Category: Speeches

  • Ivan Lewis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Ivan Lewis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ivan Lewis on 2014-06-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, when she last met the Chief Executive of UK Trade & Investment to discuss that organisation’s role in attracting inward investment to Northern Ireland.

    Mrs Theresa Villiers

    It has not been possible to meet the outgoing Chief Executive of UKTI. I look forward to meeting Dominic Jermey in the coming weeks to discuss how UKTI can promote Northern Ireland trade and investment working in tandem with InvestNI.

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2014-04-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reports that officials in the North Korean Workers’ Party who were associated with Jang Song-thaek have been sentenced to death; and what recent representations the United Kingdom Ambassador to North Korea has made to the authorities there about the use of capital punishment, torture and political prison camps.

    Baroness Warsi

    We are aware of media reports that 200 Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) government officials believed to be close Jang Song-thaek, who was executed in December 2013, have been sentenced to death. Personnel changes within various organisations suggest the purge of those related to Jang Song-thaek is continuing. However, the lack of transparency means we are unable to confirm what has happened to those who have been removed from their positions. The UK is appalled but not unsurprised by reports of executions in DPRK. During meetings with DPRK authorities we regularly raise concerns about the horrific human rights situation. Our Ambassador in Pyongyang raised these concerns during a meeting with a Vice-Minister from the DPRK Ministry of Foreign Affairs in January and we have raised them with other officials in March.

  • Liam Byrne – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Liam Byrne – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many meetings he has had with his Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser in the last 12 months.

    Esther McVey

    As was the case under previous administrations, details of internal meetings are not normally disclosed.

  • Lord Storey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Lord Storey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2014-04-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Stowell of Beeston on 13 March (WA 404), what stipulations, if any, they have placed upon (1) Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, (2) the North East Leadership Board, (3) Sheffield City Region Combined Authority, and (4) West Yorkshire Combined Authority in terms of (a) the membership of those bodies, (b) remuneration for their members, and (c) how meetings will be (i) chaired, and (ii) recorded.

    Baroness Stowell of Beeston

    The Orders establishing each Combined Authority specify the membership of the body; and require the election of a chairman and vice-chairman at the first meeting of the Combined Authority and thereafter at its annual meeting. Each member has one vote and there is no casting vote. The Orders also make provision that no remuneration is to be payable to members except for allowances for travel and subsistence in accordance with a scheme drawn up by the Combined Authority. All of the councils concerned consented to these provisions, which were based on proposals originally made by the councils.

    The statutory provisions for the conduct of council meetings apply equally to the conduct of meetings of a Combined Authority, including provisions about the taking and publication of inutes. The Code of Recommended Practice for Local Authorities on Data Transparency applies to combined authorities and the Openness of Local Government Bodies Regulations 2014, if approved by Parliament, will also apply.

  • 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 2014-06-13.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many meetings (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department had with representatives of National Savings and Investments in (i) August 2013, (ii) September 2013, (iii) October 2013, (iv) November 2013, (v) December 2013, (vi) January 2014, (vii) February 2014 and (viii) March 2014.

    Nicky Morgan

    National Savings & Investments is an executive agency of the Treasury. As with all of its supporting agencies and public bodies, the Treasury holds regular meetings with NS&I on a wide range of issues.

  • Tessa Munt – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Tessa Munt – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tessa Munt on 2014-06-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether guidance issued by Monitor is mandatory for NHS England to follow.

    Jane Ellison

    It is the National Health Service (Procurement, Patient Choice and Competition) (No.2) Regulations 2013 that place requirements on NHS England, including requirements as to good practice in relation to procurement.

    Enforcement of the procurement requirements by Monitor may only follow its investigation of a complaint that there has been a failure by a commissioner to comply with the requirements. Guidance issued by Monitor on the regulations, including guidance issued in April, provides advice for commissioners on compliance with the regulations.

  • Adam Afriyie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Adam Afriyie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Afriyie on 2014-04-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will provide a simple route for people to donate their universal benefits back to the state; and if he will make a statement.

    Steve Webb

    The majority of winter fuel payments are sent out automatically. However, people can simply return their winter fuel payment to the office that issues it. They can also write to the Department requesting not to receive a winter fuel payment for future years, either in advance of first getting a payment, or after they have received one or more payments.

    Anyone aged 75 or over is entitled to a free TV Licence for their main address. The free licence is not issued automatically and needs to be applied for. Once issued, licences are renewed automatically every year unless the customer does not have a National Insurance Number in which case TV Licensing will contact them to confirm their circumstances have not changed each year. An over 75 licence can be cancelled at any time and a paid-for licence requested.

    The concessionary travel benefit is optional. An eligible person can choose not to take up the entitlement. The National Travel Survey 2011 shows that in GB, 79 per cent of people eligible for an older persons’ bus pass held one.

  • Cathy Jamieson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Cathy Jamieson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cathy Jamieson on 2014-06-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of passport applications submitted by residents of Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency in each month since June 2010; and how many such cases were processed within three weeks of receipt.

    James Brokenshire

    This information is not held in an accessible form by Her Majesty’s Passport Office.

    The cost of extracting this data would be disproportionate and so unfortunately
    I cannot provide you with the information you have requested.

  • Stephen Timms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Timms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2014-04-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what representations he has made to authorities in Brazil and Qatar conveying the lessons learned in the UK about health and safety in constructing sporting stadia.

    Mike Penning

    A senior official from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) participated in the Government to Government Olympic Handover in Rio de Janeiro in November 2012 and established ongoing contact with the Brazilian labour inspectorate. HSE attended meetings held with the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup Supreme Committee in London during February 2014. In both engagements, attention was also drawn to the material published by HSE on the successes and lessons learned from the ‘Big build’, which formed part of the Olympic Delivery Authority’s legacy commitment. This can be found at http://www.hse.gov.uk/aboutus/london-2012-games/index.htm

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  • Frank Field – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Frank Field – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2014-06-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many personal independence payments entitlement decisions on applications made by people not suffering with a terminal illness were made in each of the three months to June 2014.

    Mike Penning

    The available data on the number of claims and decisions made up to 28 March 2014 has been published and is available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/317425/pip-statistical-release-june-2014.pdf. Entitlement data to PIP up to 28 February 2014 are available using the Stat-Xplore tool: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk. Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Stat-Xplore_User_Guide.htm

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    These statistics and data will be updated in due course.

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