Category: Speeches

  • Mary Macleod – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Mary Macleod – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mary Macleod on 2014-04-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many job vacancies there are in (a) London, (b) the London Borough of Hounslow and (c) Brentford and Isleworth constituency.

    Esther McVey

    Headline figures on the number of unfilled vacancies at a point in time are published by the Office for National Statistics, based on a regular survey of employers. Latest figures, covering January-March 2014, show over 600,000 vacancies available in the UK economy at any one time. The sample size of the survey is, however, too small to allow information to be published below national level.

  • Lord Watson of Invergowrie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Watson of Invergowrie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Watson of Invergowrie on 2014-04-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many children they estimate will be affected by the provisions contained in Clause 18 of the Immigration Bill.

    Lord Taylor of Holbeach

    Clause 18 (which is now Clause 19) of the Immigration Bill will be relevant to all immigration and deportation decisions engaging the right to respect for private and family life under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, including where a child is the applicant or is a family member of the applicant or of the person facing deportation. Careful regard has been had to the best interests of children in the UK in framing the Clause, in line with the children’s duty under section 55 of the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009, but we have made no broader assessment of the number of children who will be affected.

  • Lord Pearson of Rannoch – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Pearson of Rannoch – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Pearson of Rannoch on 2014-04-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have discussed with the government of Botswana its decision in 2013 to ban Mr Gordon Bennett from entering that country following his pursuit of successful cases against that government on behalf of the Bushmen.

    Lord Wallace of Saltaire

    Our High Commissioner to Botswana has raised the issue of Mr Bennett’s visa status with senior officials from the Government of Botswana.

  • Lord Willis of Knaresborough – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Willis of Knaresborough – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Willis of Knaresborough on 2014-04-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, according to the latest data available, how many young people in England were claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance at age (1) 18, (2) 19, (3) 20, (4) 21, (5) 22, (6) 23 and (7) 24; and, for each age group, how many were claiming for (a) less than 3 months, (b) 3–6 months, (c) 6–12 months, and (d) 12 or more months.

    Lord Wallace of Saltaire

    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

  • Iain Wright – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Iain Wright – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Iain Wright on 2014-04-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to Growth is Our Business: A Strategy for Professional and Business Services published in July 2013, how many further education colleges have engaged with business as a condition of achieving chartered status.

    Matthew Hancock

    These questions ask about a number of actions related to skills development from “Growth is our business: a strategy for professional and business services”, published in July 2013 as part of Government’s industrial strategy. The strategy was developed in collaboration with the professional and business services sector, focusing on the industry’s agenda for long term growth. It is led by the Professional and Business Services Council.

    The strategy reflects two key business priorities in skills development. First, to expand recruitment routes into the sector, in particular higher apprenticeships, to access a wider, more diverse talent pool. Second, to help businesses engage with the education system to raise aspirations and promote work readiness. A business-led skills taskforce for professional and business services has been established. It is developing approaches to implement the strategy and will report progress at the end of this year.

    The skills taskforce is leading work to help towards the strategy’s ambitious target to treble the number of higher apprenticeship starts across professional and business services to 10,000 over five years; and to follow progress in the interim, so that the numbers of these apprenticeships can be monitored. As a first step, the taskforce is supporting the London Professional Apprenticeship scheme, which was launched in December 2013, and is now recruiting apprentices and employers to take part. The scheme will pilot the proposal for a “clearing house” to help small firms access higher apprenticeships in professional and business services. In addition, the taskforce is backing new ‘trailblazer’ initiatives, announced in March 2014, to develop employer-driven standards for apprenticeships in several professional and business services occupations.

    The skills taskforce is currently researching the metrics for schools’ reporting and their effect on the prestige of higher apprenticeships as initial career destinations. It will consider if more could be done to ensure higher apprenticeships have parity of esteem with higher education.

    The taskforce is also mapping current school engagement activity involving professional and business services firms with a view to identifying and sharing good practice.

    The new emphasis on wider use of higher apprenticeships across professional and business services should contribute towards a greater diversity of routes into these careers in the years to come; potentially offering opportunities to a wider pool of talent.

    The skills taskforce intends to consider how the employability of young people can be supported within the national curriculum, but believes that greater engagement between employers and young people is the best way of improving employability skills.

    My noble friend Lord Lingfield has set up the independent Institution for Further Education to take forward work on a new chartered status quality schemeand is considering the application and assessment process for Further Education providers.

    The skills taskforce is exploring how web-based services can support engagement between firms and the education sector, including a planned digital “inspiration” tool being developed by this Department to encourage business-schools engagement.

