Category: Speeches

  • Shabana Mahmood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Shabana Mahmood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Shabana Mahmood on 2016-05-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will estimate the number and proportion of British violent extremists who were radicalised by people promoting (a) non-violent extremism and (b) views that conflict with British values.

    Karen Bradley

    Research shows that there is no single pathway into terrorism or extremism, nor is any one influence likely to be solely responsible for an individual?s radicalisation. It is a unique process for each individual, and the drivers are varied. However, analysis of case studies indicate that certain background factors, when combined with radicalising influences and an ideological opening, and in the absence of protective factors (such as supportive family or friends) can result in an individual being vulnerable to radicalisation.

    The Prevent strategy safeguards vulnerable individuals by building resilience to extremist ideologies, countering the ideology that terrorists espouse, and removing access to terrorist propaganda online. We work in partnership with families and communities to support and safeguard vulnerable individuals. We are working with internet industry partners to remove more terrorist material, and are supporting civil society groups to deliver counter-narrative campaigns.

    Our Channel programme provides support for those most at risk of radicalisation. It is voluntary and confidential, and support is only provided following careful assessment by experts.

  • Stuart C. McDonald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Stuart C. McDonald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stuart C. McDonald on 2016-07-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that humanitarian assistance reaches children and families in besieged towns in Syria.

    Rory Stewart

    The UK is at the forefront of the humanitarian response to the Syria crisis. We have pledged over £2.3 billion, our largest ever response to a humanitarian crisis.

    The UN estimates that, of 13.5 million people in need of humanitarian assistance inside Syria, 4.6 million are living in areas where humanitarian access is extremely restricted, including 592,700 people living under siege. It is unacceptable and illegal to use starvation as a weapon of war.

    We are doing all we can to open up humanitarian access. We have supported the UN and international NGOs since the start of the conflict to deliver aid to UN-designated hard-to-reach and besieged areas. UK co-sponsored UN Security Council Resolutions have enabled over 300 convoys of aid to reach vulnerable people in hard-to-reach areas without the consent of the Syrian regime. We will continue to use our position in the UN Security Council and International Syria Support Group to push for unrestricted and unfettered humanitarian access, whilst maintaining the pressure for a political settlement to bring the suffering of the Syrian people to an end.

  • Julie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Julie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Cooper on 2016-10-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of changes in productivity in community pharmacies in each year since 2005.

    David Mowat

    We have made no assessment of productivity in community pharmacies.

  • Nigel Dodds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Nigel Dodds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2015-10-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the efficacy of capacity building assistance in the area of strategic communications for (a) Georgia, (b) Moldova, (c) Ukraine and (d) other NATO partner countries.

    Mr David Lidington

    Her Majesty’s Government has provided expert strategic communications advice to the Governments of Georgia and Ukraine, and to NATO.

    The UK has worked with the Governments of Georgia and Ukraine to help them develop strategic communications strategies and plan campaigns focusing on their reform efforts.

    We have also provided strategic communications training and support to the NATO HQ Strategic Communications Team to improve NATO strategic communications.

    Assessment by recipients and partners of our support is very positive. I share this assessment.

  • Lord Storey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Lord Storey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2015-11-25.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the age profile of the total number of apprentices in 2013–14 and 2014–15.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    In the 2013/14 academic year there were 851,500 government funded apprentices. Of these, 185,800 were aged under 19, 308,900 were aged 19-24 and 356,900 were aged over 25.

    Over the 2014/15 academic year there were 871,800 government funded apprentices. Of these, 194,100 were aged under 19, 315,000 were aged 19-24 and 362,600 were aged over 25.

    Information on Apprenticeship participation by age in 2013/14 and 2014/15 is published as part of a Statistical First Release:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/learner-participation-outcomes-and-level-of-highest-qualification-held

    “

  • Lord Ahmed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Ahmed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ahmed on 2015-12-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the analysis commissioned by Amnesty and Saferworld which concludes that the transfer of weapons capable of being used in the conflict in Yemen to Saudi Arabia constitutes a breach by the UK of its obligations under domestic and international law.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We are aware of reports on alleged violations of international humanitarian law in Yemen by the Saudi Arabian-led Coalition and take these very seriously. We have regularly raised with Saudi Arabia the need to comply with international humanitarian law in Yemen, and continue to engage with them on this. We have offered advice and training to demonstrate best practice and to help ensure continued compliance with international humanitarian law. The UK is satisfied that we are not in breach of our international obligations. The UK operates one of the most rigorous and transparent export control regimes in the world. All exports of arms and controlled military goods are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria, taking account of all relevant information at the time of the application, to ensure compliance with our legal obligations. A licence will not be issued, for any country, if to do so would be inconsistent with any provision of the UK Licensing Criteria, including where we assess there is a clear risk that it might be used in the commission of a serious violation of international humanitarian law.

  • Stephen Gethins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Stephen Gethins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Gethins on 2016-01-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the human rights situation in the Maldives.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    We are concerned by a number of recent steps taken by the Maldivian government which undermine human rights in the country. These include; signs that the death penalty is to be reintroduced, restrictions on the right to protest and the intimidation of civil society, human rights organisations and members of the media. Other concerns include the arbitrary detention of political figures and the decreasing independence of institutions and the judiciary. I raised all of these issues with the Maldives government during my visit to the Maldives on 17 and 18 January. In particular I reiterated the UK’s principled opposition to the death penalty.

  • Gareth Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Gareth Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-02-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many lorries were (a) routinely searched and (b) searched for illegal immigrants at English ports in each of the last three years; and if she will make a statement.

    James Brokenshire

    This information is not held centrally.

    Border Force operates a multi-layered search regime using a range of interventions to screen all freight vehicles entering the UK through the juxtaposed ports.

    This includes the use of specialist technologies such as Passive Millimetre Wave Imaging devices, heartbeat monitors and carbon dioxide detectors as well as physical searches by sniffer dogs, Border Force staff and specialist search contractors.

  • Hannah Bardell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Hannah Bardell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hannah Bardell on 2016-03-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the reason is for the time taken to publish the final version of the report on pregnancy and maternity-related discrimination and disadvantage.

    Nick Boles

    The final reports on pregnancy and maternity-related discrimination in the workplace were published on 22 March 2016, together with the Government response to recommendations made by the Equality and Human Rights Commission. We had intended to publish the final reports in December 2015, but this did not prove possible as the research reports were extensive and took longer than expected to finalise.

  • Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-04-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether a devolution deal with Cheshire and Warrington is dependent on the introduction of an elected mayor.

    James Wharton

    Devolution deal proposals must be led and agreed by local partners—the Government will not impose an arrangement on any area. What we are saying, though, is that if an area wants far-reaching control over major powers and budgets, we will expect that deal to include a directly-elected mayor covering the whole area.