Category: Speeches

  • Lilian Greenwood – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lilian Greenwood – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2015-11-02.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to his Department’s press release, Infrastructure at heart of Spending Review as Chancellor launches National Infrastructure Commission, published on 30 October 2015, what transport projects are included in the £100 billion infrastructure spending; and what the projected spend on those projects is in each year to 2020-21.

    Greg Hands

    The £100 billion of infrastructure spending includes publically-funded infrastructure projects and programmes in the National Infrastructure Pipeline. The Pipeline is a strategic view of economic infrastructure investment.

    Transport projects and programmes include:

    • Network Rail’s Control Period 5 (2014-2019), currently being re-planned by the Chairman, Sir Peter Hendy
    • Highway England’s Road Investment Strategy (2015-2020)
    • High Speed 2
    • Transport for London’s centrally-funded investment programme
    • Centrally-funded Local Authority transport projects

      Details of the projected annual spend to 2020-21 can be found in the most recent refresh of the Pipeline, published in July 2015.

  • Lord Palmer – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Palmer – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Palmer on 2015-11-24.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact that the EU Tobacco Products Directive will have on the independent retail sector in the UK.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The Department assesses the impact of all proposed measures before laying legislation using standard government methodology. These assessments are set out in Impact Assessments which are scrutinised by the Regulatory Policy Committee before publication alongside the Statutory Instrument. Impact Assessments specifically look at the impacts on small and micro businesses including retailers. All of the tobacco measures contain commitments to further review the impact of the legislation within five years of them coming into force.

  • John Redwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    John Redwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Redwood on 2016-01-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many miles of river and waterway bank the Environment Agency has weeded in the last 12 months.

    Rory Stewart

    The Environment Agency is responsible for 22,600 miles of main river and carries out conveyance work which includes aquatic weed management. This activity is carried out on a risk based approach which is dependent on local circumstances and associated flood risk.

    In 2014/15the Environment Agency allocated around £45 million on conveyance work to control aquatic weed in rivers, dredging rivers and removing shoals and silt, clearing screens and removing obstructions from rivers so that water can flow freely along the channel.

  • David Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    David Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Jones on 2016-02-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support her Department is providing to Christian communities in Iraq and Syria.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    There have been horrific cases of attacks on Christians and other religious communities by violent extremists including Daesh. We prioritise reaching the most vulnerable people across Iraq and Syria, including Christians and others who have suffered from such violence. All UK funded humanitarian assistance is distributed on the basis of need, and need alone, to ensure civilians are not discriminated against on the grounds of race, religion, or ethnicity. The UK continues to work with the UN and the international community to ensure all minorities’ rights are protected and our aid reaches those in greatest need.

    To date, the UK has committed £79.5 million to the humanitarian crisis in Iraq. In response to the Syria crisis, we have pledged over £2.3 billion, our largest ever response to a single humanitarian crisis.

    As a result of UK support to Syria and the region, between February 2012 and June 2015, almost 20 million food rations were distributed, 1.6 million people were provided with clean water, 2.5 million medical consultations were provided, over 4 million relief packages were distributed and over 250,000 children were supported in formal and informal education.

  • Charlotte Leslie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Charlotte Leslie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charlotte Leslie on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effect of her Department’s policy of providing information on failed asylum claims to the government of their country of origin on the safety of those claimants on their return to that country.

    James Brokenshire

    We carefully consider all asylum claims on their individual merits and provide protection for those who need it, in accordance with our international obligations under the Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). This includes an assessment about whether a person who has spoken out against their government is likely to be at risk of persecution or serious harm on return.

    We do not provide any information relating to an asylum claim to the government of a claimant’s country of origin. No one who is at risk of serious harm in their country is expected to return there, but we do expect those who do not need our protection to return home voluntarily.

  • David Mackintosh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    David Mackintosh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Mackintosh on 2016-03-17.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he has taken to increase the level of voter registration in schools, colleges and universities.

    John Penrose

    The Government has made it easier and quicker to register to vote than ever before through online registration. Since June 2014, 3.6 million people aged 16-24 have applied to register to vote, with 2.7 million of these applications made online. The Government has also worked with various youth organisations such as NUS and Sixth Form Colleges Association, to encourage voter registration among students.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 21 April 2016 to Question 34222, on the humanitarian situation in Madaya, for what reasons the UN had to seek written approval from the Syrian regime.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    Attempting to deliver humanitarian assistance without the consent of the parties to the conflict is extremely challenging. There is a risk that shipments of humanitarian assistance would be physically stopped and confiscated, humanitarian staff placed in danger and that convoys could come under attack. Likewise, delivering assistance without consent may risk undermining ongoing negotiations on humanitarian access to the 4.6 million people in hard to reach areas across Syria.

  • Lord Judd – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord Judd – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Judd on 2016-05-24.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the tasks and role of UK military personnel committed to service at the headquarters of the UN.

    Earl Howe

    The UK currently has four military personnel at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York:

    The Deputy Military Advisor to the UN Secretary General and Deputy Head of the Office of Military Affairs (OMA).

    A Special Assistant/Military Assistant to the Military Advisor to the UN Secretary General and Head of the OMA.

    A Military Planner within the Military Planning Service of the OMA.

    A Gender Advisor seconded to the OMA.

    These officers support the UN by: providing strategic and operational military advice on the efficiency and the effectiveness of military components in UN Peacekeeping missions; conducting research and contributing to the development of policy; maintaining close links to national Permanent Missions to the UN; and liaising with non-governmental organisations. The Gender Advisor also ensures implementation of Security Council resolutions on Women, Peace and Security (WPS), providing advice on recruitment and force generation, and support to military gender advisors at Field Headquarters. WPS and the Prevention of Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative are HMG priorities, and the Gender Advisor is uniquely placed to influence the UN’s work on these issues.

  • Maria Eagle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Maria Eagle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2016-07-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has of future provision of post-16 education provision in Knowsley Metropolitan Borough; and if she will make a statement.

    Robert Halfon

    Knowsley Metropolitan Borough is included in the Liverpool City Region (LCR) area review, and is represented on the steering group by the LCR Combined Authority. The first meeting of the steering group was held on 12 May, and we expect the review to conclude in October 2016. The LCR review will include an assessment of post-16 education in each of the local authorities covered by the review, including Knowsley Metropolitan Borough.

    Area reviews are aimed at delivering a further education system that meets the economic and educational needs of areas whilst also ensuring the long term sustainability of colleges to support productivity.

  • Gareth Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Gareth Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-10-11.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many loans from the European Investment Bank were approved in the UK by (a) constituent region and nation and (b) local authority area in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr David Gauke

    Answer: The EIB publish all loans made to UK borrowers. The link below provides information on lending volumes to the UK and details on individual UK projects are available on the EIB website.

    http://www.eib.org/projects/regions/european-union/united-kingdom/index.htm