Category: Speeches

  • Lord Berkeley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Berkeley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Berkeley on 2016-05-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what have been the maintenance costs of Tinsley Viaduct since its construction, and what effect the underlying geological faults and old mine workings have had on the cost of maintenance.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    Highways England currently only has readily available the details of maintenance costs for Tinsley Viaduct covering the past 6 years. In this period, maintenance schemes on the viaduct have cost approximately £1 million per year. Highways England are not aware of any effects the underlying geological faults or mine workings have had on maintenance costs.

  • Douglas Carswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Douglas Carswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2016-06-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what proportion of the workforce in Clacton constituency are in receipt of the national living wage.

    Nick Boles

    2.9 million workers are expected to directly benefit from the National Living Wage by 2020, 11 per cent of which are located in the East of England. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has made no detailed assessment of the beneficiaries of the National Living Wage at local authority level.

  • Baroness Northover – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Baroness Northover – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Northover on 2016-09-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to share the UK’s experience in implementing tobacco control policies with low- and middle-income countries.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The United Kingdom regularly supports other countries to develop tobacco control policies, sharing our expertise and experience. Most recently, the UK has provided support to other countries looking to implement standardised packaging.

    In addition, the UK Government is funding a project to strengthen the implementation of the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, using official development assistance funds. Through this project, we will share the UK’s experience in tobacco control, thereby supporting low- and middle-income countries to save lives by putting effective measures in place to stop people using tobacco.

  • Angus Brendan MacNeil – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Angus Brendan MacNeil – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Brendan MacNeil on 2016-10-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effect on the UK solar power market of the proposed 2017 business rate rise for organisations investing in roof top solar power for their own consumption.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    Business rates policy in Scotland is devolved to the Scottish Government. In England, business rates are based on valuations from the Valuation Office Agency and we do not intervene in their independent assessments. We have proposed a £3.4 billion transitional relief scheme for England to ensure that no ratepayer is unfairly penalised by the 2017 revaluation.

  • Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-11-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what policy his Department has in place to protect the confidentiality of data disclosed to JCP systems by jobseekers.

    Priti Patel

    All DWP staff are required to undertake annual information security training to ensure they are aware of the need to handle customer information in a way that preserves the integrity, security and confidentiality of that information. DWP also requires staff to apply and comply with the principles contained in the Data Protection Act 1998 and government security standards at all times.

  • George Howarth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    George Howarth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by George Howarth on 2015-12-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will introduce a standardised baseline measure for children’s fitness.

    Jane Ellison

    There are no current plans to introduce a standardised baseline measure for children’s fitness. The Government’s focus has been on raising awareness of the UK Chief Medical Officers’ Physical Activity guidelines and wider healthy lifestyle choices through a number of initiatives including, the National Child Measurement Programme, Change4Life campaigns and programmes to promote physical activity in schools such as the Primary PE and Sport Premium, School Games and Change4Life Sports Clubs.

  • Bill Esterson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Bill Esterson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bill Esterson on 2016-01-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much on average was owed in late payment debt to SMEs in each of the last 10 years.

    Anna Soubry

    The Department does not hold the information required. However, BACS data shows that small and medium businesses are owed a total of £26.8 billion, and the average small business is waiting for £31,900 in overdue payments.[1]

    The Government recognises that late payment remains an important issue for small businesses in the UK and is taking significant steps to assist small businesses to recover late payment debts. This is part of a package of measures to tackle late payment. We have also legislated for new transparency measures in the public and private sectors.

    The Small Business Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 legislated for new reporting requirement on the UK’s largest companies and Regulations will be introduced this year which will compel larger companies to report on payment practices and performance. This information will be published on a six-monthly basis and will be made publicly available.

    The Public Contracts Regulations 2015 introduced a requirement for all public-sector buyers to publish annually, from 2017, their liability to debt interest payments. In central government we have gone further and faster. We will be publishing against these requirements quarterly from April this year. This will allow full public scrutiny of payment performance.

    Through the Enterprise Bill, currently before Parliament, we will legislate to establish a Small Business Commissioner to give general advice and to help small businesses resolve disputes relating to payment matters with larger businesses.

    Tackling late payment is about creating a responsible payment culture where larger companies recognise the benefit of having a sustainable and robust supply chain, and smaller businesses feel able to challenge poor behaviour. Once implemented, the Government is confident that these measures will lead to significant changes in the UK’s payment culture.

    [1] BACS Data June 2015.

  • Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2016-02-04.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have initiated any discussions in the past decade on global migration issues.

    Lord Bates

    The Government undertakes extensive engagement on global migration issues with international partners through multilateral and bilateral discussions. The frequency of engagement has increased since the migration crisis in summer 2015 and focuses on the root causes of the crisis and its consequences. UK participation in the Valletta Summit and the Khartoum Process are key parts of this engagement.

    In order to tackle the unprecedented levels of illegal migration to the EU, we are prioritising interventions upstream in countries of origin and transit to reduce the need for migrants to leave their country of origin or move on from a safe third country. Action is being taking through regional initiatives, including Regional Development and Protection Programmes and overseas aid, including £1.12 billion of support to Syria. We are supporting work to strengthen the EU’s external border and joint action on human trafficking to crack down on those who profit from this vile trade. The Government recently announced that it will work with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to lead a new initiative to resettle unaccompanied children from conflict regions. We have asked the UNHCR to make an assessment of the numbers and needs of unaccompanied children in conflict regions and advise on when it is in the best interests of the child to be resettled in the UK and how that process should be managed. This new initiative builds on the Government’s existing commitment to resettle 20,000 Syrian refugees during this Parliament. More than 1,000 vulnerable Syrians refugees – around half of them children – have already been resettled through the scheme.

  • 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 2016-03-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what representations she has received on alleged breaches of international environmental law by UK firm Vedanta Resources in Zambia.

    Justine Greening

    Vedenta Resources has no formal relationship with our DFID Zambia office.

  • Richard Burgon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Richard Burgon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burgon on 2016-03-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance his Department provides to NHS England and clinical commissioning groups on the account they should take of future residential developments with regard to GP service provision.

    George Freeman

    Commissioning of general practitioner (GP) services is a responsibility of NHS England and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) with delegated authority. Currently around half of CCGs have delegated authority. As part of these arrangements, NHS England and CCGs are responsible for planning GP services to ensure they are appropriate for the local population. This should take into account a number of factors, including information about known future residential developments and implications for requirements for healthcare provision, including GP services. Based on this information, the commissioners should engage with the local planning authority to enable decisions to be made on the appropriate funding arrangements for the required health infrastructure resulting from the new development.

    Departmental guidance on planning matters for National Health Service organisations is available in Part B of the Department publication Health Building Note 00-08 The efficient management of healthcare estates and facilities and Health Building Note 00-08 Addendum 2 – A guide to town planning for health organisations. These publications are available at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-efficient-management-of-healthcare-estates-and-facilities-health-building-note-00-08

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