Category: Speeches

  • Lord Pendry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Lord Pendry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Pendry on 2016-04-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of reports that a doctor prescribed performance-enhancing drugs to 150 athletes, what steps they are taking to ensure that sports in the UK are free from doping.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    The Government is deeply concerned by these allegations. Sports fans are entitled to be sure that what they are watching is true and fair with all athletes competing on a level playing field. We are grateful for the investigative journalism by the Sunday Times for bringing these apparent abuses to light, and we have asked for there to be an urgent independent investigation into what action was taken when these allegations were first received and what more needs to be done to ensure that British sport remains clean. The Government is also looking at whether existing legislation in this area goes far enough. If it becomes clear that stronger criminal sanctions are needed then we will not hesitate to act.

  • Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-05-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the effect of UK development aid on increasing primary school attendance in Bangladesh since 2000.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    The UK has supported significant improvements in primary school attendance through its contribution to the primary education sector programme and projects working with NGOs and civil society.

    Overall primary school attendance increased in Bangladesh from 84% to 97% between 2010 and 2015.

    Since 2010, DFID has supported 820,000 children (including 456, 000 girls) in primary education, of which 462,000 (261,000 girls) completed primary education.

  • Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-06-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 13 June 2016 to Question 39847, on travel, what the road traffic forecast estimates are for each of the forecast scenarios 2 to 5 for future (a) annual trips by mode per person and (b) average length of trips by mode.

    Andrew Jones

    The data requested and previously provided for scenario 1 in Question 39847 is not readily available for the scenarios 2 to 5, published in Road Traffic Forecasts 2015.

    Estimates of future trips by mode was not produced for all scenarios as the Department’s National Transport Model is primarily used to forecast road travel, and is not typically used to forecast demand for other modes.

  • Nigel Dodds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Nigel Dodds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2016-09-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the NATO Secretary General on North Korea’s nuclear tests in 2016.

    Alok Sharma

    The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson) has not discussed this issue directly with the NATO Secretary General. At the NATO Warsaw Summit in July 2016, Heads of Government called on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) to immediately cease its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes in a complete, verifiable, and irreversible manner. The Secretary General issued a statement on 9 September condemning the DPRK’s fifth nuclear test and called on it to fully respect its international obligations and commitments, including UN Security Council Resolutions.

  • Drew Hendry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Drew Hendry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Drew Hendry on 2015-11-16.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the spending reductions agreed between his Department and the Department for Transport will affect Barnett consequentials.

    Greg Hands

    The Barnett Formula will be applied to the Department of Transport’s Spending Review settlement in the usual way. This will be reflected in the Devolved Administration’s allocations when the outcome of the Spending Review is published on 25 November.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Caroline Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2015-12-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 26 September 2014 to Question 209770 asked by the hon. Member for Moray, how much his Department has spent on studies on whether to refurbish or replace the existing Trident warhead design to date.

    Michael Fallon

    As of the end of the last financial year (March 2015), the Ministry of Defence had spent £80 million on technology studies to support refurbishment of the current system and explore options for a potential future warhead, and £5.5 million on studies to support the decision whether to refurbish or replace the existing warhead.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what languages his Department’s overseas health team is trained to speak.

    Justin Tomlinson

    There is no requirement for DWP staff to have foreign language skills when dealing with EEA Member States in relation to the reimbursement process under the EHIC regulations.

  • Jamie Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Jamie Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2016-02-08.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many publicly-funded jobs related directly to the Northern Powerhouse are located in (a) Cumbria, (b) Northern England, (c) London and (d) other parts of England.

    Greg Hands

    The Northern Powerhouse is the government’s plan to boost the economy across the North of England. This will help businesses grow and increase private sector job creation. Unlike previous failed attempts to improve the economic performance of the North, it is not about just creating publicly-funded jobs.

    There is already evidence that the Northern Powerhouse is working: according to the latest data, private sector employment outside of London and the South East increased by 1.5m between Q3 2010 and Q3 2015, and in the North alone there are almost 412,000 more people in work than in April 2010. Over the last year the number of people in employment in the North has grown faster than in the South. Employment in Cumbria has also grown by 6,700 (3%) since 2010 and 10,900 (4.7%) over the last year.

  • David Morris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    David Morris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Morris on 2016-03-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the application for a Lancashire combined authority; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    The Department has to date not received any applications for a Lancashire Combined Authority. To make such an application an area must, in accordance with the provisoins of the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 1999, as amended by the Cities and Local Government Devolution Act 2016, undertake a gvoernance review for the area and also publish a scheme setting out propsals for a Combined Authority. They must also undertake a public consultation on these proposals and provide a summary of these proposals to the Secretary of State.

  • Nic Dakin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Nic Dakin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps the Government is taking to strengthen the Northern Ireland economy.

    Mrs Theresa Villiers

    The Government’s long-term economic plan is strengthening the Northern Ireland economy.

    Last year legislation was passed to allow the devolution of corporation tax rate-setting powers.

    This could bring benefits for an estimated 34,000 companies of all sizes in Northern Ireland.