Category: Speeches

  • Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb on 2016-10-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to enact primary legislation ensuring that UK World Heritage Sites receive statutory protection from inappropriate planning consents.

    Lord Ashton of Hyde

    Where appropriate UK World Heritage sites are afforded statutory protection through designation of specific assets through existing legislation. Other aspects of World Heritage Sites are key material considerations in the determination of planning applications.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what (a) military and (b) financial support his Department has provided to the Kurdish region in northern Iraq and Syria in the last year; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    Militarily, the UK is conducting air operations as part of the Global Coalition to assist the Iraqi Government and Kurdish Regional Government in their fight against ISIL. The UK is also providing training and equipment to Iraqi Security Forces and Kurdish Peshmerga in northern Iraq. The UK has provided over 50 tonnes of non-lethal support, 40 heavy machine guns, nearly half a million rounds of ammunition and £600,000 worth of military equipment to the Kurdish Peshmerga. We have gifted 1000 counter-IED VALLON detectors to Iraqi Security Forces, including Kurdish fighters. We have also delivered over 300 tonnes of weapons and ammunition on behalf of other Coalition nations. In Syria, the UK is not providing material support to Kurdish groups. Financially, the UK, through the Department for International Development, is providing £79.5 million in humanitarian assistance to help those across Iraq, including in the Kurdistan Region, who have been affected by ISIL’s brutality. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office also manages a portfolio of projects under the Conflict, Security and Stability Fund worth £10 million in Iraq, aimed at helping political reconciliation, building community cohesion and encouraging security sector reform – a portion of which will benefit the Kurdish Region. The UK is providing over £1.1 billion in humanitarian assistance across the region to help those affected by the conflict in Syria.

  • John Mann – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    John Mann – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Mann on 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of UK aid in improving access to family planning in the last five years.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    Our investments aim to reach 24 million additional women and girls by 2020. We are on track to meet this.

  • Lord Greaves – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Greaves – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Greaves on 2016-01-21.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of (1) the percentage of the buildings in Ramadi that are (a) unharmed by the violence in Iraq, (b) damaged, but still usable, and (c) damaged or destroyed to the extent that they are no longer usable; and (2) the proportion of the housing in Ramadi that is no longer habitable by modern standards.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The UN and other agencies have not yet been able to undertake an assessment of damage to buildings and infrastructure in Ramadi as a result of the remaining threat from Daesh and improvised explosive devices inside the city. The most recent analysis by the UN Operational Satellite Applications Programme, published online by the UN Institute for Training and Research, indicates that between July 2014 and 19 December 2015 some 4,696 buildings have been damaged inside the city.

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

    Lord Naseby – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Naseby on 2016-02-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps the Department of Health plans to take to ensure that it complies with the announcement of the Cabinet Office on 6 February that no payments or grants awarded to organisations should be used for the influencing or attempted influencing of (1) Parliament, government or political parties, (2) the awarding or renewal of contracts and grants, or (3) legislative or regulatory action.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The Department will review the terms of its grant awards and associated grant monitoring processes in line with guidance issued by the Cabinet Office on the 6 February 2016.

  • Lord Greaves – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Lord Greaves – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Greaves on 2016-03-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their definition of community” in relation to the Community Engagement Forum.”

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    In his speech on countering extremism in July 2015, my rt. hon. Friend, the Prime Minister said that he wanted to hear directly from all those in our society who are tackling extremism. The Community Engagement Forum is one of the ways the Prime Minister is doing this. The Forum provides a platform for a wide range of partners to share their experiences and learn from each other. Attendance at the Forum is fluid to ensure Ministers can hear from a wide range of partners. The attendees have been from a wide range of backgrounds and were representatives of all parts of the UK.

  • Christopher Chope – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Christopher Chope – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2016-04-13.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information his Department holds on the reasons why the EU Action Plan on VAT consultation document issued by the European Commission on 7 April 2016 omits any reference to the decision of EU Leads of Government that the UK can remove VAT from women’s sanitary products; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr David Gauke

    The content of the EU VAT Action Plan is a matter for the European Commission.

    European Council Conclusions welcomed “the intention of the Commission to include proposals for increased flexibility for Member States with respect to reduced rates of VAT, which would provide the option to Member States of VAT zero rating‎ for sanitary products”.

  • Nicholas Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Nicholas Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Brown on 2016-05-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what criteria the Government plans to use to assess the suitability of a local authority’s capacity to provide suitable care for resettled children under the Immigration Act 2016.

    James Brokenshire

    The UK Government takes it’s responsibility in all cases involving children seriously and we will continue to ensure that all unaccompanied children are provided with appropriate care, regardless of their route to the UK.

    It is important that we work with local authorities to understand their capacity to support all unaccompanied children and ensure their needs can be met. That is why my officials are working closely with the Department for Communities and Local Government and the Department for Education to ensure consultation with local authorities is consistent and coordinated across all resettlement and relocation programmes. Consultation with local government partners will take place over the coming weeks and Parliament will be updated in due course.

    We are keen to ensure that there is a more equitable distribution of unaccompanied children across the UK and that no local authority is required to take more children than they can support.

    The Home Office provides funding to local authorities for the care of unaccompanied asylum seeking children and recently announced new enhanced rates to support the transfer scheme. We will continue to measure the impacts on local authorities, but are clear that funding for unaccompanied asylum seeking children and refugees must be aligned, regardless of the route of entry for the child.

  • Baroness Thomas of Winchester – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Baroness Thomas of Winchester – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Thomas of Winchester on 2016-07-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have made an assessment of the amount of benefits to which people are entitled that go unclaimed.

    Lord Freud

    On 28th June 2016 the Department for Work and Pensions published the report “Income-related benefits: Estimates of take-up in 2014/15”. The full report has been published online.

    For Great Britain, the following estimates are available for 2014/15:

    • Pension Credit: Up to £3.1 billion of available Pension Credit went unclaimed;
    • Housing Benefit: Up to £4.6 billion of available Housing Benefit went unclaimed;
    • Jobseeker’s Allowance (Income-based): Up to £2.4 billion of available Jobseeker’s Allowance (Income-based) went unclaimed.
    • Income Support and Employment and Support Allowance (Income-related): Up to £2.9 billion of available Income Support and Employment and Support Allowance (Income-related) went unclaimed.
  • Baroness Randerson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Baroness Randerson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Randerson on 2016-10-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they plan to address the shortfall in revenue from Vehicle Excise Duty since October 2014.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The amount of vehicle excise duty (VED) collected varies year on year. The Office of Budgetary Responsibility forecast that VED revenue would fall by £300 million in 2015-16. The actual reduction of £93 million was principally caused by the ever increasing number of fuel-efficient cars on the road which attract a lower rate of VED, as well as a small increase in evasion.

    The DVLA operates a comprehensive package of measures to tackle VED evasion. These measures range from reminder letters, penalties and court prosecutions through to the use of Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras, wheel-clamping and the removal of unlicensed vehicles. The latest figures show that 98.6% of all motorists comply with the requirement to pay VED.