Category: Speeches

  • Baroness Howe of Idlicote – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Baroness Howe of Idlicote – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Howe of Idlicote on 2016-07-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Neville-Rolfe on 21 April (HL7422), how many of the 60 foreign unlicensed online gambling websites to which the Gambling Commission has written have (1) obtained a licence, (2) ceased offering facilities for gambling in Britain, and (3) been subject to payment blocking by payment providers.

    Lord Ashton of Hyde

    Of the 60 foreign unlicensed online gambling websites which the Gambling Commission wrote to, 3 obtained a licence; 41 ceased offering facilities for gambling; and 11 were subject to payment blocking by payment providers. The remainder are the subject of ongoing enforcement activity by the Gambling Commission.

  • Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb on 2016-10-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking towards adopting the recommendation of the Joint World Heritage/ICOMOS Advisory Committee on Stonehenge that the asset life design of the A303 widening scheme should incorporate asset resilience and future proofing in design”.”

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The Government has proactively sought the views of the Joint World Heritage/ the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) Advisory Committee and welcomes its recommendations.

    Highways England are supported by Historic England to consider the asset resilience and future proofing for their proposals for this section of the A303. This will be presented at a public consultation on proposed route options in 2017.

  • Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2015-11-04.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what additional contribution in cash terms they expect the NHS to make to the NHS Pension Scheme in 2016–17.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The NHS Pension Scheme is a ‘pay as you go’ pension scheme without financial assets. The last valuation in 2012 identified a deficit of £10.3 billion in the notional fund which is met by contributions from employers.

    No additional contribution is expected from the National Health Service in 2016-17. NHS employers will continue to pay the standard employer contribution rate of 14.3%.

  • John Mann – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    John Mann – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Mann on 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, when a Government Minister last visited (a) Burundi, (b) Democratic Republic of Congo and (c) Central African Republic.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    The then Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) (Mark Simmonds) visited Burundi in April 2014. My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (James Duddridge) visited Burundi in December 2015.

    Ministers from both DFID and the FCO have visited the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), including the then Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at DFID (Lynne Featherstone) in April 2013, the then Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the FCO (Mark Simmonds) in April 2014, and the Minister of State at the FCO (Baroness Anelay) in October 2015.

    Ministers have not visited the Central African Republic (CAR) in recent years.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Greaves on 2016-01-21.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what has been their contribution to the current battle for Ramadi; what is their estimate of the resident population of Ramadi in (1) 2004, (2) 2009, (3) 2015, and (4) now; what is their assessment of where the people who have left that city are now living; and what contribution they are making to the support and help for these displaced people.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The Royal Air Force’s close air support operations continue to play a key role in the Coalition’s support to the Iraqi Security Force’s in the battle for Ramadi. A lack of official data in Iraq makes population estimates unreliable. The best population estimates we have for Ramadi are 455,000 in 2004 and 376,000 in 2011. The planning figure used by the UN Development Programme stabilisation work is 500,000. The majority of the population of Ramadi had already left when Daesh entered the city, with most fleeing to host communities or camps. The UN estimated the residual population of the city at approximately 12,000-15,000 people. The UK has provided £79.5million in humanitarian support across Iraq since June 2014. The UK is the biggest donor to the UN emergency pooled funding mechanism and provides support through the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and other international bodies for those displaced.

  • The Countess of Mar – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The Countess of Mar – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Countess of Mar on 2016-02-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to relocate testing for Lyme borreliosis away from the Rare and Imported Pathogens Laboratory; and if so, when they expect the move to take place, and whether the new laboratory will be ISO 15189 accredited at the time of the transfer.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The Department of Health, Public Health England (PHE) or NHS England do not hold information about which laboratories are and are not International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 15189 accredited. A list of accredited laboratories is held on the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) website and is the definitive list of accredited laboratories to which the Department, PHE and the NHS refer. Accreditation is covered by the Clinical Pathology Accreditation (CPA) company until recently, and is now part of the UKAS scheme.

    There is no intention to transfer the Lyme disease testing service from the Rare & Imported Pathogens Laboratory (RIPL) to another laboratory. RIPL as a department will move from the Porton site as part of the PHE relocation scheduled to commence in 2018 but no decision on the exact date has been made. RIPL is scheduled to transfer to ISO 15189 in late summer 2016, when the ISO inspection team review the tests offered by the laboratory under ISO 15189. Until that time, the laboratory is operating under CPA in accordance with the transition process laid down by ISO.

