Category: Speeches

  • Hilary Benn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Hilary Benn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2014-03-31.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the status is of the ICT Relet Project; what costs his Department has incurred; and if he will make a statement.

    Brandon Lewis

    As I outlined to the rt. hon. Member in my answer to him of 29 January 2014, Official Report, Column 600W, the programme replaces computers which are seven years old, and also upgrades the systems from Windows XP which is no longer being formally supported by Microsoft with security patches.

    The last Administration failed to get value for taxpayers’ money due to poor management of IT contracts. Indeed, the Department published a contract tender in December 2009 for a desktop IT programme costing up to £160 million. This was subsequently cancelled under this Government as part of our wider reduction in departmental spending and reconfiguration of IT procurement policy.

    The fact that we have delivered a 40 per cent saving on our IT costs is an example of how all parts of the public sector can deliver sensible savings through better procurement.

  • Sheila Gilmore – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Sheila Gilmore – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sheila Gilmore on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what visits each of the Ministers in her Department have made since January 2013; and what the purpose of each such visit was.

    Mr Alan Duncan

    Details of all overseas visits undertaken by DFID Ministers are published under the transparency section of the DFID website and can be found at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dfid-secretary-of-state-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings-with-external-organisations

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dfid-minister-of-state-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings-with-external-organisations

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dfid-parliamentary-under-secretary-of-state-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings-with-external-organisations

  • Alison Seabeck – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Alison Seabeck – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison Seabeck on 2014-03-31.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which sites used by the land-focused business of the Defence Support Group will be (a) sold, (b) leased to the buyer and (c) closed with a view to being put on the open market for development.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    Other than the proposed closure of the site at Ashchurch for subsequent sale for development, it is not the intention of the Ministry of Defence to sell any of the sites used by the Defence Support Group (DSG) or to close any with a view to putting them on the market. The following facilities which the DSG occupy exclusively will be leased to the new company:

    Andover

    Bicester

    Bovington (main DSG facility)

    Lulworth

    Catterick

    Colchester

    Donnington

    Sennybridge

    Stirling

    Warminster (main DSG facility)

    The DSG will be granted a licence to occupy facilities at the following locations:

    Abingdon

    Aldershot Sites

    Ashchurch (pending closure)

    Bovington (In-Barracks Support)

    Brawdy

    Chivenor

    Edinburgh

    Kinnegar

    Longmoor

    Portsmouth

    St Athan

    Stirling (Bldg 135)

    Stranraer

    Tidworth

    Waddington

    Warminster (In-Barracks Support)

    Wattisham

    Woodbridge

    Woolwich

    Wyton

  • Sheila Gilmore – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Sheila Gilmore – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sheila Gilmore on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what visits each of the Ministers in his Department have made since January 2013; and what the purpose of each such visit was.

    Stephen Hammond

    Details of ministerial overseas travel and meetings with external organisations are routinely published every quarter and information covering the period up to the end of March 2014 can be accessed on the Department’s website via the following:

    http://www.dft.gov.uk/publications/ministerial-transparency/.

  • Jeremy Corbyn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Jeremy Corbyn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeremy Corbyn on 2014-03-31.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent changes have been made in the issuing of visa applications at the Visa Centre in Moscow.

    James Brokenshire

    In March 2014 the management of the UK’s network of Russian visa application
    centres passed from VFS Global to Teleperformance. We are offering a full visa
    service in Russia and our global customer service standards continue to apply.

    Teleperformance opened all 5 new Visa Application Centres in Russia on time in
    March 2014. There was no break in service between the closure of the VFS
    centres and the opening of Teleperformance centres. The new Visa Application
    Centres are all fully functioning and there are appointments available at all
    of them.

  • Sheila Gilmore – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Women and Equalities

    Sheila Gilmore – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Women and Equalities

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sheila Gilmore on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Ministers for Women and Equalities, what visits each of the Ministers in the Government Equalities Office have made since January 2013; and what the purpose of each such visit was.

    Mrs Helen Grant

    Details of Ministers’ visits overseas are published quarterly and can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dcms-meetings-and-hospitality-data-october-to-december-2013

    “

  • Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-03-31.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been subject to (a) restorative justice and (b) non-committal to prison in each of the last three years; and for what range of offence.

    Jeremy Wright

    The Government is committed to ensuring that restorative justice is victim-focused, of a good quality and available at all stages of the criminal justice system across England and Wales.

    Restorative justice is a process that can be used at any stage of the criminal justice system, either alongside or as part of a formal out of court disposal or sentence. Restorative justice is potentially available for any offence, provided both the victim and offender consent and have been assessed as suitable by a trained facilitator. The use of restorative justice should not lead to offenders escaping punishment and we expect crimes of a serious nature to continue to be progressed through the courts.

    Information about the numbers of victims or offenders who are invited to participate in a restorative justice programme, or take up that offer, is not collated centrally. Statistics on non-custodial and custodial sentences are published quarterly by the Ministry of Justice and are available at www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/statistics.

    “

  • 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 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the waiting period will be before an individual qualifies for support through universal credit; and how long he expects it will take to calculate entitlement and process new claims for universal credit.

    Esther McVey

    The Chancellor announced in the 2013 Spending Review that a seven day waiting period is to be introduced into Universal Credit from April 2015.

    Each claim for UC is assigned an assessment period. The payment due date is a fixed day of the month that falls 7 days after the end of the assessment period and on the same day of each subsequent month. Entitlement will be assessed so that payment should arrive in the claimant’s bank account on or before the payment due date.

    If any claimant is in need of support during this time they are eligible to apply for a UC Advance (New Claim).

  • Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2014-03-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will make an assessment of the findings of the Oxford Economics report commissioned by the University of Sheffield entitled the Economic Costs and Benefits of International Students, January 2013.

    Mr David Willetts

    The Government welcomes the benefits that international students bring to the UK as highlighted in theOxford Economics report entitled Economic Costs and Benefits of International Students, January 2013.

    In July the same year, we published our International Education Strategy which estimated that in 2011/12 international higher education students contributed £10.2bn to the UK economy through tuition fees and living expenses. The Strategy also recognised the wider benefits that students bring in boosting the local economy where they study, as well as enhancing our cultural life, and broadening the educational experience of the UK students they study alongside. It is because we value this contribution that there is no cap on the number of genuine overseas students who can come to the UK, nor do we have plans to introduce one.

    After completion of study, all students who can secure a skilled job from a licensed sponsor and are paid at least £20,300 are welcome to stay and work in the UK. Those who complete a PhD have up to a year to find a graduate level job and move on to Tier 2 or move on to the graduate entrepreneur or exceptional talent schemes in Tier 1.

  • Iain Wright – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Iain Wright – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Iain Wright on 2014-06-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to the Written Statement of 11 June 2014, Official Report, column 47WS, on UK Green Investment Bank, whether the UK Green Investment Bank will be able to invest in green projects overseas.

    Michael Fallon

    The proposal is that the Green Investment Bank might help to invest funds allocated to the International Climate Fund in green projects in developing economies overseas. The £3.8bn that has been allocated to GIB remains available solely for investment within the UK.