Category: Speeches

  • Damian Collins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Damian Collins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Damian Collins on 2016-01-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish advice received by his Department from Highways England on the sites considered for providing off-road lorry parking to address Operation Stack on the M20 in Kent; and what the reasons were for rejecting sites not included in the current consultation.

    Andrew Jones

    Taking account of past studies and the work of the European Gateway Group, Highways England and local partners drew up a number of criteria for a proposed lorry park. Based on these criteria, a range of sites were considered, and two viable sites were identified.

    The current public consultation describes these two potential sites and invites suggestions as to other sites that may be suitable. Following the consultation, Highways England will assess all sites suggested and report on their suitability for an off road lorry area.

  • Tania Mathias – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Tania Mathias – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tania Mathias on 2016-02-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with his European counterparts about EU proposals to block public access to Mandatory Occurrence Reports; and what assessment he has made of the potential effect of those proposals on public confidence in aircraft safety.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The reporting, analysis and follow-up of occurrences in civil aviation is governed by Regulation (EU) No 376/2014 which was adopted on 3 April 2014 and became applicable on 15 November 2015.

    The open reporting of safety occurrences is vital to help ensure that significant issues can be identified and addressed before they lead to an accident. To foster open reporting the Regulation aims to create a just culture in which occurrences can be reported without fear of any detriment. To support the just culture the Regulation requires that reports be given an appropriate level of confidentiality and that information derived from occurrence reports shall be used only for safety related purposes. However, the Regulation does permit information to be released on request to interested parties that have a genuine safety related need for the information.

    The Regulation also recognises the need to keep the public informed on aviation safety matters. It requires Member States to publish, at least annually, a safety review setting out the type of occurrences and safety-related information that has been reported, any trends that have been identified and any corrective action taken. In addition, the European Aviation Safety Agency is required to include information about the analysis of occurrence reports in its annual safety review.

  • Diane Abbott – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Diane Abbott – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diane Abbott on 2016-03-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his Department’s expenditure on the Bloodhound Supersonic Car project in South Africa on reducing poverty in that country.

    James Duddridge

    The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has incurred no expenditure on the development of the Bloodhound Supersonic Car.

  • Greg Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Greg Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Knight on 2016-03-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what representations he has received on British service personnel being served food which contains mould and maggots; and what monitoring his Department undertakes to ensure that all food served to such service personnel is of a satisfactory standard.

    Mark Lancaster

    The Department is aware of concerns that have been expressed in the media about the standard of food.

    The Department has in place a number of safeguards to ensure a good quality of food. These include; contract monitoring, site visits, reviews, customer engagement and assurance by Single Service catering subject matter experts to improve on the service provided.

    Any complaint over food can be raised through the chain of command or directly with the contractor by way of a complaints book.

  • Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-05-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether it is their policy that the other members of NATO have a responsibility to ensure that Turkey only uses proportionate force when dealing with insurgents and alleged terrorists; and whether they intend to call for discussions about that issue amongst NATO members.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    Turkey is a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) ally and valued security partner for the UK. All countries, including NATO Allies, have a responsibility to use proportionate force when dealing with insurgents and alleged terrorists. We have no plans to call for discussion about that issue amongst NATO members.

  • Baroness Cox – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Cox – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Cox on 2016-06-15.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what funding they have made available to the Free Yazidi Foundation and other organisations in Iraq and Syria to aid the collection of evidence of genocide and crimes against humanity.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We have a long-standing commitment to accountability for human rights violations and abuses and have supported efforts to document them in Syria and Iraq. The UK co-sponsored the UN Human Rights Council Resolution in September 2014 mandating the investigation of Daesh abuses in Iraq. We continue to support the UN Commission of Inquiry’s investigations into human rights violations and abuses in Syria.

    We have provided over £8 million to support the documentation of human rights abuses and violations in Syria and Iraq. We also supported the translation of the International Protocol for the Documentation and Investigation of Sexual Violence in Conflict into Arabic and Kurdish to further build the capacity of human rights, justice and healthcare professionals to respond to and document these terrible crimes.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-09-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of how much her Department will spend on children’s centres in each of the next five years; and if she will make a statement.

