Category: Speeches

  • Baroness Byford – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Baroness Byford – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Byford on 2014-04-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Nick Boles MP, Under Secretary of State for Planning, on 10 February (HC Deb, 418W–419W), whether the reference to the requirement to demonstrate that a proposed development will not increase the flood risk elsewhere refers to the risk in both urban and rural areas.

    Baroness Stowell of Beeston

    Yes, the strict tests on flood risk set out in national planning policy apply to rural and urban areas. These tests include ensuring new development does not increase flood risk elsewhere. In the new planning guidance we launched on 6 March we have made it crystal clear that councils need to consider these tests and where they are not met new development should not be allowed.

  • Mark Lazarowicz – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Mark Lazarowicz – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Lazarowicz on 2014-06-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to encourage local authorities to provide training for drivers of heavy goods vehicles to increase awareness of the dangers faced by cyclists.

    Stephen Hammond

    In addition to licence acquisition tests which require drivers to demonstrate knowledge of vulnerable road users, the EU mandated Driver Certificate of Professional Competence requires drivers of heavy goods vehicles to carry out five days of further training in every five year period. Within the confines of the Directive, we would encourage drivers and employers to select the training which best meets their needs, which may be a course on vulnerable road users.

    We welcome initiatives such as ‘Exchanging Places’ events where cyclists and drivers of HGVs and buses get to experience the others’ perspective, and encourage local authorities to consider such activities which can improve road sharing.

  • Andrew Bridgen – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Andrew Bridgen – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Bridgen on 2014-04-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many High Speed 2 consultation requests are EIA development as defined in the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2011; and how many recommendations for refusal of the grant of planning permission are (a) EIA and (b) non-EIA development.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    Safeguarding directions for the London to West Midlands section of HS2 were made in July 2013 and updated in October 2013. The number of High Speed 2 consultation requests which are EIA development as defined in the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2011 is 5.

    The number of recommendations for refusal of the grant of planning permission are as follows:

    (a) EIA – 3

    (b) non-EIA development – 3

  • Lord Morrow – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Morrow – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Morrow on 2014-06-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many companies currently providing contracted services to government departments and agencies use zero hours contracts.

    Lord Wallace of Saltaire

    The information requested is not held centrally.

  • Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-04-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has invoked penalty clauses for unacceptable performance standards of (a) Capita or (b) other private sector companies administering personal independence payments.

    Mike Penning

    The Department has applied performance measures against both of the Personal Independence Payment Assessment Providers and has recovered Service Credits (Financial remedies) in accordance with their contracts.

    Specific application of service credits for Capita and Atos Healthcare is commercially sensitive information.

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2014-06-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will answer the question asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 10 June (HL Deb, col 236), and on 11 June (HL Deb, col 418), about whether asylum in the United Kingdom will be offered to Meriam Ibrahim, who has been imprisoned and given a death sentence in Sudan.

    Lord Taylor of Holbeach

    The UK has a proud record of offering sanctuary to those who need it. Each claim for asylum is carefully considered and where we find individuals are in need of our protection, asylum is given. However, to be eligible for international protection, a person must be located outside of their country of origin.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2014-04-09.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 7 April 2014, Official Report, column 18W, on employee ownership, if he will make an estimate of the total value of shares awarded under employee shareholder agreements since 1 September 2013.

    Mr David Gauke

    Employers are not required to provide details of any shares awarded under employee shareholder agreements to HM Revenue & Customs until they submit their annual employment-related securities return for 2013-14. No details or estimates of the total value of shares awarded under employee shareholder agreements since 1 September 2013 are currently available.

    Estimates of the Exchequer impact of the capital gains tax exemption and the income tax and national insurance treatment of shares awarded under employee shareholder agreements in tax years to 2017-18 can be found at http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/tiin/emp-shareholder-status.pdf

    “

  • Baroness King of Bow – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Baroness King of Bow – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness King of Bow on 2014-06-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much Discretionary Housing Payment funding made available to local authorities in 2013–14 was unspent and returned to the Department for Work and Pensions at the end of the year.

    Lord Freud

    The information requested is due to be published shortly as part of wider analysis on the use of Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) in 2013/14.

  • Derek Twigg – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Derek Twigg – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Derek Twigg on 2014-04-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what response he plans to make to the statement of the President of Argentina on 2 April that the UK was keeping NATO’s most powerful armed bases in the Falklands and that this included a nuclear attack submarine.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    The British Ambassador in Buenos Aires has conveyed our disappointment to the Argentine Deputy Foreign Minister that the President of Argentina once again repeated her unfounded claims about the UK military presence in the South Atlantic on the very anniversary of Argentina’s illegal invasion of the Falkland Islands which tragically led to so many deaths on both sides. Claims that the Falklands is a “military nuclear base for NATO in the South Atlantic”, or represents a military threat to the region are obviously untrue: The UK’s military presence on the Falkland Islands is purely defensive in nature and the number of UK forces has declined to the minimum necessary to defend the Islands.

    With regard to nuclear weapons, the UK’s position is clear. The United Kingdom ratified the protocols to the Nuclear Weapons Free Zone covering Latin America and the Caribbean (the Treaty of Tlatelolco) in 1969, and it fully respects these obligations. The UK position on its deterrent is unambiguous and well known: the UK will not use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear weapons states parties to, and in compliance with, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

  • Diana Johnson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Diana Johnson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much has been paid out by his Department in statutory entitlements following the collapse of Comet; how many people have been compensated to date; and what estimate he has made of the total cost to the Exchequer of meeting all arising liabilities in this case.

    Jenny Willott

    The Insolvency Service’s Redundancy Payments Services have paid out a total of £18,482,220 in statutory entitlements to 4,838 former employees of Comet Group Plc.

    It is not possible at present to estimate the total cost to the Exchequer of meeting all statutory entitlements. Further payments will depend on the findings of the Employment Tribunal regarding the employees covered by the protective award judgment of the 11th June 2014. Consideration of this matter is scheduled for 17th July 2014. There are also outstanding Tribunal applications in respect of statutory payments other than protective awards which are still to be determined.