Category: Speeches

  • Kerry McCarthy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Kerry McCarthy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2015-11-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to paragraph 2.153 of Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015, what legal flexibilities the Government plans to give to National Parks.

    Rory Stewart

    Responding to requests from the national park authorities, on 30 November the Government tabled an amendment to the Cities and Local Government Devolution Bill to give national park authorities a Function Specific General Power of Competence. The Government believe that this will further enable national park authorities to be a vital part of devolution deals and support growth across our rural economy. The government has committed in addition to protect the funding of the National Parks.

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-01-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to declare ISIS’s actions against Christians and Yazidis a genocide.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The British Government has received a number of recent representations on these issues from Parliament and members of the public and is responding in writing.

    We condemn in the strongest possible terms the atrocities committed by Daesh against all civilians, including Christians, Mandeans, Yazidis, and other minorities, as well as the majority Muslim population who continue to bear the brunt of Daesh’s brutality. The UK has led efforts within the UN to tackle and condemn Daesh and on the protection of civilians more widely. For example, we co-sponsored the UN Human Rights Council Resolution mandating the UN to investigate and report on Daesh abuses.

    It is a long-standing Government policy that any judgements on whether genocide has occurred are a matter for the international judicial system rather than governments or other non-judicial bodies.

    Ultimately, the only way to protect Christians, Yazidis and other minorities in the region from Daesh is by defeating this terrible organisation, which in turn requires, amongst other things, ending the conflict in Syria. The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), set out the UK’s comprehensive strategy for defeating Daesh and finding a political settlement to the Syria conflict in his response to the Foreign Affairs Committee on 26 November 2015.

    The joint Office of the United Nations Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide and the Special Adviser on the Responsibility to Protect (the Office) are engaged with these issues and publish much of their activity online, including statements in relation to the situation of Christians and other minorities in Syria and Iraq. Our officials maintain regular contact with officials from the Office to discuss issues related to the prevention of genocide and mass atrocities. The Government provides funding for the Office, including for their work with religious leaders and faith based organisations in the Middle East and North Africa region, aimed at the prevention of incitement to violence that could lead to atrocity crimes.

  • Stephen Hepburn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Hepburn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Hepburn on 2016-02-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average time taken was between a fatal accident occurring in construction and the start of a prosecution on the latest date for which data is available.

    Justin Tomlinson

    For fatalities in construction (Standard Industrial Classification, section F) reported to HSE between 2005/06 and 2014/15, the average time between the date of incident and the date prosecution action was approved is 751 days. This number does not include some more recent or complex incidents, which remain under investigation. The time between the incident and prosecution approved to date by yearly time bands is as follows:

    Time between incident and approval

    Number

    Percentage

    0 – 1 year

    43

    23

    1-2 years

    51

    27

    2-3 years

    56

    30

    3-4 years

    28

    15

    4-5 years

    9

    5

    5 years +

    2

    1

    189
  • Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-02-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, for what reason the report commissioned by his Department from Ecofys on international electricity prices has not yet been published; when the Government plans to publish that report; and whether that report found that electricity price increases for energy intensive industries as a result of climate policies will be larger in the UK than any other country.

    Anna Soubry

    The Department is currently reviewing the findings of the Ecofys international energy price comparisons report. We are considering publication options but the report found that the increase in electricity prices for energy intensive industries varies considerably by country depending on their climate change policy landscape.

  • Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will estimate how many and what proportion of all women with mental health issues in the UK have been internally or internationally trafficked.

    Mike Penning

    The Home Office do not hold data that allows us to establish how many women with mental health issues in the UK have been trafficked.

  • Baroness Byford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Baroness Byford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Byford on 2016-04-28.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government which plant protection products are banned for use in the UK but are currently being used in other member states of the EU.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    There is a two-step process before a plant protection product can be placed on the market and used. First, the active substance or active substances contained in the product must be approved EU-wide by the European Commission. Second, the product itself must be authorised by the Member State. Authorisations are determined on the basis of an assessment of the risks to people and to the environment. The approach to the assessment is harmonised across the EU, but the outcomes of applications for the same product may differ because of variations in national conditions.

    Companies will decide the Member States from which they wish to seek authorisation and authorisation holders may, at any time, instruct that authorisations are withdrawn.

    Product authorisations may therefore vary between Member States. At present, there is no central database of authorisations which records these differences.

  • Liz McInnes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Liz McInnes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liz McInnes on 2016-06-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department plans to take to collect data on the number of people with arthritis who qualify for personal independence payments on the basis of their need to use aids and appliances.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The department routinely collects management information on the descriptors awarded to each claimant when they have a PIP assessment.

    In the PIP assessment, individuals are assessed on their ability to complete a number of key every day activities (for example, relating to the ability to dress and undress). Within each activity there are a number of descriptors, each representing a varying level of ability to carry out the activity. A descriptor may indicate the need to use an aid or appliance.

    Data on the claimant’s primary disabling condition is recorded for those individuals who have a PIP assessment. Claimants may often have multiple disabling conditions upon which their decision is based, but only the primary condition is recorded.

  • Deidre Brock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    Deidre Brock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Deidre Brock on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, which treaties the UK is a signatory to as a member of the EU which will require renegotiation as a result of the UK leaving the EU.

    Mr Robin Walker

    We are examining all treaties which relate to our membership of the EU with a view to delivering the best outcomes for the UK.

  • George Kerevan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    George Kerevan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by George Kerevan on 2016-10-19.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department plans to investigate reports of misconduct by Royal Bank of Scotland relating to small business finance.

    Simon Kirby

    HM Treasury has no plans to investigate these reports. This is a matter for the Financial Conduct Authority, which is undertaking a review.

  • Seema Malhotra – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Seema Malhotra – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Seema Malhotra on 2015-11-05.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 5 of his Department’s document Fixing the foundations: creating a more prosperous nation, Cm9098, published in July 2015, what analysis his Department has made of the effects of changes to vehicle excise duty and the creation of a roads fund on UK productivity.

    Damian Hinds

    The reform of VED announced at the Summer Budget delivers long-term revenue sustainability whilst simplifying the current system. This reform enabled the government to set up a Roads Fund, which from 2020-21 will provide the necessary funding for a high performing road network that is as efficient as possible. This is vital for efficient running of business and enabling connections to bigger markets and labour pools.