Category: Speeches

  • Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-03-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment the Government has made of the feasibility of air drops of food supplies and aid into besieged areas during the current ceasefire in Syria.

    Penny Mordaunt

    The International Syria Support Group meeting in Munich in February set out a clear way ahead for the delivery of urgent humanitarian aid in Syria and for a cessation of hostilities. The UK continues to keep the humanitarian situation in Syria under review and has been playing a full role, as part of the Humanitarian Aid Task Force, supporting the UN and its partners in successfully stepping-up deliveries of food, water and medicine. Road delivery is the preferred method of delivering aid wherever possible since air drops require clear drop zones, safe access for the intended recipients, and need to be co-ordinated with authorities on the ground. While the UK has been seeking to support World Food Programme efforts to air-drop supplies to Deir ez-Zour, our assessment is that these conditions are not being met in Syria.

  • Peter Kyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Peter Kyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when his Department plans to respond to the Office of Rail and Road’s recommendations following Which?’s super-complaint regarding train companies and the compensation process for passengers affected by train delays.

    Claire Perry

    I welcome the publication of the Office of Rail and Road’s (ORR’s) recommendations following Which?’s super-complaint. It is vital that customers who suffer delays understand their rights to compensation and have access to it in a timely way. Industry must now do much more to make that process quick and user-friendly. We are already working with the Association of Train Operating Companies and the ORR to bring about improvements, and my Department will respond to the ORR’s report in the summer of 2016.

  • Valerie Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Valerie Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Valerie Vaz on 2016-05-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department plans that the Post Office Card Account will be available until 2021.

    Priti Patel

    Post Office Card Accounts provide a useful service to many people and there are no plans to change provision.

    The Department recognises, however, that working age claimants may also be receiving wages. As the account does not receive wages or allow for direct debit or standing order facilities, Post Office Card Accounts are not suitable for all of their needs. Those claimants are therefore being encouraged to open main stream bank accounts including credit union accounts.

    The Post Office Card Account contract was awarded from 01 December 2014 and expires on 30 November 2021 and there are no plans to amend that term.

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-06-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for (a) the UK aviation sector and (b) his Department’s aviation policies of the outcome of the referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    It is too early to assess the impacts of the outcome of the EU Referendum for any particular sector, including aviation. The Prime Minister has made it clear that at present we remain a member of the EU with all the rights and obligations this entails and that it will be for the next administration to determine the terms of our exit from the European Union.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-09-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of whether the Bahrain Ombudsman’s investigation into the case of Mohammad Ramadan has complied with international minimum standards for torture investigations.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The United Nations Convention Against Torture requires all states to conduct prompt and impartial investigations into allegations of torture within their jurisdiction. We therefore welcome the Ombudsman’s decision to conduct an investigation into the complaints regarding Mohammad Ramadan, and await the outcome of the investigation. Since the announcement of the Ombudsman’s investigation, we have received non-governmental organisation representations regarding these allegations, and are aware of similar representations made to the Ombudsman. We take all such allegations seriously. It is therefore important that investigations into allegations of torture are prompt and impartial, and we are encouraging the Ombudsman to carry out a swift investigation.

    The Bahraini Ombudsman is an independent oversight institution, and we will continue to follow and support its work. I raised the case of Mohammad Ramadan with the Bahraini Ambassador on 8 March, and our Embassy Manama officials have raised the progress of the investigation several times directly with the Ombudsman’s office, the most recent being 4 August.

  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that Alzheimer drugs for use at home cost less than £2,100 per year.

    George Freeman

    There are voluntary and statutory schemes in place between the Government and branded and generic manufacturers to ensure, in the main, the National Health Service obtains the best value from the purchasing of medicines.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andy Slaughter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2015-12-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison workshops have (a) opened, (b) closed and (c) changed function in each of the last seven years.

    Andrew Selous

    The information requested is not held centrally.

    All prisons provide opportunities for offenders to work and learn new skills which can help them find a job on release and support their rehabilitation. We already work continuously with employers nationally and locally – including with other Government Departments – to create new opportunities in line with our code of practice.

    We want prisons to be places of hard work, rigorous education and high ambition. That is why we will put the tools to drive change in the hands of those at the frontline who know best.

  • Clive Lewis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Clive Lewis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Clive Lewis on 2016-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many police officers of the Civil Nuclear Constabulary she estimates will be deployed in (a) 2015-16, (b) 2016-17, (c) 2017-18, (d) 2018-19 and (e) 2019-20.

    Andrea Leadsom

    Estimates of Civil Nuclear Constabulary deployment fluctuate depending on the forecast levels of protection needed for sites and materials in transit. As sites move to decommissioning the numbers of officers will fall, and will conversely increase as any new nuclear facilities come on line.

    Current deployment figures provided by the Civil Nuclear Constabulary and estimates for deployed officer numbers in future years are below. These figures are for operational officers and Special Envoy Groups (Civil Nuclear Constabulary Officers charged with protecting nuclear material in transit). Figures do not include officers in training, dog handling, or administration.

    Financial year

    2015-2016

    2016-2017

    2017-2018

    2018-2019

    2019-2020

    Operationally deployed officer number

    1113

    1118

    1037

    987

    931
  • Lord Storey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Lord Storey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2016-02-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Evans of Bowes Park on 26 January (HL5024), what is the timeframe of the discussions about the legality of essay mills between the Consumer and Markets Authority and the Quality Assurance Agency.

    Baroness Evans of Bowes Park

    The Quality Assurance Agency have now met with the Competition and Markets Authority and are considering further how to take this forward.

  • Carolyn Harris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Carolyn Harris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Carolyn Harris on 2016-03-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many surrenders of suspects to and from the UK there have been under the European Arrest Warrant since April 2015.

    James Brokenshire

    Figures for this period are not yet available. They will be released by the National Crime Agency when they have been verified later in the year.

    The following statistics provide a breakdown of surrenders to and from the UK under European Arrest Warrants between 2009 – 2015. These are shown in the form of figures from April to the end of March of each year.

    Surrenders to the UK

    2009-10

    2010-11

    2011-12

    2012-13

    2013-14

    2014-15

    Total

    Surrenders

    110

    130

    144

    123

    140

    138

    785

    Surrenders from the UK

    2009-10

    2010-11

    2011-12

    2012-13

    2013-14

    2014-15

    Total

    Surrenders

    772

    1,100

    1,076

    1,057

    1,067

    1,093

    6,165