Category: Speeches

  • Chris Elmore – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Chris Elmore – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Elmore on 2016-09-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to encourage the construction of new railway stations along the England-Wales border.

    Paul Maynard

    We launched the second round of our New Stations Fund on 26 August, with up to £20 million available to promoters of new stations throughout England and Wales. Successful bids may be awarded up to 75% towards the capital expenditure on the station.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 16 November 2015 to Question 15934, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people in receipt of carer’s credit in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

    Justin Tomlinson

    Historical information on the number of people in receipt of Carers Credit in each of the last five years is not available. To comply with Data Protection, dormant Carers Credit cases which have been closed for 14 months or more are removed from the Carers Credit Operating System and clerical records destroyed.

    • An estimated 8908 people are currently in receipt of Carers Credit (November 2015).
    • 15,477 Carers Credit applications have been made since it was introduced in April 2010.
  • FALSE – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    FALSE – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by FALSE on 2015-12-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the reply by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 7 December (HL Deb, col 1310), what assessment they have made of whether the statement that they never allow issues about our economic relationship to get in the way of upholding international law and international humanitarian law” is consistent with the remarks in June 2014 by the then Minister for Small Business

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    As the first country to produce a National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights we have advocated the view that the promotion of business and respect for human rights go hand in hand. We see these as mutually reinforcing. The degree of influence we have with a country, including on human rights issues, depends on many factors; as a general rule we have more influence with countries with whom we have a strong trade and investment relationship.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-01-19.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how he plans to assess the effectiveness of the implementation in the UK of the EU Anti-Money Laundering Directive.

    Harriett Baldwin

    The EU’s fourth Anti-Money Laundering Directive (‘the Directive’) was formally adopted in June 2015, and Member States now have until June 2017 to transpose its requirements into national law. The Government plans to publish a consultation on transposition of the Directive by early spring which will run for a full 12 weeks. We will consult on areas where the Directive gives us options or discretion on how we transpose its provisions as well as areas where we can improve the UK’s anti-money laundering and counter-financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) regime.

    Transposition of the Directive is just one element of the Government’s comprehensive Anti-Money Laundering regime. HM Treasury and Home Office are working closely on a forthcoming Action Plan to address the issues identified in the UK’s first National Risk Assessment of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing, in order to increase the effectiveness of the AML/CFT regime. This work is overseen jointly by Home Office and Treasury Ministers.

    Scrutinising all aspects of the UK’s AML/CFT regime, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Mutual Evaluation of the United Kingdom will be the ultimate test of effectiveness and will take place in the course of 2017 and 2018. The FATF Mutual Evaluation will judge both the technical compliance and effectiveness of the UK’s AML/CFT regime. But the implementation of the Directive will be key to achieving a successful evaluation, as the Directive will enact the FATF standards into UK domestic law.

    By undertaking this work, we are further ensuring that our anti-money laundering and counter-financing of terrorism regime is robust and sufficiently responsive to emerging threats.

  • Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2016-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether (a) his Department and (b) another department has commissioned independent research on the economic effects of extending Sunday trading hours.

    Anna Soubry

    In 2006 Indepen were commissioned by the Department for Trade and Industry to evaluate the economic costs and benefits of extending Sunday Trading hours, a copy of the report can be found on the GOV.UK website.

    Neither my Department nor another Department has commissioned independent research since then on the economic effects of extending Sunday trading hours, although, we are aware of recent independent research from the London School of Economics that found evidence of positive impacts in retail on employment and expenditure.

  • Matthew Offord – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Matthew Offord – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2016-03-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that companies with more than 250 employees pay their suppliers in a timely manner.

    Anna Soubry

    The Government recognises that late payment remains an important issue for small businesses in the UK and is taking significant steps to assist small businesses to recover late payment debts. This is part of a package of measures to tackle late payment. We have also legislated for new transparency measures in the private sector.

    The Small Business Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 legislated for a new reporting requirement on the UK’s largest companies and Regulations which will be introduced this year. This will compel larger companies to report on payment practices and performance. This information will be published on a six-monthly basis and will be made publicly available.

    Through the Enterprise Bill, currently before Parliament, we will legislate to establish a Small Business Commissioner to give general advice and to help small businesses resolve disputes relating to payment matters with larger businesses.

