Category: Speeches

  • Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-10-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government is responsible for the Overseas Territories legal compliance with the European Convention on Human Rights.

    Sir Alan Duncan

    The protection and promotion of human rights are primarily the responsibility of territory governments. However, as the State party, the UK Government is ultimately responsible under international law for the Overseas Territories’ compliance with their international obligations. These include any international treaty to which the UK has extended its ratification, such as the European Convention on Human Rights.

  • Mark Durkan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Mark Durkan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Durkan on 2015-11-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will ensure that any agreement on a central registry of beneficial ownership in the Cayman Islands will include access for the public with legitimate reason.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    I refer the Honourable Gentleman to the answer given by my Rt Hon Friend, the Member for South West Hertfordshire (David Gauke MP), the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, to questions 10437, 10438 and 10448, which sets out the criteria we expect the Overseas Territories to meet in relation to their central register of company beneficial ownership, or similarly effective system.

    We are continuing our dialogue with the Anguilla authorities on this and have offered any technical support that might be required as they develop their proposals.

  • Craig Whittaker – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Craig Whittaker – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2015-11-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much West Yorkshire PCTs are owed by foreign patients for medical treatment from the NHS.

    Alistair Burt

    Under the Health and Social Care Act 2012, primary care trusts (PCTs) ceased to exist from 1 April 2013, being replaced by clinical commissioning groups.

    The Department does not hold information centrally on the amounts owed to clinical commissioning groups by foreign patients for National Health Service medical treatment received.

  • Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-01-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proposals they have for achieving access in compliance with UN Resolutions to food and medicines for those Syrians now cut off from external supplies.

    Earl of Courtown

    The UK has pledged over £1.1 billion in response to the crisis in Syria and the region, making us the second largest bilateral donor after the US.

    The UK plays a key role in ensuring humanitarian access to Syria. By 30 November 2015, at least 222 shipments of cross-border aid had been delivered as a direct result of the UK co-sponsored UN Security Council Resolutions 2165, 2191 and 2258 which enables the UN to deliver aid into Syria without the consent of the regime.

    The UK worked with partners in the UN Security Council to put humanitarian access in Madaya, and across Syria, on the Security Council’s agenda on Monday 11 January.

    We continue to call on all sides to the conflict to respect International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and ensure free, unimpeded access for humanitarian agencies.

  • Oliver Dowden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Oliver Dowden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Oliver Dowden on 2016-02-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 25 January 2016 to Question 23018, what steps he is taking to limit the availability of laser pens.

    Anna Soubry

    I refer to my answer of 25 January.

    I have asked my officials as a first step to request an urgent update from Trading Standards on their recent market surveillance activities. I am aware that Leicester Trading Standards recently seized 1,500 unsafe laser pens at point of entry and the importer agreed to destroy them.

    In addition RAPEX (the European electronic notification platform for the notifying and removal of dangerous consumer products) statistics show 98 different types of laser pointers were removed from the EU market and of these 9 different products were notified by UK market surveillance authorities.

  • Dan Jarvis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Dan Jarvis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-02-24.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he next plans to attend a meeting of the National Infrastructure Commission.

    Greg Hands

    The agenda for meetings of the National Infrastructure Commission is set by its interim Chair, Lord Adonis.

  • Joan Ryan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Joan Ryan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Joan Ryan on 2016-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of neighbourhood policing capacity.

    Mike Penning

    Decisions about the number of officers deployed to neighbourhood policing, and their specific roles, are for Chief Constables and democratically accountable Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs). They are responsible for ensuring the needs of the local community are met. Priorities for each area are set out in the PCC’s – in London the Mayor’s – Police and Crime Plan. Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary independently assesses the efficiency and effectiveness of police force activity, including neighbourhood policing.

  • Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2016-04-28.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Eritrean nationals were required to pay fees for their asylum appeals in (1) 2013, (2) 2014, and (3) 2015.

    Lord Faulks

    The numbers of Eritrean nationals who lodged an asylum appeal in the UK or from overseas in the three years up to December 2015 are:

    Total

    Within the UK

    Outside the UK

    2013

    122

    122

    0

    2014

    241

    240

    1

    2015

    1,856

    1,854

    2

    The numbers of Eritrean nationals who were required to pay a fee for their asylum appeal in the three years up to December 2015 are:

    Total

    2013

    1

    2014

    2

    2015

    23

    Notes to tables:

    1. Figures include Asylum, Protection and Revocation of Protection appeals.

    2. Figures provided are taken from internal management information and not subject to the same quality checks as Official Statistics.

  • Lord Allen of Kensington – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Lord Allen of Kensington – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Allen of Kensington on 2016-06-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they plan to introduce a new Electronic Communications Code.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    Government published full details of its proposals for a new Electronic Communications Code on 17 May 2016. The new Code will form part of the Digital Economy Bill, which was announced in the Queen’s Speech on 18 May 2016 and is due to be introduced during the current Parliamentary session.

  • Karl McCartney – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Karl McCartney – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl McCartney on 2016-09-02.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department has taken to prepare for the UK to leave the EU since 23 June 2016; and what further such steps his Department plans to take in the remainder of 2016.

    Mr David Gauke

    The Department for Exiting the European Union has responsibility for overseeing preparations for the withdrawal of the UK from the EU and conducting these withdrawal negotiations in support of the Prime Minister. In doing this it is working very closely with other government departments, including HM Treasury, and a wide range of other interested parties.