  • Lord Greaves – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Lord Greaves – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Greaves on 2016-03-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government on which dates the Community Engagement Forum met following the first meeting in October 2015; what were the main topics discussed at each meeting; and who attended each meeting.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    The Community Engagement Forum met on 19 November 2015 and focused on education and the role it can play in promoting integration. The following individuals attended:

    Rt. Hon. Nicky Morgan MP, Education Secretary and Minister for Women and Equalities

    Lord Ahmad, Minister for Countering Extremism

    Louise Casey, Independent review on isolated communities

    Alun Francis, Principal and Chief Executive of Oldham College

    Aina Khan, Head of Islamic Department, Duncan Lewis Solicitors

    Sajda Mughal OBE, Managing Director at Jan Trust

    Mary Ney, Supporting Commissioner, Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council

    Syima Aslam, Organiser of Bradford Literary Festival

    Farook Yunus, Leader of Kumon Y’all

    Sara Khan, Director and Co-founder of Inspire

    Shaukat Warraich, Chief Executive, Faith Associates

    Anil Bhanot OBE, Managing Trustee and Director of Hindu Council UK

    Gillian Merron, Chief Executive of the Board of Deputies of British Jews

    William Nye, Secretary General of the General Synod of the Church of England

    Lord Singh of Wimbledon CBE, Director of the Network of Sikh Organisations

    Christine Fischer, Catholic Education Service

    Pascale Vassie, Executive Director, National Resource Centre for Supplementary Education

    Martin Pratt, Director of Children, Schools and Families, Camden Council

    Matthew Coffey, Chief Operating Officer, Ofsted

    Phil Champain, Director 3 Faiths Forum

    Her Honour Judge Khatun Sapnara, Circuit Judge East London Family Court and Kingston Crown Court

    Sue Robb, Head of Early Years, 4Children

    The Community Engagement Forum also met on 14 January 2016 and focussed on the contribution of Muslim women in Britain. The following individuals attended:

    Rt. Hon. David Cameron, Prime Minister

    Rt. Hon. Nicky Morgan MP, Education Secretary and Minister for Women and Equalities

    Lord Ahmad, Minister for Countering Extremism

    Baroness Williams, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government

    Louise Casey, Independent review on isolated communities

    Camilla Cavendish, Head of the No. 10 Policy Unit

    Max Chambers, Special Adviser, Home Affairs and Justice, No.10

    Sajda Mughal OBE, Managing Director at JAN Trust

    Syima Aslam, Organiser of Bradford Literary Festival

    Sara Khan, Director and co-founder of Inspire

    Diana Nammi, Executive Director of Iranian and Kurdish Women’s Rights Organisation

    Aysha and Kiran Iqbal Patel, Directors of Odara

    Fahma Mohamed, FGM activist and Trustee of Integrate Bristol

    Faeeza Vaid, Chair of ‘Sister 2 Sister’ in Birmingham and Executive Director of the Muslim Women’s Network

    Henna Rai, Director for the Association of British Muslims

    Yasmin Khan, Director of Staying Put and Aspire-I

    Hasina Khan, Chair and founder of Saheliyaan Asian Women’s Forum and Councillor on Chorley Council

    Nahid Rasool, Director of Shantona Women’s Centre

    Farmida Bi, Head of Islamic Finance and a partner at Norton Rose.

    Zahra Al-Alawi, Presenter of Woman’s View on Ahlulbayt TV

    Farah Mirza, TV Presenter and previous UN representative for Islamic Human Rights Commission

    Sarah Joseph OBE, Chief Executive and Editor of emel magazine

  • Nicholas Soames – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Nicholas Soames – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-04-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of growth of the digital economy in the last five years; and what assessment he has made of its contribution to GDP.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    Growth in the Digital Sector (measured by GVA) between 2009 and 2014 was 26.3% (in comparison to a 20% growth of the UK Economy as a whole). According to DCMS research, the digital sector accounted for 6.9% Gross Value Added in 2010, and 7.3% in 2014.

  • Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he plans to reply to the letter of 15 March 2016 on wage insurance from the hon. Member for Birkenhead.

    Justin Tomlinson

    My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Stephen Crabb) has replied to the Rt. Hon. Member today.

  • Baroness Thomas of Winchester – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Baroness Thomas of Winchester – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Thomas of Winchester on 2016-07-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether local authorities will be able to bid for resources from the Department for Transport’s Access Fund for Sustainable Travel to support or develop Wheels 2 Work schemes within their areas.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The Department for Transport welcomes applications to the Access Fund from local transport authorities in England (except London) that support or develop Wheels 2 Work schemes in their area which increase cycling and improve access to work, skills, education or training.