Category: Speeches

  • Kate Green – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    Kate Green – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what steps his Department is taking to implement the family test.

    David Mundell

    The Family Test was announced by the Prime Minister in August 2014 and introduced in October 2014. It is an integral part of the policy making process and is applied in the development of all new policy. DWP published guidance for Departments and officials on how the test should be applied when formulating policy and my Department follows that guidance.

  • Clive Efford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Clive Efford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Clive Efford on 2016-01-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the Colombian authorities about reducing the practice of locating military bases in rural villages.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    The government of Colombia and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) reached a number of agreements in September 2015, which I welcomed at the time. These agreements included one on rural development.

    I also welcomed the commitment made by both sides to sign a final peace deal by the end of March 2016. We continue to offer advice to the government of Colombia on implementation of the Peace Process and the potential role of the military in the post conflict phase.

  • Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-02-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress the Government has made on an impact analysis and consultation on changes to current pavement parking legislation since the withdrawal of the Pavement Parking (Protection of Vulnerable Pedestrians) Bill.

    Andrew Jones

    I intend to convene a round table in March, the details of which are currently being finalised. The round table will discuss the topic, and help to inform the Department’s thinking and the work it plans to do later this year to examine more closely the legal and financial implications of alternative approaches.

  • Virendra Sharma – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    Virendra Sharma – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what the (a) policy and (b) other responsibilities are of each special adviser in his Department.

    David Mundell

    I refer the hon Member to the answer given by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General on 29 February 2016.

  • Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-03-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what engagement his Department has conducted with EU officials on the application for assistance from the EU Solidarity Fund to help communities affected by recent floods since making that application.

    James Wharton

    The Government submitted an initial EU Solidarity Fund application on Friday 26 February. We are in the process of refining our cost estimates and figures.

    The United Kingdom’s Permanent Representation to the European Union submitted the initial application to the European Commission on the UK Government’s behalf and will continue to engage with them and the Department on the development of the application.

  • Will Quince – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Will Quince – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Will Quince on 2016-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 21 April 2016 to Question 34465, if his Department will take steps to allow web-users to include honours when completing Government online forms.

    Justin Tomlinson

    We only collect information that is relevant for an online service. As information on honours is not needed for a user to complete any of our online services we have no plans to collect this information.

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-06-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have raised the recent murder of Khurram Zaki, and his campaign work, with the government of Pakistan.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We condemn the murder of Khurram Zaki in Karachi on 7 May. As a journalist and human rights activist, Khurram Zaki campaigned against sectarian violence and religious extremism in Pakistan. His murder is a sad reminder of the hostile climate in which Pakistani campaigners and journalists operate.

    Under its National Action Plan, the Government of Pakistan is taking steps to improve security by tackling terrorist and extremist elements. We continue to urge Pakistan to honour in practice all its human rights obligations and uphold the rule of law. During his visit to Pakistan in March, the Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), raised the importance we attach to safeguarding the rights of all Pakistan citizens regardless of ethnicity, faith or political views.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-07-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the ability of refugees in Turkey to receive international protection in that country.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    Turkey currently hosts over 2.7 million refugees from Syria and around 250,000 from other nationalities. Turkey now hosts more refugees than any other country in the world.

    Turkey has established very detailed legislation setting out a comprehensive international protection system for migrants in need of protection.

    We are monitoring the situation in Turkey very closely following the attempted coup. At this stage there is no indication that the conditions and protections available to refugees have been impacted.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-10-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the Uzbekistan government on reports of (a) recent sentencing of Christians for possession of religious literature and (b) the deduction of the salaries of people who have previously been found guilty of possessing religious literature.

    Sir Alan Duncan

    We regularly raise our concerns, including on freedom of religion or belief, directly with the Uzbek authorities, through our Embassy in Tashkent and at Ministerial level. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood) discussed human rights concerns with Ministerial counterparts during his visit to Tashkent in April. Uzbekistan features as a Human Rights Priority Country in the FCO’s Annual Human Rights Report. We also encourage further progress towards full implementation of Uzbekistan’s international human rights commitments and obligations, both bilaterally and with our international partners.

    Concerns about freedom of religion or belief were raised in the last EU-Uzbekistan human rights dialogue which took place in November 2015, at the EU-Uzbekistan Co-operation Council in May 2015, and EU-Uzbekistan Co-operation Committee in December 2015. We will continue to press Uzbekistan representatives on such issues in forthcoming EU-Uzbekistan meetings.

  • Gary Streeter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Gary Streeter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gary Streeter on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he and Network Rail have to remove level crossings on the mainline between Plymouth and Reading.

    Claire Perry

    Network Rail operates at arm’s-length from the Department for Transport and is not expected to involve Ministers in its regular operational decisions such as its proposals for the removal or upgrading of level crossings on a particular route.