Category: Speeches

  • Sheila Gilmore – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Sheila Gilmore – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sheila Gilmore on 2014-02-27.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many pagers have been provided to staff by his Department since May 2010; and what the cost to the Department was of providing those pagers.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    As was the case prior to the last General Election various officials are provided with pagers when there is a business case to do so. We do not hold details centrally of when pagers were purchased but currently spend £360 a month on the services.

  • Helen Goodman – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Helen Goodman – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2014-02-24.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will place in the Library all correspondence between his Department and other departments on the matter of union subscription check off.

    Mr Francis Maude

    In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of internal discussions and correspondence are not usually disclosed.

  • Mr Kevan Jones – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Mr Kevan Jones – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mr Kevan Jones on 2014-02-12.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the size, in square metres, of the offices assigned to each of his Department’s Ministers is; and how many officials, at what grade, work in the private offices of each of his Department’s Ministers.

    Andrea Leadsom

    I can confirm that Ministers have a total of 256.08 sq m of office space currently assigned to them.

    In total, there are 35staff working in ministerial offices, compared to 38 members of staff in 2009. This is as follows:

    Range B: 6

    Range C: 8

    Range D: 13

    Range E: 5

    Range E2: 2

    SCS: 1

    These figures are based on the latest data available for staffing numbers for HMT Treasury as of May 2014.

  • Sadiq Khan – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Sadiq Khan – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sadiq Khan on 2014-01-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the average proportion of market rent of all affordable housing is in each London borough.

    Kris Hopkins

    I have placed in the Library of the House, a table showing affordable and social rents as a proportion of market rents, for each London borough.

    The affordable rent model allows for more new affordable housing to be delivered with lower levels of taxpayer capital subsidy and by levering in more private investment. The programme is helping deliver £15 billion of private investment in new affordable housing over the current spending review, alongside £4.5 billion of public investment. Social rent and affordable rent go hand in hand; both help provide accommodation for those on low incomes.

    As the National Audit Office has observed: “the Department selected the best delivery model open to it for the funds it had available” and “the Department has so far achieved its policy objective to maximise the number of homes delivered within the available grant funding” (National Audit Office, “Financial viability of the social housing sector: introducing the Affordable Homes Programme”, 4 July 2012, HC465, pp.6-7).

    I note in his recent Fabian Society pamphlet, the rt. hon. Member has complained that affordable rent would result in rents of 80 per cent of market rents in London. Whilst it varies by borough, as the table shows, for example, affordable rent levels are 38 per cent of average local market rents in Camden, 48 per cent in Islington, 54 per cent in Southwark and 35 per cent in Westminster, reflecting local circumstances.

    I also observe that the housing policy announced at the Labour Party Conference in October 2012 also endorsed the use of affordable rents to build new homes; albeit this point is frequently lost on many Labour hon. Members who proceed to attack the basic principle of affordable rent in allowing more new affordable homes to be built using taxpayer capital subsidy.

  • Gregg McClymont – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Gregg McClymont – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregg McClymont on 2013-05-08.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what discussions he has had with officials in his Department on how the accounting officers’ conventions would apply to investment in Scotland in advance of the referendum on Scottish independence in 2014.

    Danny Alexander

    I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Treasury.

    The UK Government is not planning for independence as it believes that people in Scotland will vote to remain within the UK. As such, the Government has made no assessment of the risk of losses to the public purse, and has no plans to change accounting officers conventions

  • Catherine McKinnell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    Catherine McKinnell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine McKinnell on 2015-10-19.

    To ask the Attorney General, what estimate he has made of the costs awarded to the Crown Prosecution Service under the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985 in (a) each financial year since 2010 and (b) 2015-16 to date.

    Robert Buckland

    The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not maintain data on the value of costs awarded to the CPS but does have data on the value of costs recovered following the award of costs.

    A table showing the value of costs recovered and paid to the CPS, following the award of costs under the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985, in (a) each financial year since 2010 and (b) 2015-16 to date is presented below.

    2015/16

    2014/15

    2013/14

    2012/13

    2011/12

    2010/11

    2009/10

    (Qtr 1)

    Costs recovered (£M)

    10.7

    35.3

    37.7

    39.6

    42.3

    44.6

    40.6

    The value of costs recovered has reduced in total but has increased in terms of the average cost recovered per defendant since 2010/11. The total CPS caseload has also reduced since 2010. This reduction in CPS caseload is due, in part, to the transfer of prosecutions from the CPS to the police as part of the police led prosecution initiative.

    Notes: The figures in the table are compiled from returns sent to the CPS by HM Courts and Tribunals Service. The amount reported for 2015/16 reflects the first quarter’s returns only. Returns for the second quarter are not yet available.

  • 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 2015-10-19.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Champion is taking to ensure (a) improved engagement and (b) increased promotion rates of under-represented groups.

    Matthew Hancock

    To govern modern Britain, the Civil Service needs to look and sound likemodern Britain. We need access to the broadest possible pool of talent, drawing on peoplefrom all backgrounds and all parts of the country.

