Category: Speeches

  • Stephen Gethins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Stephen Gethins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Gethins on 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect on Scotland of the planned implementation of the Polar Code.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The International Code for Ships Operating in Polar Waters as adopted by the International Maritime Organization addresses the standards and operation of ships in the Polar Regions. It is intended to provide an appropriate level of safety and environmental protection for vessels operating in these regions.

    No specific assessment has been made of the Code’s impact on Scotland. However, there was wide consultation with British stakeholders during the negotiation of the Code ahead of it being adopted in the IMO’s safety committee in 2014 and environment committee in 2015. The Government believes that UK ports and shipping industry are well placed to meet their obligations under the Polar Code when it comes into force in 2017, and to ensure that British activities in the Polar Regions continue to be undertaken in a safe and environmentally responsible way.

  • Ann Clwyd – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Ann Clwyd – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ann Clwyd on 2016-05-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of Egypt’s compliance with international human rights and humanitarian law in its counter-terrorism operations in Sinai.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not made a formal assessment. In 2015 we shared NATO counterinsurgency doctrine with the Egyptian Government and we hope to discuss this further with them, through a planned upcoming Egyptian visit to the UK Centre for counterinsurgency doctrine.

  • Roger Mullin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Roger Mullin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Mullin on 2016-07-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many benefit claimants were sanctioned more than once in (a) Fife and (b) Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath constituency in (i) 2011-12, (ii) 2012-13, (iii) 2013-14, (iv) 2014-15 and (v) 2015-16.

    Damian Hinds

    The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

    Information on Jobseeker’s Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance sanction decisions, by cumulative frequency and geography, is available here: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/

    Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:

    https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started—SuperWEB2.html

    “

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-09-14.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the total value of the contract between his Department and Concentrix; and if he will make a statement.

    Jane Ellison

    HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has, to date, spent circa £30 million with Concentrix for service delivery under the contract. HMRC, under appropriate procurement transparency mandates, published anticipated spend details on Contracts Finder of between £55-75 million pounds at the start of the contract.

    Final spend with the supplier will be dictated by contractual considerations around delivery of specific service campaigns. Such considerations are commercially sensitive at this time and cannot, in this instance, be disclosed.

  • Paul Blomfield – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Paul Blomfield – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2015-11-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of people held in immigration detention are (a) foreign national offenders convicted of immigration related offences, (b) foreign national offenders convicted of other offences and (c) non-foreign nationals.

    James Brokenshire

    At the end of June 2015, the proportion of people held in immigration detention who were foreign national offenders was 25% (884).

    It is not possible to provide a break-down of foreign national offenders convicted of immigration offences and foreign national offenders convicted of non-immigration offences. 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.

  • Baroness Kennedy of Cradley – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Baroness Kennedy of Cradley – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kennedy of Cradley on 2015-12-16.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are their plans for the Department for International Development to invest in addressing Aids, tuberculosis, and malaria globally from 2016 onwards.

    Baroness Verma

    The UK government is committed to remaining a world leader in tackling global diseases and ending the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria by 2030. We are already working towards this goal through our substantial investment to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria which has saved 17 million lives.

    We are currently undertaking a number of internal reviews to ensure we are in the right place to deliver our objectives and maximise our value for money and impact. Our future contributions to the Global Fund and country programmes are being considered as part of this. We will lay out further investment plans in the future.

  • Douglas Chapman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Douglas Chapman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what safety and contingency measures his Department puts in place before nuclear materials are transported on roads in Scotland.

    Penny Mordaunt

    The transport of Defence Nuclear Material is regulated by the Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator according to the provisions of Joint Service Publication 538, Regulation of the Nuclear Weapon Programme, available at: www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/341332/20140801_JSP_538_V3_1_Pt_1.pdf

    A wide range of safety and contingency measures are in place to ensure the safety of nuclear convoy operations. These are summarised in the Local Authority and Emergency Service Information document available at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-authority-emergency-services-information.

  • Teresa Pearce – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Teresa Pearce – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Teresa Pearce on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of railway station ticket offices that will be closed by (a) 2020 and (b) 2025.

    Claire Perry

    The Ticketing and Settlement Agreement protects the opening hours of Ticket Offices. If an operator wishes to make such changes to Ticket Office opening times, there is an industry process to follow.

  • 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 2016-03-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the government of Israel about why the Israel Defence Forces have been positioned behind the Green Line and on 1 March fired on Beit Hanun farmland and farmers working in fields east of Juhor al-Dik.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We have not had any discussions with the Israeli authorities on this issue. However, we have an ongoing dialogue with the Israeli authorities about the Israeli Defence Forces use of live fire.

  • Andrew Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Andrew Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people with hepatitis C commenced treatment in (a) England and (b) each Operational Delivery Network area between 1 April 2015 and 31 March 2016.

    Jane Ellison

    Information on patient treatment is ordinarily documented in the detailed patient records held by service providers, and not held centrally by NHS England.

    For the period 1 April 2015 – 31 March 2016, based on information supplied by clinicians treating people with chronic hepatitis, NHS England estimate that 5,895 patients started treatment.

    Operational Delivery Networks (ODNs) were launched in August 2015 and therefore data by ODN as requested (1 April 2015 to 31 March 2016) are not held.