Category: Speeches

  • Mike Kane – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Mike Kane – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Kane on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department has made representations to the EU on its funding of aid and development projects in Eritrea.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    Between 2013 and 2015 DFID provided UNICEF in Eritrea with £10 million for child and maternal health and the provision of clean water and sanitation.

    In December 2015 DFID provided a further £3 million for nutrition support activities and water and sanitation in areas affected by El Nino in the Horn of Africa through UNICEF’s regional programme, which covers Eritrea.

    Over the past 2 years funding to support primarily Eritrean refugees in Ethiopia totalled £1.6 million and focussed on child protection and related work on anti-smuggling and trafficking.

  • Alison Thewliss – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Alison Thewliss – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison Thewliss on 2016-03-17.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 2.157 of Budget 2016, whether he plans for premixed alcoholic drinks to fall within the scope of the proposed sugar tax.

    Mr David Gauke

    The soft drinks industry levy applies to soft drinks with added sugar and total alcoholic content below 0.5% ABV, which can be purchased by children.

  • Jonathan Edwards – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    Jonathan Edwards – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Edwards on 2016-04-25.

    To ask the Prime Minister, whether he discussed the ban on the export of Welsh lamb and beef to the US with President Obama during his recent visit.

    Mr David Cameron

    President Obama and I discussed a wide range of issues including promoting the increased free trade between the EU and US. At the same time the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs was in Washington DC meeting the US Secretary of Agriculture to discuss opening the US market to the exports of UK beef and lamb.

  • – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by on 2016-05-24.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of removing in April 2015 the need for the Information Commissioner’s Office to prove that substantial” damage had been caused by nuisance calls or spam text messages on the number of (1) investigations that have taken place

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    The Government has not assessed the impact of the 6 April 2015 change in threshold, relating to the Privacy and Electronic Communication Regulations (PECR).

    The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) intends to conduct an assessment on the long term impact of the change to PECR in 2016-17, taking into account the result of any appeal judgements.

    Since the change in threshold to PECR, there has been a significant increase in enforcement action and the level of fines issued to organisations that breach the rules. The ICO recently imposed its largest fine of £350,000, on Prodial Ltd for making over 46 million automated nuisance calls and more fines against rogue companies are in the pipeline.

    The ICO has also published a list of all fines and investigations for breaches of the rules before and after the change to PECR in April 2015, this is available at:

    https://ico.org.uk/action-weve-taken/enforcement/

  • Mark Hendrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Mark Hendrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2016-07-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the outcome of the EU referendum does not have an adverse effect on funding for collaboration by and recruitment of astrophysicists.

    Joseph Johnson

    The UK will maintain its status as a global centre for research and innovation. In last year’s Spending Review the Government committed to protecting science resource funding in real terms from its 2015-16 level of £4.7 billion a year for the rest of the parliament, as well as committing to invest in new scientific infrastructure on a record scale – £6.9 billion over the period 2015-2021.

    While the UK remains a member of the EU, funding and collaboration arrangements continue unchanged. Researchers can continue to bid for competitive EU research funding such as Horizon 2020 while we remain a member of the EU. The Government will work with the Commission to ensure payment when funds are awarded. The Treasury will underwrite the payment of such awards, even when specific projects continue beyond the UK’s departure from the EU. This commitment will provide reassurance and stability to the research community, and recruitment should continue as normal.

  • Gareth Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Gareth Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-10-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will publish a review of the effectiveness of Local Economic Partnerships; and if he will make a statement.

