Category: Speeches

  • Fiona Bruce – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Fiona Bruce – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona Bruce on 2016-09-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the range of international operations being undertaken by the armed forces.

    Mike Penning

    British Forces are involved in more than 25 operations in over 20 countries. Backed by our rising Defence budget we are investing in the people and capabilities to ensure we continue to play a global role in order to keep our country safe.

  • Lord Wasserman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Wasserman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Wasserman on 2016-10-21.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many applications were received for the job of independent Chair of the Board of Directors of the College of Policing; and when they expect to announce the name of the successful candidate.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    The Home Office received 23 applications for the role of Chair of the College of Policing. The selection process has commenced and an announcement will be made in due course.

  • Sadiq Khan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Sadiq Khan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sadiq Khan on 2015-11-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the average cost of a home bought by a first-time buyer in each of the last 10 years for each London (a) borough and (b) constituency.

    Brandon Lewis

    Statistics on the average dwelling price for first time buyers in London boroughs and constituencies are not available.

    Statistics on house prices in England, London, London boroughs and constituencies are published by the Office for National Statistics at:

    http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/taxonomy/index.html?nscl=House+Price+Indices

    “

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2015-12-02.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department plans to publish an update of the National Infrastructure Plan and infrastructure pipeline before the end of 2015.

    Greg Hands

    The government will publish a National Infrastructure Delivery Plan next spring, setting out in detail how it will deliver key projects and programmes over the next 5 years. This will be underpinned by a refreshed National Infrastructure Pipeline.

  • Chi Onwurah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Chi Onwurah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-01-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many (a) homes and (b) businesses he expects to receive a rural satellite broadband voucher in the next 12 months.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    Up to 300,000 premises are currently eligible for support under the Universal Service Commitment.

  • Sarah Champion – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Sarah Champion – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Champion on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to increase the number of convictions for carrying out female genital mutilation.

    Karen Bradley

    Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a crime and it is child abuse.

    The Serious Crime Act 2015 introduced a number of measures to break down potential barriers to prosecution, including:

    • a new mandatory reporting duty which requires specified professionals to report known cases of FGM in under 18s to the police; • extending extra-territorial jurisdiction over offences of FGM committed abroad; • providing lifelong anonymity for victims of FGM; • introducing FGM Protection Orders which can be used to protect girls at risk; and • creating a new offence of failing to protect a girl from the risk of FGM.

    To help ensure the police have the guidance they need to tackle FGM effectively, in March 2015 the College of Policing published Authorised Professional Practice on FGM and this was updated in September 2015. In addition, lead FGM prosecutors have been appointed for each Crown Prosecution Service area and have agreed joint FGM investigation and prosecution protocols with their local police forces.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-02-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that the parents of children with mental health problems are aware that their child may be eligible to claim disability living allowance.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The DWP recognises the position of parents who have children with mental health problems and supports them through the award of Disability Living Allowance where the relevant entitlement conditions are met. As a Department we have multiple channels to ensure our customers are provided with the best possible information about their entitlement to benefits. These include:

    Public Information

    The Department provides information on benefits, including Disability Living Allowance (DLA), in a range of formats on www.gov.uk. This includes information relating to DLA for children and includes links to benefit eligibility calculators that will signpost the user to further information about DLA for children.

    Customer Facing Staff

    Learning and development for our customer facing/telephony staff raises awareness around the different needs of vulnerable customers. We also have a portal that all staff can access to appropriately signpost support available.

    Staff would actively consider this in their dealings with parents of disabled children, offering information on claiming Disability Living Allowance if appropriate.

    Partnership Working

    The Department also works with a range of organisations that provide information and advice on claiming DLA for children, such as Disability Rights UK, Contact a Family, Young Minds, NetMums and Carers UK. Our policy teams ensure that national partner organisations are kept informed about policy changes.

    Visiting

    Where a family is identified as needing a visit, our visiting officers typically complete holistic benefit checks which would include DLA considerations for any child.

  • Vicky Foxcroft – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Vicky Foxcroft – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Vicky Foxcroft on 2016-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential contribution of cadet forces to reducing the incidence of serious youth violence.

    Mr Julian Brazier

    The Ministry of Defence-Sponsored Cadet Forces comprise the Sea Cadet Corps, the Combined Cadet Force, the Army Cadet Force, and the Air Training Corps.

    The Department has not formally assessed the potential contribution of its Cadet Forces in reducing the incidence of serious youth violence. However, the 131,000 Cadets involved follow a wide variety of well-organised, enjoyable and challenging military-themed activities in a safely-managed environment.

    Experience shows that these activities allow Cadets to develop a sense of responsibility and service to the community, self-reliance, leadership, teamwork, communication skills and respect for authority and for others. In undertaking these activities, Cadets can gain nationally-recognised educational and vocational qualifications.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-05-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his policy is on the proposed international conference on a Middle East weapons of mass destruction free zone.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    As one of the Co-Convenors of the proposed Conference on a Middle East Weapons of Mass Destruction Free Zone, the British Government fully supports work towards such a Zone. We support the convening of a Conference as soon as possible, once the states of the region reach agreement on Conference arrangements.

  • Alistair Carmichael – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Alistair Carmichael – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alistair Carmichael on 2016-06-08.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what role the new money guidance body will play in coordinating financial capability initiatives.

    Harriett Baldwin

    The government is committed to ensuring that members of the public are given the help they need to make informed financial decisions. This is why the government published a paper at Budget – Public Financial Guidance Review: Proposal for Consultation. The paper set out plans to create a new money guidance body which will identify gaps in the financial guidance market and commission targeted debt advice, money guidance and financial capability projects to fill those gaps.

    The paper published at Budget sought views on how the new money guidance body should best deliver guidance services. The consultation closed on Wednesday 8 June and the government will publish a response in the Autumn.