Category: Speeches

  • Ben Howlett – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Ben Howlett – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ben Howlett on 2015-11-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to help increase the number of disabled people who own their own home.

    Brandon Lewis

    The Government is committed to extending home ownership opportunities for everyone. Disabled people with aspirations to own their own home can benefit from a number of policies offered by this Government, like Help to Buy and Right to Buy. However, we do recognise that for some people with long-term disabilities, our mainstream home ownership programmes may not be suitable. The Home Ownership for those with Long-term Disabilities (HOLD) scheme is specifically designed to help people living with such disabilities to buy a property on the open market on shared ownership terms with a registered housing provider.

    The Government is also providing affordable housing for disabled and older people through the Care and Support Specialised Housing Fund, phase 1 of which will deliver around 4,000 new homes by 2018. Between 2011-15 the Affordable Homes Programme has also delivered almost 14,000 specialised and mainstream affordable homes for older and disabled people.

    In the Spending Review we have committed to £400 million of funding to deliver 8,000 specialist homes for the vulnerable elderly or those with disabilities. A commitment to funding from the Department of Health could deliver up to a further 7,500 homes over the Spending Review period.

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-01-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many complaints about practical driving tests heard by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (a) were made by (i) men and (ii) women and (b) were found (i) in favour of and (ii) against the complainant; and how many such complaints were subsequently taken to the Independent Complaints Assessor in each year since 2009-10.

    Andrew Jones

    The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) does not record information about the sex of any complainant. Nor does it retain information about complaints made before 2011-12 about practical driving tests or cases referred to the ICA. Information it does hold is as follows:

    2011-12 1,080 complaints received – 42 upheld, 938 not upheld, 100 no outcome recorded

    2012-13 1,108 complaints received – 40 upheld, 1002 not upheld, 66 no outcome recorded

    2013-14 1,260 complaints received – 37 upheld, 1013 not upheld, 210 no outcome recorded

    2014-15 1,401 complaints received – 27 upheld, 1158 not upheld, 216 no outcome recorded

    2015- 16 1,351 complaints received – 37 upheld, 1174 not upheld, 140 no outcome recorded

    Complaints referred to the ICA

    2011-12 – 3 cases

    2012-13 – 9 cases

    2013-14 – 10 cases

    2015-16 – 4 cases

  • Dan Jarvis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Dan Jarvis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-01-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress her Department has made on the implementation of the new GCSE grading system.

    Nick Gibb

    This is a matter for Ofqual, the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation. I have therefore asked its Chief Regulator, Glenys Stacey, to write directly to the Honourable Member. A copy of her reply will be placed in the House of Commons Library.

  • Martyn Day – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Martyn Day – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Martyn Day on 2016-02-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will increase aid to Jordan in order to help that country cope with the inflow of Syrian refugees.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    At the Supporting Syria and the Region Conference, the Prime Minister announced that the UK will more than double our total pledge to the Syria crisis from £1.12 billion to over £2.3 billion. This funding will support those in need inside Syria and in the surrounding region which is dealing with the impact of the crisis, including Jordan. Final country allocations are still being decided but it is clear that aid from the UK in Jordan will rise compared to previous years.

  • Dan Jarvis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Dan Jarvis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-03-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much funding his Department received from the European Social Fund (a) between 2007 and 2014 and (b) from 2014 to the last month for which data is available.

    Andrew Selous

    Money received from the European Social Fund (ESF) by the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) Co-financing Programme is published in the NOMS Annual Report and Accounts on gov.uk. The latest accounts can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/434548/NOMS_AR14_15_report_accounts_Final_WEB.pdf

    “

  • Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-04-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, which bodies he met for his Department’s investigation into tips, gratuities, covers and service charges; and on how many occasions and when such meetings with such bodies took place.

    Nick Boles

    My Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills launched the Call for Evidence into tips, gratuities, cover and service charges on 30 August 2016. This closed on 10 November 2016. The Government received a total of 183 responses from a range of sources during the investigation. In addition to this, officials of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills have met with the British Hospitality Association, UnitetheUnion and the Association of Licenced Multiple Retailers during the call for evidence period.

    Departments publish details of Ministers’ meetings with external organisations. BIS transparency data is published online at www.gov.uk/government/collections/bis-quarterly-publications-april-to-june-2012.

    “

  • Lord Touhig – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord Touhig – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Touhig on 2016-06-06.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the regular army annual recruitment target for each year from 2015–16 to 2020–21.

    Earl Howe

    The Army’s annual recruitment targets for regulars for each year from 2015 to 2021 are as follows:

    Type

    2015-16

    2016-17

    2017-18

    2018-19

    2019-20

    2020-21

    Officers

    738

    740

    733

    723

    720

    719

    Other Ranks

    9,561

    10,427

    10,370

    10,316

    10,241

    10,242

    Total

    10,299

    11,167

    11,103

    11,039

    10,961

    10,961

    *These figures do not include the Royal Gibraltar Regiment.

  • 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 2016-07-20.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many prosecutions there have been in the last five years for cruelty to animals arising from the death of a domestic animal being locked in a car or other motor vehicle.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    The Government does not keep records of numbers of animals that die as a result of being locked in cars. Records of prosecutions related to animals dying in vehicles would fall under the general offence of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal which do not provide details of individual cases.

  • Margaret Ritchie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Margaret Ritchie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2016-10-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps he plans to take to retain the network of electoral offices in Northern Ireland.

    Kris Hopkins

    A consultation paper on the future delivery of electoral services in Northern Ireland has now been published. The paper discusses a range of issues relating to the delivery of electoral services in Northern Ireland, including the provision of local services following the introduction of digital registration. I look forward to receiving the views of all those with an interest in this important issue.

    The consultation paper is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications.

    “

  • Nicholas Soames – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Nicholas Soames – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2015-10-30.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the earnings from UK overseas assets were in each of the last 30 years.

    Greg Hands

    Earnings from UK overseas assets are below.

    Year Earnings From Overseas Assets
    (£bn)
    1985 50.1
    1986 45.5
    1987 46.4
    1988 54.6
    1989 71.7
    1990 76.5
    1991 73.9
    1992 65.4
    1993 71.2
    1994 72.9
    1995 85.8
    1996 90.1
    1997 96.2
    1998 105.9
    1999 103.4
    2000 134.5
    2001 139.9
    2002 124.2
    2003 124.9
    2004 140.9
    2005 193.0
    2006 249.3
    2007 307.9
    2008 287.9
    2009 175.1
    2010 174.0
    2011 200.0
    2012 170.4
    2013 148.5
    2014 141.1

    Further information can be found in the ONS UK Balance of Payments.