Category: Speeches

  • Andrew Griffiths – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Andrew Griffiths – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Griffiths on 2015-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on the number of registered sex offenders who travel abroad each year.

    Lynne Featherstone

    Public protection is a priority for this government, and the notification requirements for registered sex offenders form an invaluable tool in the management of offenders within the community. The UK has some of the toughest
    powers in the world to deal with sex offenders and we are committed to ensuring that the system is as robust as it can be.

    In 2012 this government extended and strengthened the system, including requiring offenders subject to the to the notification requirements to notify the police of all foreign travel.

    Registered sex offenders are managed by the local police force, and data on the number of registered sex offenders who travel abroad are not held centrally.

  • Nigel Dodds – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Nigel Dodds – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2015-01-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to provide retraining opportunities for (a) former employees of City Link and (b) others who have been made redundant in the parcel delivery sector.

    Esther McVey

    Jobcentre Plus through its Rapid Response Service (RRS) aims to address the effects of redundancies on individuals and the local community by helping those affected move into alternative employment quickly.

    RRS offers a range of support, tailored at a local level to the needs of the individual and the local labour market.

    Former City Link employees, or any other employee who has been made redundant in the parcel delivery sector would be eligible for RRS support and anyone who approaches their local Jobcentre will be advised and directed accordingly.

    In Scotland and Wales, RRS support is delivered in partnership with Skills Development Scotland (Partnership Action for Continuing Employment) and the Welsh Assembly Government (Redundancy Action Scheme), respectively. The Department for Employment and Learning, Northern Ireland (DELNI) leads support there. Each service is similarly serving the needs of City Link employees based there.

    Both DWP and BIS continue to work with the Administrator Ernst & Young and trade unions to see how we might further assist and support City Link employees in their movement back into employment.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Greg Mulholland – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-01-13.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many businesses were ordered by the Financial Services Ombudsman to award consumers fair compensation up to the £100,000 limit in each year from 2001 to 2011.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The issues raised are a matter for the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) who are operationally independent from Government.

    These questions have been passed on to the FOS. The FOS will reply directly to the honourable member by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Tebbit on 2015-02-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 5 February (HL4559), whether they consider it to be in the interests of the United Kingdom to remain in the European Union in its existing form of membership.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The UK’s membership of the European Union brings many benefits to the UK, including jobs and investment, free access to the largest common market in the world and a strong collective voice to negotiate free trade agreements. EU Membership also gives the UK greater international influence on global threats such as climate change and Ebola. The Government’s position remains clear: the EU must reform to become more competitive, democratically accountable and fair for those inside and outside the Eurozone. The need for reform is widely recognised among EU Member States and the Government has already shown that it is possible, through our success in cutting the EU budget, reforming the Common Fisheries Policy, reducing the burden of EU regulation on business and ending the UK’s bailout obligations.

  • Lord West of Spithead – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    Lord West of Spithead – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2015-02-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government who is responsible for the maintenance of buildings, parapets, and statues on Horse Guards Parade.

    Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

    The Royal Parks Agency is responsible for Horse Guards Parade Ground as it forms part of the Royal Park. They also have responsibility for the maintenance of the following statues and structures.

    – Earl Mountbatten Statue

    – Field Marshal Earl Kitchener Statue

    – Field Marshal Earl Roberts Statue

    – Viscount Wolseley Statue

    – Cadiz Mortar

    – Ottoman Gun

    A Charitable organisation, the Committee for the Royal Naval Division Memorial is responsible for the maintenance of the Royal Naval Division Memorial. However, the Foreign and Commonwealth office has an agreement to maintain the costs of the water supply and the costs of cleaning the memorial.

  • Lord Green of Deddington – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Green of Deddington – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Green of Deddington on 2015-02-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of the increase in successive censuses since 1961 in the number of households in England and Wales they consider to be due to net international migration.

    Lord Wallace of Saltaire

    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply and attached a copy of the response.

  • Ian Lavery – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Ian Lavery – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Lavery on 2015-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether any former officials his Department have taken employment with Rio Tinto plc in the last five years.

    Jo Swinson

    The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) does not hold details of the future employment arrangements of all employees leaving BIS. The Business Appointment Rules (BAR) apply to civil servants who intend to take up an appointment or employment after leaving the Civil Service. These currently apply to members of the Senior Civil Service for two years after their last day of service, and for more junior employees they apply for one year. We have no record of any applications under the BAR for employment with Rio Tinto plc in the last five years.

  • Ian Lavery – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Ian Lavery – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Lavery on 2015-02-11.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether any employees of Rio Tinto plc were seconded to his Department in the last five years.

    Andrea Leadsom

    No employees of Rio Tinto plc have been seconded into HM Treasury in the last 5 years.

  • Stephen Lloyd – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Stephen Lloyd – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Lloyd on 2015-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many electricity customers switched to an independent supplier in each month of 2014.

    Matthew Hancock

    Ahead of the Government’s ‘Power to Switch’ campaign to encourage people to switch supplier and save money the most recent industry switching data produced by Energy UK and Electralink shows the number of electricity customers switching to in an independent supplier in each month of 2014 to be:

    Jan-14

    86,253

    Feb-14

    90,056

    Mar-14

    101,002

    Apr-14

    119,022

    May-14

    108,904

    Jun-14

    99,199

    Jul-14

    82,690

    Aug-14

    84,107

    Sep-14

    113,883

    Oct-14

    114,275

    Nov-14

    85,741

    Dec-14

    70,364
  • Russell Brown – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Russell Brown – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Russell Brown on 2015-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what scope joint committees of NHS England and clinical commissioning groups will have to deviate from national service specifications for specialised services in (a) 2015-16 and (b) future years.

    Jane Ellison

    NHS England is the accountable commissioner and budget holder for all specialised services as set out in the National Health Service Commissioning Board and Clinical Commissioning Groups (Responsibilities and Standing Rules) Regulations 2012, with the Manual for prescribed specialised services providing further detail.

    NHS England has achieved significant progress in developing a set of nationally consistent service standards and commissioning policies, which ensure equity of access to high quality services across the board. Those standards and policies will continue to apply for those specialised services which are to be collaboratively commissioned by NHS England and clinical commissioning groups.

    NHS England is currently in the process of agreeing the guidance on the collaborative commissioning arrangements which will be in place from 1 April 2015.

    NHS England has clarified that where there are collaboratively commissioned services, NHS England will retain the full financial risk for these services for 2015/16. NHS England has advised us that there will be further work conducted over the next year to advise on the range of specialised services for which NHS England should remain the accountable commissioner and budget holder for 2016/17 and future years.

    Copies of The National Health Service Commissioning Board and Clinical Commissioning Groups (Responsibilities and Standing Rules) Regulations 2012 and the Manual for prescribed specialised services are attached.