Category: Speeches

  • 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 2016-07-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the collapse of the Dolmabahçe Agreement, whether they will discuss with the government of Turkey the proposal by Open Democracy of 15 steps for Turkish–Kurdish peace.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We understand that the Government of Turkey did not commit itself to specific undertakings following the talks at the Dolmabahçe Palace in February 2015. We have been very clear that the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) violence must end in order to create the conditions for political resolution of the difficulties in the south east.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Carbon Plan will outline policies that ensure that the UK meets the emissions limit in the fifth carbon budget of a 57 per cent reduction in annual emissions on 1990 levels.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    We are engaging with a wide range of stakeholders and other government departments in order to meet the shared challenge of moving to a low carbon economy. The Emissions Reduction Plan will set out how we will meet our carbon budgets through the 2020s (the period covering the fourth and fifth carbon budgets).

  • Helen Jones – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Helen Jones – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2015-11-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many one-stop shops of medical experts for the assessment of children with disabilities are in place; and where those one-stop shops are located.

    Jane Ellison

    We are not aware of any one-stop shops for the clinical assessment of children with disabilities. Every local authority will have a published local offer of services for children and young people with disabilities, but these are information hubs, rather than clinical services.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 10 December 2015 to Question 18970, what measures are being taken to prevent Daesh from receiving donations from individuals or other actors.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The UK has led efforts to create and enforce an international sanctions regime to cut off financial support for Daesh, underpinned by UN Security Council Resolutions (such as 1267, 2170 and 2199). As members of the Global Coalition’s Counter ISIL Finance Group, we are actively involved in identifying companies and individuals that breach the sanctions regime. UK law enforcement agencies have a well established and sophisticated system for investigating and shutting off sources of finance for terrorists, including Daesh, working with the finance sector to stop funds going from individuals to Daesh through the banking system. We are also working to close down Daesh’s ability to trade outside the formal financial system, cutting their access to black market trading and alternative international flows of money. The UK Government has robust processes in place, working closely with the charity sector to ensure that illegal charities do not fund Daesh and that NGO’s do not inadvertently do so, and also cooperating with the private sector to stop terrorist-related money laundering.

  • Jo Stevens – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Jo Stevens – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jo Stevens on 2016-01-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recruitment campaigns and job vacancies there are at Medway Secure Training College.

    Andrew Selous

    The centre currently has sufficient staff to meet required staffing levels. Recruitment campaigns are run at regular intervals in order to maintain the required staffing levels

  • Charlotte Leslie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Charlotte Leslie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charlotte Leslie on 2016-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many nurses were brought before a fitness to practise panel for lack of competence, communication issues between 2013 and 2015; and how many such nurses (a) were and (b) were not suspended.

    Ben Gummer

    The information requested is not held by the Department. As an independent body the Nursing and Midwifery Council is responsible for operational matters concerning the discharge of its statutory duties including fitness-to-practise investigations in respect of its registrants.

  • Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the House of Commons Commission

    Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the House of Commons Commission

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-03-08.

    To ask the Rt. hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington representing the House of Commons Commission, what steps the Commission is taking to ensure that Members of Parliament are providing good value for money in communications to their constituents using franked House of Commons envelopes.

    Tom Brake

    Under the Code of Conduct for Members of Parliament, Members are personally responsible and accountable for the way they use resources provided at public expense. The House of Commons provides each Member with prepaid envelopes and stationery up to a value of £9,000 a year. In addition, specific rules on prepaid envelopes, available via the Members’ Handbook, preclude their use for communications within Parliament, or for circulars or business, personal or party political purposes. The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards is responsible for enforcing the rules on the proper use of prepaid envelopes and stationery.

  • Lord Patten – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Lord Patten – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2016-04-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of damage caused to the gardens of urban and rural householders by badgers in England.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    Defra is not aware of any studies that quantify the extent of garden damage by badgers. Where serious damage is, or is likely to be, caused by badgers or their setts, there is provision within the legislation for action to be taken under licence. Garden damage due to foraging alone is not normally considered sufficiently serious to warrant the issue of a licence.

    Natural England receives around 800 licence applications per year to interfere with badger setts. Of these, just over 50% relate to damage caused by badgers but not all involve residential properties or gardens. With regard to gardens, the usual action is to exclude badgers from the sett and proof the area against further damage. There is a presumption against licensing trapping and relocating badgers on disease and animal welfare grounds.

  • Norman Lamb – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Norman Lamb – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Norman Lamb on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he plans to ask NHS England to publish the initial Sustainability and Transformation plans submitted on 15 April 2016 to permit scrutiny of those plans.

    George Freeman

    The arm’s length bodies that developed the NHS Five Year Forward View – NHS England, NHS Improvement, the Care Quality Commission, Public Health England, Health Education England and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence – plan to publish Sustainability and Transformation Plans once they are final. They do not plan to publish the April submissions, on the basis that they are not formal plans but set out only an interim position.

  • Mary Glindon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Mary Glindon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mary Glindon on 2016-07-07.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he plans for the EU Unit to include voluntary sector representation or request input from that sector.

    Mr Oliver Letwin

    The new Europe Unit will bring together officials with a wide range of policy expertise from across Government. Many interest groups have directly approached Government Ministers, and Departments will look to ensure stakeholders’ views are properly captured and considered.