Category: Speeches

  • Lord Brabazon of Tara – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Lord Brabazon of Tara – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Brabazon of Tara on 2015-12-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the total cost of distributing the £10 Christmas Bonus for pensioners.

    Baroness Altmann

    This information is not available.

    Both Pensioners and working age people in receipt of certain benefits receive the Christmas Bonus. Christmas Bonus payments are usually automatically generated based on receipt of a qualifying benefit. The cost of doing this is not separately identifiable from the administrative costs of the qualifying benefits.

  • Seema Malhotra – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Seema Malhotra – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Seema Malhotra on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 17 December 2015 to Question 19817, for what reasons his Department does not produce estimates of the proportion of people who will be unable to afford to rent or buy a home in London in 2016.

    Brandon Lewis

    The proportion of people who are able to afford to rent or buy a home at a point in time is a function of macroeconomic and a number of other factors around which there is a high degree of uncertainty. As such, we do not believe such an assessment would prove to be reliable.

    The Department publishes data on housing costs and income as part of the English Housing Survey. The latest survey, for 2013-14, shows that in England the proportion of income spent on housing costs was 18% for mortgagers, 29% for social renters, and 34% for private renters. The full report is available at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/461439/EHS_Households_2013-14.pdf

    In respect of housing need in London, it is for the Mayor of London, working with London Boroughs, to identify and plan for the market and affordable housing needs in London.

  • Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-02-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the effectiveness of the arrangements for information sharing between police and councils under Common Law Police Disclosure.

    Karen Bradley

    Common Law Police Disclosure (CLPD) is police led. The National Police Chiefs’ Council issue guidance for CLPD to all Chief Officers to ensure compliance.

    Operational use of the scheme follows the principles of the statutory guidance relating to the disclosure of local police information on criminal record certificates.

    The Home Office does not make any separate assessment of the scheme.

  • Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-03-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what checks are made to determine whether an individual who is not a British citizen has committed any crimes in the UK on a previous occasion at the time of their entry to the UK from another EU country.

    James Brokenshire

    We take the issue of preventing criminals entering the UK extremely seriously, and we continue to strengthen our borders so that we can prevent crime and protect the public. We carry out 100% checks at passport control to identify persons of interest entering the UK. All passengers are checked against police, security and immigration watchlists and where we are aware of individuals who pose a risk, Border Force officers can – and do – refuse them entry. Checks are also carried out against the vast majority of passengers before they arrive in the UK and, where we can, we stop them from travelling in the first place.

    Those required to obtain a visa to enter the UK are also checked against a range of police, security and immigration databases for details of any UK or overseas criminal record. All applicants are required to provide details of their criminal history. Where they fail to declare relevant offences/convictions, their application will be refused and they will be subject to a ten-year ban from applying to enter the UK.

  • Adam Holloway – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Adam Holloway – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Holloway on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the capabilities, troop numbers and mission objectives of the Libya international assistance mission.

    Penny Mordaunt

    Italy is leading the planning for a Libya International Assistance Mission which is intended to provide training to Libyan security forces in response to a formal request made by the Libyan Government of National Accord. The mission is not designed to provide security for the Libyan Government.

    The capabilities, troop numbers and objectives for any potential deployment are not yet sufficiently developed and will be further refined once a request for support has been received and the requirement becomes clear. No decisions have been made about the contribution of any British military forces to this mission.

  • Ian Blackford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Ian Blackford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Blackford on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with which other EU countries the UK has a bilateral arrangement for the payment of annual uprating of pensions that would remain in force in the event of the UK leaving the EU.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The terms of the UK’s bilateral social security agreements with EU Member States, some of which date from the 1950s, are generally superseded by EU Regulations.

    The Government’s position is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU. If the result of the referendum is a decision to leave, then the Government will have two years under the Article 50 process to seek to negotiate the terms, including the payment of pensions, of the UK’s exit, with the possibility of extending this time frame with the agreement of the other 27 Member States.

  • Tim Farron – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Tim Farron – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Farron on 2016-06-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department has taken to promote LGBT rights in developing countries in this Parliament.

    Sir Desmond Swayne

    Through development programmes, DFID aims to support civil society, governments and others to build open economies and open societies in which citizens have freedom, dignity, choice and control over their lives, and institutions are accountable, inclusive and responsive.

    DFID’s approach to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights’ was published in February 2016 online.

  • Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-09-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the process is for considering whether to withhold sensitive material from courts to aid their consideration of (a) whether to impose Temporary Exclusion Orders (TEOs), (b) whether a TEO already imposed should be revoked and (c) whether the conditions imposed on those subject to TEOs are fair.

    Mr Ben Wallace

    The Court Rules for Temporary Exclusion Orders provide for the disclosure of open material, the use of private hearings, and the withholding of closed material (the disclosure of which would be contrary to the public interest). The Home Office cannot determine which information is closed and must submit an application to the court for permission not to disclose certain information. Under the closed material procedure, the TEO subject and his legal representatives would attend ‘open’ court proceedings but would not be present at ‘closed’ proceedings. Special advocates appointed by the Attorney General would represent the interests of the excluded party in relation to closed evidence. The use of closed material proceedings is designed to ensure that the court has sight of sensitive material whilst protecting it from wider disclosure.

  • Jeff Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jeff Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeff Smith on 2016-10-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many mental health workers are attached to GP practices in England.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 12 September 2016 to Question 44555.

    “

  • Baroness Jones of Whitchurch – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Baroness Jones of Whitchurch – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 2015-11-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have a list of invasive non-native species arriving on UK shores that they wish to eradicate, and if so, whether Japanese knotweed is on that list.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    Biodiversity is a devolved matter. In England, there are currently five species subject to national eradication programmes. These are Ruddy duck, Monk parakeet, Topmouth gudgeon, American bullfrog and Water primrose.

    Nevertheless, in England, the work of Local Action Groups, established with Government support, has reduced or eradicated Japanese knotweed in several places. For example, in Bristol, 95% of the Japanese knotweed surveyed by the Avon Invasive Weed Forum is now under management.

    The Government also continues to explore biocontrol options through the controlled release of a psyllid insect.