Category: Speeches

  • 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 2016-01-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the effect on victims of her Department not having information about the status and supervision of deported criminals who have been returned to their home countries.

    James Brokenshire

    A victim may contact the Home Office directly or make a request via their Victim Liaison Officer (VLO) for information on the progress of a foreign prisoner’s deportation. The Home Office will inform the victim or their VLO on whether deportation is being pursued or has been enforced.

    Once deported, a foreign criminal is banned from returning to the UK and that information is held on Home Office records. We have robust arrangements in place to identify people of concern before they enter the UK.

    It is not Home Office policy to regularly monitor a foreign national once they have been deported.

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of recent changes to funding of bus services on the provision of those services.

    Andrew Jones

    Decisions about the provision of bus services requiring subsidy remain a matter for individual English local authorities, in the light of their other spending priorities.

    The majority of public funding for local bus services is from the block grant that local authorities in England receive from the Department for Communities and Local Government. However, my Department also provides around £40m of Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) funding directly to English local authorities to help deliver bus services.

  • Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts on 2016-03-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many applications for National Insurance numbers were outstanding on 31 December in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

    Lord Freud

    The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

  • Karl Turner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    Karl Turner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl Turner on 2016-04-13.

    To ask the Attorney General, pursuant to the Answer of 11 April 2016 to Question 32551, how many reports from the dedicated reporting channel were deemed to have enough information to warrant opening an investigation in each year since 2012.

    Jeremy Wright

    The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) is an intelligence led agency and follows the National Intelligence Model (NIM) when sharing information with law enforcement partners.

    Every report made to the SFO is assessed by a member of its Intelligence Unit in conjunction with other information available. The SFO passes information on to others when it has appropriate intelligence to share. This could be information from a single report, or a collated intelligence package.

    The vast majority of reports made to the SFO are not matters which it can investigate, and are more appropriate for the police or other agencies. Action Fraud is the UK’s national fraud reporting centre. Individuals are asked to report matters directly to them so that Action Fraud can make best use of their information. They will also be given a crime report number for future reference.

    The table below shows the minimum number of intelligence referrals made by the SFO to other agencies which are directly referable to reports made through the dedicated reporting channel(1) since these statistics have been recorded. It also shows the number of SFO investigations opened since 2012 where the initial report to the SFO came through its online reporting system.

    Year

    Number of referrals

    SFO investigations that originated through online reporting system

    2012

    Not recorded

    1

    2013

    Not recorded

    2

    2014

    144

    3

    2015

    154

    3

    1. The SFO does not record statistical information about all types of referrals that it makes to other agencies that are directly referable to reports made through the dedicated reporting channel, so the total number may be higher.
  • 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 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Answer of 11 May 2016 to Question 36152, which religious festivals prisoners were released on temporary licence to attend in each year since 2011.

    Andrew Selous

    My officials are currently working to provide the information requested. I will write to you shortly.

  • Mark Hendrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Mark Hendrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2016-07-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what facilities are available for (a) lactating mothers and (b) the changing of babies in her Department.

    Nick Gibb

    The Department for Education’s main office in London has a facility for both nursing mothers and baby changing. This room is clearly signed as a baby changing area and contains a baby changing fold down work top, wipes, and chairs for nursing mothers to sit comfortably.

    Other Department sites in Coventry, Darlington, Manchester and Sheffield also have a room available for use by nursing mothers and baby changing which contain seating, worktop areas and wipes.

    The Nottingham site is a conference centre, with overnight accommodation facilities. This site is able to prepare a suitable hotel room for nursing mothers and baby changing when required.

  • Lord Bradshaw – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Bradshaw – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bradshaw on 2016-10-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in the light of the impact of highway works and their management by utilities and local authorities on traffic congestion and delays to road traffic, they have any plans to review the operation of the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 or the Traffic Management Act 2004.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The Government wants to deliver better journeys for drivers. Roadworks are essential, but that doesn’t mean they should be in place any longer than is absolutely necessary. We continue to keep the implementation and operation of the relevant legislation and statutory guidance under constant review, and are taking opportunities to streamline, simplify and de-regulate what has become a complex legislative framework where possible.

    In addition, we are modernising and updating secondary legislation and statutory guidance where this is necessary and where it will lead to improvements in the way that road and street works are managed. Recent examples include consultations earlier this year on updated statutory guidance relating to inspections and modernised regulations relating to the qualifications regime. In 2015, we updated regulations and guidance on permit schemes that are now in place in over 55% of local authority areas and which are resulting in more effective management of street works and reductions in the duration of works.

  • Lord Hoyle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Hoyle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hoyle on 2015-10-28.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will list the balance of United Kingdom payments to and receipts from the European Union for each of the last 10 years.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    The United Kingdom’s contribution to the EU budget, net of rebate and total receipts, for the last 10 years is as follows:

    Year

    Gross contributions post rebate

    Total public and private receipts

    Net contribution

    Net contribution

    €bn

    €bn

    €bn

    £bn

    2005

    12.16

    8.67

    3.49

    2.46

    2006

    12.38

    8.29

    4.09

    2.80

    2007

    13.43

    7.42

    6.01

    4.03

    2008

    10.11

    7.31

    2.80

    2.06

    2009

    10.11

    6.25

    3.86

    3.68

    2010

    14.66

    6.75

    7.91

    7.09

    2011

    13.83

    6.57

    7.26

    6.21

    2012

    16.18

    6.93

    9.24

    7.82

    2013

    17.07

    6.31

    10.76

    8.78

    2014

    14.07

    6.98

    7.09

    5.91

    These figures are taken from the EU’s Financial Report 2014, where comprehensive figures for the UK’s contributions and receipts, as well as those for all other Member States, for all years from 2000-2014 are available. The latest version of this report can be accessed at the European Commission’s website.[1]

    [1] http://ec.europa.eu/budget/financialreport/2014/foreword/index_en.html

    “

  • Andy McDonald – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Andy McDonald – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy McDonald on 2015-11-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many UK microbiology laboratories use the UK SMI B58 or equivalent test for detecting group B strep carriage.

    Jane Ellison

    UK microbiology laboratories that do not use Standards for Microbiological Investigations (SMIs) should be able to demonstrate at least equivalence in their testing methodologies to the relevant accreditation body. Public Health England is not an accrediting body in these circumstances therefore we do not hold information as to what tests are deemed to be equivalent to UK SMI B58.

    UK SMIs are not mandatory and Public Health England does not have data as to how many laboratories, National Health Service or otherwise use UK SMI B58 or equivalent testing for detecting Group B Strep.

    SMIs are intended as a general resource for practising professionals operating in the field of laboratory medicine and infection specialties in the United Kingdom.

    SMIs help laboratories to meet accreditation requirements by promoting high quality practices which are auditable.

  • Stephen Pound – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Stephen Pound – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Pound on 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment she has made of the implications for Northern Ireland of the UK voting to leave the EU in the EU referendum.

    Mr Ben Wallace

    The Prime Minister believes that the UK’s best future lies within a reformed European Union. He is focused on addressing the concerns of the people of the United Kingdom and is confident that the right agreement can be reached.