Category: Speeches

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

    Lord Bowness – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bowness on 2016-10-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will seek to preserve the mutual recognition of disabled persons’ Blue Badges throughout the UK and EU in their negotiations to leave the EU.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The Government is considering carefully all the potential implications arising from the UK’s exit from the EU, including the implications of preserving the mutual recognition of disabled persons’ Blue Badges throughout the UK and EU. Until we leave, EU law still applies, so EU rules in this area will continue to apply in the UK, alongside national rules.

  • Louise Ellman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Louise Ellman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Ellman on 2016-01-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what representations he has made to the Danish government on the death of Stephen O’Malley since the adjournment debate of 25 November 2015.

    Justin Tomlinson

    A transcript of the debate was passed to the Danish authorities, via the Danish Deputy Chief Prosecutor, on 27 November 2015.

    The Danish authorities have since confirmed that their State Attorney is reviewing the case, and is expected to make a decision on whether to re-open the case or agree that the original findings were correct, in January 2016.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2016-01-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to advance democratic rights in Bahrain.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    Governance of Bahrain is a matter for all political parties in Bahrain. That is why we encourage all political parties, including Al Wefaq who boycotted elections in November 2014, to engage constructively in political dialogue in order to reach an inclusive political settlement. Although we were disappointed by the opposition’s decision to boycott the 2014 elections, we commended the participation of a broad range of candidates which saw 14 independent Shia candidates win seats, of which three were women.

    We regularly discuss human rights and reform with the Government of Bahrain including at the biannual UK-Bahrain Joint Working Group meeting which was most recently held in November 2015. Reform programme activities delivered through the Causeway Institute have used lessons from Northern Ireland to improve community outreach and communication – particularly to a youth audience.

  • Edward Leigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Edward Leigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Edward Leigh on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department’s consultation on out-of-school education settings, launched on 26 November 2015, whether proposals to register out-of-school settings will require Ofsted inspectors to travel to Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland to inspect tuition, training or instruction given outside of England by English-based institutions.

    Edward Timpson

    The Government wants children to be educated in a safe environment where they are not taught hateful and extremist views that undermine British values.

    The proposal to regulate out-of-school education settings, as set out in the recently published call for evidence, applies to settings located and operating in England only. It is not proposed that Ofsted inspect settings operating in the devolved administrations.

    Officials in the Department have been in contact with their counterparts in Wales and Scotland to discuss the proposal, but oversight of out-of-school education settings operating in those countries is a matter for the devolved administrations.

  • Lord Horam – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Lord Horam – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Horam on 2016-03-21.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many homes were completed under the Affordable Homes Programme launched in April 2011.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    The Government has delivered 193,000 affordable homes through the 2011-15 Affordable Homes Programme. This programme exceeded expectations delivering 23,000 more affordable homes than anticipated.

  • Will Quince – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Will Quince – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Will Quince on 2016-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 21 April 2016 to Question 34465, if her Department will take steps to allow web-users to include honours when completing government online forms.

    Nick Gibb

    The Department for Education works closely with the Government Digital Service (GDS) to ensure the digital products and services delivered are fit for purpose and put the user first. Each of the online forms is developed in accordance with the GDS Service Standard, applying design principles and house style to ensure consistency and a satisfying user experience.

    When designing online forms, the only questions asked are those that are relevant and required and eliminate unnecessary steps and fields that are not pertinent to the purpose of the data we are collecting. At present there are no plans to include an honours question as a standard element across all of the online forms but if the data being collected requires this information to be collected then the online form will contain this particular field.

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

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-05-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many visits by (a) Ministers and (b) officials from his Department were made to Coventry in each of the last five years.

    Jane Ellison

    The Secretary of State for Health and his team have visited the following in an official capacity in the last five years:

    The former Secretary of State (Mr Andrew Lansley)

    1 March 2012 University Hospital Coventry

    The former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Anna Soubry)

    16 October 2012 Coventry City Council

    The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Jane Ellison)

    16 September 2014 Warwick University

    15 September 2015 Warwick University

    The former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Dr Daniel Poulter)

    24 January 2013 University Hospital Coventry

    The Secretary of State for Health (Mr Jeremy Hunt)

    18 April 2013 Warwick University

    16 September 2015 Warwick University

    Information on visits by officials is not routinely collected and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

  • Judith Cummins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Judith Cummins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Judith Cummins on 2016-07-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have waited longer than (a) three, (b) six and (c) 12 months for a work capability assessment from the date of making a claim for employment and support allowance in Bradford South constituency in each of the last three years.

    Penny Mordaunt

    Information on Employment and Support Allowance, outcomes of Work Capability Assessments and Mandatory Reconsiderations are published at https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-work-pensions/about/statistics.

    Constituency level information is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

    “

  • Madeleine Moon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Madeleine Moon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Madeleine Moon on 2016-10-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to her oral contribution of 10 October 2016, Official Report, column 62, how an EU citizen demonstrates their having lived in the UK for five or more years; how citizenship is claimed after six years; which Department will be responsible for confirming the right to (a) remain and (b) citizenship; what certification of these rights will be provided; what estimate she has made of the cost to the applicant of that process; and if she will make a statement.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    We wish to guarantee the rights of EU citizens already in the UK, and the only circumstances in which this would not be possible would be if British citizens’ rights in EU Member States were not protected on a reciprocal basis.

    The UK is currently a member of the EU, and remains one until Article 50 negotiations have concluded. This means EU law continues to apply. Although not mandatory, after 5 years of continuous and lawful residence in the UK, EU citizens may apply for a document to confirm their EU right to reside in the UK permanently. Further information is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/apply-for-a-document-certifying-permanent-residence-or-permanent-residence-card-form-eea-pr

    In terms of British citizenship, under UK law, EU nationals who are married to or the civil partner of a British citizen can apply for naturalisation as a British citizen once they have obtained permanent residence in the UK.

    Other EU nationals may apply for a certificate of naturalisation once they have resided in the UK for six years. This because they need to show they have completed 12 months of residence in the UK free of immigration time restrictions once they have acquired a permanent right to reside.

    Further guidance on the application process to naturalise as a British citizen is available via the link below:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/application-to-naturalise-as-a-british-citizen-form-an

  • 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 of the recent legal decision on the Quality Contract for NEXUS; and if he will make a statement.

    Andrew Jones

    It is for the North East Combined Authority to decide how to take on board the results of the QCS Board process. Guidance on how to approach this element of the quality contract regime was published by the Secretary of State in December 2009.