Category: Speeches

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

    Lord Berkeley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Berkeley on 2014-06-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Kramer on 13 May (WA 492), what is the annual charge used to calculate the net present value of £2.7 billion for the contract with Agility Trains East covering the provision of Intercity Express trains for the East Coast Main Line; and how many diagrammed trains and diagrammed vehicles are to be provided under the contract.

    Baroness Kramer

    The net present value of the East Coast Main Line fleet is £2.7bn in 2009 prices. This is for a fleet of 414 diagrammed vehicles over 54 diagrammed trains. The total Set Availability Payment for the full East Coast fleet in 1 April 2020 – 31 March 2021 (the first year of full fleet operation) is £324.6m in nominal 2020 prices.

  • Jesse Norman – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Jesse Norman – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jesse Norman on 2014-03-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to support young people into work.

    Esther McVey

    The Government’s approach is working. For the 21st consecutive month we have seen the youth claimant count reduce.The Youth Contract is successfully providing young people with the support they require, building on support already available via Jobcentres and the Work Programme. Opportunities available to young people include Work Experience, Sector-based WorkAcademies, traineeships and intensive work searches.

  • Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2014-06-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether any United Kingdom Government Departments have discussed the OPL 245 Nigerian oil deal case with the Attorney General of Nigeria, or any other senior Nigerian government official.

    Baroness Warsi

    The Metropolitan Police Proceeds of Corruption Unit are investigating complaints made about the case of oil block OPL-245 in Nigeria. As this is an on-going investigation, it would not be appropriate to comment any further.

  • Lord Mendelsohn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    Lord Mendelsohn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mendelsohn on 2014-03-24.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the percentage cost over-run established by the management board for any budget in the Attorney General’s Office to merit being tabled at the departmental management board; and how many times in the last 12 months that has occurred.

    Lord Wallace of Tankerness

    The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) does not have a cost overrun established by the management board above which it merits a budget being tabled at departmental Executive Board. No overruns have been reported to the AGO Executive Board in the last 12 months.

  • Lord Trefgarne – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord Trefgarne – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Trefgarne on 2014-06-04.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the average time taken by general practitioners to complete the medical forms required by candidates for the Territorial Army and Army Reserve; and what is the number presently outstanding.

    Lord Astor of Hever

    The average time taken by General Practitioners to complete medical forms for Army Reserve applicants is 29 days. This includes the time taken by the candidate to provide the documents to their General Practitioner as well as the time taken by General Practitioners to process the forms. This has reduced from 37 days which was the average prior to the implementation of the improved medical process for recruits in February 2014.

    As at 6 June 2014, 1,315 sets of Army Reserve medical declaration documents were outstanding.

  • Lord Tyler – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Tyler – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Tyler on 2014-03-24.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many UK Border Agency staff are permanently deployed in Jersey, Guernsey and Sark.

    Lord Taylor of Holbeach

    There are no Border Force Officers deployed to Jersey, Guernsey or Sark.

    Jersey has its own Customs and Immigration Service. Guernsey has an Immigration, Nationality and Passport Department. Both islands have their own immigration rules.

  • Lord Jenkin of Roding – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Jenkin of Roding – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Jenkin of Roding on 2014-06-04.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much public money is spent annually on research into Alzheimer’s disease; and what is their estimate of the amount spent on such research by commercial and charitable sources.

    Earl Howe

    Since 2009-10, dementia research funded by Government through the National Institute for Health Research, the Medical Research Council and the Economic and Social Research Council has almost doubled, from £28.2 million to £52.2 million in 2012-13. Over the same period, funding by the charitable sector has increased, from £4.2 million to £6.8 million in the case of Alzheimer’s Research UK and from £2 million to £5.3 million in the case of the Alzheimer’s Society. Data on annual expenditure on dementia research by commercial sources are not available.

  • Paul Uppal – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Paul Uppal – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Uppal on 2014-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to encourage local authority pension funds to become signatories to the Stewardship Code.

    Brandon Lewis

    Each local authority that administers a pension fund is already subject to statutory guidance that states that it should recognise the Financial Reporting Council’s Stewardship Code and ensure that the Code is adopted by their fund managers, investment consultants and advisers. The guidance also states that the authority should include a statement of its policy on responsible ownership in its statement of the principles governing its investment decisions and report periodically to scheme members on the implementation of the policy. Sixteen of the eighty nine local government pension funds in England and Wales are themselves signatories to the Stewardship Code as asset owners.

  • Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2014-06-04.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the recent hangings in India; and what steps they will take to ensure that the values set out in the Commonwealth Charter are being upheld in that country.

    Baroness Warsi

    The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), expressed his concern about the recent gang rape and death of the two girls in Budaun on 28 May.

    We are committed to working with the Government of India and international partners to address the problem of gender-based violence, human trafficking and child exploitation in India. Through the Department for International Development (DFID) programme, the UK supports measures in India’s 120 poorest districts to promote the empowerment and access to benefits and services of excluded groups. DFID India also provides support to national and state governments in India which includes helping girls to complete basic education and further tackling violence against women and girls. We will continue with work with the government of India on this important issue, and continue to encourage all Commonwealth countries to uphold the values set out in the Commonwealth Charter.

  • Andrew Percy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Andrew Percy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2014-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the baseline requirement is for wi-fi provision for all primary schools; and if he will make a statement.

    Elizabeth Truss

    The Department for Education has no baseline requirements for Wi-Fi provision in all schools. Headteachers manage their own budgets and are best placed to decide the extent of Wi-Fi provision. Where schools are built or rebuilt via the Department’s capital programmes, IT infrastructure including Wi-Fi is installed to a standard that supports 1:1 tablet use in the classroom.