Category: Speeches

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-09-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support his Department is providing to pensioners who depend on charities and families to pay household bills.

    Richard Harrington

    This Government is committed to providing a secure and dignified retirement for those pensioners who would otherwise find themselves without an adequate income.

    Pension Credit is an income-related benefit paid out of general taxation which targets help at the poorest pensioners. Pension Credit tops up a person’s other income to a standard minimum amount – currently £155.60 for a single person and £237.55 for a couple. Higher amounts may be available for those with a severe disability, caring responsibilities or certain housing costs. The amount of Pension Credit a person receives depends on how much money they have coming in each week and how much they have saved or invested; regular payments from a charity or relative will generally not count towards this calculation.

    People in receipt of Pension Credit may also qualify for other benefits (each with their own conditions of entitlement) such as Cold Weather Payments, Funeral Payments from the Social Fund and the Warm Home Discount Scheme. Other benefits such as Housing Benefit and help from the Local Council Tax Reduction scheme are available to Pension Credit recipients and to others who may qualify on the grounds of low income.

    Pension Credit recipients are also exempt from certain health charges. Other benefits including Winter Fuel Payments, free prescriptions and concessionary travel are available on the grounds of age.

  • David Winnick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    David Winnick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Winnick on 2016-10-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when his Department plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Walsall North of 20 September 2016 on behalf of a constituent relating to nuisance telephone calls.

    Margot James

    The Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) is responsible for the Government’s policy on nuisance telephone calls. The hon. Member’s letter of 20 September 2016 has been passed to DCMS and that Department will reply directly to the hon Member.

  • Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2015-11-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will consult with local authorities and Academy sponsors on what role local authorities should play as strategic commissioners when all schools in an area have become Academies.

    Lord Nash

    At present there are no local authorities where all schools have become academies and therefore the issue has not arisen.

  • Lord Storey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Storey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2015-12-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the appointment process for Regional School Commissioners.

    Lord Nash

    The eight Regional Schools Commissioners (RSCs) take decisions in the name of the Secretary of State in relation to schools and academies (including free schools, university technical colleges and studio schools). The RSCs were appointed through open competition, with successful candidates being appointed for their outstanding leadership skills and track record. The process was overseen by the Civil Service Commissioner. RSCs are line managed by the national Schools Commissioner.

    The responsibilities of RSCs include:

    a) monitoring the performance of the academies, free schools, UTCs and studio schools in their area;

    b) taking action when an academy, free school, UTC or studio school is underperforming;

    c) approving the conversion of maintained schools to academies and making the decision on the sponsor for new academies in areas where the local authority has identified a need for additional school places;

    d) making recommendations to ministers about free school applications and advising on whether approved free school projects are ready to open;

    e) encouraging organisations to become academy sponsors or to establish free schools, approving applications to become sponsors and helping to build the capacity and capability of existing sponsors within their area;

    f) approving changes to open academies, for example: changes to age ranges, mergers between academies, and changes to MAT arrangements;

    g) addressing underperformance in local authority maintained schools through sponsored academy arrangements.

  • The Marquess of Lothian – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The Marquess of Lothian – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2016-01-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimates, if any, they have made of the changes to the water table in Cumbria, Yorkshire and Lancashire as a result of rainfall over the last six weeks.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    The Environment Agency’s water situation report for the north west of England (which is published on the Gov.UK website) reports the situation for observation boreholes in the main bedrock aquifer in Cumbria and Lancashire, the Sherwood Sandstone. The Sherwood Sandstone is moderately unresponsive to rainfall events and this is partly because of the high storage characteristics of the sandstone and also because much of it is covered by low permeability glacial clays.

    Hydrographs for Skirwith (Cumbria) and Yew Tree Farm (West Lancashire) are thought to be representative of this aquifer, although this monitoring is undertaken for water resources purposes not groundwater flooding purposes.

