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Category: Speeches

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-02-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his US counterpart on Chinese market economy status.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    Our officials regularly exchange views with the US on this issue. Given that the decision on whether or not to grant China market economy status will be taken at the European Union level, the government’s main discussions have been with the Commission and other Member States. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills my right hon. Friend the Member for Bromsgrove (Sajid Javid) on 29 January 2016 (PQ 24530).

  • Ivan Lewis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Ivan Lewis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ivan Lewis on 2016-03-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps the Government has taken to help enforce the recently agreed ceasefire in Syria.

    Penny Mordaunt

    As a member of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG), the UK has been closely engaged with the cessation of hostilities and supported UN Security Council Resolution 2268, which endorsed its terms. The UK supports a range of organisations on the ground in Syria who are reporting violations, and we are working with the UN and ISSG co-chairs in Geneva to support their monitoring and verification efforts.

  • Richard Burgon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Richard Burgon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burgon on 2016-03-23.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish and place in the Library his correspondence on the (a) sale of Government’s Dividend Access Share and (b) proposed sale of Government shares in Royal Bank of Scotland since August 2015.

    Harriett Baldwin

    HM Government reached an agreement with RBS and the European Commission on 9 April 2014 to amend the terms of the Dividend Access Share (DAS). The full terms of this agreement can be found on the European Commission’s website:

    http://europa.eu

    The first sale of Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) shares was conducted in August 2015. The advice which the Chancellor received from a) the Governor of the Bank of England; b) N.M. Rothschild; c) HM Treasury; and d) UK Financial Investments (UKFI) is available on the Government’s website:

    www.gov.uk.

    The government has not undertaken any sale of RBS shares since August 2015.

    “

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-05-04.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of recent military attacks by ISIS on the Nineveh Plain Forces (NPF) at Telliskuf; what political and military assistance they are giving to the NPF; and what assessment they have made of the NPF’s objectives.

    Earl Howe

    Following Daesh’s attack north of Mosul on 3 May, they were pushed back by Kurdish forces. The Kurds regained the lost territory with substantial Coalition air support, which included the use of RAF aircraft. UK assistance in Iraq is channelled, as appropriate, through the Government of Iraq or the Kurdish Regional Government rather than to any individual militia forces, and the UK has made no specific assessment of the objectives of the Nineveh Plain Forces.

  • Karen Lumley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Karen Lumley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karen Lumley on 2016-06-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that British manufacturers have fair access to the tendering process to promote the use of UK parts in foreign-made railway trains on the UK rail network.

    Claire Perry

    We are encouraging SMEs, new entrants and innovators to work with the industry to identify and take advantage of initiatives benefitting the supply chain and improving access to the market to ensure that the UK remains competitive and develops the capacity for orders at home and abroad. It should be noted that over 2,000 railway vehicles are currently on order (being manufactured or to be manufactured) in the UK.

  • Lord Quirk – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Lord Quirk – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Quirk on 2016-09-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Faulks on 2 December 2014 (HL2982) about young offender institutions, what progress has been made in providing more than 12 hours a week of purposeful activity since new education contracts came into operation in spring 2015.

    Baroness Mobarik

    Since the new education contracts came into operation in public sector under-18 Young Offender Institutions (YOIs) in August 2015, young people have accessed an average of more than 12 hours education per week.

    We are committed to continually improving the youth custodial system in England and Wales. We are considering the recommendations of Charlie Taylor’s Review of the Youth Justice System and will publish his review and our response later this year.

  • James Cartlidge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    James Cartlidge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by James Cartlidge on 2016-10-20.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Answer of 17 December 2015 to Question 20232, what progress the Financial Conduct Authority has made in its investigation into issues relating to the Connaught fund.

    Simon Kirby

    This is a matter for the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which is operationally independent from Government.

    This question has been passed on to the FCA. They will reply directly to the Honourable Member by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

  • Tom Elliott – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Tom Elliott – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Elliott on 2015-11-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the threat posed by Boko Haram in Nigeria.

    James Duddridge

    We welcome the recent successes achieved by the Nigerian armed forces against Boko Haram. However, despite being pushed back from key population centres in North East Nigeria, the group remains a threat to stability, launching regular suicide bomb attacks both in Nigeria and neighbouring countries. It is estimated that over 20,000 people have been killed, over 2.2 million have been displaced and at least 4.6 million have been affected by the insurgency. The UK is supporting President Buhari and the Government of Nigeria in their stated commitment to defeat Boko Haram.

  • Steve McCabe – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Steve McCabe – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2015-12-08.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what legal and regulatory obligations apply to members of the public identified by banks as Politically Exposed Persons; and what information his Department holds on how such people are identified by banks.

    Harriett Baldwin

    At present, only foreign Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs) are subject to the Money Laundering Regulations (2007). The Fourth Anti-Money Laundering Directive, which will be transposed into national law by June 2017, requires enhanced customer due diligence (EDD) measures to also be extended to domestic PEPs. We intend to interpret the Directive in a way that continues to allow banks to apply a “risk-based approach” to both the identification and application of EDD measures. This involves treating UK PEPs on the basis of risk when undertaking due diligence measures. We intend to set out this view in our consultation on transposition of the Directive which will be published in early 2016.

  • Ruth Cadbury – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Ruth Cadbury – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ruth Cadbury on 2016-01-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations he has received on the conclusions of the Aviation Environment Federation report, Aircraft Noise and Public Health, published on 12 January 2016, The Evidence is Loud and Clear.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    I have had no representations on the conclusion of the report. I meet with airport noise community groups from time to time to hear about the issue of aircraft noise and its impact on residents.