Category: Speeches

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-06-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the punctuality of railway services across England and Wales in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

    Claire Perry

    The Department closely monitors the punctuality of rail services across England and Wales, and holds regular meetings with industry partners during which this issue is discussed.

    Punctuality across the network as a whole has fallen over the last five years, although six Train Operating Companies have either improved or maintained their performance levels during that period. We are investing record sums in the network to improve services for passengers, and although inevitably there is a risk of some temporary disruption while these major schemes are being implemented, we have made clear to the industry that we expect them to do all they can to improve the situation.

  • Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-09-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 5 September 2016 to Question 43735, how many of the applications received in 2015 and subsequently approved the Regional School Commissioner initially recommended to be declined.

    Edward Timpson

    The Department’s centralised records do not hold data on converter academy applications that may have previously been declined.

  • Nic Dakin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Nic Dakin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2016-10-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when his Department was notified of the decision to use French steel to build the Trident successor submarines.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    The management of the steel procurement process for the Successor Programme is the responsibility of the Prime Contractor, BAE Systems. The Ministry of Defence conducted a technical assessment during the tendering process to ensure bids met specifications. Overall, 85% of BAE System’s supply chain for the new submarines is based in the UK. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is working closely with the Ministry of Defence and the Crown Commercial Service in the implementation of steel-specific guidance on future procurements.

  • Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town on 2015-11-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of how many public sector employees earning below £31,000 will be affected by the proposed £95,000 public sector exit payment cap.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    The Government set out its proposals for the cap on public sector exit payments in the consultation document published on 31 July 2015 and confirmed the design of the cap in the consultation response document published on 16 September 2015. The consultation document gave details of the number of exits over recent years that cost the taxpayer more than £100,000.

    The precise number of those affected by the public sector exit payment cap will depend on the number and type of exits in coming years. However, in recent years the large majority of exits in the public sector are below the level of the cap. For example, the Whole of Government Accounts states that, in 2013-14, 1,838 out of 72,445 pay outs were in excess of £100,000.

    The exit payment clauses currently before the House of Lords in the Enterprise Bill set out how the cap is expected to apply.

  • Craig Whittaker – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Craig Whittaker – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2015-12-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the Greek and Turkish governments on the unification of Cyprus.

    Mr David Lidington

    The UK remains a strong supporter of a Cyprus settlement. We engage regularly with Greece and Turkey, at a range of levels, as part of our efforts to build support for the UN-led settlement talks. We look forward to continuing to work with Greece and Turkey to help the Greek and Turkish Cypriots to reunite their island through a just and lasting settlement.

  • Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-01-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what processes are in place to ensure that people with mental health problems have applications for start-up loans considered fairly.

    Anna Soubry

    The Start-Up Loans programme provides loans and mentoring support to enable entrepreneurs aged 18 and over from all parts of society and based in the UK to start a business. So far, over 34,300 entrepreneurs have received support from the programme, which in turn has facilitated over £187 million worth of lending to date.

    The programme operates through a network of Delivery Partners, who make individual lending decisions based on criteria set by the Start-Up Loans Company. Delivery Partners are required to adhere to Financial Conduct Authority Regulations on Treating Customers Fairly which include reference to the treatment of customers with mental health issues.

  • Lord Turnberg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Lord Turnberg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Turnberg on 2016-02-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of EU immigrants were in receipt of benefit payments during the last two years for which figures are available.

    Lord Freud

    The information on benefit receipt by nationality is not available.

    The Department has published statistics on working age benefit recipients claiming within 6 months of National Insurance Number (NINO) registration. This information is known as “Nationality at point of National Insurance number registration of DWP benefit claimants” and is included in the “Statistical Bulletin on National Insurance Number Allocations to Adult Overseas Nationals”.

    The Government is looking at ways to reform the current administrative system under Universal Credit so that it will systematically record nationality and immigration status of migrants who make a claim.

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-02-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether it is planned that tribunal hearings convened under the Investor State Dispute Settlements (ISDS) under the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership will sit in public; and what Government policy is on public sittings for ISDS tribunals.

    Anna Soubry

    The negotiations for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) are ongoing and the question of investment protection provisions in the agreement is still under consideration. The European Commission has however published its proposal for investment protections in TTIP. This builds on the reforms already introduced in the EU-Canada and EU-Singapore trade and investment agreements, including that arbitral tribunal hearings will typically be open to the public.

  • Ruth Cadbury – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Ruth Cadbury – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ruth Cadbury on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, at what stage in the decision making process regarding a third runway at Heathrow Airport he plans to bring forward legislative proposals on that matter.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    On 14 December 2015, the Government formally announced that it accepted the Airports Commission’s case for new runway capacity in the South East, as well as the Commission’s three shortlisted schemes. At the same time, it was also announced that the Department for Transport would undertake a package of further work which it anticipates will conclude over the summer. Alongside this, they would prepare an airports national policy statement as the framework for implementing decisions on airport capacity in line with the Planning Act 2008.

  • Jesse Norman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Jesse Norman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jesse Norman on 2016-04-27.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will review the proposals for long-term infrastructure and marketing spending in the Money Advice Service’s 2016-17 business plan to take into account the implications of the proposed new delivery model for public financial guidance.

    Harriett Baldwin

    Following the publication of the government’s Public Financial Guidance: proposal for consultation, the Money Advice Service (MAS) will publish a revised 2016-17 Business Plan in May.

    As outlined in the proposal for consultation document, the government will work closely with the Financial Conduct Authority and MAS to ensure a smooth transition to the new money guidance body.