Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing – Guidance and support for local areas is explicit about the need to promote equality and address health inequalities, and states that plans should ‘address the full spectrum of need including children and young people who have particular vulnerability to mental health problems for e.g. those with learning disabilities, looked after children and care leavers, those at risk or in contact with the Youth Justice System, or who have been sexually abused and/or exploited’.

The assurance process requires local areas to evidence how they are meeting the needs of vulnerable groups including looked after children and children who have experienced abuse.

An analysis of Local Transformation Plans has been commissioned and will include a thematic review of how the mental health needs of children and young people in vulnerable groups have been addressed.

As set out in the guidance for Local Transformation Plans an integral part of the locally developed Children and Young People’s Mental Health Transformation Plans includes a tracking template that sets out local progress milestones and financial spend. This tracker will be used as the basis for assurance assessment in 2015/16 and from 2016/17 onwards progress on local transformation will become part of the mainstream planning assurance process.

Local Transformation Plansrequire all key partners in a local area to agree how best to meet the mental health needs of children and young people in their local populations. 122 Local Transformation Planshave been developed that cover all 209 clinical commissioning groups.

The assurance process for Local Transformation Plans for Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing was undertaken by NHS England regional teams and included assurance against each plan of standard self-assessment and tracker templates to enable a comparison of plans against objective success criteria.

NHS England have commissioned a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the Local Transformation Plans, in order to support policy makers, local commissioners and services to understand and use the data that is contained within the plans to drive further improvements. Local Transformation Plans will be reviewed from a narrative, analytical and financial perspective, with thematic reviews carried out in key focus areas that align with Future in mind principles.

01/01/2023
Sarah Champion – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Champion on 2016-01-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) sexual harm prevention orders and (b) sexual risk orders have been made by courts in England to protect children aged 16 and 17.

Karen Bradley

The Home Office does not collate central figures on the number of Sexual Harm Prevention Orders and Sexual Risk Orders issued in England. Figures collated by the police for management purposes, and provided to the Home Office, on the overall number of orders show that in the period between 8 March and 29 September, 2,425 full and 40 interim Sexual Harm Prevention Orders and 32 full and 13 interim Sexual Risk Orders were issued in England and Wales. This data is not broken down by age.

01/01/2023

Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-02-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many staff in her Department and non-departmental public bodies receive (a) home to work travel allowance, (b) a car allowance and (c) subsidised health insurance.

George Eustice

The following table sets out the number of staff in receipt of each type of allowance in 2014/15.

	Home to Work Travel	Car
Core Department	7	0
Animal and Plant Health Agency	185	0
Environment Agency	829	10
Rural Payments Agency	79	14
Total	1,100	24

Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, Consumer Council for Water, Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Marine Management Organisation, Natural England and Veterinary Medicines Directorate have no staff in receipt of these allowances.

No staff were in receipt of subsidised health insurance.

The Home to Work Travel Allowance mainly relates to staff receiving the Excess Cost of Travel Allowance (ECTA). This is paid as a result of ongoing estates rationalisation where the home to work commute for a staff member has increased because of an office closure or move. Where there is a requirement for a limited number of RPA managers to operate out of more than one location, RPA also pay home to work travel costs to ensure the individual is not disadvantaged as a result of business needs. The EA figure includes staff in receipt of Overtime Attendance Allowance which is a fixed amount that is paid when they are required to respond to an unplanned incident.

01/01/2023

David Anderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2016-03-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the effect on cost and on bed capacity of delayed hospital discharge at the Lane Fox Respiratory Unit at St Thomas’ Hospital, London; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt

The information is not collected centrally and no estimate has been made.

01/01/2023

Baroness Wilcox – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Wilcox on 2016-04-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much someone earning (1) £15,000, and (2) £150,000, a year would have paid in direct taxation, including income tax and national insurance, in (a) 2009–10 and (b) 2015–16.

Lord O’Neill of Gatley

Someone earning £15,000 would have had a total tax liability from Income Tax and National Insurance Contributions of £2,726 in 2009-10 and £1,713 in 2015-16.

Someone earning £150,000 would have had a total tax liability from Income Tax and National Insurance Contributions of £55,189 in 2009-10 and £59,914 in 2015-16.

This is summarised in the following tables, which break down the liability by Income Tax and National Insurance Contributions (NICs):

1) £15,000	2009-10	2015-16	difference
Income Tax	£1,705	£880	-£825
Employee NICs	£1,021	£833	-£189
Total tax	£2,726	£1,713	-£1,014
Net income	£12,274	£13,287	£1,014
2) £150,000	2009-10	2015-16	difference
Income Tax	£49,930	£53,643	£3,713
Employee NICs	£5,259	£6,271	£1,012
Total tax	£55,189	£59,914	£4,725
Net income	£94,811	£90,086	-£4,725

This assumes that the individual was born after 5 April 1948 (and therefore not receiving the Age-related Personal Allowance), is paying employee NICs (not contracted out), and has a gross income from pay only. The Income tax calculations assume no other allowances or deductions. The NICs is calculated on an annual basis which assumes a smooth distribution of the income across the year.

01/01/2023

Gavin Shuker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Shuker on 2016-05-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans he has to engage with international partners to tackle the persecution of secularists or of people with no faith in Bangladesh.

Mr Hugo Swire

As I said to the House on 24 May, there is more we can do to help the Government of Bangladesh to tackle the challenges they face. I raised my concerns about the situation there most recently with the Bangladesh High Commissioner on 24 May.

Our High Commission in Dhaka regularly meets international partners to discuss the treatment of secular activists and minority groups in Bangladesh. Most recently, on 22 May, our High Commissioner met Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister, Abul Hassan Mahmud Ali, with other EU Ambassadors, to discuss signs that intolerance across Bangladesh is increasing

In September 2015, officials from the British High Commission in Dhaka met Heiner Bielefeldt, UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, during his visit to Bangladesh. We urge the Government of Bangladesh to implement the recommendations in his report, which includes a call for the government to “protect the vibrant civil society and pluralistic society in Bangladesh”.

01/01/2023