Category: Speeches

  • Rachel Reeves – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Rachel Reeves – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rachel Reeves on 2016-05-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Long Term Economic Plan for Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire, published in February 2015, what progress has been made on assessing the case for providing the required infrastructure for new East Coast InterCity Express trains to run at 140 mph.

    Claire Perry

    The complex infrastructure requirements for 140mph operation on the East Coast Main Line are being assessed by Virgin Trains East Coast and the wider rail industry as a potential scheme for the longer term. Nicola Shaw’s recent report promoted greater private sector financing for railway enhancements and my Department will be interested to see these proposals from the industry in due course.

  • Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-07-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) initial estimate and (b) actual cost was for the HMS Queen Elizabeth.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    As reported in successive Major Projects Reports, the original approved cost of the Queen Elizabeth Class (QEC) Aircraft Carrier programme was £3.9 billion, including the capitalised costs of the Assessment and Demonstration Phases. The approvals and cost management have been based on the QEC Class for a two-ship programme, and it is therefore not practicable to apportion costs to the individual Aircraft Carriers.

    The current approved cost of the QEC Aircraft Carrier programme is £6.2 billion, as announced by my right hon. Friend the then Secretary of State for Defence the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) on 6 November 2013 (Official Report, column 251-254). Whilst there are cost pressures, and final costs cannot be agreed until the programme finishes around 2019. The MOD continues to work closely with the Aircraft Carrier Alliance to drive the programme to remain within the current approved cost.

  • Lord Lexden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Lexden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lexden on 2016-09-15.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will consider releasing papers relating to Lord Denning’s Report on the Profumo affair earlier than 2048.

    Baroness Mobarik

    I refer the Noble Lord to the answer Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen gave to Lord Hennessy of Nympsfield on 14 September 2016.

  • Nia Griffith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Wales Office

    Nia Griffith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Wales Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nia Griffith on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how much his Department spent on (a) temporary agency staff, (b) consultants, (c) non-payroll staff, (d) administration and (e) marketing and advertising (i) in 2014-15 prices and (ii) as a proportion of his Department’s expenditure in each year since 2010-11.

    Alun Cairns

    The Wales Office spend on (a) temporary staff, (b) consultants, (c) non-payroll staff, (d) administration and (e) marketing and advertising as a proportion of Wales Office expenditure in each year since 2010-11 is shown in the table attached.

    The numbers shown are actual spend as published in the Wales Office Departmental Annual Report and Accounts.

  • Margaret Ferrier – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Margaret Ferrier – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ferrier on 2015-12-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she expects the current threat from international terrorism to be downgraded from severe.

    Mr John Hayes

    The UK terrorism threat level is set by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC). JTAC operates independently of Ministers and considers all relevant information to assess the threat from international terrorism. Its judgements are made on the basis of the latest intelligence, and it keeps the threat level under constant review.

    The current threat level is SEVERE, meaning that an attack is highly likely. Members of the public should remain alert to the danger of terrorism, but they should not let the fear of terrorism stop them from going about their day-to-day life as normal.

  • Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2016-01-21.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has undertaken an impact assessment under section 149 of the Equalities Act 2010 of the Government’s proposals relating to exit payments for public sector workers in respect of older workers.

    Greg Hands

    The Government consulted on implementing a public sector exit payment cap in July 2015. The Government response to this consultation was published on 16 September 2015. This response provides detail on the potential impacts of the cap and sets out which organisations the Government intends to capture within scope of the public sector exit payment cap. The final policy is in line with the Government’s manifesto commitment to end tax payer funded six figure payoffs for public sector workers.

    The consultation ran from 31 July to 27 August 2015. Over 4000 responses were received. These representations were considered during and after the consultation to inform the Government response that was published on 16 September 2015.

    The response document can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/464367/Public_sector_exit_payments_response.pdf

    An impact analysis was published within the exit payment cap consultation document which respondents had an opportunity to comment on. Further, the Government worked with departments and took into account consultation responses received after the official deadline to inform the impact of a public sector exit payment cap set at £95,000 in different sectors and for different categories of workers. This assessment gave due regard to the Public Sector Equality Duty.

    The exit payment cap is intended to capture organisations classified as public sector by the Office for National Statistics with few exceptions as identified in the consultation response.

    The Government does not expect the cap to have a widespread impact on the take-up of voluntary redundancy.

    At the 2015 Spending Review the Government announced it will consult on further cross public sector action on exit payment terms. This consultation will provide a good opportunity to collect further information on the trends in the level of exit payments between the private and public sector.

  • Grahame Morris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Grahame Morris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential effect on the availability of women’s refuge services of the local rate of local housing allowance being applied to tenants in supported housing.

    Justin Tomlinson

    I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 11 January 2016 to Question UIN 20740

    “

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-03-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 2 March 2016 to Question 28328, what estimate his Department has made of the number of officials who will work in the unit dedicated to assisting negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership agreement in each of the next two years; and if he will make a statement.

    Anna Soubry

    No such estimate has been made. The number of officials working in the Transatlantic and International Unit will vary according to the state of the negotiations for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. There is no predetermined staffing level.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-04-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Israeli counterpart on the response increase of home and structure demolitions by Israeli authorities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory in February 2016 .

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    I have not raised this specific issue with my Israeli counterpart. However, we remain deeply concerned by Israel’s policy on demolitions and regularly raise the matter with the Israeli authorities, most recently on 13 April.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-05-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department had made of the capacity of rail services between Coventry and London; and if he will make a statement.

    Claire Perry

    Rail services between Coventry and London are currently provided by the West Midlands and InterCity West Coast franchises. These franchises are due to be replaced when they expire in October 2017 and April 2018 respectively. The Department has completed a consultation in respect of the replacement West Midlands franchise, and commenced another in respect of InterCity West Coast earlier this month. The outcomes of those consultations, including the key challenges and opportunities that the Department has identified for those franchises, will be published in due course.