Category: Speeches

  • 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 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what compensation the Passport Office provides to British passport holders who have faced increases on the cost of their flights because they have had to wait an extended period for a completed passport application.

    James Brokenshire

    HM Passport Office’s policy on compensation can be downloaded from the website
    at:
    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/compensation-and-complaints-handling

  • David Morris – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    David Morris – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Morris on 2014-03-31.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many first time buyers have been helped by the Government’s Help to Buy scheme (a) nationally and (b) in Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency.

    Kris Hopkins

    This Government is committed to supporting people’s aspirations to own their own home.

    In the first eleven months of the scheme, 16,465 households purchased a new build home with the support of the Help to Buy: Equity Loan scheme.

    By January 2014, the time of the last quarterly statistical release, first time buyers accounted for 89% of sales nationally. In Lancaster there were 16 sales by the end of January and first-time buyers accounted for 88% of all Help to Buy: equity loan sales in the area.

    Home owners will also have been supported by the Help to Buy mortgage guarantee scheme, which is overseen by HM Treasury.

  • Keith Vaz – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Keith Vaz – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the budgeted spend is for humanitarian aid for Yemen for the next two years.

    Mr Alan Duncan

    DFID has already committed £33m in assistance for this financial year and we are in the process of assessing where we should allocate further funds and at what scale.

  • Angus Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Angus Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Robertson on 2014-03-31.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which companies tendered for the Portsmouth Harbour dredging contract.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The contract to dredge Portsmouth Harbour is expected to be awarded in April 2015 and is worth £20 million to £40 million. Work will commence following the appointment of the successful bidder, and will be completed ahead of HMS Queen Elizabeth’s arrival in late 2016.

    The bidders for the contract are Boskalis Westminster Ltd, Van Oord UK Ltd and Dredging International NV.

  • Rehman Chishti – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Rehman Chishti – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rehman Chishti on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he intends to respond to the Law Commission’s final report and draft Bill on Taxis and Private Hire Services, published on 23 May 2014.

    Stephen Hammond

    The Department is considering closely the report and draft Bill concerning taxi and private hire vehicle legislation, which the Law Commission published on 23 May this year. We will be mindful, when responding, of the existing protocol between Government and the Law Commission.

  • Adrian Sanders – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Adrian Sanders – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adrian Sanders on 2014-03-31.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to increase the involvement of practising teachers in the design of the national curriculum.

    Elizabeth Truss

    The new national curriculum, which was published on 11 September 2013, has been developed with due regard to the views of subject experts, teachers, and the findings of international best practice comparisons. Over 2,470 of the responses to the consultation on the new curriculum were from individual teachers, headteachers and schools. In response to the representations, changes were made to improve clarity, precision and consistency of the content.

    We are confident that our reform to the national curriculum will give teachers greater flexibility and freedom than ever before, which will help to raise standards and expectations for all pupils. The national curriculum has been significantly slimmed down and will free up teachers to use their professional judgement to design curricula that meet the needs of their pupils.

  • Sheila Gilmore – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Sheila Gilmore – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sheila Gilmore on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what visits each of the Ministers in his Department have made since January 2013; and what the purpose of each such visit was.

    Esther McVey

    Details of Ministers’ visits overseas are published quarterly and can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ministers-transparency-publications

    “

  • Iain Wright – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Iain Wright – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Iain Wright on 2014-03-31.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to A UK Strategy for Agricultural Technologies, how much of the £10 million provided by her Department to support the transfer of technology and new products to developing countries has been spent; and if she will make a statement.

    Lynne Featherstone

    No DFID funds have been spent as part of the Agri-Tech Catalyst. The selection of the projects from the first round of the Catalyst competition is on-going. The second round of the competition closes on11th June 2014.

  • Russell Brown – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Russell Brown – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Russell Brown on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what training is available on autism for jobcentre plus advisers.

    Esther McVey

    All Jobcentre Plus advisers have access to a comprehensive learning programme which includes a specific focus on taking consideration of individuals’ personal circumstances. This training ensures staff are aware that disabilities and health conditions including autism can affect individuals in different ways.

    Specialist help can be provided by Disability Employment Advisers who have extensive additional courses appropriate to this specialist area. This training has been designed with input from Specialist DWP Work Psychologists to enable these advisers to support people with particular complex needs. This training includes case studies relating to autism.

         

  • Adrian Sanders – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Adrian Sanders – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adrian Sanders on 2014-03-31.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many posts in his Department will be relocated to the South West in the next five years.

    Mike Penning

    The deployment of staff and efficient use of the departmental estate is always subject to review. At the present time, there are no plans to relocate Departmental staff to the South West in the next five years.