Category: Speeches

  • Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-09-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the UK plans to provide any assistance or reconnaissance intelligence for airstrikes against Jabhat al-Nusra conducted as part of the Syrian Counter Terror agreement made by the US and Russia on 9 September 2016.

    Mike Penning

    The UK supported US efforts to reach agreement with Russia to reinstate a cessation of hostilities in Syria and will continue to work for the restoration of a credible cessation of Hostilities. The UK was not, however, a party to the US-Russia arrangement which was a purely bilateral one. While the UK would have considered seriously any requests received, we were not asked for either assistance or reconnaissance intelligence for its implementation.

  • Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the House of Commons Commission

    Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the House of Commons Commission

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-11-17.

    To ask the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington representing the House of Commons Commission, what steps the Parliamentary Digital Service is taking to protect constituency casework data.

    Tom Brake

    We do not comment on matters of digital or physical security. I understand the Director of the Digital Service has discussed the matter with the hon. Member.

  • Lord Kinnock – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Lord Kinnock – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kinnock on 2015-12-16.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will provide all factual evidence they have, together with their sources, that UK in-work and out-of-work benefits are a factor in encouraging immigration to the UK from other EU member states.

    Lord Freud

    The benefits system is one of a range of factors attracting migrants to Britain. Net migration to the UK stood at 336,000 in the year to June 2015 according to the November 2015 Migration Statistics Quarterly Report from the Office for National Statistics, and EU nationals are a significant contributor to recent increases. Meanwhile, an analysis of administrative data held by the Department for Work and Pensions showed that between 37% and 45% of all recent EU migrants were in households supported by the benefits system as of March 2013.

    The Government has already introduced tough new measures to ensure that EU jobseekers will have no access to means-tested benefits whatsoever as Universal Credit is rolled out.

    And now we want to ensure that the welfare system plays no part in the migration decisions of any EU national. The Prime Minister is therefore pursuing further reforms to ensure that EU migrants who come to the UK for low-paid work cannot claim in-work benefits until they have lived here and contributed to our country for a minimum of four years.

  • Stephen Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Stephen Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Phillips on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether any aircraft of the Royal Air Force have exercised or sought to exercise freedom of navigation or passage rights over disputed areas of the South China Sea claimed by the government of the People’s Republic of China since 2010.

    Penny Mordaunt

    The RAF regularly flies in the vicinity of the South China Sea on transit to countries such as Brunei and Australia. Information on the exact route of every such flight area since 2010 is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The UK strongly asserts its right, and supports that of all States, to exercise Freedom of Navigation in accordance with the International Rules Based System.

  • Jeremy Lefroy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Jeremy Lefroy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeremy Lefroy on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what arrangements are being made for public consultation on the draft environmental statement for Phase Two of High Speed 2 (Fradley to Crewe).

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    HS2 Ltd is already undertaking environmental surveys, meeting communities and carrying out ground investigation works on the planned line of route as part of its preparation for a Phase 2a hybrid Bill.

    This early investigation and engagement will inform a draft Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report, which we expect to publish for consultation in autumn 2016. The draft report will show the potential environmental impacts of the scheme and indicative steps to mitigate them.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by FALSE on 2016-03-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the reply by the Prime Minister on 9 March that we have to make sure that we get cost-effective electricity and that we go green at the lowest cost” (HC Deb

    Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

    The negotiations regarding a Contract for Difference for the proposed Swansea Bay Tidal lagoon remain ongoing.

    Tidal Lagoon Power (TLP) have put forward a number of alternative proposals to their 35 year strike price proposal and as these would be a significant deviation from Government policy it is right that we take time to consider these proposals as part of the on-going due diligence process.

    Beyond the consideration of TLP’s alternative proposals the independent review, which Government announced on the 10 February, we will consider alternative approaches to financing tidal lagoons more generally, providing an evidence base to ensuring decisions are taken in the best interest of bill-payers – both today and in the future.

    While we have made good progress with the TLP the review will need to have been completed before a final decision can be made on the Swansea Bay proposal.

    Hinkley Point C would be a good deal for consumers – support for Hinkley would deliver around 7% of the country’s electricity needs with secure and reliable, low-carbon power.

    We remain confident that the deal on Hinkley Point C will go ahead. We intend to publish a summary of the Value for Money assessment for Hinkley along with the contracts, once the documents have been entered into.

  • Paul Flynn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Paul Flynn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether G4S was invited by his Department to retender for the contracts to run Rainsbrook and Medway Secure Training Centres under its new trading name; and what weight that company’s record in carrying out its previous contractual roles has in the decision-making process.

    Andrew Selous

    G4S Care and Justice (UK) Ltd commenced as and remained the legal entity and prime contractor throughout the Secure Training Centre retendering process and as such was subject to robust and rigorous assessment as ‘G4S Care and Justice (UK) Ltd’ at the pre-qualification stage of the competition.

    The name ‘Inspiring Futures’ only represents a rebranding of the work that G4S Care and Justice (UK) Ltd undertakes in the youth detention arena.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-05-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what research his Department is conducting on the use of biosimilars in healthcare.

    George Freeman

    The Department is not conducting and has not commissioned specific research on the use of biosimilars in healthcare.

  • Chris Stephens – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Chris Stephens – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Stephens on 2016-07-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what functions his Department carries out centrally which he plans to add to the functions of Defence Business Services; and what the timescale for any such transfer of functions is.

    Mark Lancaster

    The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is currently examining options for the future of Defence Business Services (DBS) as part of the Future DBS Programme. Decisions concerning whether more work is transferred into DBS may be made where this makes sense for DBS and MOD in terms of efficient and effective delivery of supporting services and, ultimately, value for money. But, at this stage, no final decisions have been made and there are no firm plans or timescales for any such transfers.

  • Nicholas Soames – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Nicholas Soames – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-09-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to publish the Sussex Area-Based Review post-16 education and training.

    Robert Halfon

    As confirmed in the Area Review Guidance published in March 2016, we will publish the area review reports and we expect to publish the Sussex area review in the near future.