Category: Speeches

  • Chris Williamson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Chris Williamson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Williamson on 2014-04-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many officials of the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency are responsible for (a) driver and (b) operator compliance in the bus industry.

    Stephen Hammond

    It is not possible to determine the number of roles within the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) that are responsible for (a) driver and (b) operator compliance in the bus industry, as it forms only a part of a number of roles within the Agency. However, for the financial year of 2014/15, DVSA is budgeted to provide over 38 man-years of resource on the enforcement of the bus industry, for deployment of tasks such as roadworthiness checks, visits to licensed operators and bus operator account management.

  • Liam Byrne – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Liam Byrne – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the written statement of 16 June 2014, Official Report, columns 70-1WS, on student support in England, how many of the students who were unable to or chose not to provide adequate evidence of residency were studying at an alternative provider with designated courses; at which provider they were studying; for what qualifications they were registered; and on what basis his Department calculated that £65 million was due to be paid to 1,333 students.

    Mr David Willetts

    The number of students who were unable to or chose not to provide adequate evidence of residency who were studying at an alternative provider with designated courses and providers at which they were studying, was included in the data set placed in the libraries of the House to accompany the Written Ministerial Statement on Monday 16 June 2014.

    A breakdown of the courses these students are studying is data that is not held in the form requested. I have asked the Student Loans Company to compile this data and I will place a copy in the libraries of the House as soon as it is available.

    The £65m figure given in the Written Ministerial Statement is the amount of student support that would have been paid in relation to the 5,548 students deemed to be ineligible following the residency checking exercise. It was calculated using actual awards for students who had approved applications and average award amounts for students whose applications had not reached the approval stage at the time payments were suspended.

  • Lord Hylton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Hylton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2014-04-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, at the latest date, how many immigration detainees were being held in HM prisons; how many foreign national offenders, whose sentences had already expired but who had not been deported were being held; and what assessment they have made of the impact of such persons on the rehabilitation of British prisoners.

    Lord Taylor of Holbeach

    For the week commencing 31 March, there were 720 immigration detainees in prisons.

    Please note that the data includes a small number of individuals who have never served a custodial sentence, but who present specific risk factors that indicate they pose a serious risk of harm to the public or to the good order of an Immigration Removal Centre (IRC) including the safety of staff and other detainees, which cannot be managed within the regime applied in IRCs.

    To extract this small number of cases would incur a disproportionate cost.

    Foreign national offenders held in prisons beyond the end of their sentence under immigration powers are normally held in unconvicted conditions. Their presence in these prisons does not affect the rehabilitation of British nationals whose access to accredited interventions and other rehabilitation services is governed by risk of offending and offender-related need.

  • John Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Deputy Prime Minister

    John Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Deputy Prime Minister

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Robertson on 2014-06-16.

    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what discussions he has had with charities on implementation of the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Act 2014 since that act received Royal Assent.

    Greg Clark

    The Electoral Commission is producing guidance to explain the rules on non-party campaigning. The Commission has held four roundtable discussions for charities and other campaigners across the UK and Electoral Commission officials have spoken at events hosted by charity sector umbrella bodies.

    The Commission will publish its full guidance on the new rules in the summer, in advance of the regulated period which starts on 19 September 2014.

  • Lord Patten – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Patten – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2014-04-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the reasons the government of Spain has given for sending warships and other state vessels into territorial waters around Gibraltar.

    Baroness Warsi

    Our assessment is that unlawful incursions into British Gibraltar Territorial Waters by Spanish State vessels are a futile attempt to assert Spain’s legal position in respect of the waters. Incursions are a violation of sovereignty, not a threat to it. They do not weaken or undermine the legal basis in international law for British sovereignty over Gibraltar, including British Gibraltar Territorial Waters.

  • Richard Fuller – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Richard Fuller – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Fuller on 2014-06-16.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many complaints have been made about HM Revenue and Customs in each of the last five years; and how many such complaints related to mistakes in calculated tax liability.

    Mr David Gauke

    The table below shows the number of complaints received by HM Revenue and Customs (excluding the VOA) for each of the years 2009/10 – 2013/14. The figure for 2013/14 will be published in the HMRC Annual Report later this month.

    Year

    Number of complaints

    2009/10

    71406

    2010/11

    76721

    2011/12

    74831

    2012/13

    67956

    2013/14

    64729

    HMRC’s complaints database does not currently distinguish between complaints about mistakes in calculated tax liability from mistakes in other functions. HMRC is developing a robust process for learning from customer’s complaints which aims to reduce or eliminate mistakes made.

  • Lord Bradshaw – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Bradshaw – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bradshaw on 2014-04-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether particulate filters fitted to road vehicles are subject to testing to ensure that those devices remain in good working order.

    Baroness Kramer

    The annual roadworthiness tests include a test for diesel smoke, using an opacimeter, which is intended to detect a diesel particulate filter that has suffered a mechanical failure or which has been removed from a vehicle. The Department has amended the MoT testers’ manual so as to include a visual check to confirm that a diesel particulate filter is present where one was fitted as standard by the vehicle manufacturer. Further information is available at the following link:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-rules-for-mot-to-test-for-diesel-particulate-filter

    “

  • Dan Jarvis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Dan Jarvis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2014-06-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to improve care for veterans suffering with psychological injuries after their service.

    Anna Soubry

    I refer the hon Member to the answer I gave on 8 May 2014, (Official Report, column 277W) to the hon Member for Portsmouth South (Mr Hancock). In addition to the initiatives outlined in that answer, I would also note that the mental health of our personnel and veterans is a top priority for the Government and that is why we have committed £7.2 million to ensure there is extensive mental health support in place for those who need it.

  • Katy Clark – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Katy Clark – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Katy Clark on 2014-04-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will investigate whether any tear gas exported to Turkey under the standard individual export licence granted in May 2011 was used on demonstrators in Turkey in 2013.

    Michael Fallon

    The licence granted in May 2011 was for temporary export of "inert tear gas/irritant ammunition" for exhibition purposes. It was a condition of the licence that the goods were returned to the UK within 12 months and they were returned on 13 May 2013 .The licence did not authorise the export of any tear gas or "live" tear gas ammunition.

  • Angus Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Angus Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Robertson on 2014-06-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what deviations or exemptions from the Military Air Systems Certifications Process were made for the Airseeker aircraft; when those deviations or exemptions were made; and who authorised each such deviation or exemption.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 16 June 2014, (Official Report, column 364W), to the hon. Member for Plymouth, Moor View (Alison Seabeck).

    Ongoing work will progressively refine this release as additional information becomes available and further analysis is conducted.