Category: Speeches

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-03-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 9 February 2016 to Question 25958, when he expects the revised guidance on the national minimum wage for seafarers to be published; and when he last discussed that matter with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The publication of the guidance is the responsibility of the Secretary of State for the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS).

    My officials have been working collaboratively with officials in BIS and the draft revised guidance has now been submitted to key stakeholders, including employee and employer representatives, for comment. BIS has stated that it remains on target to publish the guidance in spring 2016.

  • Lord Freyberg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Freyberg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Freyberg on 2016-04-21.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 17 March (HL7133) concerning the protection of personal health and social care data, what was the date on which the stakeholders committed to the delivery of the future state, without the need for interim Accredited Safe Havens.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The Data Services for Commissioners Programme Board, which is the oversight mechanism with responsibility for the delivery of the future state, and comprises representatives from the stakeholder groups committed to its delivery, met for the first time on 9 December 2014. The delivery of the programme is ongoing and on track to deliver increasing levels of functionality from 2017 onwards.

  • Cat Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Cat Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cat Smith on 2016-06-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress the Government has made on rebalancing the UK’s inland water quotas to smaller, specific locally-based fishing communities.

    George Eustice

    The Government regularly reviews its quota allocation policy. In recent years it has permanently realigned unused quota from Producer Organisations and allocated the first 100 tonnes, plus 10% of any remaining uplift in quota resulting from the introduction of the Landing Obligation, to the small-scale inshore fleet.

    These changes equate to over 1500 tonnes, or an additional £3 million worth of fish, for the small-scale fleet in 2016.

  • Karl McCartney – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    Karl McCartney – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl McCartney on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what steps his Department has taken to prepare for the UK to leave the EU since 23 June 2016; and what further such steps his Department plans to take in the remainder of 2016.

    David Mundell

    The Department for Exiting the European Union has responsibility for overseeing preparations for the withdrawal of the UK from the EU and conducting these withdrawal negotiations in support of the Prime Minister.

    In doing this, it is working very closely with other government departments, including the Scotland Office, the devolved administrations and a wide range of other interested parties.

  • Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick on 2016-10-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of comments by Kristin Forbes, a member of the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee, on possible over-counting of the economic effects of Brexit, what assessment they have made of the Bank of England’s growth forecasts.

    Lord Young of Cookham

    The government has produced no such assessment of the independent Monetary Policy Committee’s forecasts for the UK economy.

    The independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has the responsibility to produce detailed forecasts for the economy and public finances twice a year. The OBR will produce forecasts to accompany the Autumn Statement on 23 November.

  • Kevin Brennan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Kevin Brennan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2015-10-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what plans his Department has for the £1.8 billion of uncommitted Green Investment Bank funds following privatisation of that bank.

    Anna Soubry

    The Government allocated up to £3.8 billion of funds to Green Investment Bank (GIB) for investment in the period to March 2016. To date, GIB has made commitments totalling £2.1billion. Government will fund these and any further commitments GIB enters into during the current year to March 2016.

    GIB’s funding needs for the year 2016/17 are being considered as part of the current spending review and the outcome will be announced later in the year.

  • Sammy Wilson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Sammy Wilson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sammy Wilson on 2015-11-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of animals that had been used in experiments and were classed as re-homed in government statistics in the last three years were sent for slaughter.

    Mike Penning

    The Home Office does not collect data regarding the number of animals, used in scientific procedures, which after release from the controls of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, are subsequently sent directly to slaughter. Establishments are required to keep information of the source, use and final disposal of protected animals, bred kept or used at the establishment for any regulated activities, which would include whether an animal used was sent directly to slaughter.

  • Helen Hayes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Helen Hayes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Hayes on 2016-01-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether the apprenticeship levy will apply to charities who employ more than 250 people.

    Nick Boles

    The apprenticeships levy will apply to all UK employers but will only be paid by those with a pay bill of more than £3 million. We will continue to engage with employers, including the charity sector, in the development and implementation of the apprenticeship levy.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-01-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations his Department has made to the Russian government following the Russian airstrike in Hazzano, Syria, which damaged the bakery funded by the Department for International Development.

    Mr David Lidington

    We have repeatedly made clear to the Russian Government our serious concerns about its bombing campaign in Syria. We have consistently called on Russia to focus its targeting on Daesh and to cease the targeting of moderate opposition groups. We have also expressed concern over the numbers of civilian casualties being reported as a result of Russian strikes.

    The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), has raised our concerns about Russia’s approach with Foreign Minister Lavrov, including at meetings of the International Syria Support Group. The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), discussed Syria with President Putin at the G20 Summit in Antalya, and in a telephone conversation on 9 December following Parliament’s vote to support military action against Daesh in Syria.

  • Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the implications for the policies of the Cabinet Office of the recommendations of the Mental Health Taskforce report, published in February 2016.

    Alistair Burt

    We welcome the recommendations for government in the report and will be considering how best to integrate them into our work programme. There will be an impact on policies across Government in this period and, more importantly, a positive impact on people using mental health services.

    The Mental Health Five Year Forward View Taskforce Report proposes, and we accept, investing over £1 billion of additional funding by 2020/21 to reach one million more people. There are a number of recommendations in the report which will have an impact on crisis care services, accident and emergency departments, mothers suffering from mental health problems, suicide prevention, children and young people’s mental health services, access to psychological therapies and the physical health of people with mental health problems. The £1 billion announced with the Taskforce report is the total annual cost for all areas in 2020/21.

    Announcements on the development of policies, including those with reference to implementing the Mental Health Taskforce will be made in due course.