Category: Speeches

  • Craig Whittaker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Craig Whittaker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2016-01-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what representations he has received from Calderdale Council since 2010 on the level of local authority funding from central Government.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    Calderdale Council have submitted a representation each year since 2010 as part of the annual consultation on the local government finance settlement.

    The annual local government finance settlement sets out details of central government funding for local authorities, including Revenue Support Grant, as well as considering councils’ locally raised funds, and represents the main funding source for local authorities.

  • Craig Whittaker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Craig Whittaker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the balances held by all English local authorities.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    The most recent local authority data held by the Department for Communities and Local Government is the estimated position for financial year 2015-16. Local authorities have estimated that their reserve balances as at 31 March 2016 will be as follows:

    Ringfenced school reserves £2,213.16 million

    Ringfenced public health reserves £138.83 million

    Non ringfenced other earmarked reserves £13,396.76 million

    Non ringfenced unallocated reserves £3,736.79 million

    Full details can be found on the department’s webpage https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/local-authority-revenue-expenditure-and-financing-england-2015-to-2016-individual-local-authority-data

    “

  • Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-03-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 29 February 2016 to Question 27368, on what basis the Child Support Agency allows non-resident parents to self-categorise as self-employed for child maintenance purposes; whether the new Child Maintenance Service plans to adopt the HM Revenue and Customs definition of self-employed when considering the employment status of non-resident parents under the 2012 child maintenance scheme or to allow non-resident parents to self-categorise their own employment status; and if he will make a statement.

    Priti Patel

    For the older schemes of maintenance, income information is initially gathered from the parents themselves. As part of this initial conversation, they are asked whether they classify themselves as self-employed or not.

    Calculation of their net income figure will always be based on the relevant taxation legislation for the nature of the employment, subject to any additional conditions imposed by Child Support legislation.

    For the 2012 scheme, unlike the older schemes, the income used to calculate maintenance is a gross taxable earnings figure. Our primary mechanism for getting this information is direct from HM Revenue & Customs. As a gross figure is used, it does not matter whether they are employed or self-employed.

  • Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-04-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they ensure that the government of Saudi Arabia complies with the regulatory regime established under the Export Control Act 2002, in particular in respect of arms used in Yemen and supplied by the UK.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The British Government considers each export licence application on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria, taking account of relevant factors at the time of application. The Criteria implement the UK’s obligations under the Export Control Act 2002. This includes an assessment of Criterion 2c (whether there is a clear risk that the proposed exports might be used in the commission of a serious violation of international humanitarian law (IHL)).

    A licence will not be issued for export of items to any country, including Saudi Arabia, if to do so would be inconsistent with any mandatory provision of the Criteria, including where we assess there is a clear risk that the items might be used in the commission of a serious violation of IHL. The Government is satisfied that extant licences for Saudi Arabia are compliant with the Criteria.

  • Julian Lewis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Julian Lewis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Lewis on 2016-05-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent reports he has received on the state of disrepair of (a) the Block Mills, (b) numbers 1, 4, 5 and 6 dry docks, (c) the South Office Block, (d) the Old Naval Academy, (e) the Parade, (f) the former Iron Foundary and (g) other scheduled monuments and Grade I and Grade II* listed buildings at HM Naval Base Portsmouth; and what steps he is taking to prevent further deterioration of those monuments.

    Mark Lancaster

    All historical buildings are subject to quadrennial inspection.

    Quadrennial inspection reports are held for the following listed buildings;

    No 6 Dock, Portsmouth

    Old Naval Academy, Portsmouth former Naval Academy and railings, Buildings No 1/14, 1/16-19

    Block Mills Her Majesty’s Naval Base (HMNB) Portsmouth Building 153

    South Office Block, HMNB Building 088

    Dockyard Wall and Extension Wall, Portsmouth Naval Base Building NBW 1, 2 and 3

    Former Iron Foundry (Buildings 1/140, 1/139 and 1/136) HMNB Portsmouth

    No 1 The Parade, HMNB, Portsmouth

    No 2 The Parade, HMNB, Portsmouth

    No 3 The Parade, HMNB, Portsmouth

    No 4 The Parade, HMNB, Portsmouth

    No 5 The Parade, HMNB, Portsmouth

    No 6 The Parade, HMNB, Portsmouth

    No 7 The Parade, HMNB, Portsmouth

    No 8 The Parade, HMNB, Portsmouth

    No 9 The Parade, HMNB, Portsmouth (Mountbatten House)

  • Tom Blenkinsop – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Tom Blenkinsop – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2016-07-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many reports of offences of violence against the person were reported to Cleveland Police in each of the last five years; and what proportion of those reports led to prosecutions.

    Brandon Lewis

    The number of sexual and violence against the person offences recorded by Cleveland police from 2011/12 to 2015/16 are given in the table.

    The Home Office does not hold data on the number of prosecutions resulting from offences recorded by the police. Information on crimes assigned a charge or summons outcome is available from April 2014, when data on outcomes were first collected linked specifically to their associated crimes. Previously, outcomes data supplied by forces related to the volume recorded regardless of when the crime was committed. The new method of collection was implemented to provide greater transparency and highlight how each crime recorded in any period is resolved by the police.

    The table shows the proportion of sexual and violent offences that resulted in a police charge or summons in 2014/15 and 2015/16. In addition, it shows the proportion of each offence group that has not been assigned an outcome. This is important to note, in particular for sexual offences, because length of investigations mean that the most recent year has more crimes that have yet to be assigned an outcome than the previous year.

    Not all charges or summonses will lead to a prosecution, the Ministry of Justice hold and publish data on prosecutions.

  • Jonathan Lord – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jonathan Lord – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Lord on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of children who receive free school meals in (a) Woking constituency, (b) Surrey, (c) the South East and (d) the UK have studied A-Levels in each year since 2010.

    Edward Timpson

    The requested information on children who receive free school meals at A-Level in England is not held by the Department. The Department for Education produces statistics on England only. The responsibility for education statistics in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales lies with each devolved administration.

  • Grahame Morris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Grahame Morris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2015-11-06.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the average time taken was for a rating assessment appeal to be considered by the Valuation Office Agency in the last 12 months.

    Mr David Gauke

    Based on data used to publish the latest Official Statistics, the average time taken to resolve a challenge to the rating list is 13 months for the 2005 list and 14 months for the 2010 list.

  • John Spellar – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    John Spellar – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Spellar on 2016-01-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to announce changes to procedures to deal with motor accident claims for whiplash.

    Dominic Raab

    In his Autumn Statement the Chancellor announced further reforms to tackle the number and cost of whiplash claims. The Government will consult on the detail of these reforms in due course.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Drew Hendry on 2016-01-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what preparations the Government is making for the auction of 5G spectrum.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    Ofcom takes independent decisions on how to assign spectrum. The Government is making spectrum available – including future 5G – through its programme of public sector spectrum release.