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Category: Speeches

  • Deidre Brock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission

    Deidre Brock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Deidre Brock on 2016-09-12.

    To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission, what response the Electoral Commission has made to paragraphs 214 to 226 of the Report entitled, Securing the ballot, Report of Sir Eric Pickles’ review into electoral fraud, published in August 2016.

    Mr Gary Streeter

    The Electoral Commission welcomed the publication of Sir Eric Pickles’ review into electoral fraud and is now carefully considering the detail of its recommendations. The Commission has noted that the review supports a number of its own longstanding recommendations, including its call for voter ID, first put forward in 2014.

    The Commission is an independent statutory body which reports and is accountable to the UK and Scottish Parliaments. It will publish a full response to Sir Eric’s review in due course and a copy will be placed in the House Library.

  • Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town on 2015-11-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures they are taking to reduce the rate of odometer mileage fraud and increase conviction rates of those who fraudulently adjust mileage and sell on adjusted vehicles.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    Advice on second hand car purchases features regularly in consumer awareness campaigns led by Trading Standards and the Citizen’s Advice Service. Consumers should call the Citizen’s Advice consumer helpline, which receives its funding from Government, for advice on fraud and to report alleged offences of misleading advertising or mis-selling.

    The Citizen’s Advice Service will refer clear breaches of consumer law to Trading Standards and advise on reporting suspected fraud to ‘Action Fraud’, the national fraud database led by The City of London Police. ‘Action Fraud’ has received 67 complaints of mileage fraud since 2010 and actively campaigns for more fraud cases to be reported, with viable lines of enquiry, to equip the police to convict the culprits.

  • Angela Rayner – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Angela Rayner – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angela Rayner on 2015-12-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he plans to take to ensure that the Green Investment Bank continues to pursue its principal objectives after privatisation.

    Anna Soubry

    Green investment is what the Green Investment Bank (GIB) does and is where its value lies. It is clear from preliminary feedback that potential investors are interested in GIB precisely because of its unique green specialism and its existing forward business plan and pipeline of green projects. Investors will have sound commercial reasons to maintain GIB’s green focus and continue operating in accordance with its clearly stated green principles and highly transparent and robust green reporting practices.

    As a key part of any sale discussions, potential investors will be asked to confirm their commitment to these values and to set out how they propose to protect them. We envisage this would involve new shareholders agreeing to:

    • ensure GIB continues to invest in a way that achieves a positive green impact; and

    • maintain GIB’s existing standards for reporting on its green investment performance as well as continue providing for independent assurance of this.

  • Douglas Chapman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Douglas Chapman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of potential risks to the safety and security of Royal Navy aircraft carriers being held at anchor offshore in Bahrain.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The security and logistical implications of the Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers while on operations overseas are subject to continual assessment and review. Irrespective of berthing or anchoring arrangements, it is normal business to conduct threat assessments prior to and during all port visits and deployed maintenance periods. This has been and will continue to be no different for Mina Salman port, and other port facilities in Bahrain.

    The Department does not disclose details of security risks and assessments pertaining to deployed operations as disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

  • Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offences of each type were committed by (a) sentenced female prisoners and (b) female prisoners held on remand who had their children with them in prison in each of the last three years; and which such offences were of each type in the violence against the person category.

    Caroline Dinenage

    The information requested is not centrally held, and could be collected only at disproportionate cost.

  • Jonathan Reynolds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jonathan Reynolds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Reynolds on 2016-03-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people in each parliamentary constituency have been diagnosed with epilepsy; and what the average time taken was for someone to receive a diagnosis of epilepsy in the last 12 months.

    Jane Ellison

    Information concerning the number of people diagnosed with epilepsy in each parliamentary constituency and waiting times for diagnosis is not collected.

    The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) best practice guideline The diagnosis and management of the epilepsies in adults and children in primary and secondary care, updated in 2012, estimates that epilepsy affects between 362,000 and 415,000 people in England. The guidance states that people having a first seizure should be seen by a specialist as soon as possible in order to ensure precise and early diagnosis and initiation of treatment. NICE recommends that referrals should be urgent, with patients being seen within two weeks if possible.

  • Rob Marris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Rob Marris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rob Marris on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many academy schools have been found to have failed to keep records of eligibility for free school meals in each of the last three years.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    The Education Funding Agency (EFA) undertakes academy trust funding audit visits as part of its assurance regime, which includes free school meals. It has found the following instances where full records have not been kept:

    Assurance plan year

    Total trusts where instances of pupil ineligibility were identified

    1 July 2015 – present

    Currently underway, therefore no information

    1 July 2014 – 30 June 2015

    0

    1 July 2013 – 30 June 2014

    9

    In addition we have received one instance where we have confirmed ineligibility of funding and are taking swift action to resolve issues.

  • Andrew Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Andrew Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2016-05-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, which (a) communities and (b) projects will receive funding from the English Language scheme.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    We are working to develop the new English language programme, including ensuring it is focused on those areas where we know women are at greatest risk of isolation and are more likely to have no or little proficiency in the English language. We will make an announcement as soon as possible.

  • Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh on 2016-06-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many mandatory reconsiderations for re-assessments of entitlement to disability living allowance for children were (a) upheld and (b) rejected in the last three years for which figures are available.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The table below shows the number of Mandatory Reconsiderations received for the last three years.

    Disability Living Allowance

    2013/14

    2014/15

    2015/16

    Child Mandatory Reconsiderations received

    18,543

    21,647

    27,015

    The information for the second question could only be supplied at disproportionate cost.

    Notes: Mandatory Reconsiderations were introduced from October 2013 as part of Appeals Reform. The figures shown in the table above for 2013/14 include reconsideration clearances (pre-reform) to enable the full year to be provided.

    Source: Department of Work and Pensions, Disability Living Allowance Computer System

    This type of internal management information does not form part of the official statistics outputs that are released by the Department in accordance with the UK Statistics Authority’s Code of Practice and should be used with caution.

  • Philip Hollobone – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Philip Hollobone – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Hollobone on 2016-09-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress is being made on designing and planning the new junction 10A on the A14 near Kettering; and when that junction is expected to be built.

    Mr John Hayes

    The scheme is currently in the options stage and the next stage is to hold a public consultation on those options. Any developments of local roads would be the responsibility of either the local authority or any developer that is involved in the development of the area.

    The current timescales for construction of the scheme are in line with the Governments Roads Investment Strategy 2015 -2020 statement with start of works proposed by March 2020.