Category: Speeches

  • Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-11-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the requirements are for the funding and delivery of wifi on existing rail franchises.

    Claire Perry

    On all Department for Transport-controlled rail franchises, in England and Wales, free Wi-Fi is being introduced. All train operators bidding for new franchises and direct award agreements will have to include this specification in their bid.

    Where there was no new franchise agreement due by December 2016, almost £50 million of funding is being released from the Department for Transport to ensure Wi-Fi is available on selected services. The operators in this group are:

    • Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern (TSGN);
    • Southeastern;
    • Chiltern; and
    • Arriva Trains Wales.
  • Catherine McKinnell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Catherine McKinnell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine McKinnell on 2016-01-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Written Statement on 9 December 2015, HCWS369, whether the new franchisees referred to will be required to replace all Pacer trains on both the TransPennine Express and Northern franchises; and by what year all Pacer trains will be replaced on both franchises.

    Andrew Jones

    As we have made clear both publicly and in the House (UINs 5008 and 19363) all Pacer trains in service on the Northern Franchise will be withdrawn by the end of 2019.

    There are no Pacers in service with the TransPennine Franchise.

  • Angela Eagle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Angela Eagle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angela Eagle on 2016-01-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure that small businesses can access flood insurance.

    Rory Stewart

    While we recognise the difficult challenges that some small businesses could face in accessing commercial flood insurance in areas of high flood risk, we are not currently aware of evidence that there is a systemic problem. Therefore, we have committed to work with the Association of British Insurers (ABI) and other interested parties to monitor the insurance market for small businesses. We are keen to work across government, and with a range of business interests, to better understand the nature and extent of any problem that might exist.

    The ABI have assured us that the insurance industry will continue to provide insurance to small businesses on a competitive basis.

  • Nicholas Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Nicholas Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Brown on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the effect of gambling on vulnerable people; and what provisions are in place to assist people who have gambling problems.

    David Evennett

    One of the three key licensing objectives set out in the Gambling Act 2005 is that vulnerable people should be protected from harm. All betting shop operators are required by the Gambling Commission’s Licence Conditions and Code of Practice (LCCP) to have policies and processes in place to meet this objective. In addition, the industry trade body, the Association of British Bookmakers (ABB), has a mandatory code of conduct which places additional social responsibility requirements on all of its members.

    The rate of problem gambling is at 0.6% of the adult population, which is lower than comparable jurisdictions (USA, South Africa or Australia). However we recognise that rates are significantly higher among some sections of the population, such as young men, and that gambling-related harm is a real and significant problem. The majority of current provision for treatment of problem gamblers is through the Responsible Gambling Trust’s funding of organisations such as GamCare, who provide a helpline and counselling services, and the Gordon Moody Association, which provides specialist residential treatment. Local treatment can be found through GPs and NHS addiction clinics, there is also a specialist NHS service treating gambling disorder, based in London.

    The Government is committed to ensuring that people are protected from being harmed or exploited by gambling. The Minister for Sport and Tourism has explained to the gambling industry that they are expected to demonstrate that they are improving existing player protection initiatives and evaluating the effects of previous initiatives. As the Minister said at the recent RGT harm minimisation conference, government and industry should never feel that there is an end point to social responsibility.

  • Maria Eagle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Maria Eagle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2016-03-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate his Department has made of the potential additional revenue that would be generated for the BBC by extending the licence fee to include viewing content on iPlayer.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The Government is currently working with the BBC to come to an agreed estimate of the likely revenue impact. These measures are being introduced to ensure that payment of the licence fee is fair for the public and that those who enjoy BBC content pay the licence fee accordingly.

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-04-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many restriction (a) notices and (b) orders her Department has issued to restrict inquiries under (i) section 19(1)(a) and (ii) section 19(1)(b) of the Inquiries Act 2005 in each year since 2009-10 (A) in total and (B) for the Undercover Policing Inquiry.

    Mike Penning

    Since 2009, under section 19(2)(a) of the Inquiries Act 2005,the Secretary of State for the Home Department has issued a total of four restriction notices – two in 2014 and two in 2015. All four were in relation to the Litvinenko Inquiry.

    The Secretary of State for the Home Department has not issued any restriction notices for the Undercover Policing Inquiry.

    Under section 19(2)(b) of the Inquiries Act 2005 restriction orders can only be issued by the Chair of an inquiry.

  • Rachel Reeves – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Rachel Reeves – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rachel Reeves on 2016-05-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what Government funding has been awarded to (a) Welcome to Yorkshire, (b) the campaign to bring the Turner Prize to Hull in 2017 and (c) the creation of a new cycle gateway to the Yorkshire Dales National Park since the publication of the Long-Term Economic Plan for Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire in February 2015.

    David Evennett

    Over the last two financial years, Welcome to Yorkshire has received a total of ​£1,619,100 of Government funding to promote tourism and the success of cycling in Yorkshire, building on the Grand Depart.

    This Government is providing £1.5million funding for the Ferens gallery in Hull so it can host the 2017 Turner prize.

    And in 2014, the Canal River Trust won £450,000 from the Cycling Ambition in National Park programme for a range of cycling schemes, including the transformation of a 4km stretch of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal centred on the market town of Skipton, which is also a key gateway to the Yorkshire Dales.

    On 24 May Government announced funding for both the Sustainable Travel Transition Year Fund 2016/17, and the North East Lincolnshire and Lincolnshire, with projects earmarked across the region but not in the specific Yorkshire Dales area.

  • Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-07-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what mechanisms are in place to monitor the application of section 60 of the Immigration Act 2016, on limitation on detention of pregnant women.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Home Office has issued guidance to Immigration Enforcement caseworkers, enforcement officers and Border Force officers on the application of section 60 of the Immigration Act 2016. This was published on GOV.UK on 12 July, and includes monitoring tools to track the detention of pregnant women.

    It is already the case that the majority of individuals liable to be detained at any one time are not actually detained but are managed in the community through the grant of temporary admission or temporary release on bail. This includes pregnant women, whose detention is now subject to the further restrictions imposed by section 60 of the 2016 Act.

    Pregnant women who are to be released from detention, but who remain liable to be detained, will be granted temporary admission or temporary release with appropriate reporting and/or residence restrictions. Pregnant women have access to the Home Office Voluntary Departures Service.

  • Andy McDonald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Andy McDonald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy McDonald on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to announce the dates for the (a) planned commissioning, (b) delivery of contracted functionality and (c) installation of the first deployment traffic management system for the Rail Operating Centre at Cardiff.

    Paul Maynard

    These dates will not be announced by the Department for Transport. Network Rail is reviewing the options available for deployment of Traffic Management in Wales and will communicate the decision once it has been made.

  • Tania Mathias – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Tania Mathias – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tania Mathias on 2015-11-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the accuracy of the estimate of surface access costs associated with an expansion of Heathrow Airport produced by (a) the Airports Commission and (b) the Mayor of London in his response to the Airports Commission consultation, published in February 2015.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Airports Commission, in undertaking its work consulted widely, engaging with a broad range of organisations and people, and considered a wide range of views and information from stakeholders, including the Mayor of London, to inform its recommendations.

    The Government is currently considering the large amount of very detailed analysis contained in the Airports Commission’s final report, including its examination of the costs of the surface access proposals associated with airport expansion, before taking any decisions on next steps.