    Tackling late payment is about creating a responsible payment culture where larger companies recognise the benefit of having a sustainable and robust supply chain, and smaller businesses feel able to challenge poor behaviour. Once implemented, the Government is confident that these measures will lead to significant changes in the UK’s payment culture.

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-04-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, (a) how many and (b) what proportion of officials of his Department resigned in each of the last six years.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The information requested is in the table below.

    TIMEFRAME

    NUMBERS OF VOLUNTARY RESIGNATIONS

    % PROPORTION OF OFFICIALS (based on headcount not Full Time Equivalent Data)

    01/04/2015 – 31/03/2016

    462

    3.3

    01/04/2014 – 31/03/2015

    489

    2.8

    01/04/2013 – 31/03/2014

    428

    2.5

    01/04/2012 – 31/03/2013

    378

    2.1

    01/04/2011 – 31/03/2012

    421

    2.3

    01/04/2010 – 31/03/2011

    374

    2.0

    The Department for Transport data relates to the central department and its agencies during the timeframe indicated, Highways England are therefore excluded from the 15/16 figures.

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what rules govern the use of pupil premium funding (a) for capital projects and (b) in a different year to that for which the funding was allocated.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    The conditions of grant for the pupil premium make clear that its purpose is to raise the attainment of disadvantaged pupils. School leaders are best placed to decide how to spend the pupil premium in line with this policy and the needs of their pupils. Schools are not prevented from using the pupil premium to fund capital projects or from carrying over funding between years.

    The Department for Education supports schools to make evidence-based decisions through the work of the Education Endowment Foundation, established to identify and promote effective practice in raising the attainment of disadvantaged pupils. The Department does not monitor how Academies and maintained schools spend the pupil premium but instead holds them to account for the outcomes of eligible pupils through the publication of data in performance tables and Ofsted inspection.

    Where concerns are raised about the performance of an academy then they are addressed by the Regional School Commissioner with responsibility for that area. The Department also takes seriously any concerns about the financial management of a school. We are aware of the findings of the Ofsted report on Audenshaw School relating to its use of the pupil premium, following an inspection in February 2016. We are also aware that the Hon. Member, Andrew Gwynne, has met the Regional Schools Commissioner for Lancashire and West Yorkshire, Vicky Beer, on a number of occasions to discuss his concerns about Audenshaw School Academy Trust. The Department has carefully reviewed all the information provided on this matter and has identified no grounds to take further action.

  • Melanie Onn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Melanie Onn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Melanie Onn on 2016-07-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress her Department has made on regionalisation of the initial teacher training programme.

    Nick Gibb

    We are monitoring recruitment at a regional level in all subjects to ensure that the regional balance of initial teacher training (ITT) provision is maintained. We reserve the right to control recruitment in particular regions for all ITT routes and courses. It is important to maintain the regional balance of ITT provision and consequently we may use recruitment controls to prevent significant geographical variation in the distribution of provision compared to previous years. However, we will not operate with regional targets.

  • Andrew Selous – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Andrew Selous – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Selous on 2016-09-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how his Department assesses whether benefit appointees should be appointed; what factors are taken into account in such cases by the assessor; and what the requirements relating to the mental capacity of adult benefit recipients are in such cases.

    Penny Mordaunt

    The Secretary of State confirms that a claimant requires an appointee if we receive unequivocal medical evidence as to the claimant’s capacity to manage their benefit claim or if, as in the vast majority of cases, the visiting officer, through a series of questions relating to the comprehension of claiming and managing a benefit award, will reach a conclusion as to their capacity to act for themselves. This is specifically a benefit-related capacity assessment and not a mental capacity assessment.

    Once someone has been appointed, they will remain in that role until (a) they wish to relinquish it (b) they themselves lose capacity (c) the claimant regains capacity or (d) they abuse their position by not acting in the best interests of the claimant and the appointment is revoked. This latter requirement is stressed to the prospective appointee when the appointment is being considered and they are required to sign form BF56 to confirm that they understand their responsibilities. The Department also has a review system in place.

    The vast majority of revocations of an appointeeship occur because of information received from a third party alleging financial abuse which is subsequently confirmed on investigation.