    Further information on the implementation of “Growth is our business: a strategy for professional and business services” is included in a progress report on industrial strategy, published on 23 April 2014: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/industrial-strategy-early-successes-and-future-priorities.

    “

  • Simon Kirby – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Simon Kirby – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Simon Kirby on 2014-04-09.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he has taken to reduce taxation on small businesses; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr David Gauke

    The Government is committed to make the UK the best place in Europe to start, finance and grow a business and has focused a number of measures specifically on small businesses.

    These include a £2,000 Employment Allowance available from April 2014 to support small businesses aspiring to hire their first employee or expand their workforce; and, as set out in the Autumn Statement 2013, a £1bn package of business rates measures, 90% of which is going to businesses occupying small premises. The Government is also increasing the payable R&D tax credit for loss-making SMEs from 11 per cent to 14.5 per cent from April 2014, providing particular support for early-stage companies and start-ups, who face the greatest risks and barriers to R&D investment.

    Fuel costs are also significant for many small businesses so the Government has implemented the longest duty freeze for over 20 years. In total, by 2015-16 a small business with a van will have saved £1,300 and a haulier £21,000.

  • Naomi Long – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Naomi Long – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Naomi Long on 2014-04-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department spent on (a) armed forces recruitment and (b) armed forces recruitment marketing in 2012-13.

    Anna Soubry

    The Ministry of Defence does not report the costs of recruitment marketing separately. The costs detailed in the following table show the total cost of regular recruiting by Service and include manpower costs; marketing campaigns (specific advertising); marketing operations (provision of the recruiting process i.e. call centres and website maintenance), and contract costs (i.e. medical and fitness testing).It should be noted that despite the redundancy notice, the Armed Forces are required to constantly recruit every year to maintain the levels of young personnel entering the three services.

    Financial Year

    Royal Navy

    Army

    Royal Air Force

    TOTAL

    2012-13

    £33.2million

    £122.8million

    £35.4million

    £191.4million

  • Kerry McCarthy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Kerry McCarthy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2014-04-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on renegotiating overseas fishing agreements with Guinea-Bissau and other countries along the West African coast.

    George Eustice

    The fisheries agreement between the European Union and Guinea-Bissau has been inactive since 2012 when the protocol was suspended due to political tensions in the country. I am unaware of any further discussion about this agreement since that time.

    At present, the EU has active fisheries agreements with the following countries in Western Africa: Cape Verde,Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, São Tomé e Príncipe and Mauritania. In addition, there are a number of agreements which are currently dormant.

    The UK plays an active role within the EU when these agreements are negotiated. Our views are based on the following principles: that agreements allow EU fleets only to fish against genuinely surplus stocks; that best available scientific advice is taken into account to fish sustainably; that due consideration is given to human rights issues; and that agreements be financially beneficial to the EU and thethird country in question, with sufficient controls in place to ensure funds received by third countries are used in appropriate ways. Furthermore, the UK also believes that the financial burden of agreements should be moved towards vessel operators, from the EU taxpayer, taking into account the profitability of the stock.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andy Slaughter – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2014-04-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the written statement of 4 March 2013, Official Report, columns 55-6WS, on special mission immunity, how many special missions have been (a) consented to and (b) refused under the pilot process; and if he will make a statement.

    Mark Simmonds

    I refer to the statement made by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), to the House on 4 March 2013, Official Report, columns 55-56WS. The Foreign Secretary announced a new process by which we would be informed of visits that may qualify for special mission status. The pilot process has improved the process for communicating and decision-making in respect of visits that may qualify for special mission status. Since the pilot’s inception, we have received six such requests. There are no requests outstanding.

    The former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for North East Bedfordshire (Alistair Burt), confirmed to the House on 12 July 2013, Official Report, columns 427W and 429W, that two of the requests which were granted, related to visits by Lieutenant General Benny Gantz of the Israeli Defence Forces and Doron Almog, Prime Minister Netanyahu’s Chief of Staff for Bedouin Status improvement. In view of the confidentiality of diplomatic exchanges, we have no plans to publish further details about requests that have been granted or refused. But if those applying for special mission status wish to announce the details of their visit to the UK, they are of course at liberty to do so.
    All applications for special mission status are considered carefully in view of both obligations incumbent upon the UK under customary international law and our policy of ending impunity for the most serious of international crimes and a commitment to the protection of human rights. Above this, it is for the courts to decide on the legal consequences of any decision to grant special mission status.

  • Jeremy Corbyn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Jeremy Corbyn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeremy Corbyn on 2014-04-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many visits she made to the Jordan Valley in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012.

    Justine Greening

    The former Secretary of State for International Development, my Rt. Hon friend the member for Sutton Coldfield, visited the Jordan Valley in 2011.