Category: Speeches

  • Gareth Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Gareth Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many students were entered for (a) GCSE and (b) A levels in (i) Arabic, (ii) modern Greek, (iii) Japanese, (iv) Urdu, (v) Bengali, (vi) modern Hebrew, (vii) Punjabi, (viii) Polish, (ix) Dutch, (x) Persian, (xi) Turkish, (xii) Albanian, (xiii) Cantonese and (xiv) Mandarin in (A) total and (B) each region in (1) 2011, (2) 2012, (3) 2013, (4) 2014 and (5) 2015; and if she will make a statement.

    Nick Gibb

    It is not possible to identify pupils entered for Mandarin Chinese from data held by the Department. The Department does hold information on the number of entries into GCSE Chinese which includes Mandarin Chinese and other Chinese subjects, including Cantonese.

    There is no GCSE or A level qualification in Albanian.

    The table attached provides information on the number of GCSE and A level entries for the stated subjects in each region between 2010/11 and 2014/15. [1][2]

    [1] Coverage is for all state-funded schools (including academies and CTCs) in England.

    [2] Figure has been suppressed due to low numbers (1 or 2 pupils) or where secondary suppression has been applied.

  • Helen Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Helen Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2016-03-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the Nigerian government on the persecution of Christians in Nigeria.

    James Duddridge

    Religious freedom in Nigeria is protected by the Nigerian Constitution. Boko Haram seeks to undermine this constitutional provision by attacking all Nigerians who do not subscribe to its extremist views. It has committed atrocities against people of all faiths, including Christians and Muslims, with the majority of those killed having been Muslims. We regularly discuss with the Nigerian Government at the highest levels our concern about the threat Boko Haram poses to communities of different faiths and ethnicities. We will continue to work with the Nigerian Government, non-governmental organisations and civil society to improve the security situation and human rights for all in Nigeria.

  • Lord Sharkey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Sharkey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Sharkey on 2016-04-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government which commercial organisations are permitted to promote or distribute their products or the products of other organisations in NHS maternity wards; what revenues accrue to the Government or the NHS from that activity; and what evidence there is that patients welcome such activity.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    National Health Service trusts may negotiate locally with commercial organisations to distribute advice, information and ‘try before you buy’ samples that they think would be useful for pregnant women.

    Neither the Department nor NHS England centrally have any contracts with Bounty or influence over the contents of the packs nor does the Department benefit financially from such arrangements. We do not have any information about what contracts might exist between Bounty and individual NHS trusts.

    Although we are aware of Bounty distributing their packs on maternity wards, we have no evidence of whether or not this is welcomed by parents.

    Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) use the services of Bounty to help distribute Child Benefit claim packs to new mothers in NHS hospitals. The contract for this service is held by HMRC’s Print Vendor Provider, Williams Lea. Using the Bounty pack as one channel for distributing Child Benefit forms has proved efficient and cost effective. The Child Benefit form can also be obtained through other channels, notably the HMRC website.

    In 2012-13, HMRC paid £85,990.27 (excluding VAT) for Bounty to distribute a total of 857,939 English and Welsh language claim forms.

  • Lisa Nandy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Lisa Nandy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lisa Nandy on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what representations the Government has received from (a) the Chinese government and (b) Chinese energy companies on the use of alternative nuclear technology to that proposed by EDF at Hinkley Point.

    Andrea Leadsom

    No representations have been received from (a) the Chinese Government, or (b) Chinese energy companies on the use of alternative nuclear technology to that proposed by EDF at Hinkley Point.

  • Andrew Stephenson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andrew Stephenson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Stephenson on 2016-07-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) former and (b) current coroners responded to the consultation on the post-implementation review of the coroner reforms in the Coroners and Justice Act 2009.

    Dr Phillip Lee

    The post-implementation review of the coroner reforms consultation closed on 31 December 2015. A response to the consultation will be published in due course.

    We received 214 responses to the review from current coronial officer holders. No respondents indicated that they were former coroners.

  • Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2016-09-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the government of Burma about restoring the citizenship rights of the Rohingya people.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We have long advocated for action to tackle the problems of Rakhine for the benefit of all communities, and to end the mistreatment of the Muslim Rohingya minority. We therefore welcome the establishment of the new Advisory Commission on Rakhine State. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Reading West (Alok Sharma), issued a statement to this effect on 25 August. On 14 September he also held a telephone conversation with Mr Annan in which he conveyed in person the UK’s strong support for his appointment and mandate. We are clear that this is a Burmese conceived and led initiative, and that is as it should be. The UK is providing funding to support the work of the Kofi Annan Foundation. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson) also discussed the Annan Commission on 12 September with State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi during her visit to the UK.

  • Joan Ryan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Joan Ryan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Joan Ryan on 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of reports that Tamil political prisoners have been on hunger strike in Sri Lanka; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    We noted that on 17 November the hunger strike by Tamil detainees was temporarily suspended until 15 December. We regularly raise matters of concern with the Sri Lankan government, including the detention of prisoners without trial. Our policy is unchanged and we remain committed to working closely with the Sri Lankan government and international partners to support the implementation of the commitments made by Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council in September, and in the UN Human Rights Council resolution of 1 October.

  • Rob Marris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Rob Marris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rob Marris on 2015-12-14.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when HM Revenue and Customs plans to respond to the letter to that body from the hon. Member for Wolverhampton South West of 5 November 2015 on child tax credits, case reference ZA1426.

    Damian Hinds

    HMRC replied to hon. Member’s letter on 8 December 2015.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-01-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government has reached an agreement with the US government on the placement of US border guards in UK airports.

    James Brokenshire

    The US operates border pre-clearance facilities at a number of international airports to allow passengers on flights to the US to clear US customs and immigration controls before they arrive in the US. The US Government seeks to negotiate such arrangements with the relevant UK airports, as any interested airport would need to adapt its operations accordingly. However the introduction of pre-clearance operations would also require approval by the UK Government. We continue to discuss pre-clearance with the US but no formal agreement has yet been reached.

  • Ian Austin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Ian Austin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the financial effect of the provision of the Childcare Bill on primary schools with nursery provision.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    The Childcare Bill delivers the government’s election manifesto commitment to give families where parents are working an entitlement to 30 hours of free childcare for their three- and four-year olds. Alongside other providers, primary schools, including free schools and academies, will play an important role in the delivery of this new entitlement from September 2017.

    Getting the funding right is essential for successful delivery. Together with the funding announced at Summer Budget, we will be investing over £1 billion per year by 2019-20 to fund this manifesto pledge. The funding includes £300 million for a significant uplift to the rate paid for the two-, three- and four-year old entitlements. We are also investing at least £50 million of capital funding to create additional places in nurseries and estimate a further 4,000 places will be created through new Free Schools.

    The government acknowledges that not all schools will be able to offer the full 30 hours entitlement themselves. Where that is the case, partnerships between schools and other providers, such as childminders, will allow parents to access their entitlement through their school. Partnerships like this already exist, and we will be drawing out lessons learned and good practice from them in order to help others to establish their own partnerships for the delivery of the 30 hours entitlement.