Category: Speeches

  • Bob Ainsworth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Bob Ainsworth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of (a) adult and (b) child passport renewal applications were processed within the three-week service standard in each of the last six months.

    James Brokenshire

    he table below shows the number of straightforward passport applications
    received within the UK which were processed within 3 weeks.

    Month

    Proportion of straightforward applications processed within 3 weeks

    Dec 13

    99.99%

    Jan 14

    99.99%

    Feb 14

    99.98%

    Mar 14

    99.95%

    Apr 14

    99.59%

    May 14

    92.26%

    Her Majesty’s Passport Office does not hold a further breakdown of this information by
    application type. The cost of bringing that information together would be
    disproportionate and so it is not possible to provide the information you have
    requested.

  • Stephen Phillips – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Stephen Phillips – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Phillips on 2014-04-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to encourage his counterparts in other EU member states to support and commit resources to the EUFOR RCA mission in the Central African Republic.

    Mark Simmonds

    I welcome the launch of the EU Force (EUFOR) military operation in the Central African Republic (CAR) on 2 April. EUFOR will help the African-led International Support Mission to CAR (MISCA) and French (Sangaris) forces to provide security in Bangui until a hand-over to MISCA or a possible UN Peacekeeping Operation can take place. I discussed the importance of the mission with Ministerial colleagues in the margins of the EU-Africa Summit in Brussels on 1-2 April. The UK has played a strong role in the planning for EUFOR, and is discussing the possibility of providing airlifts to help EUFOR’s deployment. Ongoing reports of violence in CAR demonstrate the importance of this mission.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andy Slaughter – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2014-06-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department collects data on the number and success rate of Aarhus claims made in England and Wales since 1 April 2013; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    The Ministry of Justice does not collect judicial review data to this level of detail.

  • Pamela Nash – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Pamela Nash – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Pamela Nash on 2014-04-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Syrians have been brought to the UK under the Vulnerable Person Relocation Scheme to date.

    James Brokenshire

    The first group of Syrian refugees arrived in the UK on 25 March as part of the
    Government’s Vulnerable Persons Relocation (VPR) Scheme. The next group of
    refugees are expected to arrive this month, with further groups to follow on a
    regular basis. Whilst there is no set quota we predict that the VPR scheme will support several hundred people over the next three years.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2014-06-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Answer of 13 May 2014, Official Report, column 494W, on prisons: mobile telephones, when data on mobile telephones seized in prisons in 2013 will be made available.

    Jeremy Wright

    The number of mobile phone and SIM card seizures for the first six months of 2013 was 3398. The data for the whole of 2013 will be available by the end of August 2014, broken down by prison establishment.

    One seizure may constitute a handset containing one SIM card or media card, a handset only, or a SIM card only.

    All figures provided have been drawn from live administrative data systems which may be amended at any time. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.

  • Nigel Dodds – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Nigel Dodds – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2014-04-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what meetings her Department has had with the government of the Republic of Ireland about First World War commemorations.

    Mrs Theresa Villiers

    Ministers and officials from the Northern Ireland Office have been in regular contact with the Irish Government about our approach to the First World War centenary, particularly over the course of the last year. This includes planning for joint Ministerial attendance at a number of events which will take place in Belfast, Dublin and France over the course of the coming months.

    These contacts have included discussions on how both Governments can work together to mark the wider decade of commemorations in Ireland in a manner which promotes reconciliation and contributes to a peaceful, shared future.

    I recently joined the Irish Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht to lay the foundation stone for a Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cross of Sacrifice at Glasnevin in Dublin to commemorate men from the island of Ireland who gave their lives in both World Wars.

  • Jim Dowd – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    Jim Dowd – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Dowd on 2014-06-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans he has put in place to commemorate the 600th anniversary of the Battles of Harfleur and Agincourt.

    Mrs Helen Grant

    The previous Secretary of State, the Rt. Hon Maria Miller MP announced in October last year a commitment of £10million of funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund for projects marking some of the UK’s most important anniversaries and commemorative events including Agincourt 600. This will ensure that those moments which form a central part of our national history are commemorated and understood by people today.

  • Jake Berry – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Jake Berry – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jake Berry on 2014-04-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate his Department has made of the level of congestion on roads in Rossendale and Darwen constituency.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    Estimates of road congestion levels for Parliamentary constituencies are not held centrally.

    We do however hold data at the local authority level. Road congestion is measured in the Department by morning peak speeds, defined as 7am to 10am. In 2013, the average weekday morning peak speeds, on locally managed ‘A’ roads in Blackburn with Darwen (local authority) and Lancashire County, both of which partly contain Rossendale and Darwen constituency, were estimated to be 19.3 and 25.3 miles per hour respectively. The equivalent figure for the whole of England in 2013 was 24.7 miles per hour.

    Equivalent figures for earlier years back to 2007, and all other local highway authorities in England, can be found on the Department for Transport’s website at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/279125/cgn0206.xls

    “

  • Andy McDonald – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Andy McDonald – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy McDonald on 2014-06-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason Newcastle was chosen as the National Insurance centre for residents of Middlesbrough; and what effect this choice is having on service provision.

    Esther McVey

    Newcastle was chosen as the National Insurance centre for residents of Middlesbrough as it has centralised expertise in administering applications for National Insurance numbers. Given this expertise, proximity to Middlesbrough and availability of public transport, Newcastle provides a viable service that maintains the level of expertise and security required

  • John Healey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    John Healey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Healey on 2014-04-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 27 March 2014, Official Report, columns 348-9W, on social security benefits: young people, if he will publish any information relevant to the original question that is available at proportionate cost.

    Esther McVey

    Information on Jobseekers Allowance Severe Hardship decisions for 16 and 17 year olds is provided attached but please be aware that it does not relate solely to estrangement. Information on Income Support and Employment Support Allowance is not available. Similarly it is not possible to disaggregate Appeals information on an age basis.