Category: Speeches

  • Lord Cashman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Cashman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Cashman on 2016-04-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will support better co-ordination of financial and political support amongst governments and multilateral organisations in the advancement of the human rights of LGBTI persons at the Global LGBTI Human Rights Conference in Uruguay from 13 to 15 July.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    As I set out to the House on the 21 March, and in my answers of 5 April, and the noble Baroness Verma’s answer of 31 March, the British Government will send a delegation to the Global Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and/or Intersex (LGBTI) Human Rights Conference taking place in Montevideo in July.

    The Government is clear in its belief that human rights are universal and should apply equally to all people everywhere. We are opposed to all forms of discrimination and work to uphold the rights and freedoms of LGBTI people in all circumstances. We support the key objectives of the conference: to provide an important opportunity to share information, best practice and lessons learned with partners and to discuss how to better coordinate international efforts to support the promotion and protection of the rights of LGBTI people worldwide. We are committed to working with those countries that will be represented at the conference, and others, to better coordinate work to combat discrimination and violence against LGBTI people. This forms an important part of our wider international human rights work.

    Precise composition of the UK delegation to the conference remains to be confirmed. With the exception of the co-hosts, the Governments of the Netherlands and Uruguay, we judge it likely that countries will be represented at official level.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if she will set the emissions target recommended by the Independent Committee on Climate Change in the Fifth Carbon Budget.

    Andrea Leadsom

    This Government remains firmly committed to meeting our climate change target of an at least 80% emissions reduction by 2050. The fifth carbon budget, which covers the period 2028-2032, is an important step on the way to 2050.

    Discussions on this budget are continuing and we will make an announcement as soon as those discussions conclude.

  • Helen Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Helen Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2016-07-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to restrict the quantities of drugs which can be bought from online pharmacies.

    George Freeman

    There are no plans for additional controls on the quantities of drugs which can be bought from online pharmacies. In the United Kingdom, there are strict legal controls on the retail sale, supply and advertisement of medicinal products. These legal controls apply equally to medicines sold or supplied via the internet or e-mail transactions. Under medicines legislation, it is unlawful for medicinal products for human use to be marketed, manufactured, imported from a third country, distributed and sold or supplied in the UK except in accordance with the appropriate licences or exemptions. Prescription only and pharmacy medicines may only be legally sold or supplied by or under the supervision of a pharmacist on registered pharmacy premises. In addition, prescription only medicines may only be dispensed against a prescription written by a doctor, dentist or independent prescriber. There are also controls on quantities of certain pharmacy medicines that can be sold or supplied and that applies if the medicine is sold in a pharmacy or online.

  • Lord Blencathra – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord Blencathra – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Blencathra on 2016-09-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to putting in place immediate arrangements for members of the armed forces to be trained in train driving, operating and management.

    Earl Howe

    Defence has no current plans in place to provide training in train driving, operating or management.

  • Liz McInnes – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Liz McInnes – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liz McInnes on 2015-11-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the change in the number of firefighter posts was in the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service in 2013-14.

    Greg Clark

    I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave her on 6 November 2015, PQ 13946.

  • Andrea Jenkyns – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Andrea Jenkyns – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrea Jenkyns on 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish her Department’s exit checks data relating to all UK ports and airports for destination (a) within and (b) outside the EU.

    James Brokenshire

    The Home Office introduced exit cecks from 8 April 2015 to provide more comphrehensive information on travel movements across the UK border since that date. My Department has informed the Office of National Statistics that it is considering the use of exit checks data for statistical reporting purposes, and plans to publish an initial report in May 2016. Any data published will be subject to the usual data assurance standards.

  • Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-01-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 14 January 2016 to Question 21765, on birds: census, when she plans to publish her Department’s internal allocations.

    Rory Stewart

    Defra’s Business Planning process is still underway. At this time it would not be appropriate to comment on how this translates into internal allocations for both the core Department and its Network Bodies.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 2 December 2015 to Question 17914, which change programmes are expected to contribute to the planned reduction in the size of his Department’s civilian workforce over the current Parliament; and what size of reductions he expects to result from each such change programme.

    Mark Lancaster

    The Royal Fleet Auxiliary, Defence Equipment and Support and the Trading Funds were included in the baseline workforce calculation.

    The Ministry of Defence is managing a range of change programmes designed to deliver Defence outputs more efficiently and effectively, including Army 2020 and outsourcing logistics to Leidos. A Business Improvement Review has been set up to identify opportunities to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of support activities across Defence. This Review will look at the total shape, size and structure of our civilian workforce, the functions and processes that they are engaged in, and how those can be made more efficient.

    The Department expects the civilian workforce to reduce to around 41,000 by 2020. However, the timing and reductions associated with individual programmes are still to be determined and final decisions will be subject to consultation with employee representatives, value for money considerations and, where appropriate, commercial negotiation.

  • Barry Gardiner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Barry Gardiner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Gardiner on 2016-03-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment her Department has made of the potential effect on future funding of research on (a) climate change and (b) climate change effects and adaptation of the introduction of an anti-lobbying clause in government grant agreements.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The vast majority of climate change research funded by the Department of Energy and Climate Change is not awarded through grant agreements. As a result, we don’t foresee the introduction of an anti-lobbying clause in government grant agreements having any significant impact on research that we fund on these topics in the future.

  • Lord Jones of Cheltenham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Jones of Cheltenham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Jones of Cheltenham on 2016-04-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of international scientific evidence concerning moderate alcohol consumption as part of a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The alcohol guidelines review was undertaken by a group of independent scientific experts who were commissioned to report back to the United Kingdom Chief Medical Officers and make recommendations on new low risk drinking guidelines. The Guidelines Development Group scrutinised all of the available evidence concerning alcohol consumption including moderate alcohol consumption and the protective effects to overall mortality. They set out their assessment of the systematic reviews in their report.

    The Alcohol Guidelines Review – Report from the Guidelines development group to the UK Chief Medical Officers is attached.