Category: Speeches

  • Stephen Gethins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Stephen Gethins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Gethins on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government plans to maintain the use of the Dublin System in the event of the UK leaving the EU.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The British people have voted to leave the European Union and the Prime Minister has been clear that their will must be respected and delivered.

    The question of how the UK deals with asylum applicants arriving in the UK from EU Member States and shares information with the EU and international partners will be a key consideration as part of the process of leaving the EU and establishing a new relationship.

  • Frank Field – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Frank Field – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2015-11-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many of the streams of data collected by his Department are (a) used by the Department, (b) read by how many people and (c) unused or unread.

    Justin Tomlinson

    I have interpreted the question to be asking for the number of datasets compiled by the department. This information is not currently available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

  • Sharon Hodgson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Sharon Hodgson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions his Department has had with (a) NHS England and (b) Health Education England on tackling workforce shortages within radiology and endoscopy to improve early diagnosis for cancer patients; and if he will make a statement.

    Jane Ellison

    NHS England is currently working with partners across the health system to determine how best to take forward the recommendations in the independent Cancer Taskforce’s report, Achieving world-class cancer outcomes: a strategy for England 2015 to 2020, and has appointed Cally Palmer CBE as NHS National Cancer Director to lead on managing implementation. She is currently setting up a new Cancer Transformation Board to lead the roll-out of the recommendations of the new strategy, including on workforce, and a Cancer Advisory Group, chaired by Dr Harpal Kumar, Chief Executive of Cancer Research UK, will oversee and scrutinise their work.

    We announced in September that Health Education England (HEE) is developing a new national training programme for an additional 200 staff to get the skills and expertise to carry out endoscopies by 2018. The content of the next mandate from the Government to HEE is currently being determined.

  • Hilary Benn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Hilary Benn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-01-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department plans to use the criteria for identifying human rights countries of concern first published in the 2012 annual human rights and democracy report in the next edition of that report.

    Mr Philip Hammond

    For the 2015 Annual Human Rights Report, the FCO is applying the following criteria in identifying human rights priority countries:
    • the human rights situation in the country
    • evidence of a trajectory of change
    • the extent of the FCO’s work on human rights in that country.

  • Lord Lester of Herne Hill – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Lester of Herne Hill – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lester of Herne Hill on 2016-02-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they plan to take, if any, in response to the Court of Appeal’s declaration, in relation to the case of David Miranda and the safeguarding of journalistic material, that Schedule 7 to the Terrorism Act 2000 is incompatible with Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

    Lord Bates

    The Court of Appeal’s judgment in the Miranda litigation dealt with Schedule 7 to the Terrorism Act 2000 as in force at the time of David Miranda’s examination, which took place in August 2013. In March 2015, the Home Office updated the Code of Practice for Schedule 7 Examining and Review Officers to direct that examining officers may not examine material they reasonably believe to be journalistic using Schedule 7. Given this amendment, the government considers that Schedule 7 as currently in force is compatible with Article 10 of the Convention.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-03-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 8 March 2016 to Question 29762, on universal credit, how long it took to complete the reset.

    Priti Patel

    The Universal Credit Programme Reset was carried out from February 2013 to May 2013. This provided sufficient levels of confidence to the Major Projects Authority on plans for delivery, affordability and value for money.

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-04-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what his policy is on the increase of fees for (a) statutory and (b) non-statutory functions of the Land Registry above (i) operating costs and (ii) inflation in the event that the Land Registry is privatised under the Government’s preferred model of privatisation with a contract between Government and a private operator.

    Anna Soubry

    Under a contract-based approach, fees would still be prescribed in fee orders made by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills and set before Parliament. Under a regulator-based approach, fees would be controlled by the regulator.

  • Sharon Hodgson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Sharon Hodgson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2016-05-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when the life chances strategy will be published.

    Priti Patel

    My Department’s forthcoming Life Chances Strategy will be published later this year.

  • Maria Eagle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Maria Eagle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2016-07-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what funding he is making available to (a) Warrington and Cheshire West and (b) Chester councils to enable residents to travel toll-free across the Mersey Gateway Bridge and Silver Jubilee Bridge when they open in 2017.

    Andrew Jones

    Following the previous Chancellor’s further statement in July 2015 that the Government is looking at extending Mersey Gateway bridge toll discounts to residents of Chester West & Chester and Warrington, officials are currently working through what the proposed further extension means for the scheme both by way of the cost to the Department but also and importantly what this would do to the commercial structure of the contracts already signed for the scheme. Once this is clear we will be able to provide more information.

  • Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent representations she has made to the Israeli authorities on the effect on the Palestinians in the West Bank of restricting water supplies.

    Rory Stewart

    The UK regularly raises the issue of water in the Occupied Palestinian Territories with the Israeli authorities, most recently on 8 September. We continue to stress the urgent need for Israel to take immediate and practical measures to improve the current situation and ensure fair distribution of water in the West Bank and Gaza.

    We encourage both parties to find a swift resolution to this issue and to reconvene the Joint Water Committee to facilitate approval of projects that will improve Palestinian access to water. We see continuity of supply to the West Bank as essential for both the basic needs of Palestinians and for stability and security more widely.