    • The Skirwith hydrograph shows that the groundwater level has risen quite dramatically since mid-November in response to recent rainfall..
    • The hydrograph for Yew Tree Farm shows a similar but less dramatic rise, with levels close to record highs (the site has been monitored since 1971 but with groundwater levels rising steadily since the late 1990s due to reduction in nearby abstraction).
    • The sudden rise in levels was from quite a low point due to a relatively dry year and especially early autumn. Both of the examples show a steady reduction in levels up to the rainfall starting in November.

    The Environment Agency routinely monitors groundwater throughout Yorkshire. Water levels in November 2015 were:

    • on the low side of average in the Chalk Principal Aquifer and the Corallian Limestone Principal Aquifer
    • just above average in the Magnesian Limestone Principal Aquifer
    • well above average in the Sherwood Sandstone Principal Aquifer

    Levels in all the aquifers in Yorkshire have responded to the rainfall in late December 2015 and early January 2016:

    • Levels in the Chalk have responded strongly to the recent rainfall.
    • Groundwater levels in the Corallian Limestone near Malton are now at record highs and the result is ongoing groundwater flooding in Malton. North Yorkshire County Council are coordinating a multi-agency response including pumping to minimise the impact on local communities.
    • Levels in the Magnesian Limestone and the Sherwood Sandstone have also responded to the rainfall and are now at maximum levels for the time of year.

    The Environment Agency undertakes monitoring and assessment of different aquifers locally, based upon the potential risk of groundwater flooding. A system of groundwater flood alerts and warnings is provided through our incident response procedures for those communities most vulnerable to potential groundwater flooding.

    Lead Local Flood Authorities (LLFAs)(Local Councils) have responsibility for local flood risk including groundwater under the Flood and Water Management Act 2010. This Act gives LLFAs duties to prepare local flood risk management strategies and to co-operate with other risk management authorities, and powers to carry out local flood risk management.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-02-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 26 January 2016 to Question 23171, to which countries RAF Reaper drones have been deployed on intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance sorties since 26 January 2016.

    Penny Mordaunt

    Since 26 January UK Reapers have been deployed on intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations in Iraq and Syria.

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much his Department spent on securing stem cell donations from abroad for patients in the UK who have blood disorders or blood cancer in each year since 2003-04; and (a) how many and (b) what proportion of patients in each of those years received stem cell donations from abroad.

    Jane Ellison

    The Department does not hold this information.

  • Chris Stephens – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Chris Stephens – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Stephens on 2016-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the preparedness is of the Animal and Plant Health Agency to react to and control a potential future animal health outbreak similar in scale to the foot and mouth outbreak of 2001.

    George Eustice

    The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), compiles the UK contingency plan for exotic notifiable disease that sits above plans designed by Defra and the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Ireland Governments.

    These are key documents that describe the strategic, tactical and operational responses required to any incursion of exotic notifiable disease, such as foot and mouth disease. These plans are complemented by specific GB disease control strategies and APHA work with the Government Departments in each administration to produce the necessary operational instructions.

    To ensure the plans and instructions are fit for purpose, the UK runs a national animal disease exercise roughly every other year on various exotic diseases and we regularly include foot and mouth disease in those exercises.

    The next national exercise will be in June 2018 and will be based on a foot and mouth disease scenario.

    APHA also create and manage an annual programme of regional or country exercises designed to identify best practice and any gaps in existing plans or procedures. They also run table-top exercises for APHA’s policy customers to identify issues that may arise from new and emerging threats such as African Horse Sickness.

  • Kate Hoey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Kate Hoey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Hoey on 2016-05-04.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which government websites include a link to information on the EU referendum.

    John Penrose

    The only Government websites currently linking to information on the EU referendum are Gov.uk and eureferendum.gov.uk.

    “

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, when she expects the Bonfield Review of consumer advice, protection standards and enforcement for energy efficiency and renewable energy to be published.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Bonfield Review is an independent review, being led by Peter Bonfield. We expect the review to be published in the near future and will announce the date in due course.