Category: Speeches

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-01-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have been (a) killed and (b) injured working in ports in each of the last five years.

    Justin Tomlinson

    Table 1 attached contains data on the number of people who have been reported under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) as (a) killed and (b) injured working in the ports and docks industry in each of the last five years. Please note the caveats included within the table.

    The main Standard Industry Classification (SIC) codes used to define the ports and docks industry fall under the general category for the transport industry, of which there are many sub-categories. Considerable overlap exists between codes relating to transport, and codes relating to warehousing and cargo handling, as many organisations are involved in both types of work but can only be attributed to one SIC code. Therefore it is possible that other accidents relating to the ports and docks industry have been classified under different SIC codes; this should be taken into consideration when interpreting the data. A comprehensive text search of all RIDDOR notifications for reference to incidents occurring in ports or docks could not be done without incurring disproportionate cost, and moreover would not be statistically rigorous.

  • Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the correction of 9 February 2016 to Question 13206, (a) for what reasons the data initially published was incorrect, and (b) what steps her Department has taken to ensure accurate collection and publication of such information in future.

    James Brokenshire

    The mistake given in the original response to Question 13206 resulted from two errors in the query for extracting information from the relevant database. One error involved the use of an incorrect definition which excluded former unaccompanied asylum seeking children who now had linked dependants. The other was an error in the computer code which extracted the data. In this instance, the code for the query was mistyped and so the data returned was incorrect. These errors have now been resolved and a correction issued. Such mistakes are rare and when they occur they are taken very seriously.

    It is regrettable that human error caused the original response to this Parliamentary Question to be incorrect and improvements have been put in place. The appropriate definition has been reviewed and confirmed. This definition, and the correct approach on careful coding, have been made clear to the officials involved. We are reviewing other Parliamentary Answers about unaccompanied asylum seeking children to see if these were affected by similar issues. While these respond to different specific questions, we wish to review the methodology used thoroughly. We are also reviewing whether additional processes are needed for Parliamentary Questions that require complex data queries.

  • Liz McInnes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Liz McInnes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liz McInnes on 2016-03-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much Network Rail paid to buy back land from rail freight owners in October 2014.

    Claire Perry

    This was a commercial matter for Network Rail. The total cost to Network Rail of acquiring the lease interests of the Freight Operators under Project Mountfield was £220 million.

  • Andrew Bridgen – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Andrew Bridgen – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Bridgen on 2016-04-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will (a) commission research to estimate the number of people from other EU member-states who receive universal credit and (b) publish that information before 23 June 2016.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    There are no current plans to conduct the analyses listed.

  • David Lammy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    David Lammy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Lammy on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the letter to him of 22 March 2016 from the hon. Member for Tottenham, whether he plans to meet with the hon. Member to discuss North Middlesex Hospital.

    Ben Gummer

    I apologise to the Rt. hon. Member as he has not received a reply to his letter of 22 March 2016 to the Secretary of State requesting a meeting to discuss his concerns about North Middlesex Hospital.

    Departmental officials will contact the Rt. hon. Member’s office as a matter of urgency with a view to arranging the meeting he requested.

  • Jess Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jess Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2016-07-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many staff of her Department work on its teaching blog.

    Nick Gibb

    The teaching blog has received an average of 758 visits per week, and 15,938 visits in total. The costs are only in staff time and image usage of £2.50 per image as the blog is hosted on the GOV.UK platform. The blog is run by the Department’s social media team as a small proportion of one member of staff’s overall workload.

  • Bridget Phillipson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    Bridget Phillipson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bridget Phillipson on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what discussions he has had with representatives of Japanese businesses operating in the UK on the memorandum presented by the Japanese government to the Prime Minister at the recent G20 summit.

    Greg Hands

    Ministers and senior Government officials have held regular discussions with Japanese investors operating in the UK since the referendum in June. This continued after the Japanese Government published their memorandum on 2 September. My Rt. Hon Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade and my Noble Friend the Minister of State for Trade Policy have met with the Ambassador of Japan to the United Kingdom Mr Koji Tsuruoka. On 4 October my Noble Friend the Minister of State for Trade Policy met Japanese investors to hear their views and my Hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for International Trade also met Japanese investors while in Japan on 5-6 October.

  • Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Prime Minister’s announcement of 7 November 2015 on broadband access, what public funding has been assigned for the delivery of the Universal Service Obligation for broadband; and whether he plans to publish this information as part of the comprehensive spending review.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    Government will be consulting in early 2016 on the Universal Service Obligation (USO) for broadband. The USO will be designed to be as efficient as possible, and ensure value for money for the consumer and taxpayer.

  • Ian Lavery – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Ian Lavery – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Lavery on 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, which local authorities affected by the recent flooding have applied to his Department for funding under the Bellwin scheme.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    As at 16 December, the 11 local authorities listed below had registered for financial support from the Bellwin scheme for the December 2015 severe weather events. More local authorities are expected to register for the scheme in the coming days and weeks.

    Allerdale Borough Council

    Barrow-in-Furness Borough Council

    Carlisle City Council

    Copeland District Council

    Cumbria County Council

    Cumbria Police and Crime Commissioner

    Eden District Council

    Lancaster City Council

    Northumberland County Council

    South Lakedale District Council

    Wyre Borough Council

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-01-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will review the affordability of public transport for people in full-time education; and if he will make a statement.

    Andrew Jones

    The legislation which regulates the bus industry does not require bus operators to offer reduced fares to young people. However, bus operators in most areas do offer discounted travel tickets to various groups of young people on a commercial basis. Government recognises the importance of accessible transport to all young people and we are working with the sector to encourage operators to continue to improve their offers.

    Whilst there is no requirement for local authorities to provide free transport for 16-19 year olds attending further education, some local authorities do also provide discretionary travel concession schemes for young people.

    Current estimates indicate that around 50% of young people aged 16 to 19 receive at least a third off standard bus fares.

    In terms of rail services, young rail passengers are able to purchase a 16 – 25 Railcard where they can save a third on most standard class rail fares.