Category: Speeches

  • Douglas Carswell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Douglas Carswell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2015-11-19.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what account his Department took when preparing the Charter for Budget Responsibility, of the effect of (a) the Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance in the Economic and Monetary Union and (b) future EU treaty change in respect of that Treaty.

    Harriett Baldwin

    The UK is not a signatory of the Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance in the Economic and Monetary Union, which is also known as the ‘Fiscal Compact.’ The signatories of the Fiscal Compact have committed to incorporate it into the main EU treaties, within five years of it entering into force. However, it would be premature to speculate on the conclusions of future treaty change negotiations in respect of the Fiscal Compact, which will require unanimous agreement amongst all other Member States, including the UK.

    However, the UK does participate in the EU’s Stability and Growth Pact, which sets rules on Member States’ debt and deficits, although, unlike other Member States the UK cannot face any sanction under this process.

    The updated Charter for Budget Responsibility, which sets out the government’s fiscal and debt management objectives and the fiscal mandate, states the government must explain in each Budget Report how all significant fiscal policy measures introduced by the government since the last Budget maintain the path of the public finances in a position consistent with the government’s European commitments.

  • Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what transitional arrangements are being made for local authority employees who administer housing benefit when responsibility for that benefit moves to universal credit.

    Priti Patel

    Any transitional arrangements are the responsibility of the Local Authority, but we will work with them to manage the impact of these changes in a way which minimises the need for any redundancies. Where this does not prove possible, after the exercise of all reasonable efforts to redeploy people, the Department has given Local Authorities a commitment that we will meet their costs of any residual redundancies.

  • Poulter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Poulter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Poulter on 2016-01-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions he has had with the Attorney General on increasing the number of solicitors participating in pro bono activities.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    The UK has an unrivalled concentration of expert and talented legal practitioners who are dedicated to the delivery of pro bono services. The SoS has been clear that those who benefit financially from our legal culture must do much more to help protect access to justice for all. The MoJ has had constructive discussions with the legal sector about how we can best achieve this and we look forward to continuing that dialogue. The subject has been discussed at official level with the Attorney General’s Office and the legal professions.

  • Lord Ouseley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Ouseley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ouseley on 2016-02-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what definition is used by HM Revenue and Customs to define an EU migrant family, and for what purposes such classifications are used; and which other government departments use similar definitions and classification, and for what purposes.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    EU migrant family is not a technical term that HM Revenue & Customs use in their calculations.

  • Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2016-03-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to review the legislation governing credit unions.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    On 31 December 2014, the government published a response to the Call for Evidence on Credit Unions.

    In this response the government committed to considering the potential changes to credit union legislation highlighted by the Call for Evidence over the course of this parliament.

  • David Mackintosh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    David Mackintosh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Mackintosh on 2016-04-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that more people are aware of (a) the Right to Buy and (b) other housing schemes offered by the Government.

    Brandon Lewis

    My Department has run a Right to Buy marketing campaign since the scheme was reinvigorated in 2012. The campaign is aimed at ensuring eligible council and housing association tenants are made aware of their opportunity to buy their home at a discount and gives them up-to-date information on changes to the discount rates and eligibility criteria. Activity has included direct marketing, radio, digital and local press advertising and out of home roadside posters.

    In October 2015 my Department also launched the Own Your Home campaign – aimed at persuading young working people to look again at home ownership and driving take up of appropriate Government home-buying schemes when this is the right decision for them. Drawing together a range of Government schemes, the campaign comprises: radio, digital advertising, social media, out of home (on street posters), consumer press advertising and a major media partnership in the Sun newspaper – as well as linking visually and verbally into activities for the individual schemes.

  • Baroness King of Bow – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Baroness King of Bow – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness King of Bow on 2016-05-23.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the views of surrogates, academics, parents through surrogacy, and legal practitioners, about the case for surrogacy law reform, in particular with regard to legal parenthood following surrogacy.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    Surrogacy is a complex issue, the legislation about which has not been significantly addressed by respective administrations since the Surrogacy Arrangements Act 1985. The Government recognises the arguments for the need for a review, and we have therefore asked the Law Commission, as part of the consultation on its 13th work programme this summer, to consider including a project on surrogacy

    The Government has accepted the judgment by Sir James Munby from the High Court. We will be looking to update the legislation on Parental Orders, and are now considering how best to do this.

    The Government recognises surrogacy as an important option for some people wishing to start a family and is currently considering how best to clarify the current legal arrangements for intended parents, surrogates and their families. The Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service campaign to increase awareness of Parental Orders is ongoing and targeted at health workers, local authority registration staff and surrogacy agencies. It will be evaluated in full upon completion in autumn 2016; in-campaign monitoring indicates its messaging is reaching the target audience.

  • Julian Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Julian Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Knight on 2016-07-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what further steps he plans to take to encourage buy-to-let mortgage lenders to allow longer tenancies.

    Gavin Barwell

    My Department has worked closely with the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) to encourage longer term tenancies in properties with a buy to let mortgage, including during the development of our Model Tenancy Agreement (MTA). The MTA enables longer tenancies, and addresses lender concerns by including appropriate break clauses. The CML estimates that the majority of buy to let mortgage lenders now permit tenancies of up to two to three years. We continue to encourage lenders to actively promote the use of the MTA to their landlord customers.

  • Julian Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Julian Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Knight on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make an assessment of potential measures to make access to courts (a) easier and (b) substantially faster for a landowner seeking to get an order to evict travellers.

    Sir Oliver Heald

    The accelerated procedure for obtaining a possession order to evict trespassers (which may include travellers) is set out in the Civil Procedure Rules, Part 55.

    There is no notice period once a landowner has obtained an order to evict. The standard order for a successful claim for possession would be an order for immediate possession.

    The Government does not consider that the process requires change.

  • Eric Pickles – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Eric Pickles – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Eric Pickles on 2015-11-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will support the inclusion of a specific exemption for Holocaust research in the forthcoming European General Data Protection Regulation.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    I agree that it is vital that the General Data Protection Regulation, currently being negotiated, provides safeguards to enable historical researchers and archivists to continue with important work.