Category: Speeches

  • Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2014-04-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) fatal and (b) serious injuries were suffered by cyclists in London in each of the last 10 years.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The number of reported a) killed and b) seriously injured cyclists in London in each of the last 10 years is given in the table below.

    Number of killed and seriously injured cyclists in London: 2003-2012

    number of casualties
    Year a) Killed b)Serious
    2003 19 419
    2004 8 332
    2005 21 351
    2006 19 373
    2007 15 446
    2008 15 430
    2009 13 420
    2010 10 458
    2011 16 555
    2012 14 659

    Data for the year 2013 will be available in June 2014.

    “

  • Liam Byrne – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Liam Byrne – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Byrne on 2014-06-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what progress his Department has made on increasing the number of women in engineering roles.

    Mr David Willetts

    BIS funds or supports a range of activities aimed at increasing the number of women in science and engineering roles. 55% of National Science and Engineering Competition prize winners were girls, as was the UK Young Engineer of the Year 2014.

    BIS also funds STEMNET to run the STEM Ambassadors programme: a nationwide network of over 28,000 volunteers who visit schools to inspire young people, act as role models and bring STEM career opportunities to life. 40% of STEM Ambassadors are women. 91% of UK state secondary schools accessed STEM Ambassadors between 1 April 2013 and 31 March 2014.

    BIS is also part of the ‘Your Life’ campaign that is designed to boost participation in science, technology, engineering and maths at school and beyond. Over 180 leading businesses and institutions have pledged to do more to highlight the career opportunities open to those studying STEM subjects, committing to create over 2000 new entry level positions including apprenticeships, graduate jobs or paid work experience posts.

    As one of our pledges under the Your Life campaign, on 12 June 2014, my Hon. Friend the Minister of State for Skills and Enterprise (Matthew Hancock) announced £30 million funding to increase the supply of engineers, to encourage more women into the sector and to address engineering skills shortages in smaller companies. The fund will enable engineering companies to establish training programmes to develop future engineers and boost the number of women in the profession. £10 million of the fund will be directed to a call to ‘Developing Women Engineers’ and £10 million to a call to ‘Improving Engineering Careers’.

  • Baroness Tonge – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Tonge – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2014-04-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the government of Israel concerning recent reports of violence and racist graffiti by settlers in the village of Kifl Haris, during a religious ceremony.

    Baroness Warsi

    An official from our Embassy in Tel Aviv last raised our concerns over settler attacks with the Israeli National Security Council in early March.

  • Catherine McKinnell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Catherine McKinnell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine McKinnell on 2014-06-16.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the average annual cost of childcare in the UK for a child aged (a) two and under, (b) three to four and (c) five and over in each year since 2009-10; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr David Gauke

    I refer the honourable member to the answer given by the Hon. Edward Timpson MP on 17 June 2014 c538W. This points the honourable member to, amongst other sources, the Family and Childcare Trust Annual Cost Survey for 2014 and sets out the action the Government is taking to support families.

  • Baroness Stern – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Baroness Stern – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Stern on 2014-04-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the conclusion of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons in his recent report on HMP Belmarsh that the requirement in the operating standards for the Governor to visit the High Security Unit and the Special Security Unit once a week had not been met.

    Lord Newby

    1. The prisoner regime includes a programme to allow access to the library once a week for those not attending education. The implementation of New Ways of Working, which includes the introduction of a new Core Day, will increase the opportunity for prisoners to access the library.

    2. All in use cells on the High Security Unit / Special Secure Unit are appropriately furnished in compliance with national guidelines, which are also included as part of the unit’s operating standards. The cells are also equipped to the specification required for accommodating Category A prisoners. The accommodation on the unit is inspected monthly, to ensure compliance and to maintain decency; this system is audited.

    3. The Governor has a programme of visits throughout the establishment; this includes visits to the HSU / SSU. The requirement for a weekly visit is completed by the Governor or the Deputy Governor, and the visits will ensure that all prisoners and staff are frequently seen and any emerging issues are heard and noted. These visits are now recorded for audit and inspection purposes.

  • 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 2014-06-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much lottery funding and from which year is being committed to Arts Council England’s national portfolio organisations and national partner museums as part of their overall settlement for the period 2015 to 2018.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    DCMS allocates 13.956% of Lottery income to Arts Council England. It is for the Arts Council to make decisions about how to allocate this funding, and to which organisations. The Arts Council is currently finalising how it will allocate funding from 2015/16 onwards, and is due to make an announcement on 1 July.

  • Rob Wilson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Rob Wilson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rob Wilson on 2014-04-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what progress her Department has made on its programmes in Palestine.

    Mr Alan Duncan

    The UK’s bilateral programme in the Occupied Palestinian Territories is helping to build Palestinian institutions, promote economic growth and support the most vulnerable Palestinians. Absent meaningful action from Israel to ease movement and access restrictions, however, our progress will always be limited.

  • Angus Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Angus Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Robertson on 2014-06-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the total cost was of the Nimrod MR4A programme; and what payments were made to each company involved in the programme after 20 October 2012.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my predecessor (Peter Luff) on 15 November 2011 (Official Report, column 743W).

    The Nimrod MR4A aircraft programme was cancelled in November 2010, after only one aircraft was delivered which was subsequently grounded due to safety concerns.

    Available financial information has not identified payments relating to the programme to any company after 20 October 2012.

  • Gloria De Piero – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Gloria De Piero – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gloria De Piero on 2014-04-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many businesses are registered in each constituency; and how many businesses were so registered in each of the last five years.

    Michael Fallon

    Companies House cannot identify the number of new businesses registered in each constituency, as there is no central register of businesses.

    Companies House does have a register of companies but information on companies registered in each constituency could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

  • Bob Ainsworth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Bob Ainsworth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bob Ainsworth on 2014-06-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what capabilities are currently being utilised to fulfil the role that would otherwise have been undertaken by Nimrod MRA4 aircraft; and what captabilities will fulfil that role in the long term.

    Mr Mark Francois

    Since the Nimrod MR2 was taken out of service in 2009, some 12 months early, for financial reasons, by the then Defence Secretary, a range of assets were put in place by the previous Government to cover the capability, namely Type 23 frigates, Merlin Anti-Submarine Warfare helicopters and C-130 Hercules aircraft. The MRA4 project was nearly £800 million over budget, 10 years overdue and the aircraft could not pass airworthiness tests.

    The Ministry of Defence is currently reviewing the UK’s air intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance requirements, including wide area maritime surveillance, and is identifying potential solutions. This work will provide analysis in support of the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review.