Category: Speeches

  • Lord Storey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Lord Storey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2015-11-25.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the age profile of the total number of apprentices in 2013–14 and 2014–15.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    In the 2013/14 academic year there were 851,500 government funded apprentices. Of these, 185,800 were aged under 19, 308,900 were aged 19-24 and 356,900 were aged over 25.

    Over the 2014/15 academic year there were 871,800 government funded apprentices. Of these, 194,100 were aged under 19, 315,000 were aged 19-24 and 362,600 were aged over 25.

    Information on Apprenticeship participation by age in 2013/14 and 2014/15 is published as part of a Statistical First Release:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/learner-participation-outcomes-and-level-of-highest-qualification-held

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  • Lord Bruce of Bennachie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Lord Bruce of Bennachie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bruce of Bennachie on 2016-01-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will consider re-opening a bilateral development programme in Burundi, in the light of recent violence in that country.

    Baroness Verma

    The UK Government is extremely concerned by the ongoing political unrest in Burundi, and its humanitarian consequences, including the flow of Burundian refugees to neighbouring countries.

    DFID offices across the region, including in Tanzania, DRC, Rwanda and Uganda, are working closely to monitor the situation, review preparedness activities and provide humanitarian support. £18.15 million has been committed by DFID for refugee response in the region through UN agencies, such as UNHCR, UNICEF and WFP, and international NGOs. This funding includes £14.25 million to support refugees in Tanzania, and £3.9 million to support refugees in Rwanda. We are staying in close contact with the UN system about future funding needs. Additionally, DFID is working closely with the FCO to coordinate HMG’s response, and international partners such as the EU on Article 96 discussions, to ensure that humanitarian assistance continues to reach those in need.

    DFID is monitoring the situation closely and may consider additional funding. DFID has deployed a Humanitarian Advisor to the region in support of the response and to monitor funding provided so far.

    DFID is currently undertaking a Bilateral Aid Review, but there are no plans to reopen the DFID office in Burundi.

  • John Pugh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    John Pugh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Pugh on 2016-02-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Members of the House of Lords are sponsors of academies in England.

    Edward Timpson

    A list of approved academy sponsors is published by the Department for Education on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/academy-sponsor-contact-list. A hard copy provided at attachment 1.

    The Department does not specifically collect information about the involvement of members of the House of Lords in academy sponsorship.

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  • Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-02-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many long-term unemployed people have been helped back into work through the Help to Work scheme in each of the last five years.

    Priti Patel

    The information as requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

    Published information available on Help to Work shows the number of programme referrals and Community Work Placement starts and can be found at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/help-to-work-quarterly-statistics

    This covers the period from April 2014 (when the programme started) to September 2015 inclusive.

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  • Margaret Hodge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    Margaret Hodge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Hodge on 2016-10-19.

    To ask the Attorney General, on what date the Serious Fraud Office first received information on allegations of bribery and corruption at Rolls Royce.

    Robert Buckland

    The Serious Fraud Office first received information concerning allegations of bribery and corruption at Rolls Royce in November 2011.

  • William Wragg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    William Wragg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by William Wragg on 2016-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent discussions he has had with the Home Secretary on steps to remove foreign national offenders from UK prisons to their home countries.

    Andrew Selous

    The Secretary of State for Justice and the Home Secretary have regular bilateral meetings where they discuss progress on removal of FNOs. As announced in the Prime Minister’s speech on 8 February, MoJ officials have also been working closely with the Home Office to introduce a legal requirement for defendants appearing in court to provide their name, date of birth and nationality. This will enable earlier identification of foreign national offenders and help with the removals process.

  • Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-04-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 25 April 2016 to Question 34699, when her Department expects to (a) receive advice from the UK Export Committee on Pesticides about the two applications for emergency authorisation for the use of neonicotinoids and (b) make a decision on whether to grant such authorisation.

    George Eustice

    The UK Expert Committee on Pesticides (ECP) considered these applications at its meeting on 4 May. I expect to receive its advice shortly.

    The decision on whether or not to grant the authorisations will be made once the ECP and other experts have concluded their examination of the applications and the Government has received and considered their findings.

  • Julian Sturdy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Julian Sturdy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Sturdy on 2016-06-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for what reason the Government is proposing to raise the small claims limit to £5000 rather than to £3000.

    Dominic Raab

    The Government is determined to crack down on the compensation culture and has announced reforms, including raising the small claims limit, to tackle the problem. These reforms will build on previous measures taken by the MoJ to control costs, tackle fraud, strengthen the medical evidence process and reduce incentives to pursue trivial whiplash claims. £5,000 is considered to be the appropriate level for the small claims limit and the rationale for this will be set out in the consultation document which will be published in due course.

  • Alistair Carmichael – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Alistair Carmichael – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alistair Carmichael on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to make an assessment of the potential merits of extending visa-free access to the UK to Nepalese citizens.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The UK keeps its visa system under regular review. There are currently no plans to change the visa requirements for Nepalese citizens.

  • Laurence Robertson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Laurence Robertson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Laurence Robertson on 2015-10-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to paragraph 2.21 of the Summer Budget 2015, what arrangements he has put in place to enable the funding provided for defibrillators to be disbursed.

    Jane Ellison

    Following our 2015 Budget commitment on defibrillators, we have awarded the British Heart Foundation (BHF) £1 million to make public access defibrillators and coronary pulmonary resuscitation training more widely available in communities across England.

    More information can be found on the BHF’s website:

    https://www.bhf.org.uk/heart-health/nation-of-lifesavers/about-defibrillators/apply-for-a-defibrillator-in-england

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