Category: Speeches

  • Lord Lester of Herne Hill – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Lester of Herne Hill – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lester of Herne Hill on 2016-05-25.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have evaluated the possible risks to national security and social cohesion of the spread of the Wahhabi ideology.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    HM Governement’s Counter Extremism Strategy and Counter – Terrorism strategy, CONTEST, set out approach to tackling the full range of factors that allow extremist and terrorist groups to grow and flourish. These include directly challenging ideologies, including those which have a theological basis.

  • Tim Loughton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Tim Loughton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2016-07-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to release local authority children’s services departments from their safeguarding children responsibilities.

    Edward Timpson

    There are no plans to release local authority children’s services departments from their safeguarding responsibilities. The Children and Social Work Bill proposes a power for local authorities to test different ways of working. This power is not about questioning the fundamentals of what local authorities need to do in relation to children’s safeguarding, but about exploring how things could be done better. We are seeking to create a controlled, time-limited space to test new ways of working before seeking to make any wider changes to the legislative framework. Accountability for safeguarding will remain the same even if exemptions are being tested.

  • Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate she has made of the amount of its own capital that BT has invested in the rural broadband rollout programme to date.

    Matt Hancock

    BDUK does not hold data on BT’s total capital investment to date in the Superfast Broadband Programme. As each project completes, BT is required to confirm that either its contracted capital commitment is fully drawn down, or that any unused capital contribution is committed to an investment fund which is managed by the Local Body to support further delivery. BT’s total capital commitment for Phase 1 of the programme is £348 million.

  • Diana Johnson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Diana Johnson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2015-11-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many investigations have been commenced by the National Crime Agency into human trafficking, in each of the last three years.

    Karen Bradley

    The National Crime Agency was established on 7 October 2013 and, at that time there were eight human trafficking investigations under way.

    Between 7 October 2013 and 6 October 2014 the NCA commenced a further eight NCA human trafficking investigations.

    Between 7 October 2014 and 7 Oct 2015 the NCA commenced a further 11 human trafficking investigation. In addition, over the same period, the NCA has provided specialist support to over 60 investigations led by other law enforcement agencies involving human trafficking.

  • Stephen Doughty – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Stephen Doughty – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2015-12-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with (a) ECOWAS and (b) the African Union on ensuring free and fair elections in the Gambia in 2016.

    James Duddridge

    The UK has not yet had discussions with either ECOWAS or the African Union about the December 2016 Presidential elections in The Gambia. The 2011 Presidential elections in The Gambia were overseen by both EU funded election observers and the African Union, and recognised by the international community as reflecting the will of the people. We will work with our EU and regional partners to encourage the Gambian authorities to ensure the next Presidential election also meets accepted standards.

  • Margaret Ferrier – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    Margaret Ferrier – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ferrier on 2016-01-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how much his Department has spent on (a) taxis, (b) first class train tickets and (c) business class air travel in each year since 2010-11.

    David Mundell

    The Scotland Office spend on air, rail and taxi travel since 2010-11 is shown below:

    2010-11

    2011-12

    2012-13

    2013-14

    2014-15

    Air

    £73,376

    £141,601

    £171,483

    £131,538

    £158,897

    Rail

    £32,314

    £30,492

    £47,694

    £57,487

    £55,718

    Taxi

    £14,946

    £19,967

    £20,967

    £23,845

    £27,165

    The Scotland Office does not separately record information and expenditure on first or business class travel. It is Scotland Office policy not to use first or business class travel for officials. All ministerial travel is undertaken by the most efficient and cost effective way, in accordance with the Ministerial Code, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.

  • Craig Tracey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Craig Tracey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Tracey on 2016-02-24.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to widen access to financial advice.

    Harriett Baldwin

    The Government has launched the Financial Advice Market Review (FAMR). This will explore what more can be done to ensure people can access high quality, affordable advice to help them make informed financial decisions. The Review will establish what sorts of financial advice consumers need and examine ways to make financial advice work better for consumers. It will report back around the time of Budget.

  • Fiona Bruce – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Fiona Bruce – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona Bruce on 2016-03-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to ensure that all applications to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) for a licence to carry out research using human admixed embryos are published on the HFEA website with a description of the research proposed.

    Jane Ellison

    It is for the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) to decide what information it places on its website. The HFEA has advised that it is reviewing its publication policy in readiness for the launch of its new website in summer 2016.

  • Andrew Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Andrew Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2016-04-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what representations the Government has made to the Israeli government on the confiscation near Qalqillhya on 7 May 2015 of 3,000 metres of water pipes funded by her Department as part of a project with the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation and the Palestinian Ministry of Ariculture.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    The confiscated pipes have all been returned.

  • Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb on 2016-05-25.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of their stated intention to require both ministerial and judicial authorisation for warrants under the Investigatory Powers Bill, why they consider it necessary to include a provision limiting judicial scrutiny to judicial review principles.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The Investigatory Powers Bill creates a “double lock” for the use of the most intrusive in-vestigatory powers such that a decision to issue a warrant must be approved by a Judicial Commissioner.

    As the Secretary of State for the Home Department set out last November, this system balances Parliamentary accountability with independent consideration by a judicial authority. The application of judicial review principles is a robust, yet flexible, approach that the judiciary have significant experience in applying as the framework for independent scrutiny of Executive decision making. The ‘double-lock’, including the use of judicial review principles, was considered in detail by the Joint Committee that scrutinised the draft Bill. The Committee concluded that they were satisfied with the use of judicial review principles and that they would afford the Judicial Commissioners considerable flexibility in reviewing decisions to authorise the use of investigatory powers.

    In response to concerns expressed during Commons Committee Stage, the Government tabled an amendment to the test at report. That amendment makes it clear that when carrying out their review of the decision to issue the warrant, the Judicial Commissioner must do so with a sufficient degree of care so as to ensure that the Commissioner complies with their duties under clause 5 (General duties in relation to privacy). There was strong support from across the House for this amendment.