Category: Speeches

  • Sharon Hodgson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Sharon Hodgson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much capacity funding for universal infant free school meals has been (a) requested by and (b) disbursed to schools in (i) Washington and Sunderland West constituency, (ii) the Sunderland local authority area and (iii) the North East region.

    Mr David Laws

    On 18 December 2013, the Government announced capital allocations for universal infant free school meals for the 2014-2015 financial year. This included allocations of (a) £562,850 to Sunderland City Council and (b) £6.1 million to all local authorities in the North East region. We do not allocate funding at a constituency level.

    In addition, academies have received capital funding through the Academies Capital Maintenance Fund. This includes allocations of (a) £162,380 to academies within the Sunderland local authority area and (b) £311,608 to academies within the North East region. Across the country, £2.5 million has also been made available to multi-academy trusts.

    Of the capital funding that has been allocated to Sunderland, the authority has confirmed to the Department that 75% or more has been disbursed to specific projects to support universal infant free school meals. We do not hold information on the precise amount disbursed, and nor do we hold this data at a regional level.

  • Simon Kirby – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Simon Kirby – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Simon Kirby on 2014-04-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent assessment he has made of the Government’s progress in encouraging exports to emerging markets; and if he will make a statement.

    Michael Fallon

    UK exports of goods and services to Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRICs) reached £34.9 billion in 2013, their highest level since records began in 1999. In the Budget, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Chancellor highlighted rising exports, with combined goods exports to Brazil, India and China rising faster than those of the UK’s competitors (France, Germany, Italy) in 2013, but said there was more to do.

    UK Trade & Investment’s Britain Open for Business: The Next Phase (January 2014) underlined that: ‘To deliver our ambitious trade and investment targets we are continuing vigorously to pursue opportunities in developed markets while strengthening our efforts in high growth markets’. The Chancellor has given UKTI additional funding to strengthen its support for high growth markets.

    Additionally, UK Export Finance (UKEF) is devoting additional resources to supporting High Value Opportunities. UKEF also has cover available for over 200 overseas markets and is increasing its product range to provide more effective support to Mid-Size Businesses (MSBs) and smaller companies.

  • 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, how many births, broken down by the week of pregnancy in which the birth occurred, there were in England in the last year for which figures are available.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

  • 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 involvement (a) the bank acting as financial adviser to the Government and (b) banks acting as bookrunners, co-ordinators and lead managers had in discussions with priority investors on the privatisation of Royal Mail.

    Michael Fallon

    Together with Royal Mail’s management team, the Government’s independent financial adviser (Lazard) and members of the banking syndicate met with the priority investors throughout the investor engagement process. The banking advisers also met with over 500 institutional investors. The purpose of this engagement was to educate investors about the business and secure indications of potential demand and valuation.

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

    Sharon Hodgson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of staff within his Department who have been subject to formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British.

    Simon Hughes

    Staff within the Ministry of Justice (MoJ HQ), HM Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS), National Offender Management Service (NOMS), Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) and Legal Aid Agency (LAA) can, but are not compelled to, declare their ethnicity. Consequently, definitive figures for the proportion of white British staff who have been dismissed or subject to formal disciplinary proceedings over the last five financial years cannot be provided.

    The MoJ Diversity report for 2012/2013 provides an overview of information on staff grievances, investigations, conduct and discipline. This can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/279638/moj-diversity-data-report-2012-13.pdf

    This information has not been collated or published in respect of earlier financial years.

    “

  • Chi Onwurah – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Chi Onwurah – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2014-04-03.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with the Government Digital Service on the integration of the new online childcare accounts into gov.uk.

    Nicky Morgan

    Tax-Free Childcare will be hosted on the Government Digital Service (GDS) Gov.uk website alongside other Government digital services. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have overall responsibility for the implementation of these services, in partnership with National Savings and Investments (NS&I) who will operate the accounts.

    The GDS are leading the Government’s work to link digital inclusion into policy programmes and digital services. HMRC have directly consulted with GDS who have been involved in the design of the process and the creation of the solution for Tax-Free Childcare.

    The Government will continue to talk with a wide variety of internal and external stakeholders to ensure that Tax-Free Childcare is as simple and secure as possible for parents to access and use.

  • Tom Watson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Deputy Prime Minister

    Tom Watson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Deputy Prime Minister

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2014-06-17.

    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, with reference to the Cabinet Manual, paragraph 5.38, whether the convention that the House of Commons should have an advance opportunity to debate significant military action applies to the deployment of unmanned aerial vehicles outside Afghanistan when operated from RAF Waddington.

    Greg Clark

    I refer the hon. Member to the answer given today by the Minister of State for the Armed Forces, the right hon. Member for Rayleigh and Wickford, to PQ 198710.

  • Lyn Brown – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Lyn Brown – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lyn Brown on 2014-04-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, in how many cases an Article 4 direction has resulted in the rejection of a planning application which has not subsequently been overturned by the Planning Inspectorate; and what assessment he has made of the typical circumstances of such cases.

    Nick Boles

    This information is not held centrally.

  • Baroness Royall of Blaisdon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Baroness Royall of Blaisdon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Royall of Blaisdon on 2014-06-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people seeking asylum in the United Kingdom on the grounds of trans-related issues have been refused asylum and deported to their countries of origin over the last five years.

    Lord Taylor of Holbeach

    The Home Office does not centrally record this specific data and the information requested could only be obtained through a manual search of
    individual case files. This would exceed the cost limit.

  • Tom Greatrex – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Tom Greatrex – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Greatrex on 2014-04-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to his Answer to the hon. Member for Rutherglen and Hamilton West of 3 April 2014, on what dates and with which representative of the European Commission he spoke about the future of UK Coal.

    Michael Fallon

    Ministers and officials in the department regularly meet with officials from the European Commission.