Category: Speeches

  • Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 18 December 2015 to Question 20110, what specific benefits the UK derives from membership of (a) the European Defence Agency’s Military Airworthiness Authorisation Forum, (b) European Defence Agency helicopter training programmes and (c) the Single European Sky initiative.

    Mr Julian Brazier

    The Military Airworthiness Authorisation Forum (MAWA) improves military aviation safety, reduces military air system acquisition costs, and increases interoperability through harmonisation of military airworthiness regulations. Significant cost savings in the Eurofighter Typhoon programme are likely because of MAWA work led by the UK, and our active involvement in the MAWA Forum provides the UK a position of influence across the Military aviation community.

    The helicopter training programmes carried out under the European Defence Agency include Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK, and have derived unprecedented levels of interoperability.

    Using standard operating procedures, derived in large part from UK methods, several hundred helicopter aircrew from across Europe have been exposed to, instructed in, and are now following the same procedures as UK aircrew. This means that future operations, be it under NATO, EU, or other coalition – are being de-risked through increased ability and greater interoperability. Our forces can use other nations’ helicopters safely, including for medical evacuation, confident of their in-combat ability while operating in the same manner as UK assets.

    The Single European Sky and Air Traffic Management Research programme is analysing the implications for military operations of new legislation and equipment upgrade programmes supporting increased commercial aviation out to 2035.

  • Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-03-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps she has taken to increase participation in modern foreign languages in primary schools.

    Nick Gibb

    The Government is committed to the teaching of foreign languages as part of a core academic curriculum. This is why a modern or ancient language is included within the English Baccalaureate performance measure. Since September 2014, maintained primary schools in England must teach a modern or ancient foreign language to pupils at Key Stage 2 (ages 7 to 11). Schools can choose which language or languages to teach and should enable pupils to make substantial progress in one language by the end of primary school.

    To support the introduction of a compulsory foreign language at Key Stage 2, the government funded nine projects across the country to provide training for primary teachers. These projects have trained hundreds of teachers and provided online resources for training thousands more teachers.

    The EBacc has had a positive effect on the take up of languages in schools, with a rise in the proportion of the cohort in state-funded schools entered for a modern foreign language from 40% in pupils in 2010 to 49% in 2015.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-04-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the ability of Palestinian students in East Jerusalem and the West Bank to sit their exams this year, without experiencing delays at checkpoints.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    While no assessment has been made about this particular issue, we consistently urge Israel to ease movement and access restrictions across the Occupied Palestinian Territories, not least because of the impact the restrictions have on children and continuity of their education.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by William Cash on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, which Combined-Cycle Gas Turbine plants have closed in the last two years; and what the (a) generation size and (b) location was of each of those plants.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The following Combined Cycle Gas Turbine plants have closed within the last two years:

    Name of Plant

    Capacity (MWe)

    Location

    Barking

    1,000

    London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, East London

    Roosecote (mothballed in 2012; demolition in 2015)

    229

    Barrow in Furness, Cumbria

    Killingholme (Centrica)

    665

    Killingholme, Humberside

    This excludes combined cycle gas turbine plants which remain available under National Grid’s Supplementary Balancing Reserve and/or plants which have converted to open cycle operation at reduced capacity or have otherwise reduced capacity.

  • Peter Grant – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Peter Grant – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Grant on 2016-07-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department has issued to staff working at border controls in UK airports on questions which can and cannot be asked to passengers arriving in the UK with EU passports.

    James Brokenshire

    Anyone seeking entry or admission to the UK must on arrival establish their nationality and identity, as well as comply with other checks under the Border Force Operating Mandate.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Oates on 2016-09-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what criteria they consider the government of Zimbabwe would need to fulfil, in terms of demonstrating sustained adherence to the constitution of Zimbabwe and a sustained commitment to protecting the human rights of Zimbabwe citizens, before they would provide financial support for a land reform programme.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    Land reform in Zimbabwe is essential for improving agricultural productivity and broader economic development. The British Government has consistently said that it would be ready to join international partners in supporting a land reform programme in Zimbabwe that is transparent, fair, legal and within the context of a broad range of reforms. Separately, we continue to call, both bilaterally and in partnership with others, for an end to human rights abuses and the restoration of internationally accepted standards.

  • Kirsten Oswald – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Kirsten Oswald – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2015-11-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the armed forces compensation scheme tariffs were last reviewed; and if he will make a statement.

    Mark Lancaster

    In 2009 Lord Boyce was asked to review the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS), including its associated tariffs, to ensure that the Scheme was fit for purpose. Lord Boyce made his recommendations in February 2010, and as a result the Ministry of Defence tripled the maximum lump sum award for mental illness from £48,875 to £140,000 in order to accurately reflect the impact of the most serious mental health conditions. While Lord Boyce was clear in his report that a further fundamental review of the AFCS should not be required, we recognise that it is appropriate to review our policies and associated tariffs on a regular basis.

    In addition to the AFCS lump sum, the most seriously injured receive a tax-free Guaranteed Income Payment for life. This is uplifted annually by the Consumer Price Index.

    An Independent Medical Expert Group (IMEG) was also established in 2010 to advise on appropriate levels of compensation for several specific injuries and illnesses, including mental health. The IMEG has looked at how best to compensate for mental health problems and they keep this under review.

  • Dawn Butler – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Dawn Butler – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dawn Butler on 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if the Government will publish its equality impact assessment of the Immigration Bill.

    James Brokenshire

    The Government has already published a number of equality impact assessments relating to the Immigration Bill covering residential tenancies, driving, banks, appeals and support. They can be found online:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-bill-2015-16

    Further equality statements in relation to labour market enforcement and the English language requirement in the public sector will be published in the New Year together with the Government’s responses to the recent public consultations on these subjects.

  • Lisa Cameron – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lisa Cameron – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lisa Cameron on 2016-01-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the Bahraini government on the provision of medical treatment to Mr Hassam Mushiema.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    We are aware of the case of Hassam Mushiema and we have raised it with the Government of Bahrain. We continue to encourage the Government of Bahrain to deliver on its international and domestic human rights commitments and to appropriately address all reports of ill-treatment of detainees. In parallel, we encourage all those with concerns about their treatment in detention to report these directly to the Ombudsman.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many civilian personnel were deployed in each operational theatre overseas in the most recent year for which figures are available.

    Penny Mordaunt

    In the last 12 months (13 February 2015 to 12 February 2016), 71 UK civil servants have deployed on behalf of the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to provide direct support to military operations. A breakdown of locations is provided below.

    Country

    Number of UK civil servants deployed on behalf of the MOD

    Afghanistan

    42

    Sierra Leone

    1

    United Arab Emirates

    14

    Bahrain

    2

    Qatar

    8

    Italy

    2

    United States of America

    2

    Since June 2015, an average of 88 UK contractors has been deployed on military operations by the MOD at any one time. A total 12-month figure could not be provided as details of changes to individual post-holders are not held centrally, and information is not held for the period before June 2015.

    Country

    Average number of UK civilian contractors deployed by the MOD

    Afghanistan

    36

    Gulf

    44

    Iraq

    6

    Nigeria

    2