Category: Speeches

  • Neil Coyle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Neil Coyle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Coyle on 2015-10-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what research licences are under consideration by her Department relating to medicinal benefits of cannabinoids.

    Mike Penning

    The Home Office issues controlled drug licences to those who wish to possess, supply, produce or manufacture controlled drugs. Licences are not issued for individual pieces of research. Licences are not ordinarily granted for individual substances but schedules of substances.

  • Bill Esterson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Bill Esterson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bill Esterson on 2015-10-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what financial and other assistance his Department is giving to suppliers of SSI in Redcar.

    Anna Soubry

    The Government has announced a support package, worth up to £80m, to support workers affected by SSI’s closure and invest in the future of the Tees Valley economy. This will include support for local businesses and the supply chain working closely with the Government appointed local taskforce on how best to target money and resources.

    In addition, HMRC has a track record of helping individuals and business which are experiencing a genuine short term difficulty in paying their tax liabilities. Where appropriate HMRC will agree a payment arrangement to allow the customer some breathing space to get their tax affairs back up to date. Details are available on the websiteProblems Payingor affected customers should ring theBusiness Payment Support Service (BPSS) on0300 200 3835.

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  • Ben Howlett – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Ben Howlett – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ben Howlett on 2015-10-15.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the Summer Budget 2015 has an equal impact on men and women.

    Damian Hinds

    In line with both the Government’s commitment to fairness and its legal obligations, ministers carefully considered the policy implications for men and women when developing and deciding upon Summer Budget measures.

    As with other public sector bodies, HM Treasury is required (under the Equality Act 2010) to pay due regard, in the course of fulfilling its functions, to the implications of its decisions for those with specified ‘protected characteristics’. ‘Sex’ is one of these protected characteristics.

  • Laurence Robertson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Laurence Robertson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Laurence Robertson on 2015-10-15.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent discussions he has had with charities on respondents being required to tick boxes if they do wish to receive further communications; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Rob Wilson

    Government is supporting all of therecommendations of the recent review by Sir Stuart Etherington following the high profile cases of poor charity fundraising practice earlier this year. In line with the review charities should have clear consent to contact donors andcurrent reliance on ‘opt out’ boxes hidden in the small print is not acceptable.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Caroline Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2015-10-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer to Question 3393 of 30 June 2015, when the UKTI Defence and Security Organisation priority markets list for 2015-16 will be published.

    Anna Soubry

    UKTI Defence and Security Organisation expects to publish the next list of priority markets before the end of the financial year. Until then, the current list remains extant.

  • Kevan Jones – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Kevan Jones – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2015-10-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many non-UK armed forces personnel the army plans to recruit or loan for each year up until 2020.

    Penny Mordaunt

    The Army has no plans to recruit from non-UK armed forces. The Army supports a range of individual, short term, inbound and outbound attachments and exchanges with non-UK armed forces. There are no set targets; numbers vary each year depending on requirements and individual opportunities. Non-UK personnel on attachment or exchange to the Army are not included on strength

  • Vicky Foxcroft – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Vicky Foxcroft – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Vicky Foxcroft on 2015-10-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the comparative merits of universities using (a) postcodes and (b) household incomes to determine whether a student lives in a low-participation neighbourhood for the purposes of eligibility for bursaries; and if he will make a statement.

    Joseph Johnson

    Universities wishing to charge fees above the basic fee level must agree an access agreement with the independent Director of Fair Access, setting out the support they will give to students from disadvantaged backgrounds. The Director of Fair Access has said that universities should use any evidence they have about the impact of financial support on widening participation when making decisions on their support packages. They should also include details of the evidence used in their access agreements.

    It is for universities themselves to decide the criteria for awarding bursaries and, in respect of students from disadvantaged backgrounds, to set these out in their access agreement. Each university will decide its criteria taking into account the make-up of its own student body and its individual mission.

  • Matthew Offord – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Matthew Offord – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2015-10-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations his Department has made to the Palestinian Authority on its involvement in direct peace talks without preconditions with the Israeli government.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The UK has made clear, in conversations with the Palestinian Authority, that the best way to achieve a two-state solution is through negotiations. However, in order to achieve this, there must be an environment conducive to peace, and that is why we are urging all parties to de-escalate current tensions across Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

    The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymead and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) emphasised the importance of resolving the current tensions when he spoke to President Abbas on 9 October. On 8 October, our Consul General in Jerusalem raised our concerns with President Abbas’ political adviser, Majdi Khaldi; Palestinian chief negotiator and Secretary-General of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation, Sa’eb Erekat; and the Palestinian Chief of Police, Hazem Attallah; as well as with Amal Jadou, Palestinian Assistant Minister for European Affairs, on 21 October.

  • Fabian Hamilton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Fabian Hamilton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fabian Hamilton on 2015-10-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps UK diplomatic posts in China have taken under his Department’s 2010-2015 Strategy for the Abolition of the Death Penalty.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    We have continued to urge the Chinese authorities to reduce their use of the death penalty, and did so during the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue in April. Through our network of diplomatic posts, the UK is working with Chinese legal experts and the Chinese judiciary to support legislative and judicial reforms to limit the use of the death penalty. We have supported a number of specific projects with the purpose of encouraging debate on the death penalty, providing information about global trends, and proposing alternatives in penal policy.

  • Justin Madders – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Justin Madders – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2015-10-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress has been made with delivering £22 billion of efficiency savings in the NHS identified in its five-year forward plan.

    Alistair Burt

    The Government is committed to investing £10 billion to fund the National Health Service’s own plan for the future, and the NHS needs to deliver efficiency savings in order to live within its means.

    Since May 2015, the Government has taken action to help hospitals clamp down on excessive agency staffing costs, use of management consultants and fees charged by lawyers. Lord Carter’s interim report has outlined how hospitals can save around £5 billion by reducing variations in the way operations and treatments are carried out. Further programmes at work are under way in partnership with NHS England and others.

    The Department is working together with the health service, our partners and patients to further develop the programme required to fully achieve the efficiency savings set out in the Five Year Forward View.