Category: Speeches

  • Mark Tami – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Mark Tami – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Tami on 2014-04-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of how the recommendations of the HM Treasury report entitled Smoothing Investment Cycles in the Water Sector, published in July 2012, have affected the water sector.

    Dan Rogerson

    Ofwat worked closely with HM Treasury and Infrastructure UK on the Smoothing Investment Cycles in the Water Sector report. In response to the recommendations of that report, Ofwat has continued to work with water companies and Infrastructure UK on action to address the up and down ‘cyclical investment’ that has affected the sector for many years.

    This change in approach has had tangible outcomes. For example, in responding to incentives that Ofwat introduced in its methodology for the price review, water companies have stated in their business plans (December 2013) that they are bringing forward around £440 million of investment into 2014-15 to smooth the investment profile. This investment will improve the delivery of service outcomes to customers, support the supply chain and enable efficient delivery.

  • Philip Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Philip Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2014-06-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which powers he is seeking to repatriate from the EU.

    Mr David Lidington

    As the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) said in May, Brussels has got too big, too bossy, too interfering. It should be nation states wherever possible, Europe only where necessary.

    Our reform priorities are to make the EU more democratically accountable, more competitive and more flexible.

  • Barry Gardiner – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Barry Gardiner – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Gardiner on 2014-04-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will provide citations of all the scientific literature used by his Department to establish the weightings of risk factors when establishing the metric for biodiversity offsetting.

    Dan Rogerson

    The current metric was developed for use in the biodiversity offsetting pilots. Defra published a paper at the start of the pilots describing the metric and explaining the rationale behind it. That paper is called “Biodiversity Offsetting Pilots. Technical Paper: the metric for the biodiversity offsetting pilot in England”. Pages 18-19 include the list of references http://archive.defra.gov.uk/environment/biodiversity/offsetting/documents/110714offsetting-technical-metric.pdf. The time multiplier reflects HM Treasury “Green Book” guidance.

    “

  • Sharon Hodgson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Sharon Hodgson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2014-06-10.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of staff within his Department who have been dismissed following formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British.

    Mr Francis Maude

    The Prime Minister’s Office and the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office are integral parts of the Cabinet Office.

    Declaration of ethnicity for staff is voluntary and it is therefore not possible to provide the information requested.

  • Richard Fuller – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Richard Fuller – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Fuller on 2014-04-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to work with CDC in delivering early stage investment funds in developing countries to better achieve development goals.

    Lynne Featherstone

    Investment Funds that invest in early-stage businesses can provide risk capital, create jobs and provide access to services such as healthcare, energy, housing, education and sanitation. In December 2012 my Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development announced the DFID Impact Fund, which is managed by CDC. Through the DFID Impact Fund CDC is investing up to £75 million of DFID’s capital into Funds on a matched basis with other co-investors.

  • Sharon Hodgson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Sharon Hodgson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2014-06-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what consideration his Department gives to the diversity policies and records of businesses or other organisations when considering their bid for commercial contracts or grants.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The Ministry of Defence will consider the diversity policies and records of businesses or other organisations where they are relevant and proportionate to the subject matter of the contract, and seeking best value for money in procurement.

  • John Hemming – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    John Hemming – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Hemming on 2014-04-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he plans to implement a universal credit sanctions scheme to replace the current jobseeker’s allowance and other sanctions scheme.

    Esther McVey

    In 2012 revised sanctions regimes introduced into Jobseeker’s Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance moved us towards the Universal Credit system, with the same value of sanction across all benefits and the same duration of sanctions at medium and high levels.

    We continue to monitor sanctions closely and consider opportunities for continuous improvement.

  • Sharon Hodgson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Sharon Hodgson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2014-06-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what proportion of staff within his Department who have been dismissed following formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British.

    Gregory Barker

    From November 2010 a single team was established to control the process for all formal disciplinary proceedings being undertaken against Civil Servants in the Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC). Therefore central records only exist from that date.

    The proportion of Civil Servants in DECC, who have been dismissed following formal disciplinary proceedings since November 2010 to date and who are white British, is less than 1% of the total number of Civil Servants in each year.

  • Chuka Umunna – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Chuka Umunna – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chuka Umunna on 2014-04-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the names are of (a) the 16 priority investors selected and (b) the 21 priority investors under initial consideration by the Government in the privatisation of Royal Mail.

    Michael Fallon

    All investors in Royal Mail, whether individuals or institutions, have a legitimate expectation of privacy. It would not be appropriate to disclose the list of institutions that were allocated shares in the Initial Public Offering (IPO) or the names of investors that participated in the investor engagement prior to the IPO.

  • Sharon Hodgson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Sharon Hodgson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2014-06-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what targets her Department has for increasing diversity; and what progress has been made on meeting those targets in the last year.

    Karen Bradley

    Tables provided in Annex 1 for representation from March 2013 – March 2014

    In conjunction with Cabinet Office, the Department has agreed specific targets
    to improve representation rates. The position in the last year is as follows:

    • Three female employees have been appointed at Director General level becoming
    members of the Home Office Executive Management Board. The position generally
    was that 34.39% of staff at Senior Civil Service (SCS) were female compared
    with the target of 38%. At Grades 6 and 7 the position was that 43.93% of staff
    were female compared with the target of 45%.

    • 6.21% of staff with a disability were at SCS level compared to a target
    of 3% and at Grades 6 and 7 the position was that 5.99 % staff had a
    disability compared with the target of 6%.

    • 10.56% of staff at Grades 6 and 7 were from a minority ethnic background
    compared to a target of 10%. 4.52% of staff at SCS level were from a minority
    ethnic background compared with the target of 6%.

    • 5.66% of staff at SCS were lesbian, gay or bisexual compared to the target of
    5.0%. At Grades 6 and 7 the position was that 3.4% of staff were lesbian, gay
    or bisexual compared with the target of 5.0%.

    The position is encouraging but the Department is committed to finding further
    progress in all aspects of diversity.