    We have published the Talent Action Plan which introduced the ‘Removing Barriers to Success’ programme’, overseen by the Diversity and Inclusion Champion, Sue Owen. We have introduced Shared Parental Leave, launched the Civil Service Job Share Finder and made sure all-male shortlists and selection panels for senior positions are by exception only. We are also increasing the number of places on our development programme aimed at disabled, BAME and LGB&T Civil Servants from 200 to 1000.

    We are also implementing a number of initiatives to recruit individuals from lower socio-economic backgrounds onto the Fast Stream and Fast Track Apprenticeship schemes, including internship programmes, schools and colleges mentoring and discovery days, work experience programmes and engagement with universities with a high representation of lower socio-economic students.

  • Stephen Hammond – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Stephen Hammond – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Hammond on 2015-10-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department has taken to prepare for the implementation of the proposed General Data Protection Regulation; which non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) and agencies overseen by his Department will be affected by that regulation; and what estimate he has made of the potential liability of his Department, its agencies and NDPBs in connection with that proposed regulation.

    Brandon Lewis

    Negotiations on the proposed General Data Protection Regulation are still continuing and our negotiating position has taken into account the likely impact on Government Departments, NDPBs and agencies. Once the outcome of trilogue negotiations between the Council of the European Union, the European Parliament and the Commission are complete, and the Regulation has been adopted, the liabilities will be further assessed. There will then follow a maximum implementation period of two years. Between now and then, Government departments who will be affected by the Regulation are closely involved in work led by the Department for Culture, Mediaand Sport to consider the implications of the text as it develops through the negotiating process.

  • Andrew Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Andrew Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, in which countries UK defence attachés are posted.

    Mr Julian Brazier

    There are resident Defence Attachés in the following countries:

    Afghanistan – Kabul

    Algeria – Algiers

    Argentina – Buenos Aires

    Australia – Canberra

    Austria – Vienna

    Bahrain – Manama

    Estonia – Tallinn

    Bangladesh – Dhaka

    Bosnia and Herzegovina – Sarajevo

    Brazil – Brasilia

    Brunei – Bandar Seri Begawan

    Burma – Rangoon

    Canada – Ottawa

    Chile – Santiago

    China – Beijing

    Colombia – Bogota

    Croatia – Zagreb

    Cyprus – Nicosia

    Czech Republic – Prague

    Denmark – Copenhagen

    Egypt – Cairo

    Ethiopia – Addis Ababa

    France – Paris

    Georgia – Tbilisi

    Germany – Berlin

    Ghana – Accra

    Greece – Athens

    India – New Delhi

    Indonesia – Jakarta

    Iraq – Baghdad

    Ireland – Dublin

    Israel – Tel Aviv

    Italy – Rome

    Jamaica – Kingston

    Japan – Tokyo

    Jordan – Amman

    Kazakhstan – Astana

    Kenya – Nairobi

    Korea – Seoul

    Kuwait – Kuwait City

    Lebanon – Beirut

    Libya – Tripoli

    Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia – Skopje

    Malaysia – Kuala Lumpur

    Mexico – Mexico City

    Morocco – Rabat

    Nepal – Kathmandu

    Netherlands – The Hague

    New Zealand – Wellington

    Nigeria – Abuja

    Norway – Oslo

    Oman – Muscat

    Pakistan – Islamabad

    Poland – Warsaw

    Qatar – Doha

    Romania – Bucharest

    Russia – Moscow

    Saudi Arabia – Riyadh

    Serbia – Belgrade

    Sierra Leone – Freetown

    Singapore – Singapore City

    Somalia – Mogadishu

    South Africa – Pretoria

    South Sudan – Juba

    Spain – Madrid

    Sudan – Khartoum

    Sweden – Stockholm

    Thailand – Bangkok

    Turkey – Ankara

    Uganda – Kampala

    Ukraine – Kyiv

    United Arab Emirates – Abu Dhabi

    United States of America – UK Mission to UN

    United States of America – Washington

    Uzbekistan – Tashkent

    Vietnam – Hanoi

    Yemen – Sana’a

    Zimbabwe – Harare

    There is Non-Resident Accreditation for a further 82 countries.

  • Alan Brown – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Alan Brown – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2015-10-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 15 October 2015 to Question 11023, how many developers are developing proposals at each of the sites referred to in that Answer; what indicative electricity strike rates have been discussed with those developers; and what (a) generating capacity and (b) potential timescales have been discussed with each developer in each case.

    Andrea Leadsom

    I set out the position below. It is too soon to say what any strike price might be for these projects.

    Site

    Developer

    Proposed generating capacity

    Potential timescale for operation

    Wylfa

    Horizon

    2.7 GW

    mid-2020s

    Oldbury

    Horizon

    2.7 GW

    to be confirmed

    Moorside

    NuGen

    3.6 GW

    mid-2020s

    Sizewell

    EDF/CGN

    3.2 GW

    to be confirmed

    Bradwell

    EDF/CGN

    to be confirmed

    to be confirmed