Category: Speeches

  • 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, pursuant to the Answer of 26 March 2015 to Question 228756, when his Department plans to publish statistics on the performance of the Help to Work scheme.

    Priti Patel

    Statistics on Help to Work will be published on 22nd October 2015.

    The first release covers the number of referrals to each of the three interventions in the Help to Work programme and starts to the Community Work Placement element of Help to Work. The statistics can be found at:
    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/help-to-work-quarterly-statistics

    “

  • Gavin Shuker – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Gavin Shuker – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Shuker on 2015-10-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports he has received on human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    I am aware of concerns about human rights violations on both sides of the Line of Control. We have consistently maintained that any allegations of human rights abuses should be investigated thoroughly, promptly and transparently.

  • Lord Hylton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Hylton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-10-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what evidence, if any, they have received about the use of illegal rocket-propelled cluster bombs by Saudi Arabia in Yemen; and whether they have made representations to Saudi Arabia on that subject.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We are aware of recent reports that the Saudi Arabian led Coalition may have used cluster munitions in Yemen. We note that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is not yet a state party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, but have encouraged Saudi Arabia to accede to the Convention. The British Government has always been clear that any action taken must be in accordance with International Humanitarian law (IHL). We have raised our concerns with the Saudi Arabian government and the Houthis and have received repeated assurances of their IHL compliance.

  • Lord West of Spithead – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord West of Spithead – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2015-10-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what policies they have in place (1) for the protection of the Exclusive Economic Zones around the United Kingdom’s worldwide dependencies, and (2) to ensure maximum economic advantage for the United Kingdom and its dependencies from those waters and seabed.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The British Government is committed to protecting the marine environment of the Overseas Territories. As part of this work we plan to work with the Overseas Territories to create “blue belts” to help manage their dynamic and important ecosystems in a way which effectively balances environmental protection and economic potential. This will help the UK to meet its international obligations under the Convention on Biological Diversity, which aims to protect ten per cent of marine waters globally. In support of this goal the UK has, in addition, declared a full no take Marine Protected Area around the British Indian Ocean Territory and a sustainable use Marine Protected Area in South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.

    The Overseas Territories are responsible for managing their terrestrial and marine environments, including their economic potential. The UK is responsible in international law for compliance with international obligations.

  • Brendan O’Hara – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    Brendan O’Hara – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Brendan O’Hara on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Attorney General, pursuant to the Oral Statement by the Prime Minister on 7 September 2015, Official Report, column 26, on what dates he was consulted on the legal basis for drone strikes in Syria.

    Jeremy Wright

    I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to the questions from the Hon. Member for Brighton Pavilion on the 12th of October 2015: (http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2015-09-16/10466/)

    “

  • Owen Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Owen Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Owen Smith on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment the Government has made of the potential effect on productivity of increasing the minimum wage.

    Nick Boles

    The Government will publish a full Impact Assessment alongside draft regulations to implement the National Living Wage.

    As noted in Summer Budget 2015, at a firm level there is some evidence that previous increases in minimum wages in low paying firms may have been associated with increases in productivity.

    Additionally, the Office for Budget Responsibility has published an estimate of the aggregate impact on productivity due to compositional change in the economy. They estimate an increase in hourly productivity in 2020 of 0.3 percentage points through this mechanism.

  • Mark Garnier – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Mark Garnier – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Garnier on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effect on local councils of the revaluation of business rates levied on GP surgeries.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    Information on the business rates paid by GP surgeries is not held centrally. My Department continues to work with authorities affected by the business rates appeals on GP surgeries to understand the impact on local authority finances.

    Under the business rates retention scheme, local authorities or pools of local authorities are protected against significant declines in business rates income through a safety net that guarantees income at 92.5% of baseline funding.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-10-13.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the reasons are for the timing of his Department’s sale of the remaining £2 billion of Lloyds’ shares.

    Harriett Baldwin

    The Chancellor of the Exchequer stated his intention to return Lloyds Banking Group to the private sector over the coming year in his Mansion House speech of June 2015. The proposal to launch a retail sale in Spring 2016 is consistent with this commitment.

    The Government is determined to build a share-owning democracy and to continue to reduce the national debt by making Lloyds shares available to the public. Final decisions around the timing of a sale are dependent on market conditions, among other factors.

  • Nigel Adams – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Nigel Adams – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Adams on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that payment of royalties is made by platform providers to broadcasters as well as to the rights-holders of programmes.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The Government’s consultation on the balance of payments between pay TV platforms and Public Service Broadcasters (PSBs) closed on 30 June 2015. The consultation examined the flow of payments between PSBs and pay TV platforms, and whether regulations relating to these transactions are necessary to ensure broadcasters can deliver the highest quality content, at the best price, to the widest possible audience. Department for Culture, Media and Sport officials are now analysing with a view to publishing a Government response in due course.

  • Stewart Jackson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Stewart Jackson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stewart Jackson on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with armed forces charities on the payment of lump sum compensation payments to veterans with mesothelioma; and if he will make a statement.

    Mark Lancaster

    The Government has continuously made compensation available under the War Pensions Scheme (WPS) for injuries, illness or disease caused by service before 6 April 2005, including mesothelioma. The scheme provides veterans who have mesothelioma with the maximum income stream and additional supplementary allowances, and, where appropriate, entitlement to dependent’s benefits.

    During the last Central Advisory Committee on Compensation (CAC) Meeting on 17 June ex-Service organisations were updated on our consideration of whether any flexibility could be provided for future mesothelioma claimants under the WPS. Detailed consideration has continued, including discussion with other Government Departments, and we expect to update the charities at the forthcoming CAC Meeting in December.