Category: Speeches

  • Sue Hayman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Sue Hayman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sue Hayman on 2016-04-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effect on farmers of late payments under the Basic Payment Scheme by the Rural Payments Agency.

    George Eustice

    We understand the importance of the Basic Payment Scheme payments to farmers. As of 21 April the Rural Payments Agency had completed the processing of 77,840 claims for 2015. Although the payment window runs from 1 December 2015 to the 30 June 2016, the Agency has announced that those customers who won’t receive a claim payment in April 2016 will be provided a bridging payment. Bridging payments will be made by the end of April.

  • Matthew Offord – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Matthew Offord – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2016-06-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department plans to include best practice bio security and waste management requirement clauses in the next contract for the Pitcairn Islands supply ship.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    The tender for the Pitcairn Islands supply ship is currently underway and best practice bio security and waste management requirement clauses will be included in the agreed contract.

  • Tom Blenkinsop – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Tom Blenkinsop – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to help prevent accidents in the mining industry.

    Penny Mordaunt

    The Mines Regulations 2014 replaced all previous legislation relating to health and safety in mines. They provide a comprehensive and simple goal-setting legal framework to ensure that mine operators provide all the necessary protection for mineworkers and others from the inherent hazards in mining.

    The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) targets interventions with the underground mining dutyholders and a mine’s past safety and health performance is taken into account when deciding on the detail of specific interventions.

    HSE investigates reported accidents in mines in line with the criteria set out in its Incident Selection Criteria. Investigations focus on determining both the immediate and underlying causes in order to prevent recurrence. HSE also make recommendations for improved methods of work and systems for the wider industry if necessary and holds dutyholders to account through proportional enforcement where appropriate.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-10-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make it her policy to restrict television advertising for unhealthy food on programming likely to be watched by children.

    Matt Hancock

    We recognise the importance of tackling childhood obesity, which is caused by a number of complex factors. The Childhood Obesity Plan for Action, published in August, considered a number of different policy responses to address this problem. Additional advertising restrictions were considered as part of this process, but current restrictions in the UK are amongst the toughest in the world and the plan focuses on those areas which experts tell us are most effective.

  • Grahame Morris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Grahame Morris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2015-10-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many doctors have requested a certificate of current professional status in each of the last five years.

    Ben Gummer

    The information requested is not held centrally. Information from the General Medical Council is available about the number of doctors that have been issued certificates of current professional status in each of the last five full calendar years. This is shown in the table.

    Year

    Number

    2010

    4,352

    2011

    4,832

    2012

    5,163

    2013

    5,142

    2014

    4,925

    Source: General Medical Council

  • Nicholas Soames – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Nicholas Soames – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2015-11-25.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what datasets are collected under the provisions of the Statistics of Trade Act 1947.

    Mr Rob Wilson

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

  • Huw Irranca-Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Huw Irranca-Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Huw Irranca-Davies on 2016-01-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether his Department has made an assessment of the effect on UK businesses of the Berry Amendment to US legislation on contract policy.

    Anna Soubry

    The Government has not carried out any specific assessment of the effect of this amendment on UK businesses to date.

    The Berry Amendment is a US Domestic Source Restriction established in the US Code that requires the Federal Government to procure textiles for any defence purpose from US suppliers, unless there is no domestic supplier available. It is possible, occasionally, for UK companies to benefit from partial exemptions to the Berry Amendment.

    The trade team within the British Defence Staff in Washington DC can advise UK companies, on a case by case basis, on which opportunities may be considered as an exemption.

  • Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-01-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the statement on page 1 of Network Rail’s report, Replanning the Investment Programme, published on 25 November 2015, that there will be a reduction in renewals activity in Control Period 5, what renewal works Network Rail intends to defer into Control Period 6; and what the planned expenditure was on those works in Control Period 5.

    Claire Perry

    The Office of Rail and Road’s Final Determination for Control Period 5[1] assumed that Network Rail would spend £12.1bn on renewals between 2014-2019. Network Rail is reviewing its plans for the coming financial year and will publish an updated Delivery Plan in March containing detailed forward plans for the delivery of operations, maintenance and renewals up to 2019.

    [1] http://orr.gov.uk/publications/reports/final-determination

  • Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Chinooks, (b) Sea King and (c) Lynx helicopters HMS Ocean carried on her most recent deployment.

    Penny Mordaunt

    I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave her on 3 February 2016 to Question 24276.

    http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-questions-answers/?page=1&max=20&questiontype=AllQuestions&house=commons%2clords&uin=24276

  • Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-03-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many SMART awards have been made to companies in Cambridge in each year since the introduction of that scheme.

    Joseph Johnson

    Innovate UK started delivering the Smart scheme in April 2011. The number of Smart awards made to companies in Cambridge in each year is:

    2011-12 37 awards

    2012-13 22 awards

    2013-14 25 awards

    2014-15 29 awards

    2015-16 20 awards