Category: Speeches

  • Imran Hussain – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Imran Hussain – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he and his Department have had with the Indian government on recent violence in Kashmir.

    Alok Sharma

    I remain very concerned by reports of violence and offer my condolences to the victims and their families. The United Kingdom abides by its commitments under international law and expects all countries to comply with their international legal obligations. Our High Commission in Delhi is monitoring the situation closely and we have changed our travel advice. The long standing position of the UK is that it is for India and Pakistan to find a lasting resolution to the situation in Kashmir, taking into account the wishes of the Kashmiri people. It is not for the UK to prescribe a solution or to act as a mediator.

  • Tim Farron – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Tim Farron – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Farron on 2016-10-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many NHS England operations were cancelled in 2015 due to doctor illness.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The information requested is not collected centrally.

  • Zac Goldsmith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Zac Goldsmith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Zac Goldsmith on 2015-11-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will require Heathrow Airport Limited to respond publicly to the recommendations of the Airport Commission that, in order to mitigate the effects of a third runway at Heathrow, (a) there should be a commitment in Parliament not to build a fourth runway, (b) there should be a ban on all scheduled night flights in the period 11.30pm to 6.00am, (c) a third runway should allow periods of predictable respite to be more reliably maintained and (d) additional operations at an expanded Heathrow Airport must be contingent on acceptable performance on air quality.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Government has yet to decide on the need for additional airport capacity and will not make any decisions on the next steps until it has considered the large amount of very detailed analysis contained in the Airports Commission’s final report.

    That being said, the Government recognises that effective mitigation measures to assuage any adverse effects airports may have on the surrounding environment and communities is essential to the success of any major airport; this allows everyone to share in the benefits airport expansion can bring.

  • Mike Weir – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Mike Weir – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Weir on 2015-12-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect on travellers with bookings to (a) Sharm el Sheikh and (b) other destinations in the Middle East of the period within which the right to penalty-free cancellation can be ascertained being within 14 days of travel.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    On 4 November 2015, we amended our Travel Advice to advise against all but essential travel by air to Sharm el-Sheikh. We have not changed our Travel Advice for the resort itself.

    The FCO Travel Advice, available at www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, provides objective information and advice to help individuals make better-informed decisions about their travel. The Egypt page has been regularly updated to reflect developing events since the crash of the Russian airliner on 31 October. We regularly review our Travel Advice and all changes are made after careful analysis. Our only consideration is the safety of British Nationals.

    The FCO is working with DfT and Egyptian counterparts to put in place permanent and sustainable measures to allow British flights to Sharm el-Sheikh to resume as soon as possible.

    Refunds and cancellation penalties are a matter for the airlines. We are liaising closely with airlines to share information about the progress of our discussions with Egypt.

  • Richard Benyon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Richard Benyon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Benyon on 2016-01-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will discuss with the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (a) providing more funding through and (b) improving the effectiveness of the feed-in tariff incentive regime for smaller on-site anaerobic digestion in order to encourage cost-effective on-site treatment of food and farming residues and to reduce carbon emissions from the production of food.

    George Eustice

    The Government is committed to cost-effective decarbonisation of our electricity supply as well as protecting consumer bills by controlling costs passed on to consumers through their energy bills. Officials in Defra and the Department of Energy and Climate Change are currently working closely together in considering levels of support for anaerobic digestion through the Feed-in Tariff scheme and a consultation will be published in the coming months.

  • Rob Marris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Rob Marris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rob Marris on 2016-02-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to respond to the letter to her Department from the hon. Member for Wolverhampton South West of 22 December 2015 on the subject of constituents’ British Nationality, reference ZA1837.

    James Brokenshire

    A response was provided on 5 February 2016.

  • Peter Kyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Peter Kyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2016-03-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many passengers have received payments from Southern’s enhanced compensation scheme since it’s introduction as a result of the disruption caused at London Bridge from work on the Thameslink Programme.

    Claire Perry

    We do not hold this information as the operator is under no obligation to provide it to us.

  • Charles Walker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Charles Walker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charles Walker on 2016-03-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he plans to take to ensure that no bank accounts of military personnel are closed as a result of the Fourth Money Laundering Directive while they are on active service; and if he will make a statement.

    Mark Lancaster

    There is no reason why the bank accounts of any military personnel would be closed as a result of the Fourth Money Laundering Directive, whether or not they were on active service, unless financial institutions suspected individuals of fraudulent activity.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-04-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Security at the Home Office in the sitting of the Investigatory Powers Bill of 26 April 2016, column 549, PBC (Bill 143) 2015-16, how many details of medical records the security and intelligence services hold; what the definition of medical records was for the purposes of that contribution; and whether the intelligence and security services attain medical records directly from those who hold them.

    Mr John Hayes

    The Investigatory Powers Bill significantly strengthens the safeguards in relation to the security and intelligence agencies’ retention and use of bulk personal datasets through the requirement for warrants subject to the ‘double-lock’ of Secretary of State and judicial approval.

    The security and intelligence agencies do not hold medical records as part of their bulk personal datasets. Medical records are a collection of confidential medical information about the mental or physical health of individuals compiled by a medical professional and held by a medical institution.

    The agencies may only acquire information where it is necessary for the proper discharge of their statutory functions and the retention of each bulk personal dataset is subject to strict handling arrangements to ensure that they are only retained where it is necessary and proportionate to do so.The Government cannot provide further details on the datasets that the agencies hold or how they are acquired as to do so would undermine the agencies’ ability to protect national security and prevent and disrupt serious crime.

  • Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-06-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the budget is for GP services in (a) Southampton, (b) NHS West London Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), (c) NHS North Manchester CCG and (d) West Hampshire CCG in 2016-17.

    Alistair Burt

    The budget for general practitioner services in NHS Southampton Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), NHS West London CCG, NHS North Manchester CCG and West Hampshire CCG for 2016-17 is published in the primary care medical allocations data and can be accessed via the following link:

    https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/pc-medical-allocations.pdf

    (Source: NHS England)