Category: Speeches

  • Kate Green – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Kate Green – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2014-06-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the review of personal independence payment operational systems and problems recommended by the National Audit Office in February 2014 was undertaken; what the outcome of the review was; and when it will be published.

    Mike Penning

    We are committed to driving up PIP performance and we are taking action to improve this by working with providers and reviewing DWP internal processes.

    We continuously review the initiatives that link to the NAO actions.

  • Angela Smith – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Angela Smith – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angela Smith on 2014-03-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what facilities exist for the retention and care of non-native wildlife species confiscated in the UK; where those facilities are located; and how many times such non-native wildlife species confiscated have been returned to the people or location where they were first confiscated.

    George Eustice

    Non-native wildlife specimens (including plants) may be retained for various reasons by the Police, UK Border Force (UKBF), Royal Botanic Gardens Kew (RBG Kew), local authorities and other organisations such as the RSPCA.

    RBG Kew has a Plant Quarantine Unit and keeps records of all plant material entering its collections but not records of confiscated specimens that are returned to the people or location they were confiscated from.

    UKBF re-homes seized wildlife after having consulted with the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, the UK’s CITES scientific authority for fauna, on appropriate location. It has not been UK practice to return wildlife to countries of export as there is no guarantee of its return to the wild or that it will not re-enter illegal trade. UKBF does not disclose publically the locations where seized items are held. All seized animals remain the property of the crown.

    No police-run facilities exist for the retention and care of non-native wildlife species confiscated in the UK: each case is dealt with on an ad-hoc basis. Information about returned specimens is not held centrally.

    Defra does not hold information about holding facilities used by local authorities and other organisations.

  • Stephen O’Brien – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Stephen O’Brien – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen O’Brien on 2014-06-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how he expects High Speed 2 to reduce overcrowding at London Waterloo.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    High Speed 2 is not intended to reduce overcrowding at London Waterloo, as it has been designed as a link between London Euston, Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester.

    The 2012 Rail Investment Strategy (HLOS) has asked the industry to provide additional peak capacity for 9,700 extra passengers into Waterloo by 2019 and has provided funding for Network Rail to expand Waterloo and other stations. Network Rail and South West Trains have set out plans to lengthen peak trains and South West Trains is now in discussions with the Department for Transport.

  • Steve McCabe – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Steve McCabe – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2014-03-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will place in the Library a record of the regions and sub-regions within the UK subject to the highest number of refusals of people seeking a visa to study in institutions in the UK.

    James Brokenshire

    The Home Office does not hold information on the numbers of Tier 4 visas
    refused for study at institutions, by regions and sub-regions, within the UK in
    the format requested and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

  • Katy Clark – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Katy Clark – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Katy Clark on 2014-06-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of how the ongoing conflict in Western Sahara affects the ability of Al Qaeda to recruit disaffected youth in Western Sahara.

    Hugh Robertson

    We monitor the security situation in the region from a number of sources. We are aware of frustration in both Western Sahara and the Tindouf refugee camps at the lack of progress in the political process and at the socio-economic conditions in the camps. However, we are not aware of any evidence to suggest increased radicalisation of Sahrawi youth by terrorist or criminal gangs.

  • Mr Adrian Sanders – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Mr Adrian Sanders – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mr Adrian Sanders on 2014-03-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what compensation will be available to train operating companies as a result of the rail line closures in the South West of England in early 2014.

    Stephen Hammond

    Any compensation for the train operators in respect of the rail line closures in the South West of England in early 2014 would be paid by Network Rail in accordance with the track access agreement between Network Rail and the individual train operating companies, as regulated by the Office of Rail Regulation.

  • Lord Jones of Cheltenham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Lord Jones of Cheltenham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Jones of Cheltenham on 2014-06-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what advice they are providing to the government of Botswana about combatting the effects of the recent drought there.

    Baroness Northover

    Cyclical droughts in Botswana are of concern. The Government of Botswana is best placed to prepare for and lead the response to humanitarian disasters as it did during the 2013 drought. The UK Government does not have a bilateral development programme in Botswana, but will continue to monitor the humanitarian situation.

  • Graham Jones – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Graham Jones – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Jones on 2014-03-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the cost to his Department was of data entry used under universal credit in each quarter since 2010.

    Mike Penning

    There are no dedicated data entry roles and accordingly no cost to the department can be reliably estimated.

  • The Lord Bishop of St Albans – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The Lord Bishop of St Albans – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Lord Bishop of St Albans on 2014-06-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what commitments they have made to provide adequate funding for the training that secondary mathematics and citizenship teachers will need to meet the new financial education requirements from September 2014.

    Lord Nash

    The Government is committed to developing a strong culture of professional development in schools for all national curriculum subjects, including citizenship and mathematics.

    We have allocated £11 million to fund 30 new maths hubs to improve the quality of maths teachers from primary school onwards. This initiative will enable every school and college in England, from early years to the post-16 sector, to access locally-tailored and quality support in all areas of maths teaching and maths learning. To further support teachers, Liz Moorse from the Association for Citizenship Teaching is chairing an expert group on citizenship. The expert group will clarify the key areas in which teachers most need further support. The expert group will then liaise with relevant specialists and providers to develop and produce new resources where necessary.

  • Kate Hoey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Kate Hoey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Hoey on 2014-03-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what progress has been made on gaining compensation from the Libyan government for the victims of terrorist acts perpetrated by the IRA.

    Mr Andrew Robathan

    As my Rt hon Friend the Prime Minister said during Prime Ministers Questions on the 26th March, the British Government has raised repeatedly with the Libyan Government, at the highest levels, the importance of them engaging with UK victims seeking redress. This includes those seeking compensation through private campaigns, and their legal representatives.