Category: Speeches

  • Eilidh Whiteford – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Eilidh Whiteford – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Eilidh Whiteford on 2015-11-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the reasons for which the jobseeker’s allowance claimant rate is falling faster than the unemployment rate; and what estimate he has made of the proportion of people eligible to claim jobseeker’s allowance in 2013-14 who did not do so.

    Priti Patel

    It is not appropriate to consider Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) in isolation because the roll out of Universal Credit (UC) means growing numbers now claim UC rather than JSA.

    The Office for National Statistics publishes claimant count figures that combine JSA and those claiming UC who are not in work. This does not show the claimant rate falling faster than the unemployment rate. In fact over the past quarter the claimant rate has remained flat while the unemployment rate has fallen 0.3 percentage points.

    Estimates of the take-up of income-related benefits in 2013-14 have already been published and are available at the following link:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/437501/ir-benefits-take-up-main-report-2013-14.pdf

    “

  • Margaret Ferrier – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Margaret Ferrier – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ferrier on 2015-12-03.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on the Scottish economy of devolution of corporation tax to Northern Ireland.

    Mr David Gauke

    Devolution of a corporation tax rate-setting power to the Northern Ireland Assembly has the potential to help rebalance the Northern Ireland economy. The UK Government will activate this power if the Northern Ireland parties meet their commitments in the Stormont House Agreement, which includes demonstrating that its finances are on a sustainable footing for the long-term.

    It is not possible to determine the exact impact of devolution on any other parts of the UK as any impact will depend on a number of factors, including the rate set and when the regime comes into effect. But a thriving, prosperous Northern Ireland will have benefits for the whole UK economy, not just Northern Ireland.

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 14 January 2016 to Question 21066, if she will provide matching data for each other region of the UK.

    Mike Penning

    Regional information relating to service standards for each year since 2012 cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.

    However, information relating to DBS performance at police force level is held on the Gov.UK website and can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/dbs-performance

  • Lord Bassam of Brighton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Lord Bassam of Brighton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bassam of Brighton on 2016-02-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the estimated reduction in the number of local authority right-to-buy applications annually as a result of the introduction of fixed-term tenancies.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    The Right to Buy will continue to apply to new fixed-term tenancies as it already does to flexible tenancies. Tenants will still be able to fulfil their aspirations of owning their own home.

  • Virendra Sharma – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Virendra Sharma – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2016-02-29.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress he has made on the formation of the cross-ministerial working group on illicit trade.

    Damian Hinds

    I remain committed to sponsoring work across government to tackle illicit tobacco. This requires a full understanding of cross-government policy on tobacco, tobacco control and efforts to tackle illicit tobacco. This is a complex picture and I have asked officials in HMRC to work with other departments to ensure that we have this context to identify the challenges and opportunities in the UK and internationally and determine a clear agenda for ministerial action. This work is continuing.

  • Kirsten Oswald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Kirsten Oswald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance his Department issues to jobcentre staff on the delivery of the Armed Forces Covenant.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The department takes its ongoing responsibilities under the Armed Forces Covenant very seriously. Pete Searle, the Strategy Director for Working Age Benefits, is DWP’s Armed Forces Advocate responsible for ensuring that the needs of service personnel, their families and veterans are properly catered for by the Department. This means ensuring that these groups are not disadvantaged as a result of military service, and providing special treatment where appropriate.

    Every Jobcentre district has an “Armed Forces Champion” to provide a level of expertise for Jobcentres on Armed Forces matters. This is backed up by guidance covering the special rules that are in place, such as ex-service personnel having early access to the Work Programme, and information on any particular challenges they may face, such as the impact on employment prospects of frequent changes in locations.

  • 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 2016-04-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of pupils in schools with academy status have (a) statements of special educational needs and (b) Education, Health and Care plans.

    Edward Timpson

    Information on the number and percentage of pupils with statements of special educational needs or Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan by type of institution in the January 2015 School Census is available on GOV.UK:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england-january-2015 (Table 1A and 1D.)

    “

  • Toby Perkins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Toby Perkins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Toby Perkins on 2016-06-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports he has received of delivery of arms by Russia to Fiji.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    The Republic of Fiji Military Forces received a shipment of small arms, ammunition and mobile repair workshops from Russia in January. The equipment is consistent with that required to support Fiji’s deployments to international peacekeeping operations in Golan, Lebanon, Sinai, and South Sudan.

  • Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-09-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what representations he has received on the effect of the vote to leave the EU on his policy to provide full seven-day NHS services.

    David Mowat

    None.

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Andrew Gwynne – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2015-11-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the value of stationery that has been (a) lost and (b) stolen from his Department in each of the last five fiscal years; and what the cost was of replacing such stationery.

    Mark Lancaster

    This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

    The Ministry of Defence takes theft seriously and works hard to detect and deter it. There are robust processes in place to raise awareness of the need for vigilance in all aspects of security.