Category: Speeches

  • Alistair Carmichael – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Alistair Carmichael – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alistair Carmichael on 2015-10-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Syrian refugees arrived in the UK through the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation scheme in September 2015.

    Richard Harrington

    Since the first arrivals in March 2014 to the end of June 2015, 216 people were relocated to the UK under the Syrian Vulnerable Person Resettlement scheme.

    Our statistics will be published quarterly and we will not be giving a running commentary on numbers. Our prime concern is the safety and protection of these very vulnerable people as they arrive in this country. We believe that the best way to protect their privacy and ensure their recovery and integration is to limit the amount of information about them that we make publicly available.

    The Prime Minister has said that we want to see 1,000 Syrian refugees brought to the UK by Christmas. The Government is working closely with local authorities, international delivery partners and the voluntary sector, putting in place the plans and structures to deliver this and ensuring the system is scaled up in a way that protects the interests of all concerned.

  • Gavin Newlands – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Gavin Newlands – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Newlands on 2015-10-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of her Department’s landlords’ checking service before the right to rent scheme is rolled out nationally.

    James Brokenshire

    The Government has carried out an evaluation of phase one of the Right to Rent scheme in Birmingham, Walsall, Sandwell, Dudley and Wolverhampton. This includes assessment of the implementation of the Landlords Checking Service. The findings of the evaluation were published on 20 October and will inform extension of the scheme. The evaluation can be found at the following link : https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/evaluation-of-the-right-to-rent-scheme

  • Rushanara Ali – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Rushanara Ali – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rushanara Ali on 2015-10-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the government of Burma on the possible postponement of elections in that country.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    None. Burma’s Union Election Commission consulted the main political parties on 13 October over the possibility of a postponement to the 8 November general election because of flooding, but decided against such a postponement shortly thereafter.

  • Liam Byrne – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Liam Byrne – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Byrne on 2015-10-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many of the recommendations of the report on children in military custody published by his Department in June 2012 have been implemented.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    Since the publication of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office funded independent report on Children in Military Custody in June 2012, there has been some progress on the issue of children held in military detention.

    Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv held roundtable meetings with Israeli officials, most recently on 19 May. These meetings confirmed that progress is being made including a pilot to use summons instead of night-time arrests, changes to standard operating procedures on methods of restraint, and steps to reduce the amount of time a child can be detained before seeing a judge. Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv continue to push for further progress with Israeli officials.

    On 2 June, the Minister of State, my noble Friend the right hon. Baroness Anelay of St Johns met the Israeli Military Advocate General and the Israeli Ambassador to London where the issue of child detention was discussed. She made clear that while we welcome improvements, we continue to push for the full implementation of changes and to encourage further changes in practice.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Gregory Campbell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2015-10-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the implications for his Department’s policy are of the recent study funded by the Institute of Cancer Research and published in Nature Medicine of bowel cancer being regarded as four district diseases.

    Jane Ellison

    The Independent Cancer Taskforce published its report Achieving World-Class Cancer Outcomes A Strategy for England in July this year. The report proposes six strategic priorities for the next five years. These include rolling out a molecular diagnostics service which is nationally-commissioned and regionally delivered, enabling more personalised prevention, screening and treatment. NHS England is now working with partners across the health system to consider how best to take forward the taskforce’s proposals.

  • Dr Tania Mathias – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Dr Tania Mathias – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dr Tania Mathias on 2015-10-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to protect women visiting pregnancy advisory centres and residents living near such centres from harassment.

    Mike Penning

    I refer my Hon. Friend to the answer I gave to 5385 on 13 July 2015.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Greg Mulholland – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-10-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the membership of the Community Engagement Forum is.

    Mr John Hayes

    The Community Engagement Forum met for the first time on 13 October. Attendance at forum meetings will rotate to allow ministers to hear directly from a wide range of individuals and groups taking a leading role in challenging extremism in our communities.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Caroline Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2015-10-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information she holds on surveillance of hon. Members’ communications; and if she will make a statement.

    Mr John Hayes

    The Government’s position on the Wilson Doctrine was set out by the Prime Minister in a written ministerial statement made on 4 November 2015.

    As the Prime Minister made clear, the Wilson Doctrine has never been an absolute bar to the targeted interception of the communications of Members of Parliament or an exemption from the legal regime governing interception. The Doctrine recognised that there could be instances where interception might be necessary.

    The Prime Minister announced that as matter of policy the PM will be consulted should there ever be a proposal to target any UK Parliamentarian’s communications under a warrant issued by a Secretary of State. This applies to Members of Parliament, members of the House of Lords, the Scottish Parliament, the Northern Ireland Assembly, the Welsh Assembly and UK members of the European Parliament. It applies to all activity authorised by a warrant issued by a Secretary of State: any instance of targeted interception and, electronic surveillance and equipment interference, when undertaken by the Security and Intelligence Agencies. This is in addition to the rigorous safeguards already in the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA) and the Code of Practice issued under it which set out a series of robust safeguards for any instance of interception.

    It is long standing policy of successive Governments neither to confirm nor deny any specific activity by the Security and Intelligence Agencies. Under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 it is an offence for anyone to identify an individual interception warrant or an individual interception that takes place.

  • Ben Howlett – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Ben Howlett – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ben Howlett on 2015-10-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending the use of trams to increase low-carbon travel.

    Andrew Jones

    In the right circumstances, this Government supports light rail and other types of urban transit. They can play an important role in our local transport networks, help reduce congestion, reduce carbon emissions and increase low carbon travel. Introducing a light rail system is a local matter for the relevant local authority and Local Economic Partnership to consider based on their needs and funding priorities.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-10-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people who were affected by the benefit cap in August 2015 have been affected by the benefit cap at any point since September 2013.

    Justin Tomlinson

    Benefit cap statistics for the period to August 2015 have been pre-announced for publication on 5th November 2015.