Category: Speeches

  • Tom Watson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Tom Watson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2014-06-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department maintains (a) mission reports, (b) guided missile firing reports, (c) weapon system videos and (d) any other munitions release records for the UK Reaper fleet following the change of operational command to US pilots.

    Mr Mark Francois

    Each UK Reaper sortie has a mission report produced post flight. If a weapon is fired during a sortie, a weapon report is completed detailing the engagement, as well as a video produced of the engagement itself. There are no other munitions release records for the UK Reaper fleet. US pilots have not flown UK Reaper except during the launch and recovery phase.

    Outside of the launch and recovery phase, UK Remotely Piloted Air Systems have always been operated by UK pilots.

  • Steve McCabe – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Steve McCabe – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2014-03-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department issues guidance to local authorities on how best to make use of unutilized foster carers.

    Mr Edward Timpson

    The Department for Education has not issued guidance to local authorities on how best to make use of unutilised foster carers. Local authorities are required, under Section 22G of the Children Act 1989, to take steps that secure, so far as reasonably practicable, sufficient accommodation within the authority’s area that meets the needs of children that the local authority is looking after, and whose circumstances are such that it would be consistent with their welfare for them to be provided with accommodation that is in the local authority’s area (‘the sufficiency duty’).

    Since April 2013 the Department has been working with consortia of local authorities and sector partners to:

    1. develop and test innovative solutions for the recruitment and retention of foster carers
    2. identify gaps in the capacity of the foster carer workforce
    3. develop effective strategies for recruiting and retaining foster carers.

    We will be sharing the lessons learned and disseminating any tools that have been developed during the project more widely following testing.

  • Kate Green – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Kate Green – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2014-06-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of current performance towards achieving the target of assessing all current disability living allowance claimants for personal independence payment by 2018; and if he will estimate the potential additional costs in (a) the amount of benefit claimed and (b) the cost of processing claims if the current rate of assessments were to be maintained.

    Mike Penning

    We continue to monitor performance in the current phase of reassessment and along with our performance on new claims, this will inform further rollout plans for natural reassessment.

    Our plan is to complete reassessment within our original timescales and budget.

  • Huw Irranca-Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Huw Irranca-Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Huw Irranca-Davies on 2014-03-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what evidence his Department has collected on the effect of badger culls conducted in Ireland on levels of bovine TB in that country.

    George Eustice

    The number of bovine TB reactors in the Republic of Ireland fell by over 65% between 1999 and 2013, from 44,903 to 15,612. This represents the lowest level since the eradication programme started in the 1950s. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine’s wildlife policy statement of April 2013 concludes that it is satisfied that the culling of infected badgers, which is underpinned by research studies and sound science, has led to a significant reduction in the incidence of TB in cattle over the past decade.

    http://www.agriculture.gov.ie/animalhealthwelfare/diseasecontrol/bovinetbbrucellosiseradicationschemes/wildlifepolicybadgers/

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  • Stephen O’Brien – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Stephen O’Brien – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen O’Brien on 2014-06-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the number of people who will move home as a result of the construction of High Speed 2 because of (a) demolition for construction of the line and (b) blight.

    Stephen Hammond

    There are 464 dwellings within the area currently subject to surface-level safeguarding for the London to West Midlands section of HS2, of which 339 are to be demolished. Given recent Census data showing an average 2.3 occupants per property in the UK, we expect around 1,000 people will move from those homes.

    We have not estimated numbers of people who may move for reasons of generalised property blight, but there are approximately 220 dwellings within the Voluntary Purchase Area for the London to West Midlands Route announced on 9 April. Our aim is where possible to avoid serious impacts on local residents and enable people to remain in their homes. We expect to consult shortly on further measures that may make that choice more attractive for homeowners.

    Pending future decisions on routes and designs, we have made no similar estimates for other proposed sections of HS2.

  • Helen Jones – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Helen Jones – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2014-03-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been arrested for breach of a forced marriage protection order in each year since such orders came into force.

    Norman Baker

    The information requested is not collected centrally by the Home Office.

    Powers of arrest for breach of a forced marriage protection order are currently
    issued by the civil courts. Arrests for civil offences are not covered by the
    Home Office arrest collection.

    Breach of a forced marriage protection order will become an offence when
    section 120 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 comes
    into force in summer 2014.

  • Katy Clark – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Katy Clark – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Katy Clark on 2014-06-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what (a) services and (b) jobs within the Passport Office were transferred to the private sector in the last five years; and when those transfers took place.

    James Brokenshire

    No jobs have been transferred from Her Majesty’s Passport Office to the private
    sector in the last five years.

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

    Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-03-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his Department’s policy is on allowing officials to appear before all-party parliamentary groups.

    Stephen Hammond

    I refer the Honourable Member to the answer given by my Right Honourable Friend, the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General (Francis Maude) on 26 March 2014 [Official Report, Column 300W].

  • Lord Jones of Cheltenham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Lord Jones of Cheltenham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Jones of Cheltenham on 2014-06-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the World Society for the Protection of Animals’ report Cayman Turtle Farm: A Continued Case for Change”; and what measures they are taking to protect flora and fauna in all British Overseas Territories including the Cayman Islands.”

    Lord De Mauley

    The Cayman Islands Government has constitutional responsibility for a large measure of self-government, including for decisions relating to the Cayman Turtle Farm. The recommendations in the publication are therefore the responsibility of the Cayman Islands Government. However, we note that the report contains inaccuracies about UK engagement in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister for the Overseas Territories, Mark Simmonds, is writing to the World Society for the Protection of Animals to bring these inaccuracies to its attention.

    The UK Government’s ambition is for the natural environments of the Overseas Territories (OTs) to be protected and managed to the highest international standards, as set out in our 2012 White Paper, “The Overseas Territories Security, Success and Sustainability”. OT Governments are constitutionally responsible for the protection and conservation of their natural environments and the UK Government works in partnership with them to identify where our support can be most effective. On 12 May 2014, the Government published an update to the Overseas Territories Biodiversity Strategy, which provides detail of the Government’s activities on biodiversity in the OTs.

  • Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-03-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his Department’s policy is on allowing officials to appear before all-party parliamentary groups.

    Esther McVey

    I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to question number 193382 by my Rt Hon. Friend, the Minister for the Cabinet Office, Francis Maude. Official Report 26 Mar 2014Col. 300W

    Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what his Department’s policy is on allowing officials to appear before all-party parliamentary groups. [193382]

    Mr Maude: Guidance on officials appearing before all-party parliamentary groups is set out in Volume 2 of the Directory of Civil Service Guidance, copies of which are available in the Library of the House and online at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/60997/guide-civil-service-guidance-volume-2_0.pdf

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