    Andrew Percy

    The effectiveness of Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) is assessed by this Department and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on an on-going basis. My Department does not publish information on internal conversations or assessment of LEPs. We are currently assessing LEPs’ proposals for a further round of Growth Deals, which includes an assessment of their growth strategy, the strength of their governance and partnerships and their record of delivery. We intend to announce Growth Deals later this year.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-11-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what the contractual status is of the China/EDF deals; whether those contracts make provision for their terms to be reassessed at a future date; and if she will make a statement.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The agreements announced on 21 October between EdF and CGN show the commitment of all sides to the Project – EDF has confirmed it will take a 66.5% stake in Hinkley with China General Nuclear (CGN) taking 33.5 per cent, demonstrating a clear commitment from both parties. The Government and EDF have finalised the Contract for Difference and ancillary documentation which offers increased price certainty for the electricity produced from Hinkley Point C. The Funded Decommissioning Programme has been approved and will make sure that the tax payer doesn’t pick up the cost of decommissioning the plant in the future. My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State will take her final decision on the Contract for Difference when EDF and CGN have signed the full investment documentation. I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made by the Secretary of State on 21 October, Official Report, Column 45WS:

    http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201516/cmhansrd/cm151021/wmstext/151021m0001.htm#15102155000002.

    “

  • Lord Birt – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Birt – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Birt on 2015-11-23.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will seek to improve the effectiveness of national and global measures to counter internet fraud and other online crime.

    Lord Bates

    Cyber Security, including combating cyber crime, is a top priority threat to national security. That is why, through the National Cyber Security Programme, we have invested over £90 million over the last five years to bolster the law enforcement response, and we will continue to invest. As the Chancellor announced on 17 November, we plan to almost double investment in cyber security, including cyber crime, to £1.9 billion over the next five years.

    Cyber Crime, including internet enabled fraud will continue to call for a multi layered response from Government, Law Enforcement and Industry to successfully tackle the threat. At the National and International level the National Cyber Crime Unit in the National Crime Agency (NCA) will continue to lead operations to disrupt serious cyber crime at scale. This includes joint operations with industry and international law enforcement partners across the globe, to disrupt cyber criminals, attack their infrastructure and protect UK businesses and citizens.

    Having an accurate national picture of the threat is critical to informing our ongoing response. That is why there has been and will continue to be significant investment in Action Fraud and the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau, which has seen the reporting of fraud and cyber crime trebled, from 72,000 before the centralisation of reporting to over 230,000 reports. As a result of this improvement in reporting we have now got a much improved intelligence picture.

    Industry also has a central role in fraud and Cyber Crime prevention. That is why we are working with the banking sector and law enforcement agencies to more effectively disrupt fraudsters and protect victims. The Government also continues to raise awareness of cyber crime and fraud at all levels, through the Cyber Streetwise campaign, while providing advice to help individuals and small businesses adopt safer behaviours online and to be better protected. The third phase, launched in September this year focuses on promoting the adoption of three simple online behaviours: use of three random words to create a strong password; install security software on all devices; and always download the latest software and app updates as soon as they appear.

    The UK also leads international efforts to raise global cyber resilience through our work with the National Crime Agency (NCA) and multilateral institutions such as the United Nations, the Council of Europe and others, to strengthen the ability of countries to deal with the threat from Cyber Crime. In the past three years the NCA has used Government funding to increase the investigative capacity of a range of Law Enforcement partners around the World. The projects, which range from ‘on-the-job’ investigative mentoring to legislative and technical training in the UK, focus on supporting the NCA’s priority countries overseas and build capability and mutually beneficial relationships with key partners across the globe.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-01-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Saudi Arabian counterpart on prisoners sentenced to death in that country; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The British Government opposes the death penalty in all circumstances and firmly supports freedom of expression in every country. We continue to communicate to the Saudi authorities, our stance on the death penalty at every suitable opportunity. I refer the hon. Member to my statement of 5 January on Saudi Arabia (Official Report, Column 93).

  • Liam Byrne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Liam Byrne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Byrne on 2016-02-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Duty Provider Crime Contracts have been awarded to companies in (a) the West Midlands, (b) the city of Birmingham and (c) Birmingham, Hodge Hill constituency.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement of Thursday 28 January, the crime Tender process has been withdrawn.