Category: Speeches

  • Helen Goodman – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    Helen Goodman – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2014-04-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the reasons are for the time taken to complete the Tate Modern project; and what the current projected completion date is for that project.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The building has always been scheduled to open by the end of 2016 and remains on course to do so. It is a large and ambitious project to establish a new model for museums of modern and contemporary art that will stand to the Nation’s benefit.

  • Baroness King of Bow – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Baroness King of Bow – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness King of Bow on 2014-06-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much funding was provided to the London Borough of Croydon in 2010–11 to host Andy Gale as a homelessness advisor and what work was required under the terms of that contract.

    Baroness Stowell of Beeston

    Under this and the last Administration, the Department for Communities and Local Government has provided grant funding to a number of local authorities to support the provision of advice on preventing homelessness to complement the funding we provide to the voluntary sector.

    The London Borough of Croydon received £1,591,050 in grant in 2010-11 for homelessness prevention, which was intended to support a range of activities including a contribution to the costs of providing homelessness advice to local authorities in London. The payment to Croydon was made under Section 31 of the Local Government Act 2003 (the general power to pay grant to local authorities towards expenditure incurred or to be incurred). The grant was unring-fenced and not subject to any conditions.

    As was the position with funding provided to Newham, as set out in the answers to the noble Lady on 13 February 2013, Official Report, column WA165 and of 27 March 2013, Official Report, column WA247, there was no contract either between the Department and the London Borough of Croydon or the Department and Andy Gale.

    While departmental officials had discussions with Croydon about how the grant was to be spent, Ministers in this Administration had no involvement with local authorities on commissioning such services.

    A copy of the The Homelessness Revenue Grant Determination 2011-12 (31/1974) dated 1 March 2012 which lists the amount of funding received by 47 local authorities in 2011-12 for homelessness prevention work has been placed in the Library of the House.

  • Helen Jones – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Helen Jones – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2014-04-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the report from Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, Everyone’s Business: Improving the police response to domestic abuse, who the members of the National Oversight Group are; and whether the group has yet met.

    Norman Baker

    I will write to the Hon Member.

  • Sheila Gilmore – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Sheila Gilmore – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sheila Gilmore on 2014-06-12.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what visits each of the Ministers in his Department have made since January 2013; and what the purpose of each such visit was.

    Andrea Leadsom

    Details of Ministers’ visits overseas are published quarterly and can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ministers-transparency-publications

    “

  • Tim Farron – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Tim Farron – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Farron on 2014-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to increase agricultural exports as part of the export-led recovery.

    George Eustice

    Defra and UKTI with industry are working together to increase exports in the agri-food sector. We launched a refreshed Exports Action Plan last October. It commits us to deliver £500m of value to the UK economy by supporting 1,000 companies by October 2015. Food and drink exports in 2013 reached £18.9bn, against £18.2bn in 2012, and are now 50% higher than 10 years ago. UKTI has established a dedicated team with civil servants and industry experts to improve the value and volume of inward investment and exports in agricultural technology. This team is working with UKTI posts overseas to help UK based agri-technology companies succeed in international markets.

  • John McDonnell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    John McDonnell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John McDonnell on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what advice or guidance his Department provides to employers in the media industry on equality monitoring.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    Promoting greater equality of opportunity in the workforce is a matter the Government takes seriously. The Government is actively engaging with leading organisations in the media industry who are working together through the Creative Diversity Network to help address the under-representation of ethnic minorities in that sector. The industry will outline the steps it intends to take at a roundtable event in early July. Equality data monitoring is among a number of issues that will be discussed. In addition, Ofcom has a number of duties relating to equality of opportunity, as set out in the Communications Act 2003. These include requiring all UK licensed radio and television broadcasters’ licences to have in place arrangements for promoting equal opportunities in employment on the basis of gender, race and disability, and to review those arrangements with regard to any relevant guidance published by Ofcom.

  • Mark Williams – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Mark Williams – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Williams on 2014-04-08.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of unresolved cases of mis-selling of mortgage endowment policies.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Government has not made an estimate of the number of unresolved cases of mis-selling of mortgage endowment policies.

    If a borrower feels the risks were not explained properly to them when they took out an endowment mortgage, in the first instance they should complain to the company through which they bought the product. Customers who then feel that their complaint has not been dealt with satisfactorily are able to refer the matter to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) – an independent body set up to provide arbitration in such cases, which is free for consumers to use.

  • 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, with reference to the National Audit Office report, Army 2020, HC 263, published on 11 June 2014, page eight, if he will provide a breakdown of the costings used to work out that reserves cost around 87 per cent of the costs of regulars when mobilised.

    Anna Soubry

    The figures used by the NAO in paragraph 11 of their report, Army 2020, HC 263, published on 11 June 2014, were taken from Future Reserves 2020: The Independent Commission to Review the United Kingdom’s Reserve Forces. I refer the hon. Member to paragraph 97. This involved considerable work to develop a Regular: Reserve Cost Comparison Model.

  • 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, how many service complaints have been received following armed forces personnel being disciplined after receiving a police caution; and if he will make a statement.

    Anna Soubry

    None.

  • 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, with reference to the National Audit Office report, Army 2020, HC 263, published on 11 June 2014, page five, if he will provide a breakdown of the £5.3 billion savings that reductions in the army would save from 2012-13 to 2021-22.

    Mr Mark Francois

    The vast majority – approximately 85% – of the savings referred to in the National Audit Office report, Army 2020, are the direct result of the reduction in the size of the Regular Army from 94,000 to 82,500.

    The remaining savings arise from associated cost reductions, such as the reduced requirement for civilian support.