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Category: Speeches

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-07-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the governments of Ethiopia and Eritrea in reducing conflict in border areas between those countries.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    I refer the hon. Member to the answer the former Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Rochford and Southend East (James Duddridge) gave on 29 June, to PQ 41027.

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-09-15.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the length of time between the publication of his Department’s planned consultation on a proposed secondary market for annuities and the planned introduction of that market for the pensions industry to prepare for that introduction; and if he will make an assessment of the effect of that period on the effective introduction of that market.

    Simon Kirby

    To date, the Government has published the following consultation documents in relation to the secondary market in annuities policy:

    Creating a secondary annuity market – March 2015

    Creating a secondary annuity market: response to the call for evidence – December 2015

    Creating a secondary annuity market: tax framework – April 2016

    Creating a secondary market for annuities – secondary legislation – April 2016

    These consultations have now closed. The Government will respond shortly.

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2015-11-17.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many and what value of projects received guarantees through the UK Guarantees Scheme (a) in 2015 and (b) since that scheme’s launch.

    Greg Hands

    Since its launch in 2012 the UK Guarantees Scheme has approved £3.7bn of guarantees for projects, enabling £23bn of projects to commence. In 2015 the UK Guarantees Scheme has, to date, approved £2bn of guarantees.

  • Nigel Dodds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Nigel Dodds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2015-12-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many visits Ministers have made to the Northern Ireland Office in Brussels since 2010.

    Mrs Theresa Villiers

    I have made one visit to the Northern Ireland Executive office in Brussels.

  • 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 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will assess the potential merits of enabling or compelling local authorities to use housing and council tax benefit data to (a) identify children who are eligible for free school meals and the pupil premium and (b) enable parents and guardians of those children to claim free school meals for their children.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    We want to ensure that as many children as possible who are eligible for free school meals (FSM) receive them. We have made it as simple as possible for schools and local authorities to check eligibility. We are aware that a number of local authorities have been successful in using housing benefit and council tax support claim data to identify children who may be eligible for, but are not currently claiming, FSM.

    We are looking in more detail at the approaches that schools and local authorities have taken so far and we will set out the Government’s position on this issue shortly.

  • Caroline Nokes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Caroline Nokes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Nokes on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the potential psychological effect on victims of domestic abuse who are representing themselves as litigants in person in the family court of being cross-examined by their alleged abuser.

    Caroline Dinenage

    The Government is committed to supporting victims of domestic violence and abuse.

    The Ministry of Justice is undertaking research to explore how the family judiciary are currently managing cases where unrepresented alleged perpetrators of abuse can cross-examine vulnerable witnesses in the family court, and to establish what, if any, additional provisions could be considered to support them in doing so. A report will be published in due course.

    The research did not aim to assess the psychological impact of any cross-examination on victims of domestic abuse. However, some of the findings relate to the considerations the judiciary make in managing such cases appropriately, and the report will outline options to further protect vulnerable witnesses in the family court. It was out of scope of this research to explore cases where an unrepresented litigant who is a victim of domestic abuse may have to cross-examine their alleged abuser.

    Family judges have a range of powers and training to manage difficult court room situations and to ensure they are handled sensitively for victims of domestic violence and other vulnerable witnesses. Judges can intervene to prevent inappropriate questions or have questions relayed. Practical protections, for example, protective screens, video links, separate waiting rooms and separate entrances are available where appropriate. It is for the judge involved, on the basis of the evidence, to determine how the framework will be applied in a particular case.

    The family courts take the issue of domestic violence extremely seriously. The Child Arrangement Programme and Practice Direction 12J set out a strong and clear framework where domestic violence is alleged and all judges receive specific training on this framework.

  • Dan Jarvis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Dan Jarvis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-03-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department received from the European Social Fund between (a) 2007 and 2014 and (b) 2014 and the last month for which data is available.

    Priti Patel

    DWP, as a European Social Fund co-financing organisation, received £303,861,761 between January 2007 and December 2013; and £96,331,501 between January 2014 and March 2016 from the 2007-13 European Social Fund programme. The money was used to fund providers to deliver support to help unemployed people improve their employability and move into work.

    Please note that these figures represent England only as responsibility for ESF is devolved in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

  • Stephen Gethins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Stephen Gethins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Gethins on 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect on Scotland of the planned implementation of the Polar Code.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The International Code for Ships Operating in Polar Waters as adopted by the International Maritime Organization addresses the standards and operation of ships in the Polar Regions. It is intended to provide an appropriate level of safety and environmental protection for vessels operating in these regions.

    No specific assessment has been made of the Code’s impact on Scotland. However, there was wide consultation with British stakeholders during the negotiation of the Code ahead of it being adopted in the IMO’s safety committee in 2014 and environment committee in 2015. The Government believes that UK ports and shipping industry are well placed to meet their obligations under the Polar Code when it comes into force in 2017, and to ensure that British activities in the Polar Regions continue to be undertaken in a safe and environmentally responsible way.

  • Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne Main on 2016-05-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment she has made of the effect of the European Court of Justice’s ruling on VAT on energy-saving materials of 4 June 2015, on achievement of the UK’s annual carbon emissions target.

    Amber Rudd

    We have made no such estimate of the effect of the ECJ ruling on VAT, since there has been no decision to amend VAT since the ECJ ruling. The reduced rate on 11 different types of energy saving materials remains in place and remains unchanged.

    The Government is still considering the responses to the consultation on VAT on energy saving materials and will issue a response to that consultation in due course.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-07-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with pharmaceutical companies on steps to reduce the cost of cancer drugs for the NHS.

    Nicola Blackwood

    The Department has frequent discussions with representatives of the United Kingdom pharmaceutical industry as well as with individual pharmaceutical companies on a range of topics. We want to see the latest and most advanced drugs made available to National Health Service patients in a way that ensures value for money.