Category: Speeches

Baroness Smith of Basildon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Smith of Basildon on 2015-11-09.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they had with the Head of the Civil Service prior to setting up the review of House of Lords powers being undertaken by Lord Strathclyde.

Baroness Stowell of Beeston

The Lord Privy Seal (Baroness Stowell of Beeston):

Lord Strathclyde is being supported in his review by a panel of external experts and a small secretariat of civil servants in the Cabinet Office. The secretariat does not include political advisers. The expert panel comprises Sir Stephen Laws, former First Parliamentary Counsel; Jacqy Sharpe, a former Clerk in the House of Commons and Clerk to the Joint Committee on Conventions; and Sir Michael Pownall, former Clerk of the Parliaments.

Several reviews have examined the powers of the House of Lords, including the Royal Commission on the reform of the House of Lords (2000) and the Joint Committee on Conventions referenced above (2006).

The review led by Lord Strathclyde is due to consider how to protect the ability of elected Governments to secure their business in Parliament in the light of the operation of certain conventions. The review will consider in particular how to secure the decisive role of the elected House of Commons in relation to its primacy on financial matters; and secondary legislation.

Ministers regularly discuss a wide range of issues with the Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service.

Lord Strathclyde will determine the way in which the review is undertaken and the content of his recommendations, including any definitions required. It is not possible to provide an estimate of the cost of the exercise at this stage, but neither Lord Strathclyde nor his panel of experts will be paid a fee. Lord Strathclyde is expected to seek views from a wide range of Parliamentarians, parties and groups in undertaking his review, and has issued a letter to all Parliamentarians inviting their input. He is also seeking views from the Clerk of the Parliaments and the Clerk of the House. Lord Strathclyde will report to the Prime Minister, and the Government will decide how to proceed upon receipt of his recommendations.

January 1, 2023
Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2015-12-03.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the activities of ticket resale websites.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

An independent Review has been established to consider consumer protection measures in relation to online ticket resales and will report by 26 May 2016.

January 1, 2023
Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-01-13.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the annual salary is of the (a) Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Chiltern Hundreds and (b) Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead.

Harriett Baldwin

The Chiltern Hundreds (of Stoke, Desborough and Burnham), and the Manor of Northstead, are nominally paid offices of the Crown. They do not carry any duties and no salary or other benefits attach to them.

January 1, 2023
Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-02-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assistance the UK is providing to Taiwan since the recent earthquake in that country; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Hugo Swire

Through The British Office in Taipei we have worked closely with the Taiwanese authorities to establish whether any British Nationals were affected by this tragic earthquake. The Taiwanese authorities have responded swiftly and effectively to the earthquake. Taiwan is not a recipient of UK aid, which is targeted at the poorest, and those least able to cope with such disasters.

The Foreign Secretary and I have passed our thoughts and condolences to the people of Taiwan and all those affected.

January 1, 2023

Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-02-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many immigration advisers were registered with the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC) in each year since 2009-10; how many complaints the OISC received about immigration advisers registered with them in each of those years; in how many of those complaints the OISC found wrongdoing on the part of the adviser; in how many such cases the OISC (i) took action against the adviser and (ii) referred the complaint; and how many immigration advisers were (A) prohibited and (B) suspended as a result of such action.

James Brokenshire

The Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner regulates organisations, which have differing numbers of advisers operating within them. The number of regulated organisations and corresponding number of advisers are set out below.

	2009/10	2010/11	2011/12	2012/13	2013/14	2014/15
Regulated organisations	1753	1851	1930	1971	1939	1670
No. of advisers	4150	3346	3971	3966	3989	3667

The Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner operates a complaints scheme in respect of regulated advisers. If a complaint is substantiated then the information obtained can be used to form the basis of a decision to refuse an application for registration or a decision to lay formal disciplinary charges. Information obtained as a result of a substantiated complaint can be used as part of less formal action including providing advice to the adviser or giving a notice to improve. There are no separate figures available for suspension or prohibition as these terms overlap with others within the OISC regulatory scheme. Details of complaints and their outcomes are set out below.

