Category: Speeches

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-10-17.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will extend the matching requirement for the Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme.

    Jane Ellison

    The Small Charitable Donations and Childcare Payments Bill relaxes the eligibility criteria for the Gift Aid Small Donation Scheme. These changes will ensure that the Scheme operates effectively and flexibly for a greater number of charities and a greater number of donations.

    The Government has no plans to extend the Gift Aid matching requirement.

  • Gavin Newlands – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Gavin Newlands – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Newlands on 2015-11-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 14 October 2015 to Question 11080, on deportation: appeals, how many appellants (a) had a legal representative at their panel and (b) gave evidence at the appeal via video link.

    James Brokenshire

    Such data is not aggregated in national reporting systems, which would mean these questions could only be answered through a disproportionately expensive manual case search to collate the data.

  • Paul Farrelly – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Paul Farrelly – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Farrelly on 2015-11-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what meetings he has had with representatives of (a) Sky plc and (b) 21st Century Fox since 7 May 2015.

    Tracey Crouch

    Information on Ministers’ meetings with external organisations, including meetings with Media organisations, are included in the quarterly transparency returns.

  • Mark Hendrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Church Commissioners

    Mark Hendrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Church Commissioners

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2016-01-08.

    To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, which Anglican churches within the Diocese of Blackburn were damaged by flooding in December 2015; and what the extent of damage to each such church was.

    Mrs Caroline Spelman

    Within the Diocese of Blackburn seven churches and churchyards, the diocesan retreat house at Whalley Abbey and three Church of England primary schools were damaged by floodwater. Many have also found that the boilers and heating systems have been damaged beyond repair and extensive programmes of works will need to be undertaken to both dry the buildings out and restore or replace furniture, carpets and school materials.

    Reports of damage are still being registered across the Dioceses of Blackburn, Carlisle, Manchester, West Yorkshire and the Dales and York. To date 129 church properties have registered substantial damage from the December storms with our insurers, though I expect that figure to rise. The Cathedral and Church Buildings Council of the Church of England will be working with the dioceses to develop robust disaster management and recovery plans and flood adaptation measures for churches and other buildings.

    Within the Blackburn Diocese

    Parish Name / building

    Grade or * listing / Status

    Type of damage

    St Michael’s on Wyre

    Grade 1

    Water damage and damage to the boiler

    St Michael’s, Much Hoole

    Grade 2*

    Water damage and damage to the boiler

    St Mary the Virgin, Eccleston

    Grade 2*

    Water damage

    St Michael & All Angels, Croston

    Grade 2*

    Severe water damage

    St John the Evangelist, Lancaster (Incare of Churches Conservation Trust)

    Grade 2*

    Severe water damage

    St John the Baptist, Tunstall

    Grade 1

    Damage to the boiler

    St Wilfrid’s, Ribchester

    Grade 1

    Damage to the graveyard and loss of many burials and monuments

    Whalley Abbey

    Grade 1 and Scheduled Ancient Monument

    Major water damage to the Abbey building

    Kirkland & Catterall St. Helen’s CofE School

    Primary School

    Severe water damage

    St. Michael’s on Wyre C of E School

    Primary School

    Major water damage

    Whalley CofE School

    Primary School

    Basement flooded and water damage
  • Stephen Doughty – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Stephen Doughty – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-02-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the transfer of HMS Cambria to Cardiff Bay is expected to be completed.

    Mark Lancaster

    On current plans, completion is expected in the autumn of 2018.

  • Nicholas Soames – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Nicholas Soames – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to facilitate the development of an improved labelling code in the UK.

    George Eustice

    The Food Information Regulations (No. 1855) were introduced in 2014 and has resulted in better and more consistent labelling of food in a number of areas, including allergen labelling, ingredients labelling and, from the end of this year, nutrition labelling.

    Origin labelling is also improved by these Regulations with new rules on origin labelling of meat of poultry, sheep, goat and pigs introduced in April last year. In addition, we look forward to prospective implementing acts on origin labelling of ingredients of foods, including meat and dairy, where this is different from the place that the food itself was made. The Government is fully engaged in these discussions and expects them to result in improved labelling of meat and dairy products in due course.

