Category: Speeches

  • Fiona O’Donnell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Fiona O’Donnell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona O’Donnell on 2014-04-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the government of Israel regarding plans for the creation of a new settlement in the Old City of Hebron.

    Hugh Robertson

    The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend, the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) issued a statement on 17 April 2014 condemning the Israeli decision to create a new settlement in Hebron.

  • Mark Hendrick – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Mark Hendrick – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2014-04-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what progress he has made on establishing a date for a third round of negotiations for the Geneva Conference on Syria.

    Hugh Robertson

    The Geneva 2 process is currently stalled because of the Syrian regime’s refusal to accept UN / Arab League Joint Special Envoy Brahimi’s proposal on the agenda for a further round of talks. We remain in very close contact with the UN and our international partners in our efforts to find a way to make progress on the political track.

  • Adam Afriyie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Adam Afriyie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she has taken to ensure developing countries can access UK satellite technology to monitor local agricultural land and environmental risks; and if she will make a statement.

    Lynne Featherstone

    DFID is supporting projects that use satellite data. DFID supports the World Agroforestry Centre to use data to help monitor and assess agriculture land use and environmental risks including land degradation. DFID contributes to the UK Environment Observations Framework Coordinating Climate Observations Group which coordinates Her Majesty’s Government activities supporting the development and use of climate data, including from satellites.

  • David Winnick – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Leader of the House

    David Winnick – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Leader of the House

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Winnick on 2014-04-09.

    To ask the Leader of the House, if he will introduce and consult upon proposals for the Standards Committee to be replaced by a body consisting of a majority of lay members with representation of more than three hon. Members without voting rights.

    Mr Andrew Lansley

    The House strengthened its own procedures in January 2013 by reconstituting the Committee on Standards to include lay member representation, with a specific right to submit an opinion on any report of that Committee and to have it published.

    I have had recent discussions with the Chair of the Committee on Standards, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards and other interested parties on ensuring that the standards regime for Members is as robust as it can be.

    I expect the Committee on Standards to announce shortly terms of reference for an inquiry examining the current system, which draws on the recent report by the lay members of that Committee. I expect to follow up my discussions with the Committee on Standards in order further to strengthen lay members’ scrutiny of standards matters. If any Member wishes to bring forward specific proposals for improvements to the system, this is of course something that both the Committee and the House will wish to consider.

  • Lucy Powell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    Lucy Powell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lucy Powell on 2014-04-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 10 April 2014, Official Report, columns 307-8W, on children: day care, what the breakdown is for the £500 grants available to set up new nurseries, childminders for disabled children and after schools clubs; how many of the 4,417 applicants continue to have a childcare business; and what plans he has for the funding of the scheme.

    Mrs Helen Grant

    The Childcare Business Grants scheme was launched in April 2013 to help those wishing to start a new childcare business with start-up costs. To date, 4,501 applications have been received, of which 425 have been for £500 grants. Information is not available on the number of applicants that continue to have a childcare business.

    A breakdown of the £500 grants approved is in the table.

    Type of Grant application

    Number of applications

    Disabled childcare

    146

    Nursery

    191

    Out of School Club

    69

    *Other

    19

    Total applications:

    425

    Source: Liberata, management information

    *Other (Childcare on domestic premises) – this category represents childminders working from domestic premises with three or more employees.

    We recently announced that the scheme will be available for new applicants up to the end of 2014 or until the £2m fund is exhausted.

  • Tim Loughton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    Tim Loughton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2014-04-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when he plans to publish the responses to the consultation on extending civil partnerships to opposite sex couples.

    Mrs Helen Grant

    There have been almost 11,500 responses to the consultation on the future of civil partnership in England and Wales. We are now considering them and will publish a summary in due course.

  • Douglas Alexander – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Deputy Prime Minister

    Douglas Alexander – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Deputy Prime Minister

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Alexander on 2014-04-29.

    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, pursuant to the oral Answer of 6 February 2014, Official Report, column 348W, on Colombia, which representatives of Colombian trades unions he met during his visit to Colombia in February 2014.

    Mr Nick Clegg

    I refer the Rt. Hon Member to the answer I gave on 11 February, Column 691. In addition to this, all members of the business delegation who accompanied me were briefed on Human Rights issues before the visit.

  • Jim Fitzpatrick – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Fitzpatrick – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2014-04-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment has been made of the effects of the removal of the Minimum Practice Income Guarantee on (a) GP services and (b) the income of GPs; and if he will commission research on the range and extent on GP income in Tower Hamlets.

    Dr Daniel Poulter

    As part of the general practitioner (GP) contract settlement in 2013, the Department decided to phase out Minimum Practice Income Guarantee (MPIG) top up payments over a seven year period, starting in the coming financial year 2014-15. This means that MPIG payments to practices will be reduced by one-seventh every year from 1 April 2014.

    The money released by doing this will be reinvested in the basic payments made to all General Medical Services practices, which are based on numbers of patients and key determinants of practice workload, such as patient age, health needs and the unavoidable costs of providing services in rural areas. The decision to implement the changes over a period of seven years is designed to allow those practices that will lose funding to adjust gradually.

    GPs are independent contractors and are responsible for deciding their own levels of income. The decision on how to address specific local issues will be taken by NHS England’s area teams after a full assessment of local circumstances. We understand that NHS England’s primary care team in London is in regular contact with the Chief Officer of Tower Hamlets clinical commissioning group about this issue.

  • Catherine McKinnell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Catherine McKinnell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine McKinnell on 2014-04-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 4 March 2014, Official Report, column 793W, on disclosure of information, when he expects the Government’s response to the Whistleblowing Framework call for evidence will be published.

    Jenny Willott

    The Government response is currently being finalised and will be published soon.

  • Sadiq Khan – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Sadiq Khan – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sadiq Khan on 2014-04-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many full time equivalent teaching staff there were in total in young offender institutions and secure training centres in each of the last four years.

    Jeremy Wright

    We are committed under the Transforming Youth Custody programme to improving education outcomes for young people in custody. Our proposals for Secure Colleges, and to radically improve the education provided in Young Offenders Institutions, will place education at the heart of youth custody and provide young offenders with skills, qualifications and self-discipline they require to build a life free from crime.

    The amount of education delivered to young people in Young Offender Institutions and Secure Training Centres is clearly defined and monitored through contractual arrangements with providers. We believe that these expert educational providers are best placed to determine how – at a local level – to secure education outcomes for the young people they are working with. As such we do not collect data centrally on the staff they employ.