	2009/10	2010/11	2011/12	2012/13	2013/14	2014/15
No. of Complaints	379	291	296	290	268	195
No. Substantiated	78	88	111	155	112	130
Referral for possible prosecution	4	1	2	10	10	22
No. of decisions to refuse/lay charges	49	79	70	101	82	87

January 1, 2023

Douglas Carswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2016-03-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will make an assessment of the effectiveness of her Department’s programmes in the eight districts of the Central Region of Uganda in preventing the spread of malaria.

Mr Nick Hurd

DFID works with UNICEF in the Central Region of Uganda on a programme to prevent the spread of malaria. As part of this, the Integrated Community Case Management programme is improving access to testing and treatment for children under five with high fever. This is an important intervention in preventing the spread of malaria and reducing deaths related to malaria and other treatable diseases.

Results from the 2014-15 internationally recognised Malaria Indicator Survey showed that the prevalence of malaria in children in the central region where the eight districts are located had reduced from 39.1% in 2009 to 10.5%. This is largely as a result of targeted interventions including the programme funded by DFID and implemented by UNICEF.

January 1, 2023
Marie Rimmer – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Marie Rimmer on 2016-05-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what plans the Government has to compensate local authorities for the potential loss of business rate revenue arising from measures announced in Budget 2016 following full devolution of business rates and abolition of the revenue support grant.

Mr Marcus Jones

Our business rates tax cuts provide significant support to local businesses.

The Small Business Rate Relief measure announced at the Budget which starts in 2017-18 will mean 600,000 of the smallest businesses will not have to pay business rates. We will compensate local authorities, in full, for the loss of income as a result of this measure, in the same way as we have done for every other reduction to business rates we have made since the introduction of the business rates retention scheme.

We will move to 100% business rates retention by the end of the Parliament and will establish the scheme based on the amount of business rates available to authorities at the time, which will naturally take account of increases and reductions in business rates yields, including those resulting from measures announced at Budget 2016.

January 1, 2023
David Lammy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Lammy on 2016-06-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the primary care budget is for people living in Tottenham constituency.

Alistair Burt

Primary care, dental, optometry and pharmacy services are commissioned by NHS England on a London-wide basis, therefore there is no figure available for borough-level funding.

Primary care medical (general practitioner (GP) services) allocations have been published for the next five years on a clinical commissioning group (CCG) -basis, the uplifts for Haringey are in the attached table.

The practice-level budgets for the GPs located within the Tottenham constituency total £18.4 million in 2016/17. These budgets are not set for future years but will be based on the practice-specific services and registered populations, as well as the national contract terms agreed in future years. They will benefit from the growth within the Haringey allocation as indicated in the table.

There is a development under way for a new practice at Tottenham Hale for which the capital cost is £558,000 which will expand capacity within Tottenham. CCGs also commission additional medical services from GP practices from their own resources.

January 1, 2023
Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-09-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what his policy is on future collaboration with the EU on consumer protections in relation to e-commerce; if he will make it his policy to ensure UK consumers who access e-commerce firms located in the EU single market continue to be offered the protections currently provided by the Directive on Consumer Rights of 25 October 2011 (2011/83/EC).

Margot James

We are yet to begin our negotiations to withdraw from the European Union and it would be wrong to set out unilateral positions in advance. At every step of these negotiations we will work to ensure the best possible outcome for the UK.

January 1, 2023
John Healey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Healey on 2016-10-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the oral evidence of the Minister of State for Local Government to the Communities and Local Government Committee on 14 September 2016, at Questions 84 to 87, HC635, whether he plans to publish an estimated cost of the draft Homelessness Reduction Bill before its Second Reading.

Mr Marcus Jones

One person without a home is one too many. This is why on Monday 24 October the Government announced its support for Mr Blackman’s Homelessness Reduction Bill.

The Bill will significantly reform England’s homelessness legislation, ensuring that more people get the help they need to prevent a homelessness crisis in the first place.

The Government will fund any additional costs in line with the longstanding ‘new burdens’ arrangements.

January 1, 2023