Category: Speeches

  • Ian Lavery – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Ian Lavery – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Lavery on 2015-11-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what support UKTI has provided to Rio Tinto in locations where Rio Tinto invests or plans to invest.

    Anna Soubry

    UK Trade and Investment’s (UKTI) mining sector team has regular and ongoing engagement with Rio Tinto both in market and in the UK as we seek to realise economic benefit for the UK through the involvement of the UK’s mining supply chain in Rio Tinto’s projects.

    Rio Tinto closed its Lynemouth Aluminium facility in 2013. That same year UKTI was part of a Rapid Response taskforce (which included local Economic Development organisations and Rio Tinto), to explore redeployment and site re-marketing options.

    UKTI support included:

    – an audit of the unique characteristics and selling points of the site to determine the sectoral focus of Rio Tinto’s site marketing activity to potential investors.

    – research to assess from where the strongest investor interest was likely to come from.

  • Peter Kyle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Peter Kyle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2015-11-25.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the number of people aged (a) 16, (b) 17 and (c) 18 there will be in England in (i) 2016, (ii) 2017, (iii) 2018, (iv) 2019 and (v) 2020.

    Mr Rob Wilson

    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

  • Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-01-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many licences for experimentation with animals the Animals and Science Committee granted in the most recent year for which data is available.

    Mr John Hayes

    The Animals in Science Committee (ASC) are responsible for providing impartial, balanced and objective advice to Ministers relating to the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA). The Committee is not responsible for granting licences. Under Section 9 of ASPA, the Secretary of State may consult the Committee regarding licence applications. Current policy requires referral of the following categories of project licence application:

    • the use of wild-caught non-human primates;

    • the use of cats, dogs, equidae or non-human primates in severe procedures;

    • use of endangered species;

    • projects with major animal welfare or ethical implications;

    • projects involving the use of admixed embryos falling into category 3 of the Academy of Medical Science report on Animals Containing Human Material and category 2 where the predominance of an admixed embryo is unclear or uncertain;

    • projects which may invoke any of the ‘safeguard clauses’ in the Directive with respect to the purpose of primate use, proposals for the use of a great ape, or proposals to cause long-lasting pain, suffering or distress that cannot be ameliorated; or

    • projects of any kind raising novel or contentious issues, or giving rise to serious societal concerns.

    In 2014, the most recent year for which we have data available, the ASC provided advice on four project licences. These were subsequently granted by the Home Office. The numbers of licences the ASC provided advice on in 2015 will be published in the ASC Annual Report later this year.

  • Nicholas Soames – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Nicholas Soames – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-02-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on the effect of bus franchising on the vehicle manufacturing sector.

    Andrew Jones

    My Department has not yet entered into discussions with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on the effect of bus franchising on the vehicle manufacturing sector. My officials have however discussed proposals with the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.

  • Lord Harrison – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Lord Harrison – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Harrison on 2016-02-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the main criteria for judging whether an insolvency regime is successful.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    It is not simple to compare different insolvency regimes. The World Bank methodology for ‘Resolving Insolvency’ uses principally an assessment of speed and amount of returns to creditors but also has introduced more subjective tests of the strength of the framework. In the World Bank’s 2016 Doing Business Report, the UK continues to be 7th in the world for returns to creditors, and is quicker and costs less than the US, Germany and France, but does somewhat less well on the subjective factors, which may understate the strengths of our regime. We keep the UK’s insolvency regime under review to ensure it remains at the forefront of best practice and that possible new features are properly considered.

  • Dan Jarvis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Dan Jarvis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-03-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the EU is taking to tackle poverty in (a) the Middle East, (b) South Asia and (c) Africa; and what the Government’s contribution is to those steps.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    The European Union (EU), including its Member States, is the world’s largest aid donor. In 2014, the EU and its Member States spent nearly £50bn of Official Development Assistance (ODA), which represents around half of global ODA. The UK has a powerful voice on development through its EU Membership and has achieved real changes to the EU development programme in line with UK priorities.

    More detail on the EU development programme can be found at https://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/sites/devco/files/2015-annual-report-web_en.pdf

    “

  • Chris Law – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Chris Law – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Law on 2016-04-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he last made representations to the Chinese government on the fate of the Panchen Lama; and what response he received to such representations.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    As I said in my answer to PQ12772 on 29 October last year, we urge China to ensure that the restrictions on the Panchen Lama’s freedom of movement and communication are lifted, so that he may select the career, education or religious life of his choosing, wherever he is. We most recently raised the matter at the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue in 2014. We had no substantive response but the Chinese authorities stated in September 2015 that the Panchen Lama was “leading a normal life”. We will raise the matter again at the next round of the Human Rights Dialogue later this year.

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-06-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment NHS England has made of the capacity in the NHS to meet the demand for aseptic services.

    Jane Ellison

    NHS England Specialist Pharmacy Services have to date not undertaken a comprehensive assessment of aseptic capacity to meet the future demands for chemotherapy provision in England. They are currently working closely with colleagues at the Department and NHS Improvement to support a number of regionally based reviews of aseptic capacity and to help trusts develop local and regional Hospital Pharmacy Transformation plans, as recommended by Lord Carter in February 2016.

    The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is an executive agency of the Department and is responsible for regulating unlicensed medicines under a Manufacturer’s ‘Specials’ Licence. The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) and Care Quality Commission (CQC) are responsible for regulating medicine prepared extemporaneously in a register pharmacy or hospital pharmacy respectively under the professional exemption.

    MHRA will collaborate with the NHS, GPhC and CQC though inspections of MHRA licensed aseptic facilities or joint investigations of aseptic facilities in hospitals where there are patient safety concerns.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if her Department will increase investment in decentralised renewable energy in areas where it will benefit the world’s poorest people.

    James Wharton

    The UK Government is playing a leading role in improving energy access in developing countries, including through our Energy Africa campaign which is working with solar firms to help them access the finance they need to expand their businesses, create jobs and help reach millions of people in Africa without electricity access.

  • Ian Murray – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Ian Murray – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Murray on 2016-10-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he plans to publish the response to the Government’s consultation on section 75 employer debt in pension funds, published in March 2015.

    Richard Harrington

    My Department is currently considering further changes to employer debt legislation, following a Call for Evidence about section 75 employer debt in non-associated multi-employer schemes last year with a view to consulting on any specific proposals in due course.