Category: Speeches

  • Baroness Quin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Baroness Quin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Quin on 2016-02-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the start-up and annual costs of administering the new health and dental charges for New Zealand citizens coming into force on 6 April.

    Lord Bates

    An Impact Assessment was published on 4 February 2016, alongside the draft Immigration (Health Charge) (Amendment) Order 2016. The draft Order will, subject to Parliamentary approval, remove the surcharge exemption for nationals of Australia and New Zealand and reduce the Youth Mobility Scheme charge from £200 to £150.

    The Impact Assessment, which can be viewed at the link below, sets out the reason for these changes and estimates associated costs and benefits: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2016/9780111143278/impacts

    These documents are available in the following locations of the House: The Vote Office (Commons) Printed Paper Office (Lords)

  • Lord Storey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Storey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2016-03-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to increase the budget of the Heritage Schools programme.

    Lord Nash

    The funding for Historic England’s Heritage Schools programme in 2016-17 has not yet been confirmed. A decision will be made once the Department’s business planning process has concluded.

  • Baroness Barker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Baroness Barker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Barker on 2016-04-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what meetings or other communications took place between Cabinet Office ministers and Mr Chris Snowdon of the Institute of Economic Affairs relating to government funding of voluntary organisations in the twelve months prior to the announcement on 6 February of the new clause in grant agreements restricting the use of government grants for lobbying purposes.

    Lord Bridges of Headley

    The Institute of Economic Affairs’ written research into the misuse of government grants was acknowledged at the time that the clause was first introduced by the Department of Communities and Local Government before the last general election, and also by the Cabinet Office when it published its guidance on the new clause.

    Details of Cabinet Office Ministers’ meetings, and those of the Cabinet Office Permanent Secretaries, are centrally collated and routinely published in transparency returns available on the Gov.uk website.

    Information relating to the meetings and communications of Cabinet Office civil servants, including special advisers, is not routinely collated and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

  • Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-05-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the World Health Organization about making Misoprostol available in conflict settings.

    Baroness Verma

    DFID has regular contact with the Inter-Agency Working Group on Reproductive Health in Crisis Situations (IAWG), of which WHO is a member.

    The IAWG establishes technical standards for the delivery of reproductive health services in crisis contexts. Misoprostol is included in the drugs list for the IAWG’s Reproductive Health Kits for Crisis Situations, used to deliver the Minimal Initial Service Package for Reproductive Health in Crisis Situations (MISP), a series of crucial actions to respond to reproductive health needs at the onset of every humanitarian crisis. The UK advocates for full implementation of the MISP at the onset of emergencies.

    DFID has supported the Reproductive Maternal Newborn and Child Health Trust Fund that focuses on increasing the availability of misoprostol, as one of 13 life-saving commodities, in all countries as a follow up to the UN Commission on Life Saving Commodities.

  • Paul Maynard – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Paul Maynard – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Maynard on 2016-06-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the feasibility of the Local Government Association’s recommendation within the report entitled Ambition for Public Libraries in England 2016-2021, published on 23 March 2016, that library services should be included as part of the devolution deals for local authorities.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    In its response to the consultation on the Leadership for Libraries Taskforce’s Ambition document, the Local Government Association supported the principle of library authorities working in partnership, collaborating and harnessing their potential for acting together when they want to do this. It is the responsibility for the relevant local authorities to explore and discuss the feasibility of including libraries as part of their devolution deals. DCMS will continue to work with the Libraries Taskforce to consider how we can support library authorities to engage with devolution discussions and share lessons learned with other local authorities.

  • Sammy Wilson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Sammy Wilson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sammy Wilson on 2016-09-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has made to bring forward legislative proposals to implement the ruling of the European Court of Justice of September 2014, Damijan Vnuk v Zavarovalnica Triglav C-162/13, on insurance for motorised vehicles used off-road and on private property.

    Andrew Jones

    We oppose any measure that imposes unreasonable costs on British motorists, home owners and businesses. We are pleased to have achieved positive progress; the Commission has agreed in principle that the Motor Insurance Directive should be amended. They set out their high level proposals in an Inception Impact Assessment in June.

    The Secretary of State will consult in due course on whether or not to make changes to how the Motor Insurance Directive is implemented in domestic law.

  • Caroline Ansell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Caroline Ansell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Ansell on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the effect on Eastbourne’s local economy of potential reductions in connectivity of future rail projects along the South Coast; and if he will make a statement.

    Claire Perry

    No plans for reducing rail services to/ from Eastbourne are being considered by the Government or rail industry.

    In developing its successive rail investment strategies and specifying rail franchises, the Government carefully considers the impacts on local economies.

  • Lord Patten – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Patten – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2015-12-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the freedom of Christian worship by British citizens visiting the Maldives.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The Maldives is an Islamic country. Under its laws public observance of any religion other than Islam is prohibited. We state this in our Travel Advice and advise UK tourists to respect local traditions, customs, laws and religions at all times.

  • David Anderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    David Anderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Prime Minister, whether he plans to issue a new Memorandum of Understanding under section 2(2) of the Justice and Security Act on the remit of the Intelligence and Security Committee in the current Parliament.

    Mr David Cameron

    I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Hornsey and Wood Green (Ms West) on 21 January 2016, UIN 22720.

    By long-standing convention under successive Governments the Law Officers’ advice is not published. The legal basis for the airstrike against Reyaad Khan is set out in the Government’s Memorandum to the Joint Committee on Human Rights.

    The Government’s legal position in relation to UK airstrikes against Daesh in Syria is reflected in my response to the Foreign Affairs Committee Report on the extension of offensive British military operations to Syria.

    The current Memorandum of Understanding together with the Justice and Security Act 2013 provides the necessary scope for the ISC to conduct robust oversight of those matters that are within its statutory remit.

    “

  • Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-02-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether means have yet been found, through UN agencies or otherwise, for purchasing the large supplies of grain recently available in the Jazira Canton of Syria.

    Baroness Verma

    At the "Supporting Syria and the Region London 2016" Conference on 4 February more than US$11 billion was pledged to support people in Syria and the region affected by the conflict. This is the largest amount raised in one day for a humanitarian crisis. Commitments made at the Conference will help create 1.1 million jobs and provide education to an additional 1 million children. The UK remains at the forefront of the response to the crisis in Syria and the region. We have doubled our commitment and have now pledged a total more than £2.3 billion, our largest ever response to a single humanitarian crisis.

    The UN reports that the potential to purchase grain from the Jazira Canton of Syria is unchanged compared with their analysis of June 2015. The Jazira Canton, covering the wheat producing areas of Al Hassakeh and Ar Raqqa, remains under the control of the Syrian regime, the Kurdish authorities and Daesh. Humanitarian access to these areas is therefore, restricted by continued violence, insecurity and wilful obstruction. Control of access routes in the Jazira Canton by armed groups means that the UN are unable to access wheat producing areas, assess the quality of the wheat produced, or transport it to other regions. In addition, the milling capacity within Al Hassakeh governorate is insufficient to meet the operational needs of the UN. According to the UN, bread availability in Al Hasakeh and Ar Raqqa is currently adequate, thus reducing the need for the UN to buy wheat grain for local distribution.

    The UK is the second largest bilateral donor to the UN World Food Programme , committing £227 million to provide food support in Syria and the region since the start of the crisis. By the end of June 2015, UK support inside Syria had provided over 15.1 million food rations, each of which feeds one person for one month; access to clean water for over 1.6 million people; and more than 4 million relief packages.