Category: Speeches

  • Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many Freedom of Information requests were rejected by government departments in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012, (d) 2013, (e) 2014 and (f) 2015 to date.

    Matthew Hancock

    The Government publishes statistics on the operation of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 within central government, including on timeliness and the number of requests rejected by each government department. These reports can be accessed at the following webpage: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statistics.

    “

  • Catherine West – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Catherine West – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of developments in the human rights situation in the Tibet Autonomous Region and ethnic Tibetan prefectures in China since March 2013.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    I most recently set out the Government’s position on the human rights situation in Tibet during a Westminster Hall Debate on Tibet on 18 June.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andy Slaughter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 24 October 2015 to Question 12217, on judicial co-operation with Saudi Arabia, what the possible areas for co-operation are.

    Dominic Raab

    No work has yet been undertaken by the Ministry of Justice as a result of the Memorandum of Understanding.

  • Chris Green – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Chris Green – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Green on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what support his Department provides to local authorities seeking a devolution deal.

    James Wharton

    Officials in my Department as well as the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and Her Majesty’s Treasury are in regular dialogue with local authorities and Local Enterprise Partnerships about devolution deals. In addition, a large number of Government departments and agencies are providing more specialist policy expertise both in negotiating and implementing devolution deals.

  • Christina Rees – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Christina Rees – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christina Rees on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much of the proposed apprenticeships levy employers will be able to claim back through the e-voucher.

    Nick Boles

    My Rt hon Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer will announce further details of the apprenticeship levy at the Spending Review, including the scope and rate of the levy and how it will operate with respect to the Devolved Administrations.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what recent assessment her Department has made of the ability of the UK solar industry to meet service demand; and if she will make a statement.

    Andrea Leadsom

    As set out in the November 2013 Renewable Energy Roadmap Update, analysis indicated a potential deployment range of 7-20 GW (equivalent to 6-18 TWh) of solar PV at all scales, with 20GW being our estimate of the technical maximum level of solar PV deployment by 2020 on the basis of grid and other constraints. Solar PV in the UK was 8.007GW as of August 20151.

    In the absence of cost effective storage, solar PV can make a contribution to meeting electricity demand but this will be limited by the nature of its diurnal cycle.

    REF:

    1. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/solar-pv-deployment-august-2015

    “

  • Grahame Morris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Grahame Morris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the opinion of the Farm Animal Welfare Committee on CCTV in slaughterhouses, published in February 2015.

    George Eustice

    I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the Rt. Hon. Member for Knowsley, George Howarth on 24 June 2015, PQs UIN 2944 and 2945.

  • Lord Browne of Belmont – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Lord Browne of Belmont – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Browne of Belmont on 2015-10-23.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the level of paramilitary-linked organised crime in Northern Ireland.

    Lord Dunlop

    The assessment of the structure, roles and purpose of paramilitary organisations in Northern Ireland, published on 20 October stated that individual members of paramilitary groups are involved in ‘serious criminal activity’. Examples cited in the assessment include: ‘large scale smuggling operations, fuel laundering, drug dealing and extortion of local businesses’.

  • Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-10-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what (a) funding his Department is undertaking and (b) projects his Department has planned as part of the Government’s Digital Inclusion Strategy.

    Nick Boles

    a) The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) currently funds a programme through the Tinder Foundation with the aim of equipping up to 1m adults with the basic digital skills, motivation and confidence to go online, be digitally capable and to be safe online. The contract was awarded by open competitive tender in October 2014 and has a maximum value of £15m. This addresses Action 2 of the Digital Inclusion Strategy 2014 (to establish a quality cross-government digital capability programme).

    In addition the adult skills budget managed by the Skills Funding Agency continues to support learners to increase skills, competence and knowledge including basic digital skills and capabilities as called for under Action 1 of the Strategy.

    b) There are no other projects currently planned.

  • Steve Rotheram – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Steve Rotheram – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Rotheram on 2014-02-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many warrants to undertake surveillance on British nationals were issued by her Department between 1989 and 1992.

    James Brokenshire

    As indicated in the debate on 12th February 2014, Official Report, column 858, both the
    Independent Police Complaints Commission and the Investigatory Powers Tribunal
    provide an avenue for investigating concerns in this area.

    As a matter of long-standing practice, we do not routinely comment on the
    detailed use of interception and surveillance, or provide a breakdown of the
    number of warrants signed in relation to specific circumstances or
    nationalities.

    Figures for the overall number of interception warrants authorised by the Home
    Secretary during the period 1989-1992 were published in the Annual Report to
    the Prime Minister by the Interception Commissioner under the legislation then
    in force (the Interception of Communications Act 1985). The published figures
    are as follows:

    Figures for the overall number of interception warrants authorised by the Home Secretary under the Interception of Communications Act 1985 during the period 1989-1992 are shown in the tables below. They provide separate figures for warrants covering telecommunications (which exclude letters), warrants covering letters (letters were relatively more important as a mode of communication than they would be today), and a total for both categories of these warrants.

    Warrants (a) in force on 31 December 1988 and b) issued during the course of 1988:

    Telecommunications

    Letters

    Total

    Warrants

    (a)

    (b)

    (a)

    (b)

    (a)

    (b)

    225

    412

    75

    48

    300

    460

    Warrants (a) in force on 31 December 1989 and b) issued during the course of 1989:

    Telecommunications

    Letters

    Total

    Warrants

    (a)

    (b)

    (a)

    (b)

    (a)

    (b)

    232

    427

    59

    31

    291

    485

    Warrants (a) in force on 31 December 1990 and b) issued during the course of 1990:

    Telecommunications

    Letters

    Total

    Warrants

    (a)

    (b)

    (a)

    (b)

    (a)

    (b)

    225

    473

    52

    42

    227

    515

    Warrants (a) in force on 31 December 1991 and b) issued during the course of 1991:

    Telecommunications

    Letters

    Total

    Warrants

    (a)

    (b)

    (a)

    (b)

    (a)

    (b)

    239

    670

    50

    62

    289

    732

    Warrants (a) in force on 31 December 1992 and b) issued during the course of 1992:

    Telecommunications

    Letters

    Total

    Warrants

    (a)

    (b)

    (a)

    (b)

    (a)

    (b)

    265

    756

    72

    118

    337

    847

    “