    We have been pressing for mandatory origin labelling on dairy products, in particular lightly processed dairy products such as butter, cheese and cream but have met with some resistance from the European Commission. We will continue to press for these improvements.

    .

  • Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh on 2016-03-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether the Government has conducted an (a) impact and (b) risk assessment of the potential effect of the investor protection clause of the (i) Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership and (ii) EU Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement on the services and regulations devolved to the Scottish Government; and if he will place copies of any such assessment in the Library.

    Anna Soubry

    The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills commissioned research into the costs and benefits for the UK of the inclusion of investment protection provisions in the EU-US Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). This was published on 22 November 2013 and copies placed in the House libraries.

    The investment protection provisions in the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and any such provisions included in TTIP will not prevent Governments from regulating responsibly in the public interest, nor from delivering public services, including such services and regulations that are devolved to the Scottish Government. A claim can only be made under the Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) provisions where an investor believes it has suffered from discriminatory or unfair treatment. ISDS tribunals can typically only award compensation and cannot force governments to change laws or public service delivery models. The UK currently has over 90 investment protection agreements with other countries. There has been no successful action against the UK in respect of any of these agreements.

  • Baroness Smith of Basildon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Baroness Smith of Basildon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Smith of Basildon on 2016-04-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what meetings (1) the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, and (2) other ministers, have had with (a) the Civil Nuclear Police Authority, (b) the Chief Constable of the Civil Nuclear Constabulary, and (c) the Civil Nuclear Police Federation, to discuss the occupational retirement age for Civil Nuclear Constabulary officers.

    Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

    My hon. Friend the Minister of State for Energy has met with the Chair of the Civil Nuclear Police Authority (CNPA) and the Chief Constable of the Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC) on two occasions since taking office where the pension age of officers was discussed. In October 2015 and March 2016.

    The Minister of State has recently written to the Civil Nuclear Police Federation about meeting representatives of that organisation to discuss issues including the age at which CNC officers receive their pension.

    Officials at the Department of Energy and Climate Change have worked closely with officials at the CNPA and CNC at all levels, up to and including the Chief Constable, on the issue of the pension age of CNC officers since May 2014. The Department has received frequent and substantial advice on all aspects of this issue. This includes, but is not limited to, the impact of fitness standards on CNC officers and how those standards affect deployability of officers, and the costs of administering a pension scheme with a lower effective pension age.

    The Minister of State has received two letters from the Civil Nuclear Police Federation outlining their legal case for a lower pension age. Officials have met with the Civil Nuclear Police Federation to discuss the pension age of CNC officers on two occasions in 2015.

  • Jess Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jess Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2016-06-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to paragraph 1.37e of the Educational Excellence Everywhere White Paper, what the total budget in each year of the Spending Review period will be for the Excellence in Leadership Fund.

    Nick Gibb

    The Department’s White Paper Educational Excellence Everywhere stated that we would launch an Excellence in Leadership Fund to encourage the best Multi-Academy Trusts and other providers to develop innovative ways of boosting leadership, particularly in areas of most need. The Fund will help to better support schools to develop a strong and diverse set of school and system leaders, through specific activity aimed at groups that are still under-represented in leadership positions. Further information about the timing and budget for the Excellence in Leadership Fund will be made available in due course.

  • Alistair Carmichael – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Alistair Carmichael – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alistair Carmichael on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that price comparison websites do not mislead retail energy customers.

    Jesse Norman

    It is vital that customers trust price comparison websites, as they offer real opportunities for improving competition and I expect price comparison websites to be clear to consumers when they are not providing a whole market tariff comparison.

    Ofgem are currently consulting on proposals to allow price comparison websites to only show those tariffs that consumers can switch to through the price comparison website as a default, but they must also provide quick and easy access to a webpage showing all tariffs available on the market. The consultation closes on 28 September and is available online at

    https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/system/files/docs/2016/08/whole_of_market_consultation.pdf

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