Category: Speeches

  • Biography information for Lord Morris of Aberavon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Biography information for Lord Morris of Aberavon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Biography information for Lord Morris of Aberavon on 2014-02-24.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the statement by the Prime Minister on 15 June 2009 (HC Deb, col 21–38) that the final report of the Chilcot Inquiry would be able to disclose all but the most sensitive information—that is

    Lord Wallace of Saltaire

    The terms under which the Chilcot Inquiry is operatingare set out in the Protocol between the Inquiry and Her Majesty’s Government regarding documents and other written and electronic communication. They have not changed since the Inquiry’s inception in June 2009. A copy of the Protocol is available on the Inquiry’s website:

    http://www.iraqinquiry.org.uk/background/protocols.aspx

    Each request under the Freedom of Information Act is considered on its merits and handled accordingly. The reasons for the use of the veto on the disclosure of Cabinet minutes prior to the Iraq war are a matter of public record.

    “

  • Mr David Ward – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Mr David Ward – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mr David Ward on 2014-02-04.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of (a) permanent, (b) temporary and (c) contract staff in his Department as paid the living wage or above.

    Andrea Leadsom

    100% of permanent and temporary staff at HM Treasury are paid the Living Wage or above.

    HM Treasury fully complies with EU procurement directives and awards contracts on the basis of the best value for money for the taxpayer. Nevertheless, we have encouraged contractors to commit to paying a living wage and expect all employers to pay at least the national minimum wage.

    The Government supports businesses that choose to pay the Living Wage however the Government’s main policy on wages is the National Minimum Wage, which has continued to protect the relative wages of the low paid. This is independently set by the Low Pay Commission at a level that maximises their wages without reducing employment prospect. It is for workers and employers to decide the level of wages above the minimum wage based on current circumstances. This includes the Government as a procurer and an employer. Over 95%, around 20 million employees earn above the minimum wage and the majority of public sector workers currently earn above the Living Wage.

  • Sammy Wilson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Sammy Wilson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sammy Wilson on 2014-01-15.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many (a) laundering plants and (b) millions of litres of fuel were seized in the UK by HM Revenue and Customs in each of the last 10 years.

    Nicky Morgan

    Figures are only available for the years 2010-11 and onwards. The number of laundering plants and millions of litres of fuel seized in those years was as follows.

    Year

    Laundering Plants

    Fuel (millions litres)

    2010-11

    23 (20 NI 3 GB)

    2.74

    2011-12

    29 (NI figure only)

    2.44

    2012-13 to Dec 13

    26 (22 NI 4 GB)

    2.63

    HMRC fights fraud on a wide range of fronts, from special units performing thousands of roadside checks to raiding laundering plants. HMRC has also recently concluded the evaluation of a possible new marker for rebated fuel, which will make it harder to launder marked fuel and sell it at a profit.

    HMRC uses several avenues to tackle fraud: criminal prosecution, civil action (such as seizing fuel or pumps), civil penalties and strong regulatory controls.

  • Baroness Parminter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Baroness Parminter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Parminter on 2015-10-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they plan to address reductions in woodland planting rates.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    £31m per year of new RDP funding will be spent on forestry, with £13m being spent on woodland management and £18m on new planting. By investing in woodlands, Countryside Stewardship will help us fulfil the Government’s manifesto commitment to plant another 11 million trees by supporting the creation of around 24,711 acres of new woodland.

  • Sharon Hodgson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Sharon Hodgson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2015-10-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, by what process the decision to appoint Professor Waterson as Chair of the Secondary Ticketing Market was made.

    Nick Boles

    The independent Review requires a suitable qualified and experienced Chair, who is demonstrably independent of Government and has no link to any particular interest group on secondary ticketing.

    Professor Waterson was invited to be the independent Chair by my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for the Business, Innovation and Skills and for Culture, Media and Sport.

  • Melanie Onn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Melanie Onn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Melanie Onn on 2015-10-19.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the homelessness prevention grant will continue to be paid to local authorities after the phasing out of the core local government grant.

    Greg Hands

    We want a radical reshaping of the relationship between central and local government, ending the merry go round of clawing back local taxes into Whitehall and handing them out again in the form of grants. We will do this by giving local government full retention of its Business Rates by 2020, meaning all income from local taxes will go towards funding local services. We will work closely with the sector over the coming weeks and months to ensure local people have more control over how their money is spent. This will mean looking at the grants that currently go from central government to local authorities, and the range of responsibilities central government asks local government to deliver. There will still be redistribution between councils so that councils don’t lose out just because their area starts from a weaker position. We will set out more detail at the Spending Review.

  • Ruth Cadbury – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Ruth Cadbury – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ruth Cadbury on 2015-10-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will estimate the number of homes to be sold under the right to buy policy which are likely to become private rental properties (a) in total and (b) in London.

    Brandon Lewis

    Under Right to Buy there are financial restrictions in place for re-sale within 5 years, and councils have the right of first refusal to buy back the property for up to 10 years at market value.

    What a Right to Buy owner chooses to do with their property after they’ve bought it is up to them, just as it is for other home buyers on the open market. Mortgage providers and landlords may place restrictions on letting in the terms of the sale.

  • Andrew Griffiths – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Andrew Griffiths – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Griffiths on 2015-10-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of children in need achieved five A* to C grades at GCSE, including English and mathematics, in the most recent year for which figures are available.

    Nick Gibb

    The requested information for 2013-14, the most recent year available, was published in table L5 of the ‘Additional tables’ available online here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/characteristics-of-children-in-need-2013-to-2014

    “

  • Caroline Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Caroline Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2015-10-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 14 October 2015 to Question 11059, whether officials in her Department have discussed with representatives of Malta the chairing of environment sessions during the Maltese Presidency of the European Union in 2017.

    Rory Stewart

    Officials from Defra, along with officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, have held preliminary discussions with representatives from Malta on support for chairing meetings during the Maltese Presidency of the European Union. These discussions are ongoing.

  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-10-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to protect the integrity of British territorial waters (a) in relation to Spain and (b) otherwise.

    Mr David Lidington

    The United Kingdom has a range of measures in place to defend British territorial waters, including British Gibraltar Territorial Waters (BGTW). The Royal Navy challenges all unlawful incursions by Spanish state vessels into BGTW, the United Kingdom makes diplomatic protests to Spain in respect of all such incursions. Incursions are violations of, rather than threats to, UK sovereignty over BGTW.