Category: Speeches

  • Brendan O’Hara – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Brendan O’Hara – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Brendan O’Hara on 2015-11-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the reasons are for the time taken to upgrade air defence radars at RRH Benbecula and RRH Buchan to the TPS-77 radar standard.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The Type 92 radar has undergone extensive modifications to the signal processing equipment to bring the radar to TPS-77 standard. This complex work required the manufacture and replacement of safety-critical components and extensive testing, whilst also maintaining operational capability, which has necessitated the deployment of an additional radar whilst the Type 92 was being upgraded – all of which has been carefully managed by the Ministry of Defence and delivered to time and within cost.

  • Lord Lester of Herne Hill – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Lord Lester of Herne Hill – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lester of Herne Hill on 2015-12-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they plan to take in response to the judgment of the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights in Hirst v The United Kingdom (No. 2) Application 74025/01, and the interim resolution of 9 December of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe expressing profound concern that the blanket ban on the right of convicted prisoners in custody to vote remains in place.””

    Lord Faulks

    We have consistently made clear that prisoner voting is a matter for parliament to determine.

  • Gareth Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Gareth Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-01-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Mott MacDonald Report 2012 on safety standards at RAF Northolt recommended that an Engineered Material Arresting System be installed at RAF Northolt; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The Engineered Material Arresting System (EMAS) is being scoped as a military infrastructure requirement commensurate with safety cases for military aircraft operating at RAF Northolt and the associated military aerodrome design standards utilised at the Station. I am withholding estimated costs for the EMAS project as it is at the pre-tender stage and disclosure would or would be likely to prejudice commercial interests.

    The Mott McDonald report has no opinion or relevance against the military aerodrome design criteria and safety cases in place at the Station or the current operation of RAF Northolt. Any infrastructure investment for military operational requirements will continue to be undertaken as necessary to support military and Government outputs.

  • Baroness Barker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Baroness Barker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Barker on 2016-02-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government which lobbying campaigns organised by charities have been funded by government grants since May 2010.

    Lord Bridges of Headley

    Information on lobbying campaigns organised by charities is not collected by government.

  • Mrs Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Mrs Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mrs Anne Main on 2016-03-10.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people from other EU member states have (a) entered the UK in each year since 2006 and (b) are living in the UK; and under what heading those people are classified in the provisions of the Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2006.

    Mr Rob Wilson

    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

  • Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2016-04-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance his Department has issued to (a) councils and (b) other large employers of homecare workers on the payment of workers for their travel time.

    Alistair Burt

    It is for providers to ensure that they are complying with legislation and paying workers for the time they are legally entitled to be paid for.

    The Care Act 2014 is clear that local authorities should ensure that care workers are paid at least minimum wage, and are paid for travel time between appointments.

    We are working with local authorities and the care sector to improve social care commissioning, including supporting the sector to commission in a way that promotes quality, including meeting legal requirements on staff pay in relation to travel time.

    There is clear Government Guidance on the issue of payment for work related travel time. It can be found in full on this website:

    http://www.gov.uk/minimum-wage-different-types-work/overview

    “

  • Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2016-05-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure that education and training is available to young offenders to help them access the digital economy.

    Andrew Selous

    Equipping young offenders with the skills to access the digital economy supports their rehabilitation, and computing forms a core part of the education and training provided to young people in custody.

    The Justice Secretary has asked Charlie Taylor to conduct a review of youth justice. His report of emerging findings published in February underlined the importance of education to an effective youth justice system. He will report back this summer with recommendations on how to improve the treatment of young people in our care.

  • Roberta Blackman-Woods – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Roberta Blackman-Woods – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roberta Blackman-Woods on 2016-07-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what exemptions there will be from the Government’s proposed enforced sale of high-value council homes.

    Brandon Lewis

    Through regulations, government has the power to exclude categories of housing when calculating local authority’s payment in respect of their higher value vacant housing. During the passage of the Housing and Planning Act 2016, government committed to exclude housing that is in a National Park or an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and confirmed that it would consider other suggestions that had been made during the passage of the legislation and by stakeholders for excluding other categories of housing.

  • Charlotte Leslie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Charlotte Leslie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charlotte Leslie on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure the accuracy of labour shortages reported by employers before adding professions to the occupational shortage list.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) reviews the Shortage Occupation List when commissioned to do so by the Government.

    The MAC is an independent advisory body consisting of expert labour market economists. It has a clear, published methodology for assessing whether occupations are skilled, in shortage, and whether it is sensible to address those shortages in part through migration, based on a variety of indicators and using national “top down” data as well as “bottom up” evidence from employers.

    The MAC has carried out two full reviews and three partial reviews of the Shortage Occupation List since May 2010. Further information about the MAC’s methodology and the reviews it has carried out are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/migration-advisory-committee

    “

  • Alex Chalk – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Alex Chalk – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Chalk on 2015-11-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department is making preparations to plan for widespread resistance to known antibiotics.

    Jane Ellison

    The Government has already made comprehensive plans to address the threat of antibiotic resistance through the UK Five Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy 2013 – 2018

    The UK Strategy, which was published in September 2013, sets out our overarching goal to slow the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance. It focusses activities around three strategic aims, namely, to improve the knowledge and understanding of antimicrobial resistance; to conserve and steward the effectiveness of existing treatments; and to stimulate the development of new antibiotics, diagnostics and novel therapies. The strategy is based on the principle of “One Health”, tackling the problem of resistance in humans, animals and the environment.

    Globally, the UK has led efforts to tackle antimicrobial resistance. For example, we have taken the lead in the development and adoption, in May 2015, of a new World Health Organization (WHO) Resolution on antimicrobial resistance. We are now working towards agreement for a high-level meeting on antimicrobial resistance at the United Nations General Assembly in 2016.