Category: Speeches

Caroline Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Women and Equalities

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2015-12-14.

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, pursuant to the Answer of 10 June 2015 to Question 700, when she plans to (a) publish the evaluation report on the Access to Elected Office Fund and (b) make a decision on whether that fund should continue.

Caroline Dinenage

The number of people who have applied to the Access to Elected Office for Disabled People Fund is in the table below:

Financial Year	Number of applicants (some applicants made more than one application)
2012/13	27
2013/14	34
2014/15	48

The total amount claimed by successful applicants was £271,260 (out of awards totalling £418,733)

An evaluation of the pilot fund is currently being undertaken and will be published in due course. An announcement regarding the future of the fund is anticipated early in 2016.

The information on regional breakdown of expenditure and the diversity of candidates can be found in the tables below:

Region (location of election seat)	Amount claimed and paid (£)
East Midlands	1,099
East of England	480
Greater London	89,399
North East England	4,382
North West England	20,567
South East England	69,474
South West England	21,260
West Midlands	20,281
Yorkshire and Humberside	17,882
Total (rounded)	271,260

Political Party	Amount claimed and paid (£)
Conservative	32,361
Democracy 2015	350
Green	5,791
Labour	120,846
Liberal Democrat	32,601
Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition	276
UKIP	53,236
Independent	25,798
Total (rounded)	271,260

Gender	Amount claimed and paid (£)
Male	139,524
Female	131,736
Total	271,260

Ethnic Group	Amount claimed and paid (£)
White; all backgrounds	218,117
Mixed ethnic origin	1,348
Asian; all backgrounds	26,680
Black/African/Caribbean/Black British	22,977
Other ethnic group	350
Prefer not to say	1,788
Total	271,260

01/01/2023

Baroness King of Bow – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness King of Bow on 2016-01-21.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 7 January (HL4728), whether independence was one of the criteria by which candidates to chair the independent review of localisation of Council Tax support schemes were assessed.

Baroness Williams of Trafford

While independence was not referenced in my earlier answer, Ministers were mindful of independence in considering a chair, and have made it clear that this would be an independent review.

01/01/2023
Lord Rea – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Rea on 2016-02-10.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the risk of a driver’s involvement in a collision involving injuries or death when they have a blood alcohol concentration of 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood or more; and how that assessment of risk compares with that made when the alcohol limit for drivers was set in 1967.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

Sir Peter North’s 2010 Review of drink and drug driving made an assessment of various studies. The Coalition Government responded in March 2011 by setting out its position on maintaining the current limit. This Government agrees with that assessment and we do not believe any further studies have provided sufficient evidence to change that position. There are therefore no plans to change the current laws.

01/01/2023
Lord Greaves – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Greaves on 2016-03-07.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether any controls exist over the operation of unmanned ground vehicles (1) on highways, and (2) in other public spaces; whether controls exist over the use of such vehicles on pavements and other walkways, cycleways and bridleways; in the event of an accident or other event involving such a vehicle on a highway, who is responsible (a) for assessing responsibility, and (b) for paying any compensation that might be due; whether such vehicles must display information identifying the owner or controller; whether traffic police have any jurisdiction over such machines when being used on a highway; whether the police or other authorities have any powers to deal with such machines in the event of them causing a public nuisance; and whether insurance is required for the use of such machines.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

All vehicles, including connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs), must be used in line with UK road traffic law. Failure to comply with UK law may well result in enforcement agencies taking action.

The Pathway to driverless cars: a regulatory review, published in February 2015, sets out how current laws apply to CAVs, and points to where the position is not clear and should be reviewed further. For example, chapter 13 deals with insurance, and Annex B looks at innovative personal transport.

In addition, to secure the safe development and introduction of CAVs in the UK, the Pathway sets out a number of action points. The government is working on these, including having published the Code of Practice for testing automated vehicles in July 2015, to ensure that British citizens and businesses will benefit from CAVs in the short and long term.

01/01/2023
Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-04-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the (a) cost of running and (b) number of full-time equivalent employees based within the Cities and Local Growth Unit in each year since its inception; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Mark Francois

The Cities and Local Growth Unit is a joint BIS-DCLG team that supports a range of local growth activity. It was established in December 2013 to support policy areas including Growth Deals and City Deals. Its allocated headcount in the past three years has been 123 in 2013/14 and 2014/15, rising to 161.9 by the end of 2015/16, during which time it took on work in additional areas, including Devolution Deals, Enterprise Zones, and High Streets, Town Centres and Coastal Communities.

The Department has estimated the running costs of the unit for 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16 as £2.52m, £6.88m and £9.57m respectively. The figure is low in 2013-14 as the Unit was established three months before the end of the financial year. This estimate includes pay and non-pay costs.

01/01/2023
David Mackintosh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Women and Equalities

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

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what recent steps she has taken to increase the number of women represented on the executive boards of FTSE 100 companies.

Caroline Dinenage

I am delighted that we exceeded Lord Davies’s target of 25% women on boards of the FTSE 100 last year. However, we know that there is more to be done, and we will support and promote Lord Davies’s recommendation for a business-led 33% target for FTSE 350 boards by 2020. That’s why we’ve appointed Sir Philip Hampton, Chair of GlaxoSmithKline, and Dame Helen Alexander, Chair of UBM plc, as Chair and Deputy Chair of a new review which will focus on increasing the number of women in the executive layer of the FTSE 350.

01/01/2023
Baroness Howe of Idlicote – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Howe of Idlicote on 2016-07-07.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Neville-Rolfe on 21 April (HL7422), how many of the 60 foreign unlicensed online gambling websites to which the Gambling Commission has written have (1) obtained a licence, (2) ceased offering facilities for gambling in Britain, and (3) been subject to payment blocking by payment providers.

Lord Ashton of Hyde

Of the 60 foreign unlicensed online gambling websites which the Gambling Commission wrote to, 3 obtained a licence; 41 ceased offering facilities for gambling; and 11 were subject to payment blocking by payment providers. The remainder are the subject of ongoing enforcement activity by the Gambling Commission.

01/01/2023
Lord Foulkes of Cumnock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Foulkes of Cumnock on 2016-10-03.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the composition of the government of St Helena, and by whom each member of that government is appointed or elected.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The St Helena Government comprises of:

A Governor appointed by the Foreign Secretary of behalf of the Queen.

An Executive Council of twelve elected members and three members of St Helena Government who are appointed by the Governor.

A Legislative Council of five elected members and three senior members of the St Helena Government who are appointed by the Governor.

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

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Crausby on 2015-11-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to bring forward proposals to ban the use of wild animals in circuses.

George Eustice

I refer the hon. Member to the reply previously given to the hon. Member for Penistone and Stocksbridge, Angela Smith, on 21 July 2015, PQ UIN 7749.

01/01/2023
Karin Smyth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karin Smyth on 2015-12-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, who he was accompanied by at a cost to the public purse on each of his official overseas trips since his appointment.

Jane Ellison

My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State is generally accompanied by an official from the Department and/or a member of staff from his private office when he is travelling on official business.

01/01/2023