Category: Speeches

  • Gordon Marsden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Gordon Marsden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in the Department for Work and Pensions on steps to tackle recent reductions in the number of apprenticeship vacancies.

    Nick Boles

    Latest data shows that the number of vacancies posted on the ‘Find an Apprenticeship’ website have increased each year from 71,060 in 2010/11 to 200,460 in 2014/15. The data does not reflect all vacancies as some employers choose alternative methods for advertising their apprenticeship opportunities.

    We are working closely with the Department for Work and Pensions to ensure that jobseekers are aware of apprenticeship vacancies. Vacancies posted on the ‘Find an Apprenticeship’ website are visible to jobseekers on Universal Jobmatch.

  • Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-05-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of video evidence of the killing of a wounded Palestinian in Hebron, what discussions they have had with EU partners concerning the accused soldier’s charge being reduced to manslaughter.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We have not raised this case with EU partners. We note that the Israeli Defence Forces have investigated and understand that trial proceedings started on Monday 9 May. The UK is deeply concerned by the terrible human cost, to both sides, of the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We are concerned by the use of force by Israeli security personnel in response to protests and security incidents and we regularly raise these concerns with the Israeli government, stressing the need for proportionality and proper accountability. We make clear that every effort should be made to exclude the use of live fire.

  • Baroness Manzoor – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Baroness Manzoor – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Manzoor on 2016-07-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people who are classed as having a disability have been (1) deported, and (2) detained for immigration purposes, in each of the last 10 years.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    The information requested is not held by the department.

  • Steve Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Steve Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Reed on 2016-09-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many neonatal units meet the standard for overnight accommodation for parents as recommended in paragraph 3.11 of the Toolkit for High-Quality Neonatal Services, published by his Department in 2009.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    NHS England does not currently hold this level of information centrally, however it is being considered for collection in future.

    Ensuring the very best and safest care for sick babies and their parents during what may be the most difficult time of their lives is absolutely essential.

    This Government is absolutely committed to improving maternity and neonatal care which is why we have set out our intention to halve the number of neonatal deaths, stillbirths, maternal deaths and brain injuries occurring during or soon after birth by 2030 and have invested millions in training for staff, new safety equipment and facilities in hospitals for new families, as well as help to drive improvements in perinatal mental health.

  • Andrew Percy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Andrew Percy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2015-11-17.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what progress the Government has made on increasing the level of employment in (a) North Lincolnshire, (b) East Yorkshire and (c) England since 2010.

    Mr Rob Wilson

    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

  • Peter Kyle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Peter Kyle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2015-12-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether the apprenticeship targets for public sector organisations announced in the report, English Apprenticeships: Our 2020 Vision, published on 7 December 2015, will include targets for the creation of apprenticeships at Level 3 and above.

    Nick Boles

    We do not intend to set any targets for the creation of apprenticeships at specific levels.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-01-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for what reasons the National Offender Management Service decided not to impose financial penalties on private prisons on each occasion when such penalties were applicable in the last five years; and what the value of those fines so foregone was.

    Andrew Selous

    Performance points are accrued when a custodial service failure occurs. Charges are then applied when the total points exceeds the relevant performance baseline. A performance baseline is allowed in recognition of the complex operational nature of prisons where we know that there will be occasional incidents no matter how well the prison is run. This charge protocol is a longstanding practice in prison contracts.

    The performance points, and subsequent calculated charges, are signed off by all parties at the Quarterly Contract Review Meeting. Following this meeting, charge payable will, without exception, be collected by NOMS.

  • David T. C. Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    David T. C. Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David T. C. Davies on 2016-02-19.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what amount of funding the European Court of Auditors has recorded as having been misspent in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

    Mr David Gauke

    The European Court of Auditors prepares an annual audit report on the EU Budget which is published each year in November in relation to the previous EU financial year, running from January to December. This includes an estimated ‘error rate’ in relation to EU budget payments made which were not in compliance with EU regulatory requirements.

    The latest audit report available, published in November 2015, relates to the financial year 2014.

    The 2014 report can be consulted at the following link:

    http://www.eca.europa.eu/Lists/ECADocuments/annualreports-2014/annualreports-2014-EN.pdf

    “

  • Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-03-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the proportion of rivers, lakes, coastal and ground waters in the UK that (a) are compliant with the EU Water Framework Directive and (b) will be so compliant by 2020; and when she expects all UK waters to achieve good status.

    Rory Stewart

    The principle environmental objective of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) is to protect and enhance all bodies of surface and groundwater so as to prevent deterioration, with the aim of achieving good status for all water bodies by December 2015. The WFD provides exemptions which allow the deadline to be extended to 2021 or 2027 and, in some cases, a less stringent objective to be set, for reasons of disproportionate cost or technical feasibility.

    Implementation of the WFD in the UK is a devolved matter. In England, 19% of water bodies are currently good status or better, 22% are predicted to achieve good status or better by 2021, and 75% of all water bodies have an objective of good or better status.

    The breakdown by water category is detailed in the table below.

    % water bodies at good or better now

    % water bodies predicted to be achieve good by 2021

    % water bodies with an objective of good or better

    Rivers

    17

    20

    74

    Lakes

    16

    19

    80

    Coastal

    44

    48

    71

    Transitional (estuarine)

    21

    25

    58

    Groundwater

    42

    48

    72

    All waters

    19

    22

    75

    “

  • Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 11 April 2016 to Question 32149, on what page in the Cabinet Office annual report and accounts the specific costs incurred by the Government’s Anti-Corruption Champion are set out.

    Matthew Hancock

    Overseas travel costs for the Anti-Corruption Champion will be included in the next Cabinet Office annual report and accounts, which will be published on GOV.UK in due course.

    There were no costs incurred by the Cabinet Office for the Anti-Corruption Champion in the latest annual report and accounts published. Any costs covered by the Cabinet Office for the Anti-Corruption Champion will be included in the next report which will be published on GOV.UK in due course.

    “