Category: Speeches

  • Keith Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Keith Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2016-09-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, which of the recommendations made by the APPG for Yemen in its report, Conflict in Yemen, the forgotten crisis, published in October 2015 have been adopted by her Department.

    Rory Stewart

    We share the APPG’s concern about the serious humanitarian crisis in Yemen, and welcome the recommendations for DFID in the report.

    The Secretary of State recently co-hosted an international event on Yemen at the UN General Assembly to shine a spotlight on the crisis. At the event, donors pledged over $100 million in additional funding to the Yemen crisis and UN agencies committed to improving the delivery of humanitarian aid on the ground.The Secretary of State announced an extra £37 million for Yemen at the event, bringing the UK’s total funding for Yemen to £109 million for 2016/2017.

    We have continued to lobby at all levels for rapid, safe and unhindered commercial and humanitarian access. Since May, we have provided £1.4 million to the UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism (UNVIM) to facilitate commercial shipping to Yemen, crucial to ensuring adequate supplies of food and fuel.

  • Stella Creasy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Stella Creasy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stella Creasy on 2015-11-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent estimate he has made of the number of employees who receive payment of service charges, tips, gratuities and cover charges through their employer; and in what industries such employees work.

    Nick Boles

    The Government has not made a recent estimate of the number of employees who receive payment of service charges, tips, gratuities and cover charges through their employer.

    The Government launched a call for evidence in this area which closed on 10th November. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills will analyse responses and make public the key findings in due course.

  • Mike Kane – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Mike Kane – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Kane on 2015-12-10.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of (a) the current proportion of air passenger duty revenues which are raised from Manchester Airport and (b) the potential effect on that proportion of air passenger duty in Scotland being reduced by 50 per cent.

    Damian Hinds

    Air Passenger Duty is payable by airlines and not on a per airport basis. Therefore HMRC does not collect the data to produce a reliable estimate.

    The government is currently undertaking a consultation into options to support regional airports from the impacts of air passenger duty devolution. We are carefully considering the evidence we have received from stakeholders and will respond in due course.

  • Rosie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Rosie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rosie Cooper on 2016-01-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the proposed timescales are for the completion of the business case work for the electrification of the Southport to Salford Crescent and Kirkby to Salford Crescent railway lines set out in the March 2015 report of the North of England Electrification Task Force.

    Andrew Jones

    The report of the independent North of England Electrification Task Force made recommendations on the prioritisation for a rolling programme of electrification of all currently unelectrified lines in the North, in three tiers. It recommended that full business case analysis of all Tier 1 schemes should be urgently progressed. Both Southport-Salford Crescent and Kirby-Salford Crescent were placed in Tier 1.

    The Task Force’s recommendations are being taken into account by Network Rail as it prepares an updated national electrification strategy based on a comprehensive sifting and appraisal process. The strategy will be subject to public consultation this year and will inform the Government’s Rail Investment Strategy for 2019-2024.

  • Gloria De Piero – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Gloria De Piero – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gloria De Piero on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans to reply to the letter to his Department from the hon. Member for Ashfield of 4 January 2016 on the GP surgery in Underwood.

    Alistair Burt

    I replied to the hon. Member on 28 January.

  • Paula Sherriff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Paula Sherriff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paula Sherriff on 2016-03-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the cost to the NHS was of treating children born with recurrent respiratory papillomatosis in each of the last three years.

    Jane Ellison

    The information is not held centrally.

  • Iain Stewart – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Iain Stewart – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Iain Stewart on 2016-04-12.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what amount of corporation tax was paid by soft drinks manufacturers in the latest financial year for which figures are available.

    Mr David Gauke

    Corporation Tax payable for accounting periods ending in the financial year 2013-14 for companies manufacturing soft drinks, and producing mineral water is estimated to be about £70 million. This estimate is based on those classified under the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) 2007 code 11070 (Manufacture of soft drinks; production of mineral waters and other bottled waters) plus those manufacturing soft drinks who are classified elsewhere. This is the latest year available.

  • Baroness Thomas of Winchester – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Baroness Thomas of Winchester – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Thomas of Winchester on 2016-05-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government why they have allocated £22 million to hire new presenting officers to support them at disability benefit tribunals.

    Baroness Altmann

    The government is increasing the number of Presenting Officers from 2017, to help the department present its case more effectively and gather valuable feedback from the Tribunal.

  • Valerie Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Valerie Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Valerie Vaz on 2016-07-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to alter the terms and conditions of student loans for existing borrowers.

    Joseph Johnson

    My department has no current plans to alter the terms and conditions of student loans for existing borrowers.

  • Grant Shapps – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Grant Shapps – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grant Shapps on 2016-09-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department plans to fund transport infrastructure projects that are completely or partly funded by EU programmes after the UK leaves the EU.

    Andrew Jones

    The Department for Transport has responsibility for UK involvement in the transport element of the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) and the Trans European Transport Network programme (TEN-T). These schemes have provided co-funding for a number of public and private sector transport infrastructure projects.

    On 13th August my Right Honourable Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer made an announcement[1], outlining the Government position on EU funding schemes, which included a commitment to provide continuity of funding for UK participants in EU programmes.

    In line with that announcement, my Department will work closely with HM Treasury and concerned stakeholders to review EU funding schemes in the round, to ensure that any ongoing funding commitments best serve the UK’s national interest, while ensuring appropriate investor certainty.

    [1] The following is a link to the announcement:
    https://www.gov.uk/government/news/chancellor-philip-hammond-guarantees-eu-funding-beyond-date-uk-leaves-the-eu