Category: Speeches

  • Lord Black of Brentwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Lord Black of Brentwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Black of Brentwood on 2016-09-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the proposal for all African lion populations to be transferred to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) Appendix I at the forthcoming CITES Convention in Johannesburg.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    The Government’s current assessment of the lion uplisting proposal against the biological and other listing criteria under CITES is that the entire lion population of Africa does not meet the criteria for inclusion in Appendix I. This is notably the case for Southern African lion populations, which have an increasing population trend. Assessment and discussions are ongoing in advance of the CITES Conference, which is to be held in Johannesburg from 24 September to 5 October 2016.

  • Danny Kinahan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Danny Kinahan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Danny Kinahan on 2015-11-17.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, for what reason a representative of Northern Ireland was not present at the COBR meeting on 15 November 2015.

    Mr Oliver Letwin

    As is the case with information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet and Cabinet Committees, detailed information about attendance at COBR meetings is not disclosed. As a general principle, where an emergency directly affects areas of competence of a Devolved Administration, then they will either be invited to attend or advised on significant developments.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-12-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many remotely piloted aircraft system pilots are employed in the RAF; and if he will make a statement.

    Penny Mordaunt

    There are currently 40 Remotely Piloted Aircraft System pilots in the Royal Air Force.

  • Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department’s statistical table BUS0840, on discretionary concessionary travel enhancements, which Travel Concessionary Authorities that reported that they funded enhancements in 2010-11 did not report funding those enhancements in 2015-16 in the category of (a) companions to disabled people, (b) young people, (c) extensions to travel times pre 0930, (d) extensions beyond 2300 during weekdays and (e) national rail services within geographic area.

    Andrew Jones

    The Department’s statistical table BUS0841 shows each Travel Concession Authority (TCA) and which discretionary enhancements they offer. The figures for 2015/16 are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/463748/bus0841.xls

    The equivalent data for 2010/11 can be found here:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/concessionary-travel-statistics-england-2011-12-and-2012-13

    “

  • Chris Stephens – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Chris Stephens – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Stephens on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assurances the Government Digital Service seeks from its contractors and suppliers that they are fully compliant with their UK tax obligations.

    Matthew Hancock

    All contractors and suppliers are required to confirm that they are compliant with UK tax obligations in order to compete for contracts with the Cabinet Office.

  • Rebecca Long Bailey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Rebecca Long Bailey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rebecca Long Bailey on 2016-03-03.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress his Department has made on its communications programme for the Alcohol Wholesaler Registration Scheme.

    Damian Hinds

    The application window for the Alcohol Wholesaler Registration Scheme (AWRS) closes on 31 March. HMRC is using appropriate channels to ensure customers who need to apply are aware of their obligations in good time to enable them to meet that deadline.

    Once the application window has closed, HMRC will assess the applications it has received. Appropriate action will then be taken to enforce the requirements of the new scheme.

    HMRC has been ramping up communications for AWRS over the last 12 months. It has issued several press notices and articles including regional and national media as well as specialist press and social media. HMRC is also working through key stakeholders and representative bodies associated with the alcohol business sectors to issue partnership marketing, giving a reach of 55,000 businesses. In February I wrote to individual businesses that may need to apply for AWRS to remind them of the deadline.

    The HMRC communications approach to this scheme is designed to ensure messages reach everyone who needs to receive them. If, however, analysis of applications after the deadline reveals a particular category of customers ‘missing’ to a significant degree from the applications received, and there is evidence that the programme of extensive communications failed to reach them, HMRC will explore whether there are any implications for the way in which follow up action is taken for that particular group.

  • Lord Hunt of Chesterton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Lord Hunt of Chesterton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Chesterton on 2016-04-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether UK government agencies were providing remote sensing data to detect, forecast and provide warning of the recent earthquakes in Afghanistan to the affected communities and government agencies.

    Baroness Verma

    The science is clear on this matter – earthquakes cannot be forecast with any degree of reliability. Remote sensing does exist, but can only operate in extremely technically sophisticated environments, and even then can only provide limited warning of a few seconds or minutes in which to respond. As such the UK Government does not provide remote sensing data to detect, forecast, and provide warning of earthquakes in Afghanistan.

    When it comes to other forms of natural disaster, DFID funds a resilience and disaster risk reduction programme in Afghanistan which provides £9.6m over four years (2015-18) to an NGO consortium called Afghanistan Resilience Consortium (ARC). Implementation is focused in the eight northern provinces of Afghanistan which are the most disaster prone.

  • Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-05-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) out-of-court restorative justice resolutions and (b) cautions were given to (i) people on suspended prison sentences and (ii) prisoners released on licence in the latest year for which information is held.

    Mike Penning

    The information requested, could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

  • Nigel Evans – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Nigel Evans – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Evans on 2016-06-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much his Department provided in bus subsidies to Lancashire in 2015.

    Andrew Jones

    Lancashire receives almost £1.9 million of the £40m of Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) my Department provides directly to English local authorities each year to help deliver bus services.

    This is in addition to the £6.8 million Lancashire received in 2014-15 for local bus services via the block grant from the Department for Communities and Local Government, which is provided to all local authorities in England.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-09-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what treatment options are available to adults with uveitis to access anti-TNF treatment therapy who do not meet the exceptionality criteria of the individual funding request process.

    David Mowat

    Due to a lack of clinical evidence anti-tumour necrosis factor (TNF) to treat uveitis in adults is not currently routinely commissioned by the National Health Service. Therefore patients can only access the treatment through the individual funding request process.