Category: Speeches

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what sanctions are in place to prevent the practice of nationality-based pay discrimination against EEA seafarers employed on (a) UK and (b) non-UK registered vessels working from UK ports.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Equality Act 2010 (Work on Ships and Hovercraft) Regulations 2011 makes clear that it is an offence to offer to pay or pay a person who is a national of an EEA State, or of a designated State (as defined in the Regulations), at a different rate based on that person’s nationality, where the seafarer is working wholly or partly in Great Britain and its adjacent waters and is working on a UK or EEA registered vessel.

    Similar legislation is applied in Northern Ireland.

  • Rachel Reeves – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Rachel Reeves – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rachel Reeves on 2016-04-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of introducing an adoption allowance for self-employed adopters.

    Priti Patel

    The Government is looking at what more could be done to support the self-employed, but do not have plans to introduce an adoption allowance for self-employed adopters.

  • Karl McCartney – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Karl McCartney – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl McCartney on 2016-06-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what change there was in the amount the EU Commission proposed to make available in structural funds to Cornwall for the period 2014-2020 and the period 2007-2013; and what steps his Department took to limit such changes.

    James Wharton

    On 17 April 2014, the former Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the Rt Hon Vince Cable MP, set out the methodology for how the UK’s Structural Funds were to be allocated in his letter ‘European Regional Development Fund and European Social Fund: UK allocations 2014 to 2020’.

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/307492/bis-14-772-uk-allocations-eu-structural-funds-2014-2020-letter.pdf

    “

  • Sarah Wollaston – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Sarah Wollaston – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Wollaston on 2016-09-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many fully-qualified coastguard staff were on (a) daytime and (b) nighttime duty at Falmouth Coastguard operations centre on (a) 2 May and (b) 9 July 2015.

    Mr John Hayes

    The number of fully qualified Coastguard staff on duty at Falmouth, within Her Majesty’s Coastguard’s national network, was as follows:

    (a) 2 May 2015

    (a) Day Watch – 4 (Total staffing for the national network – 25)

    (b) Night Watch – 2 (Total staffing for the national network – 19)

    (b) 9 July 2015

    (a) Day Watch – 2 (Total staffing for the national network – 37)

    (b) Night Watch – 3 (Total staffing for the national network – 25)

    The operational concepts and procedures that underpin HM Coastguard’s national network mean that the Coastguard Centres within it no longer have fixed geographic boundaries. This enables Coastguards at either the National Maritime Operations Centre (NMOC) or any of the 9 Coastguard Operations Centres (CGOC) to coordinate any incident anywhere around the UK coast irrespective of their location. As a result workload is now managed on a national basis rather than Centre by Centre as was previously the case. National capability and Coastguard staff from any Centre are now available to provide additional support to any individual Centre within the network when it is considered necessary by senior operational managers.

  • Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2016-10-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to encourage local government, where possible, to use biodiesel made from waste food products.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation has supported a strong market for sustainable biodiesel made from wastes through double rewards, and benefits all economic players with an interest in encouraging the use of sustainable biodiesel.

    In addition buses that run on biodiesel are eligible for the Bus Service Operators Grant. Operators receive 34.57pence per litre of biodiesel used on their bus routes.

  • Nigel Dodds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Nigel Dodds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2015-11-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what work his Department has undertaken with the devolved administrations on communicating to the public changes to the new state pension.

    Justin Tomlinson

    Northern Ireland is the only devolved administration for pensions. We have worked closely with officials from the Northern Ireland Social Security Agency and have shared our new State Pension advertising materials for customised use in Northern Ireland.

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2015-11-30.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Saudi Arabia about those currently facing execution in Saudi Arabia.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The Government opposes the death penalty in all circumstances and in every country, including Saudi Arabia. The death penalty undermines human dignity and there is no evidence that it works as a deterrent. We continue to remind the Saudi authorities of our views on the death penalty at every suitable opportunity.

    We continue to strongly believe that we are most effective when we discuss human rights privately in some countries. This is the approach we are following in light of claims that Saudi Arabia intends to execute over 50 people convicted of terrorism offences, which the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), raised at a senior level on 4 December.

  • Gareth Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Gareth Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-01-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has received from civilian business jet wage of RAF Northolt in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    Receipts in respect of RAF Notholt comprise two elements: income from civilian aircraft business and other aviation-associated activity. The data available for these two elements covering the last five financial years (FY) is shown in the following table:

    Financial Year

    Civilian Aircraft Business

    Other Aviation activity

    TOTAL

    2010-11

    £6.5 million (estimated)

    £3.1 million

    £9.6 million

    2011-12

    £8.1 million

    £3.1 million

    £11.2 million

    2012-13

    £4.9 million

    £3.1 million

    £8.0 million

    2013-14

    £6.0 million

    £3.4 million

    £9.4 million

    2014-15

    £6.8 million

    Not yet available

    To be confirmed

    The reduction from FY2011-12 to FY2012-13 was due to the loss of additional revenues from utilisation of a hanger by a commercial operator.

    Data regarding the other aviation-associated activity for FY2014-15 has not been verified and I will write to the hon. Member, and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House, as soon as the information is available.

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-02-01.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what discussions (a) the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and (b) the Paymaster General have had with representatives of (i) the Food and Drink Federation, (ii) Coca-Cola, (iii) PepsiCo and (iv) the British Soft Drinks Association.

    Matthew Hancock

    Details of Ministers’ meetings with external organisations are published on a quarterly basis and can be found on Gov.uk.

  • Douglas Chapman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Douglas Chapman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-02-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 16 February 2016 to Question 26667, whether HMS Defender tracked the Iranian UAV that was reported to have flown in close proximity to the USS Harry S Truman; and what reports he has received on other instances of Iranian UAV activity in the Persian Gulf.

    Penny Mordaunt

    I am withholding information on the operational activity of Royal Navy ships and on what operational reports Ministers receive as their disclosure would or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.