Category: Speeches

  • Richard Fuller – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Richard Fuller – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Fuller on 2016-01-20.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans the Government has to review the amount of compensation for losses paid to Equitable Life policy holders over the course of the current Parliament.

    Harriett Baldwin

    There are no plans to review the payments made by the Equitable Life Payment Scheme. The Scheme closed to new claims on 31st December 2015. However, the annual payments to With-Profits Annuitants will continue unaffected for the duration of their annuity.

  • Keith Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Keith Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government has taken to relieve food insecurity in (a) Taiz and (b) elsewhere in Yemen.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    The UK has more than doubled its humanitarian commitment to Yemen over the last year to £85 million for 2015/16. This includes funding to the World Food Programme (WFP) and International Non-Governmental Organisations who provide emergency food to over 570,000 people, either through direct delivery of food or providing cash or vouchers to enable people to buy food. These distributions are prioritised to the areas of greatest need including the hardest to reach districts of Taiz. Just last week, UK funding helped WFP to deliver a month’s supply of food to 21,000 people in Taiz. UK funding to UNICEF is also treating over 150,000 children for severe acute malnutrition and we are funding the UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism (UNVIM) to improve the supply of essential commercial goods, including food, into Yemen.

  • Julian Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Julian Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Knight on 2016-03-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what comparative assessment he has made of the safety of railways in the UK and other European countries.

    Claire Perry

    The United Kingdom currently has the safest record of any major railway network in Europe. All European Union Member States collect statistics about their safety performance including, for example, accidents and consequences, accident precursors and technical information. This material is collated by the European Railway Agency in its Annual Safety Performance Reports which are published at www.era.europa.eu/Core-Activities/Safety/Safety-Performance/Pages/Safety-Performance-Report.aspx.

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  • Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of its recent increases in financial support for non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Egypt on the ability of those NGOs to operate effectively.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    Our assessment is that programme effectiveness has not been compromised to date, despite growing restrictions on civil society. However, we continually review our programming to ensure it has maximum impact and represents value for money for the taxpayer.

  • 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 2016-05-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the total number of agency supplied staff supplied to secondary schools in each of the last five years.

    Nick Gibb

    Supply teachers provide a valuable role for schools, and schools themselves are best placed to make staffing decisions to reflect their individual needs. It is up to head teachers and governors to decide who is required for the job and this includes how best to cover absences.

    The Department for Education collects details of all teachers working in state funded schools through the annual School Workforce Census. However, this census does not separately identify agency teachers from those employed by schools.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-07-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to increase the number of Syrian children in Lebanon in education.

    Rory Stewart

    At the Supporting Syria and the Region Conference, the UK committed to double education funding for Lebanon, to up to £40 million per year. This supports the Conference goal of getting all refugee children from Syria and vulnerable children in host communities into quality education by the end of the 2016/17 school year. DFID is aligning its funding behind the Government of Lebanon’s national education plans to expand access to educational opportunity; both through formal education, and through quality and regulated non-formal education for the most vulnerable out of school children.

  • Yasmin Qureshi – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Yasmin Qureshi – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Yasmin Qureshi on 2016-09-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to written statement WS154 of 15 September 2016, how he plans that the localised pots will meet demand on supported housing.

    Caroline Nokes

    The Secretary of State confirmed in his Written Statement to Parliament on 15th September that the Government will shortly be publishing a consultation document on supported housing.

    The Government values the important role that supported accommodation plays in helping vulnerable people to live as independently as possible. This announcement demonstrates the commitment of this Government to safeguarding vulnerable groups, and encouraging further development to meet future demand.

  • Andy McDonald – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Andy McDonald – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy McDonald on 2015-11-17.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will estimate the annual change in tax revenue from extending the national living wage to those aged between 18 and 25.

    Mr David Gauke

    Younger workers tend to have less experience than older workers in the labour market, and so there is a risk that too high a wage rate may make them relatively less attractive to employers. So, to minimise any negative impact on employment of younger workers, the National Living Wage is limited to those 25 and over. The Government has not therefore made an estimate of what the fiscal impact of this policy change would be.

    The Office for Budgetary Responsibility estimate that, by 2020-21, the National Living Wage will increase income tax and NICs receipts by around £0.1bn, as set out in Table B.3 in of their July 2015 Economic and Fiscal Outlook. They assume that, by 2020-21, the overall impact of the policy on the public finances is to reduce public sector net borrowing by £0.2bn.

  • Nigel Dodds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Nigel Dodds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2015-12-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many officials in her Department have been seconded from outside Northern Ireland in each year since 2010.

    Mrs Theresa Villiers

    Since 2010, my Department has had two seconded staff from outside Northern Ireland, one from 2010-2011 and one from 2013-2015. Additionally, the Northern Ireland Office also has 13 staff on loan from other Government departments.

  • David Winnick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    David Winnick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will arrange for the hon. Member for Walsall North to receive a reply to his letter of 9 December 2015 on behalf of a social housing provider in his constituency.

    Brandon Lewis

    A reply was sent on 21 January.