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Category: Speeches

  • Baroness Byford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Baroness Byford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Byford on 2016-05-04.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, of the 1,103 claims to the Flood Recovery Fund made by farmers in Cumbria, Northumberland, Lancashire, Yorkshire, County Durham and Greater Manchester, (1) who is responsible for approving those claims, (2) how many have been paid, and (3) what is the total value of those claims.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    Whilst the Farming Recovery Fund is not competitive, farmers wishing to apply to the Fund have to submit a formal application with evidence to support their need for a grant to contribute to the restoration of farmland badly affected by Storms Desmond or Eva. Payments are made to farmers once the work has been carried out and a claim has been submitted.

    The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) is responsible for determining the eligibility of Farming Recovery Fund applications, issuing grant funding agreements to eligible applicants, and receiving, processing and paying claims for costs incurred under those grant funding agreements.

    The RPA received 1,103 applications for a total value of grant of £11,429,194 by the closing dates for the scheme. As of 5 May 2016, 209 applications have been approved with a total value of £1,947,738. A further 20 applications, with a value of £265,440, have been either rejected as ineligible or withdrawn by the applicant.

    Of the projects approved, 29 have been completed and have submitted claims with a value of £202,268. 13 of these claims have been paid with a total value of £78,504.

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

    Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-06-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 14 June 2016 to Question 39766, on offshore industry helicopters, how many and what proportion of flights in the UK North Sea oil and gas sector were undertaken by each other licensed model helicopter in each year since 2007.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The proportion of flights between UK airports and oil rigs undertaken by helicopters other than AS3332 SUPER PUMA and Eurocopter EC225 aircraft in each year since 2007 is in the attached table.

  • Lord Freyberg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Freyberg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Freyberg on 2016-09-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures they intend to put in place to ensure that patients with radioiodine refractory differentiated thyroid cancer can receive all effective clinical treatments currently available through EU authorisation.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    Changes to the process for evaluating cancer drugs were introduced at the end of July 2016 as part of the new arrangements for the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF). Under the new arrangements, all new cancer drugs are expected to be referred to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for evaluation through its technology appraisal programme. In some cases, NICE will recommend that the cancer drug is funded through the CDF, which enables further evaluation of its place in therapy. Drugs that have a European Union (EU) or United Kingdom marketing authorisation for radioiodine refractory differentiated thyroid cancer will therefore be reviewed under this process and if found to be clinically and cost effective will become established treatment within the National Health Service.

    The UK remains a member of the EU until Article 50 negotiations have concluded. EU law continues to apply and ongoing compliance with EU law is considered important in facilitating orderly transition, for negotiating purposes, and to offer certainty in the meantime. As long as the UK is subject to EU law, the present arrangements remain in place.

  • Tom Watson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Tom Watson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2016-10-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment she has made of the social effects of fixed odds betting terminals.

    Tracey Crouch

    The Government announced a review of Gaming Machines on 24 October which will look at evidence in regards to stakes and prizes of gaming machines; the number and location of gaming machines; and social responsibility measures to protect players and communities from gambling-related harm, including gambling advertising.

    This review will include a close look at the issue of sub-category B2 gaming machines (more commonly known as Fixed Odds Betting Terminals – FOBTs) and specific concerns about the harm they cause, be that to the players themselves or the local communities in which they are located. This is the correct mechanism in which to look again at this issue.

    There is now an opportunity for anyone with an interest in this matter to submit evidence for consideration. The Call for Evidence period ends on 4 December 2016.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-11-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to cooperate with his Egyptian counterpart on measures to (a) counter security threats and (b) ensure the safety of air passengers travelling from Egypt.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    On 5 November, the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) and I spoke with President Sisi and Foreign Minister Shoukry about the safety of air passengers travelling to and from Egypt. Her Majesty’s Ambassador in Cairo is in regular contact with the Egyptian authorities, and the UK has an ongoing dialogue with Egypt on security issues.

    The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is engaging with international partners about the ongoing aircrash investigation and its implications. We have shared all information we are able to share and discussed our conclusions with partners. We are also helping officials from the Department for Transport to work closely with Egyptian counterparts to ensure necessary airport security measures are in force. The safety of British nationals remains our priority.

  • Kirsten Oswald – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Kirsten Oswald – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2015-12-08.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what representations he has received on the provisions in the Financial Conduct Authority handbook IPRU-INV sch13 which allows independent financial advisers and insurers to retrospectively exclude failed schemes from an IFA’s professional indemnity insurance.

    Harriett Baldwin

    Treasury Ministers and officials occasionally receive representations on regulatory issues.

    As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Treasury’s practice to provide details of all such discussions.

  • Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-01-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what requests for information his Department made regarding the cutting to 15 minutes the length of delay after which compensation for train passengers will kick in.

    Claire Perry

    In our manifesto we committed to improve compensation for delayed rail passengers and the Spending Review reiterated this. We have already changed the system to get compensation paid in cash, not travel vouchers, and we are putting new compensation obligations like automatic delay/repay into future franchise specifications.

    We will negotiate hard with rail operators to get even better compensation arrangements for passengers and are considering options on this at the moment.

  • Keir Starmer – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Keir Starmer – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keir Starmer on 2016-02-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress her Department has made on developing the planned annual asylum strategy; and when she expects that strategy to be published.

    James Brokenshire

    The asylum strategy will outline how we will focus our efforts on the most vulnerable refugees, and how we will take a tougher approach to those whose asylum claim is unfounded or could reasonably have been made in another country. This will include looking again at the end-to-end asylum process from upstream to in-country.

    We will publish the strategy annually, as set out in the Home Secretary’s party conference speech. There are no plans to run a formal consultation but officials are engaging with a range of partners in preparing the strategy.

  • Will Quince – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Will Quince – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Will Quince on 2016-03-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when her Department plans to announce the successful bids for the Condition Improvement Fund for 2016-17.

    Edward Timpson

    The deadline for applications to the Condition Improvement Fund 2016-2017 was 16 December. All applications are now being assessed and moderated against the published criteria to ensure that those with the greatest need receive funding

    We expect to announce successful projects by the end of March 2016.

  • Clive Betts – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Clive Betts – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Clive Betts on 2016-03-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how he plans that the section 31 grant to compensate councils for the extension of small business rate relief will be funded.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    By raising £8 billion through a package of measures to counter tax avoidance and aggressive tax planning by multinational enterprises, Government has been able to announce in the Budget a £6.7 billion reduction in business rates. This is the biggest ever cut in business rates in England. The funding for these section 31 grants was provided for in Budget 2016 through the Budget scorecard (lines 15-17). This additional funding is included in the DCLG Local Government DEL budget figures on page 91 of the Budget Report.