Category: Speeches

  • Mark Pritchard – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Mark Pritchard – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Pritchard on 2015-12-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 16 November 2015 to Question 15775, on how many occasions since 2010 an authorisation under section 60AA of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 has been granted in each police force area in England and Wales; and for what purpose each such authorisation was granted.

    Mike Penning

    The Home Office does not collect data on either the number of authorisations under section 60AA of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 or the reasons for granting such authorisations.

  • Gordon Marsden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Gordon Marsden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what additional checks on standards and quality his Department and the National Apprenticeship Service plan to introduce in response to the targets listed in his Department’s publication, English Apprenticeships: Our 2020 Vision, published on 7 December 2015.

    Nick Boles

    The Institute for Apprenticeships, a new independent body led by employers, is being established to oversee the quality of apprenticeships in England.

    The Institute for Apprenticeships will put in place transparent mechanisms for the approval of apprenticeship standards and assessment plans, and maintain clear quality criteria so that only standards that are valued by employers will be approved and funded.

    It will be fully operational by April 2017.

  • Diane Abbott – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Diane Abbott – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diane Abbott on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the contributions of the Minister of State for International Development at the International Development Committee, 27 January 2016, Question 28, and on 3 February 2016, Official Report, column 908, what the evidential basis is for the statements that export of arms by the UK to Saudi Arabia is not undermining her Department’s humanitarian work in Yemen.

    Justine Greening

    The UK is the fourth largest donor to the crisis in Yemen, committing £85million this year. Funding those agencies and NGOs who have the best access and ability to deliver humanitarian assistance in Yemen means we have been able to provide support to over 1.3m Yemenis. In recent weeks, UK food aid has also been delivered to some of the hardest to reach areas of Taiz.

    Nevertheless, the conflict in Yemen does make it difficult for agencies to operate and deliver humanitarian aid to all those who need it. That is why a lasting ceasefire is so important. We are doing all we can to support the UN to convene a further round of peace talks over the coming weeks and to renew the ceasefire.

  • Tom Watson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    Tom Watson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

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

    To ask the Prime Minister, what discussions he has had with his ministerial colleagues on compliance with Privy Council rules.

    Mr David Cameron

    I refer the hon. Member to the statement made to the House by the Lord President of the Council on 14 March 2016, Official Report, columns 653-654.

  • Mary Creagh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Mary Creagh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mary Creagh on 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many queries the Central Point of Expertise on Timber has received from (a) public sector bodies and (b) businesses in each of the last 10 years.

    Rory Stewart

    The Central Point of Expertise on Timber service closed on 31 March 2016. Defra does not hold complete information on how many queries the service received in the format requested.

    The contractors advised that the number of queries had dropped over time. We hold some information from the final phase of the contract between 2012 and 2016, which illustrates this trend. The service received 257 queries between October 2012 and September 2013, 146 queries between October 2013 and September 2014, and 48 queries between October 15 and March 2016. These figures cover queries on timber, wood fuel and palm oil.

    The government’s policy of buying timber and wood products only from legal and sustainable sources is well embedded within the key systems which govern our procurement, specifically the relevant government buying standards and the centralised procurement frameworks. Comprehensive online guidance is also provided.

  • Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne Main on 2016-05-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the UK’s naval contribution to EU anti-people trafficking operations in the Mediterranean.

    Penny Mordaunt

    The UK is contributing HMS ENTERPRISE to Operation SOPHIA and eight staff to the Operational Headquarters. HMS ENTERPRISE has been valuable in developing a picture of the maritime environment and smuggling routes. UK assets have destroyed 27 vessels to prevent re-use and identified nine smugglers to the Italian authorities. Furthermore, UK ships have rescued over a quarter of the total number of migrants saved by the entire operation – 3,700 out of 13,700. More broadly, we assess that Operation SOPHIA has left the smugglers unable to operate with impunity in international waters. This is progress on which we can build. We remain committed to working with the Libyan Government of National Accord to move to the later phases of the operation once the right conditions are in place and prevent the smugglers from putting people to sea.

  • Rachael Maskell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Rachael Maskell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rachael Maskell on 2016-07-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to support households which are in water poverty.

    Dr Thérèse Coffey

    Water companies already offer a wide range of support to around 760,000 customers that struggle to pay their water bills. By 2020, they have committed to help an additional one million customers. The support they offer includes the nationally mandated WaterSure Scheme, voluntary social tariffs, charitable trusts, debt advice, payment plans and water efficiency advice.

    The Government is committed to supporting a water industry built around transparency, resilience and affordability. We will continue to work with the Consumer Council for Water, Ofwat and the industry to ensure they continue to provide a fair deal for all customers.

  • Edward Argar – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Wales Office

    Edward Argar – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Wales Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Edward Argar on 2016-09-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what recent discussions he has had with Ministers of the Welsh Government on the Swansea Tidal Lagoon project; and what recent assessment he has made of progress on that project as a result of those discussions.

    Alun Cairns

    I discussed the proposed Tidal Lagoon project with the First Minister for Wales and the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy when I met with them both in August.

    This is an exciting project for Wales. We must, however, ensure that it will deliver affordable energy and that it represents value for money for energy consumers. Charles Hendry is due to finalise his independent review into tidal lagoons this autumn which will help establish an evidence base to ensure all decisions made regarding tidal lagoon energy are in the best interests of the UK.

  • Peter Kyle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Peter Kyle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2015-11-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether businesses will be permitted to allocate their apprenticeship-levied funds to small and medium-sized enterprises and other business in their supply chain; and if he will make a statement.

    Nick Boles

    My Rt hon Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer will announce further details of the apprenticeship levy at the Spending Review, including the scope and rate of the levy.

  • Jake Berry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Jake Berry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jake Berry on 2015-12-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many applications by grandparents for rights of access to their grandchildren there were in each year since 2010.

    Caroline Dinenage

    Under the Children Act 1989 the court may make a child arrangements order to determine with whom a child is to live or spend time. Prior to 22nd April 2014 such orders were called contact and residence orders. The Department collates figures on the numbers of applications made by grandparents for child arrangements orders and the figures for such applications since 2010 are shown below.

    Number of child arrangement (contact) order applications made by grandparents in England and Wales

    Year

    Applications by grandparents

    2011

    2403

    2012

    2574

    2013

    2755

    2014

    1624

    2015 – 3 quarters only

    1335

    Unlike parents, grandparents and other family members can only make an application for a child arrangements orders with the permission of the court. The requirement to apply for the court’s permission is not designed to be an obstacle to grandparents, or other close relatives, but to act as a filter to sift out those applications that are clearly not in the child’s best interests. Experience suggests that grandparents (or other interested relatives) would not usually experience difficulty in obtaining permission where their application is motivated by a genuine concern for the child.

    The Department does not collate figures on applications for a child arrangements order where the court’s permission has been sought. This information could only be obtained by manually checking each case file at disproportionate cost. Similarly, the Department does not collate figures centrally on family members named in a child arrangements order. Details of the numbers of child arrangements orders issued specifically for grandparents to see their grandchildren could only be obtained by checking each file at disproportionate cost.