Category: Speeches

  • Maria Caulfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Maria Caulfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Caulfield on 2016-06-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what progress is being made on developing the Pubs Code; and when he plans that that code will be made available.

    Anna Soubry

    The Pubs Code etc Regulations 2016 and the Pubs Code (Fees, Costs and Financial Penalties) Regulations 2016 were laid in draft before Parliament on 13 June 2016. The Regulations are available from the legislation.gov.uk website.

    The Regulations are now subject to Parliamentary scrutiny before they come in effect. This scrutiny begins with consideration by the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments and the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee followed by a debate in each House.

  • Alison Thewliss – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Alison Thewliss – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison Thewliss on 2016-09-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to (a) support the Yemen economy and (b) ensure that there is an adequate supply of food and oil imports.

    Rory Stewart

    We are deeply concerned about the economic crisis in Yemen and are working closely with the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, United Nations, Government of Yemen and other key countries to look at measures to stabilise the Yemeni economy.

    We are also providing £1.4 million to support the UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism (UNVIM) to facilitate the flow of commercial shipping, which is crucial to ensuring adequate supplies of food and fuel.

  • Owen Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Owen Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Owen Smith on 2015-11-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect of the under-occupancy penalty on people with disabilities.

    Justin Tomlinson

    People with disabilities are entitled to an extra bedroom for non-resident overnight carers and disabled children who are unable to share with another child.

    Since 2013, we have provided local authorities with £470 million in Discretionary Housing Payments funding. This has enabled local authorities to give additional support to claimants where appropriate. This includes £175 million specifically for those affected by the removal of the spare room subsidy, of which £75 million is for those living in significantly adapted properties.

    We will continue to provide additional support through Discretionary Housing Payments and have made a further £800 million in DHP funding available for the next 5 years of this Parliament.

  • Lord Storey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Storey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2015-12-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether governors of maintained schools are allowed to agree a budget deficit.

    Lord Nash

    Governors are responsible for agreeing the budget of a school under the arrangements set out in their Local Authority’s Scheme for Financing Schools, which may preclude any planning for deficits; or it may allow schools to plan for deficits only in certain approved circumstances.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-01-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will take steps to ensure that UK citizens can take up apprenticeships in other EU states.

    Nick Boles

    There are many differences between apprenticeships systems across EU Member States. In some countries, like England, apprenticeships are jobs, whilst in others they are training courses without employment status.

    Under the principle of free movement, UK citizens, like all nationals of an EU Member State, have a right to work in another, subject to all relevant employment laws.

    Where apprenticeships are training programmes, it is up to each member state to set the parameters for their specific programme, including offering opportunities for resident citizens of other countries.

  • Henry Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Henry Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Henry Smith on 2016-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his US counterpart on the lease extension of the military base on Diego Garcia.

    James Duddridge

    We have been clear that we want to see US presence continue. However, the Government has not yet held discussions with the US about continuing the agreement relating to Diego Garcia.

  • Lord McKenzie of Luton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Lord McKenzie of Luton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord McKenzie of Luton on 2016-03-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to improve health and safety risk management skills in the construction sector.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    Government’s role in Health and Safety is to set the framework in which companies have to operate. The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 sets out general duties that employers owe to their employees. This is supplemented by more tailored regulations embodying the requirement to assess risks and identify measures required to deal with them. These include the Construction Design and Management Regulations 2015, which integrate health and safety into the management of construction projects throughout the entire supply chain.

    In addition to the general framework for health and safety law, the Health and Safety Executive regulates health and safety in hazardous industries, including construction, through the use of permissioning regimes. These regimes include those set out in the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012.

    Safety requirements for the sector are established by construction employers and representative bodies. Many of the requirements are embedded in qualifications, training courses and basic health and safety tests required by the sector to obtain skills cards, such as the Construction Skills Certification Scheme. Courses such as the Site Supervisors’ Safety Training Scheme are endorsed by Build UK as the standard training for all supervisors working on member sites.

  • Douglas Carswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Douglas Carswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2016-04-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what legislative provisions there are to prevent the husband of a child bride bringing that bride into the UK.

    James Brokenshire

    Under the family Immigration Rules both an applicant for a spouse visa and their sponsor must be aged 18 or over.

  • Nicholas Soames – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Nicholas Soames – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport about moving the Knightsbridge Barracks to an alternative location in the Royal Parks.

    Mark Lancaster

    The Secretary of State for Defence holds regular reviews of the Ministry of Defence estate, including the wider London Estate, in the context of the emerging Estate Optimisation work.

    There have been no recent discussions between the Secretary of State for Defence and the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport about moving Hyde Park Barracks (located in Knightsbridge) to an alternative location in the Royal Parks.

  • Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2016-06-20.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Answer of 1 March 2016 to Question 25631, whether HM Revenue and Customs has completed its investigations into the six social care companies; and what recent assessment he has made of the extent of National Minimum Wage compliance in the social care sector.

    Mr David Gauke

    The government is committed to increasing compliance with minimum wage legislation and effective enforcement of it. Everyone who is entitled to the National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage should receive it. Employers who pay workers less than the minimum or living wage not only have to pay back arrears of wages at current rates but also face financial penalties of up to £20,000 per underpaid worker.

    HMRC has not completed all the investigations into the six social care companies. HMRC continues to be aware of the risks of underpayment of NMW in the social care sector and is prioritising complaints from workers; working with other agencies and departments to raise awareness of the rules; and undertaking targeted enforcement to ensure that workers are paid what they are legally owed.