Category: Speeches

  • Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-05-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the World Health Organization about making Misoprostol available in conflict settings.

    Baroness Verma

    DFID has regular contact with the Inter-Agency Working Group on Reproductive Health in Crisis Situations (IAWG), of which WHO is a member.

    The IAWG establishes technical standards for the delivery of reproductive health services in crisis contexts. Misoprostol is included in the drugs list for the IAWG’s Reproductive Health Kits for Crisis Situations, used to deliver the Minimal Initial Service Package for Reproductive Health in Crisis Situations (MISP), a series of crucial actions to respond to reproductive health needs at the onset of every humanitarian crisis. The UK advocates for full implementation of the MISP at the onset of emergencies.

    DFID has supported the Reproductive Maternal Newborn and Child Health Trust Fund that focuses on increasing the availability of misoprostol, as one of 13 life-saving commodities, in all countries as a follow up to the UN Commission on Life Saving Commodities.

  • Barry Gardiner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Barry Gardiner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Gardiner on 2016-06-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure that the sustainable development goals that have 2020 deadlines will be met.

    Rory Stewart

    Of the 21 targets under the Global Goals for Sustainable Development that have a 2020 deadline, 11 of these fall within policy areas for which Defra is responsible. These goals and associated targets largely mirror the Aichi Biodiversity Targets and will be implemented through activities that are already in place in respect of the Aichi Targets.

  • Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town on 2016-09-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the proportion of retail businesses that have designated an appropriate alternative dispute resolution (ADR) provider for their sector in accordance with the EU ADR Directive.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    The Government supports the use of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) to help businesses and consumers save time and money when dealing with complaints. Approved ADR is available for every consumer to trader dispute in the UK.

    We have not estimated what proportion of retail businesses have a designated ADR provider as it is open to the retailer to choose a different ADR provider with the necessary skills and experience to deal with a particular dispute.

    The Chartered Trading Standards Institute acts as the lead competent authority and has held working groups and individual meetings with the other competent authorities to ensure consistency of approach.

  • Grahame Morris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Grahame Morris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the regulatory requirements of the EU Directive on the safety of offshore oil and gas operations have been fully implemented; and which regulatory bodies are represented on the Offshore Safety Directive Regulator.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The regulatory requirements of the EU Directive were fully implemented in GB by the Offshore Installations (Offshore Safety Directive) (Safety Case etc.) Regulations (2015) which came into force on 19 July 2015. Northern Ireland is in the process of implementing regulations.

    The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) are represented on the Offshore Safety Directive Regulator (OSDR).

  • Kevin Brennan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Kevin Brennan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2015-12-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent discussions he has had with the devolved administrations on the distribution and use of funds raised by the proposed Apprenticeship Levy.

    Nick Boles

    Skills policy is a devolved area so the devolved administrations will continue to have control over how to support businesses through training and apprenticeships.

    We are working closely with the Welsh Government and other devolved administrations to ensure they get their fair share of the levy and can work out how best to use it to complement their own apprenticeships and skills policies.

    We will engage with skills ministers in the devolved administrations, including Julie James AC/AM, to do all we can to make the levy work for employers and would-be apprentices across the UK.

  • Fabian Hamilton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Fabian Hamilton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fabian Hamilton on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which Ministers and staff of her Department will be attending the Hanoi Conference on the Illegal Wildlife Trade in November 2016; and what the projected cost of that attendance will be in (a) staff salaries, (b) travel and (c) other costs.

    Karen Bradley

    The UK remains committed to its global leadership role in helping to tackle the illegal wildlife trade. During his visit to Vietnam in July 2015, the Prime Minister confirmed that the UK would provide £200,000 to support Vietnam in hosting a third high level international conference on the illegal wildlife trade. The Conference, to be held on 24-25 November 2016, will build on the successful London and Kasane Conferences of 2014 and 2015. Decisions about who will represent the UK at the Vietnam Conference have not yet been made.

  • Lord Willoughby de Broke – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Lord Willoughby de Broke – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Willoughby de Broke on 2016-02-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Chief Executive Officer of the Rural Payments Agency will receive a bonus payment this year.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    Senior Civil Servants who are moderated as top performers at the end of the performance management year are eligible to receive a bonus payment.

    The performance management year for the SCS runs from 1 April to 31 March. Performance markings for 2015/16 will be determined in May 2016. Until this time, we will not know which Senior Civil Servants will receive a payment.

    The government publishes information on the job titles and pay grades of senior civil servants on a twice yearly basis.

  • Lord Wills – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Wills – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Wills on 2016-03-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have received in the last three years about the Go-Ahead Group and its operation of the Southeastern rail franchise in respect of (1) health and safety, (2) passenger satisfaction, and (3) responsiveness to customer complaints.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    With regard to health and safety, there has been some 20 representations from Honourable Members from the other place received by the Department for Transport, and one representation from a Noble Lord. Two Noble Lords representations and regular communication with Transport Focus have been received with regard to Passenger satisfaction and some half dozen representations with regard to customer complaints. However, most customer complaints are resolved by Transport Focus and London TravelWatch as the official independent watchdogs for rail passengers.

    In the same time period, there has been approximately 120 concerns raised directly by members of the public to the Department for Transport.

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-04-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether North Korean citizens are given disproportionately harsh punishments for listening to foreign radio broadcasts than for other comparable offences.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea releases no reliable information about prosecution of offences, so it is hard to make a judgement on the proportionality of punishments imposed for listening to foreign radio broadcasts.

  • Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-05-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reason the school specific factors and historic grant factors elements of the payment by the Education Funding Authority to the King David School, Manchester, were reduced by over £1 million in 2013-14.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    In 2012-13 King David School received £1.1 million in School Specific factors and Historic Grant funding. For 2013-14 local funding formulae were simplified and the number of allowable formula factors was reduced. This meant that any funding previously allocated through other factors such as Historic Grants had to be moved into one of the allowable factors. Manchester LA chose to distribute this funding at pupil level in 2013-14 using the Age Weighted Pupil Unit (AWPU) factor, the sum of money allocated to the school for each pupil according to age. As such, King David School received an increase of £630,000 in AWPU for 2013-14. Schools were also protected against losses from the introduction of the new formula using a minimum funding guarantee (MFG). In 2013-14 King David School received an increase of £430,000 under the MFG. Overall pre-16 School Budget share funding (including MFG) for the school was £3,239,833 for 596 pupils in 2012-13 and £3,236,489 for 586 pupils in 2013-14.