    Caroline Dinenage

    Local authorities have a duty under the Childcare Act 2006 to ensure sufficient children’s centres to meet the needs of local families. Local authorities must meet their statutory duties on children’s centres from funding that forms part of the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) Business Rates Retention Scheme. In addition, other government funding, including that for public health, adult skills training and troubled families may also be used locally to support services delivered wholly, or in part, through children’s centres.

    Since April 2010 local authorities have reported actual and planned expenditure on children’s centres (regardless of the funding source) through annual Section 251 returns. This information is published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/expenditure-on-education-children-and-young-peoples-services-academic-year-2011-to-2012 and: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/section-251-materials

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  • Hugo Swire – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Hugo Swire – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hugo Swire on 2016-10-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to pre-screen young refugees from the camp in Calais before they enter the UK.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The EU’s Dublin Regulation clearly sets out the criteria for transferring asylum claims between Member States. The Government wishes to reaffirm that migrants in Calais have not yet been determined as refugees, and furthermore, the Dublin Regulation is the EU’s mechanism for transferring asylum claims, rather than a resettlement route. Section 67 of the Immigration Act sets out that ‘unaccompanied refugee children’ will be relocated to the UK. In respect of Calais, the Government has been clear that unaccompanied children will be prioritised if they meet the Dublin criteria.

    We work closely with the French authorities and their partner agencies to ensure all those who come to the UK from the camps in Calais are eligible under the Dublin Regulation. All individuals are referred to the UK authorities by the NGO France Terre D’asile (FTDA) and are then interviewed by French and UK officials. Basic security checks are conducted on all individuals prior to arrival, with further verification carried out once in the UK.

    Where credible and clear documentary evidence of age is not available, criteria including physical appearance and demeanour are used as part of the interview process to assess age. Where we believe someone is significantly over 18, they will be refused. The Home Office does not use dental x-rays to confirm the ages of those seeking asylum as they have been described by the British Dental Association as inaccurate, inappropriate and unethical.

    Since June the Home Office has been working closely with local authorities and Strategic Migration Partnerships across the UK to ensure that we have the structures in place to support the transfer of unaccompanied asylum seeking and refugee children, both within the UK and from Europe.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-11-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his Department’s press release, Prison building revolution announced by Chancellor and Justice Secretary, published on 9 November 2015, what discussions he has had with prison and probation staff on the planned closure of prisons in central London.

    Andrew Selous

    On 9 November the Chancellor and Secretary of State announced their intention to build a prison estate which allows prisoners to be rehabilitated, thereby enabling them to turn away from a life of crime. This will involve building nine new prisons and closing old and inefficient prisons which do not support the aims of a redesigned estate. No decisions have yet been made on where new prisons will be built.

    We are currently considering which of our old and inefficient prisons will close. We will engage with stakeholders during the process of sale including valuation experts and potential developers in order to maximise the value achieved.

    Any relocation of prisoners will be done with careful planning. Where staff are affected they will be managed through the process of change using processes deployed during previous closures.

  • Margaret Ritchie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Margaret Ritchie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2015-12-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies of the recommendations of the report by the Dogs Trust entitled Puppy Smuggling: The Scandal Continues, published in July 2015.

    George Eustice

    The Dogs Trust’s report highlights that responsibility for stopping the illegal movement of puppies begins in the country where they are born. The UK Chief Veterinary Officer has written to the authorities in the countries highlighted in the report to remind them of their duty to ensure that the requirements of the EU pet travel scheme must be fully complied with. This approach has previously resulted in investigations in EU Member States and appropriate action being taken, including the suspension of veterinarians’ licenses. We will continue to alert the authorities in any Member State where we become aware of issues in relation to the operation of the pet travel scheme.

    The UK carries out more checks on pets at the border than most other EU Member States. In order to carry pets, transport companies must be approved by the Animal and Plant Health Agency to ensure that they have the necessary facilities and trained staff. It is a condition of approval that the transport company check 100% of those pets declared to them for compliance with the EU pet travel scheme. Stringent penalties are in place where people are found to be breaking the rules. Defra actively shares intelligence it gathers relating to abuse of the pet travel scheme with Local Authorities (who are enforcement bodies) and other EU countries for them to further investigate and take any necessary action.

    The illegal trade is ultimately driven by demand and so we have published guidance on the steps pet owners can take to avoid buying an illegally imported pet. See: https://www.gov.uk/buying-a-cat-or-dog. Defra has also worked closely with the Pet Advertising Advisory Group to drive up standards for online advertisements.

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