Category: Speeches

  • Mr Angus Brendan MacNeil – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Mr Angus Brendan MacNeil – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mr Angus Brendan MacNeil on 2014-03-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of air passengers showing passports to UK Border agents are from Schengen area countries.

    James Brokenshire

    This information is not available from Border Force systems.

    Additionally, it is not in the interests of border and national security to disclose either the specific information held on Home Office Systems, or details relating to the volumes of data.

  • Alison McGovern – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Alison McGovern – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison McGovern on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the cost of providing a BSL interpreter for each individual needing one to fill an access to work position adequately.

    Mike Penning

    Access to Work is a discretionary grant award designed to assist disabled people and their employers to overcome individual barriers encountered at work. We assess thecosts for all awards, including those for BSL interpreter support, against the specific needs of individual customers. As such, there is no single estimate of the cost of the support the scheme provides.      

  • Philip Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Philip Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2014-03-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many defendants (a) elected jury trial at the Crown Court for either way offences where magistrates had accepted jurisdiction and deemed the case to be suitable for summary trial and (b) were sent to the Crown Court for trial by magistrates declining jurisdiction over the case in each of the last three years.

    Shailesh Vara

    The answers to both questions are contained in the following tables:

  • Mike Weir – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Deputy Prime Minister

    Mike Weir – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Deputy Prime Minister

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Weir on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will publish the findings of all market research on attitudes in Scotland towards Scottish independence and related matters commissioned by the Devolution Team in his Department since May 2011.

    Greg Clark

    The UK Government regularly commissions independent research to inform and evaluate major policy programmes. Cabinet Office has contracted Ipsos MORI for the purposes of providing market research in relation to the Scotland Analysis Programme. Two formal tenders for this research were issued in March and August 2013 respectively and, as with other tenders for Government contracts, these processes were managed by the Government Procurement Service (now part of the Crown Commercial Service).

    Cabinet Office has also contracted Engine Partners LLP for the purposes of providing communications support work in relation to the Scottish independence referendum. A formal tender for this work was issued in September 2013 and was managed by the Government Procurement Service.

    As part of the Government’s commitment to transparency in expenditure information relating to the costs of both sets of work is publicly available at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-spend-data

    “

  • Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Speaker’s Committee on the Electorial Commission

    Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Speaker’s Committee on the Electorial Commission

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-03-10.

    To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission, what assessment the Electoral Commission has made on the viability of permitting people to vote in any polling station in their constituency or local authority area.

    Gary Streeter

    The Electoral Commission informs me that permitting people to vote electronically at any polling station within a specific ward or local authority area was piloted by a number of English local authorities between 2002 and 2007 as part of the previous UK Government’s electoral pilot scheme programme.

    The Commission’s statutory evaluation of the pilot schemes concluded that while some people welcomed the convenience of “vote anywhere” polling stations, the impact on turnout was minimal and there were significant technical problems associated with the facility in some areas.

    The Commission has recommended that there should be no further piloting of electronic voting – including “vote anywhere” polling stations – without the development of a wider electoral modernisation strategy, which should take account of the specific risks related to electronic voting, as well as its cost-effectiveness and likely impact on public trust.

  • Tom Watson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Tom Watson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 29 April 2014, Official Report, column 636W, on the Air Force, whether any such UK personnel are embedded or otherwise interact with the US Air Force’s 17th Reconnaissance Squadron.

    Mr Mark Francois

    732nd is an Operations Group which comprises four Reconnaissance Squadron’s – 17th, 22nd, 30th and 867th. No UK Remotely Piloted Air System personnel are embedded with, or interact with the 732nd Operations Group Squadrons.

  • Lord Mendelsohn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Mendelsohn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mendelsohn on 2014-03-06.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many staff are currently employed for more than 50 per cent of their working week to support the Permanent Secretary of the Department for Education in his role as Accounting Officer; and what are their job titles.

    Lord Nash

    A large proportion of the staff who work in the Department for Education support the Permanent Secretary in his role as Accounting Officer.

    The information requested about those who do so for more than 50% of their working week is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

  • Paul Uppal – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Paul Uppal – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Uppal on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Iranian counterpart about the destruction of an historically important Bahá’í cemetery in Shiraz.

    Hugh Robertson

    I was deeply concerned to learn of the destruction of a Baha’i cemetery in Shiraz, where approximately 950 Baha’is are buried. On 14 May 2014, I made a statement on this issue, calling for Iran to abide by its international commitments to ensure all Iranians are free to practice their religion without fear of persecution. This includes protection of religious sites.

  • The Countess of Mar – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The Countess of Mar – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Countess of Mar on 2014-03-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether social services departments are required to maintain a record of children with disabilities who are subject to child protection investigation under the Equality Act 2010.

    Lord Nash

    Under the Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties) Regulations 2011, local authorities are required to publish information demonstrating compliance with the public sector equalities duty under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010. Whilst this information must include “information relating to persons who share a relevant protected characteristic who are affected by its policies and practices”, this does not specifically require the publication of information about children with disabilities who are subject to child protection investigations.

    Local authorities are, however, required to report annually on the numbers of children in need who have a disability (as defined by section 6 of the Equality Act 2010) as part of the Children in Need Census data collection. This data is collected under section 83 of the Children Act 1989. As part of this collection, local authorities report on the number of children with disabilities who are subject to child protection investigations under section 47 of the Children Act 1989.

  • Debbie Abrahams – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Debbie Abrahams – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Debbie Abrahams on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions his Department has had with the North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust on its emergency ambulance cover.

    Jane Ellison

    There have been no recent discussions between the Department and the North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust on these matters. Decisions about ambulance services are a local matter and it is for clinical commissioning groups to ensure appropriate services are provided to their populations.

    Patients have a right to high quality and reliable urgent and emergency care, whenever they call on it, and we expect all ambulance trusts to provide this.

    The North West Ambulance Service met the three ambulance performance standards for 2013-14 and in April 2014.