Category: Speeches

  • Stephen O’Brien – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Stephen O’Brien – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen O’Brien on 2014-04-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department has given to motorway police on advising (a) vehicles without all-round screen vision and (b) public service vehicles carrying passengers of (i) up to 3.5, (ii) between 3.5 and 7.5 and (iii) over 7.5 tonnes maximum laden weight against entering or travelling in, or preventing such vehicles entering or travelling in, the right-hand overtaking lane of a three or more lane motorway; and which last edition of the Highway Code included advice on these matters.

    Damian Green

    The Home Office has not issued any guidance and does not hold any information on the enforcement of lane discipline. Enforcement of the law is an operational matter for the police.

  • Frank Dobson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Frank Dobson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Dobson on 2014-06-12.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many income tax payers were registered with HM Revenue and Customs as self employed in (a) 2010-11 and (b) each succeeding year.

    Mr David Gauke

    Estimates of the numbers of individuals with self employment sources are published in HMRC’s National Statistics table 3.6 which is available at the following internet address:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/earned-income-2010-to-2011

    These tables provide information up to 2011-12 and are based on the Survey of Personal Incomes (SPI) for the years concerned. The SPI for 2012-13 will be available later in the year.

    “

  • Julian Huppert – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Julian Huppert – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Huppert on 2014-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he plans to provide capital funding for sixth form colleges to enable them to provide free school meals to disadvantaged pupils.

    Matthew Hancock

    We are making available approximately £75 million revenue funding over the course of the 2014-15 and 2015-16 financial years to enable sixth-form and further education colleges to provide free meals to disadvantaged 16- to 18-year-old students.

    We will publish advice on the funding and implementation of this policy shortly.

  • Rehman Chishti – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    Rehman Chishti – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government is taking to encourage local media and regional broadcasting in Kent and Medway.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    Government recognises the important role local media plays in communities, and has created the foundations for new local TV services to establish themselves and enrich UK television with quality local news and programming. Ofcom has received applications for a local TV licence in Maidstone, and we expect an award to be made soon. More widely, 25 local TV services have been licensed to date, and further launches will take place over the summer and autumn.

  • John Redwood – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    John Redwood – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Redwood on 2014-04-08.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the effect was on revenue from top rate income tax of the reduction of the top rate from 60 per cent to 40 per cent in 1988 in the (a) first year and (b) second year following that reduction.

    Mr David Gauke

    Observed changes in tax receipts following rate changes will reflect a combination of effects of the rate changes and underlying economic and distributional changes.

    One study that analyses these effects is set out in the Institute Fiscal Studies (IFS) Mirrlees Review, Dimensions of Tax Design. This studied the revenue impacts of tax changes during the 1970s and 1980s, including the rate changes in 1988. It is available at: http://www.ifs.org.uk/mirrleesreview/dimensions/ch2.pdf (see Chapter 2).

    This study was part of the evidence considered by HMRC in the report “The Exchequer effect of the 50 percent additional rate of income tax” published at Budget 2012. The behavioural response estimated in the HMRC report is consistent with a range of academic studies including the results from the IFS.

    The HMRC report is available at; http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/budget2012/excheq-income-tax-2042.pdf

    “

  • Kevan Jones – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Kevan Jones – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what preliminary tests his Department conducted to assess whether it was feasible to recruit and train the required number of reserves within the necessary timescale envisaged by the Army 2020 proposals.

    Anna Soubry

    Following the Strategic Defence and Security Review, a three month exercise was undertaken which examined a range of force structure options which built upon analysis undertaken during the review. These options were then tested for their efficacy against a wide range of scenarios. The options were then assessed by a senior judgement panel, chaired by the Vice Chief of Defence Staff. Included in this panel were the Assistant Chiefs of Staff for the Royal Navy, Army and royal Air Force. The panel took decisions collectively and all members were fully involved and consulted.

    In July 2011 an Independent Commission to Review the UK’s Reserve Forces, chaired by my hon. Friend, the member for Canterbury and Whitstable (Julian Brazier) and General Sir Nicholas Houghton, then set a target of 30,000 for a trained Army Reserve. This judgement was reached in the knowledge that the strength of the Territorial Army had been over 70,000 in the 1980s.

    Subsequent work was then undertaken to establish the timescales to build the trained strength of the Army Reserve to 30,000. This was set out in the Written Ministerial Statement and paper placed in the Library of the House by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Defence (Philip Hammond) on 19 December 2013 (Official Report, column 124WS).

  • Madeleine Moon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Madeleine Moon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Madeleine Moon on 2014-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he has taken to contact members of the armed forces wrongly disciplined in addition to receiving a police caution; and if he will make a statement.

    Anna Soubry

    No such steps have been taken.

  • Madeleine Moon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Madeleine Moon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Madeleine Moon on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many recruits are expected to commence Phase 1 training at ITC Catterick in financial year 2014-15; and if he will make a statement.

    Anna Soubry

    The number of recruits programmed to start training at AFC Harrogate and ITC Catterick in financial year 2014-15 is shown in the table.

    Establishment

    2014-15

    AFC Harrogate

    1,450

    ITC Catterick

    2,750

    Figures have been rounded to 10; numbers ending in ‘5′ are rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias.

  • Kate Green – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Kate Green – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2014-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the quality of early years education support for children diagnosed with cerebral palsy.

    Mr Edward Timpson

    Under the Children and Families Act 2014, health bodies identifying a 0-5 year old child with special educational needs (SEN) or a disability must discuss this with the parent and bring the child to the attention of the local authority so they can consider whether an education, health and care plan is needed. The Department for Education is working with the Department of Health and NHS England to support health commissioners and clinicians to play their part in the SEN reforms.

    In early years settings practitioners must consider the individual needs, interests, and stage of development of each child in their care and whether a child may have SEN or a disability requiring specialist support. Providers must review children’s progress between the ages of two and three. Where SEN or disability is identified, practitioners should develop a targeted plan to support the child’s future learning and development involving other professionals as appropriate.

    We provide funding to Early Support to support the implementation of the SEN reforms. As part of this, Early Support worked with Scope to produce guidance to parents and others on cerebral palsy, which was published in 2012. This guidance is published online at: http://www.ncb.org.uk/media/923252/earlysupportcerebral_palsy_final.pdf

    “

  • Baroness Lister of Burtersett – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Baroness Lister of Burtersett – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Lister of Burtersett on 2014-06-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Taylor of Holbeach on 6 May (WA 322), what form the review of asylum support rates will take; and which stakeholders will be consulted.

    Lord Taylor of Holbeach

    The review is an internal Home Office one, to ensure that the payments provided to destitute asylum seekers are sufficient to cover their essential living needs consistent with the judgement of 9 April. The Home Office has met with represenatives of "Still Human Still Here", a coalition of organisations with an established interest in the issue. The review will take full account of both their views and the details of the judgment of 9 April.