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Category: Speeches

  • Lord Empey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Empey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Empey on 2016-03-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the part played by people traffickers in the arrival in northern France of large numbers of refugees and migrants seeking access to the UK.

    Lord Bates

    We are deeply concerned by the migration crisis in Europe. We believe that organised criminal gangs are operating in and around the camps in Northern France and fuelling organised immigration crime. We are working closely with our French counterparts through the Joint Operational Command and Control Centre which includes intelligence sharing and developing the intelligence picture and we will continue to assess this crime type.

    In addition, the UK has provided specific financial assistance to fund a project aimed at protecting the most vulnerable people in the camps, agreed in the UK-France Declaration of August 2015. This project is setup to identify vulnerable people in the camps in Calais and is being delivered by a French non-Government organisation, France Terre D’Asile. It seeks to identify potential victims of trafficking and exploitation (including children), and direct them to existing protection, support and advice within France. The UK has contributed £530,000 (€750,000) towards the costs of this project.

  • Grahame Morris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Grahame Morris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government plans to introduce or pilot a system of automatic electoral registration.

    John Penrose

    I have considered a range of proposals from local authorities and civil society organisations that could change how registration is currently delivered. The Government is committed to further modernising and improving electoral registration, building on the successful transition to Individual Electoral Registration (IER).

    We are keen to explore further possibilities in this area but are concerned there may be tension between some forms of automatic registration and the principles underpinning IER, namely individual responsibility and ownership over registering to vote.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-05-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the total amount paid in pupil premium funding to schools in Coventry in each year since the beginning of such funding; and if she will make a statement.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    Total pupil premium allocations for schools in Coventry local authority for each year are:

    Pupil Premium Allocations (£millions)

    2011-2012

    2012-2013

    2013-2014

    2014-2015

    2015-2016

    Coventry local authority (including academies)

    5.157

    9.299

    14.383

    18.858

    18.634

  • Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-06-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 15 June 2016 to Question 40256, what steps she is taking to ensure that a school which is not required formally to consult about academy conversion takes into account the views of local stakeholders.

    Edward Timpson

    As set out in the answer to question 40256, the Education and Adoption Act 2016 requires that where schools are eligible for intervention, the incoming sponsor of the academy is required to communicate to parents its plans for improving the school. The Department will confirm that sponsors have complied with this duty prior to enter into a Funding Agreement with the Trust.

  • Thangam Debbonaire – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Thangam Debbonaire – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2016-09-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether UK citizens remain eligible to apply for grants from the Creative Europe scheme for grants that potentially last beyond the time when the UK plans to leave the EU; and how the Government plans to replace that scheme when the UK leaves the EU.

    Matt Hancock

    Leaving the EU means we will want to take our own decisions about how to deliver the policy objectives previously targeted by EU funding. Over the coming months, we will consult closely with stakeholders to review all EU funding schemes in the round, to ensure that any ongoing funding commitments best serve the UK‘s national interest, while ensuring appropriate investor certainty.

  • Helen Hayes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Helen Hayes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Hayes on 2016-10-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of requiring a local authority to keep publicly accessible lists of banned letting agents to prevent such agents from being able to operate in other local authority areas.

    Gavin Barwell

    The Housing & Planning Act 2016 contains a package of measures to help local authorities crack down on rogue landlords who exploit their tenants by renting out unsafe and substandard accommodation. The measures include a database of rogue landlords and property agents who have been convicted of certain offences or received at least two civil penalties for a breach of housing legislation.

    The database will enable local authorities to keep track of those landlords and property agents and target their enforcement action. Only DCLG and local housing authorities will be able to access the database, although the data will be made available publically in an anonymised format.

    Access to the database is being restricted in this way for data protection reasons and because making the database publicly available would effectively blacklist all those individuals and companies on the database and prevent them from continuing to be involved in renting out or managing property, which is not the purpose of the database.

    Where a local authority believes that a landlord or property agent should no longer be involved in the renting out or management of property, they will be able to seek a banning order from the First Tier Tribunal.

  • Daniel Zeichner – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Daniel Zeichner – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2015-11-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect that the decision of the Quality Contract Scheme board on the Quality Contract proposed to be run by Nexus for Tyne and Wear will have on city devolution deals.

    Andrew Jones

    The Quality Contract Scheme Board’s report concerns an individual case brought under existing legislation. It is not about the bus franchising powers which will be included in the Buses Bill.

    The Government is determined that local transport authorities with ambitious plans to grow and develop should be given the powers they need, and we will legislate through the Buses Bill to deliver on our devolution commitments.

  • Barry Sheerman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Barry Sheerman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2015-12-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what his policy is on allowing female prisoners with young children access to those children.

    Caroline Dinenage

    The policy and guidance on the treatment of female offenders is contained in Prison Service Order 4800, which can be found at: https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwj8yJvt2N3JAhVFuBQKHTxXAwcQFggdMAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.justice.gov.uk%2Fdownloads%2Foffenders%2Fpsipso%2Fpso%2FPSO_4800_women_prisoners.doc&usg=AFQjCNHEKdUSQ34oce66F47zApSRhF35Iw

    “

  • Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2016-01-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much has been spent by Commissioning Support Units (CSUs) on external management consultancies since they were established; and how much of that was specifically related to contracts CSUs had with the NHS Commissioning Board.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    Commissioning Support Units (CSUs) were formally established in April 2013. As at December 2015, CSUs paid out £81 million on consultancy support. Total spend has been reducing year on year as CSUs develop their own internal capacity, with 2015/16 to date spend at £8.4 million.

    It is not possible to accurately apportion this to specific contracts with NHS England.

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-02-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 7 September 2015 to Question 8250, when the three academies in the Park View Educational Trust (a) applied for and (b) were granted permission to employ teachers without qualified teacher status.

    Edward Timpson

    The Park View Educational Trust formally sought for permission to employ teachers without qualified teacher status on 7 March 2013. This was granted on 15 March 2013.