Category: Speeches

  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 21 March 2016 to Question 31078, on immigration officers, what policy, guidance or code of practice is provided to immigration officers carrying out equipment interference.

    James Brokenshire

    The Office of Surveillance Commissioners (OSC) provides independent oversight of the use of property interference powers by law enforcement, including immigration officers. The Police Act 1997 was amended in 2013 to enable immigration officers to carry out property interference. The OSC regularly inspects law enforcement use of the power and scrutinises all individual property interference authorisations. A statutory code of practice for covert surveillance and property interference which can be found at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/384975/Covert_Surveillance_Property_Interrefernce_web__2_.pdf

    applies to all agencies with property interference powers.

    The Investigatory Powers Bill will provide enhanced safeguards for the use of equipment interference, including the requirement that equipment interference warrants are subject to the double-lock authorisation safeguard. The Bill will also create a new and more powerful Investigatory Powers Commissioner who will keep the use of this important power under close and regular review. A new Equipment Interference Code of Practice was published in draft alongside the Investigatory Powers Bill. This Code will provide further guidance on the use of equipment interference powers to all relevant agencies.

  • Marie Rimmer – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Marie Rimmer – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Marie Rimmer on 2016-05-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether the Government plans to maintain the current level of top-up in real terms to the Manchester and Liverpool City Regions when the planned devolution of business rates to those areas takes place in April 2017.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    The Government is taking the opportunity to pilot approaches to 100% business rates retention in Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region and London. This will help us for example to develop the mechanisms that will be needed to manage risk and reward under 100% rates retention.

    Government officials are currently working with Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region and London to develop the detail around these pilots.

  • Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when his Department plans to decide which stations will be affected by Network Rail’s decision to defer Access to All works from Control Period 5 into Control Period 6; and how the outcome of that decision will be published.

    Claire Perry

    We will be responding to the Hendy Report later this year. In the meantime, we are working with Network Rail to identify how Access for All projects will be delivered and when. The decision about Access for All schemes will be made later this summer. These will be set out in updated versions of the Enhancement Delivery Plans currently available Network Rail’s website.

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

    Lord Blencathra – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Blencathra on 2016-09-06.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken to ensure that taxis are wheelchair accessible; and whether they plan to set a target for all taxi firms and hire car operators to have a minimum number of wheelchair accessible vehicles in their fleets by 2020.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    Taxis and private hire vehicles (PHVs) play an important role in enabling disabled people to complete door-to-door journeys independently, and it is essential that they are accessible to those needing to use them.

    Local licensing authorities already have powers to determine the categories of vehicle included in their fleets, and we encourage them to ensure a range of passengers are catered for. Whilst wheelchair accessible vehicles are vital for some passengers, for some ambulant disabled people they can be difficult to access. As such we encourage authorities to consider the needs of all potential passengers when determining the make-up of their taxi and PHV fleets.

    We currently have no plans to set minimum quotas for wheelchair accessible vehicles.

  • Ruth Cadbury – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Ruth Cadbury – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ruth Cadbury on 2016-10-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether she plans to include legislation for exceptional hardship pleas within the forthcoming review of motoring offences and penalties.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    Information about drivers who have not been disqualified from driving as a result of a court accepting that disqualification would lead to exceptional hardship is not held centrally and can only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

    The Government is committed to making sure that sentencing for those who kill or cause serious injury on the roads is proportionate within the context of our wider sentencing framework. It is our intention to commence a consultation on driving offences and penalties before the end of the year.

  • Colleen Fletcher – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Colleen Fletcher – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Colleen Fletcher on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to tackle domestic violence.

    Karen Bradley

    Tackling domestic violence is a key priority for this Government.

    We have created a new offence of domestic abuse, we are making improvements to the police response and this year provided over £20m to fund specialist domestic and sexual violence services, national helplines and refuges.

  • The Marquess of Lothian – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The Marquess of Lothian – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2015-12-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what evidence they have that air strikes in Syria would reduce ISIL’s ability to attack the UK; and what assessment they have made of the terrorist threat to the UK posed by British-born ISIL recruits as a direct result of such air strikes.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The threat to the UK is already at Severe, meaning an attack is highly likely. In just over a year, our police and security services have stopped no fewer than 7 different terrorist plots in Britain, all linked to or inspired by Daesh. By attacking Daesh in its heartland in Syria, from where many of its plans are directed, we are taking the fight to Daesh and degrading their capability to plot to kill British people. There is already a significant threat to the UK from British Islamist extremists who have travelled to Iraq and Syria. Around 800 Britons of national security concern are known to have travelled to Iraq and Syria, and over half of those have already returned.

  • Teresa Pearce – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Teresa Pearce – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Teresa Pearce on 2016-01-13.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many applications for consumer credit licences for debt advice and debt adjusting on a commercial basis have been made in the last 12 months; and how many such applications have been (a) granted, (b) rejected, (c) withdrawn and (d) await a decision.

    Harriett Baldwin

    These questions have been passed on to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The FCA will reply to directly to the Honourable member by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

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

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people in the UK have been diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration in each of the last five years.

    Alistair Burt

    We do not have information on the numbers of people diagnosed with age related macular degeneration in each of the last five years.

    What we do have is the number of finished admission episodes, for England, for the last five years, where the primary diagnosis was ‘degeneration of the macular and posterior pole’.

    Age group

    2010/11

    2011/12

    2012/13

    2013/14

    2014/15

    0-4

    2

    2

    3

    2

    3

    5-9

    1

    2

    7

    3

    6

    10-14

    6

    9

    8

    8

    3

    15-19

    9

    18

    10

    11

    9

    20-24

    43

    32

    21

    36

    20

    25-29

    51

    29

    33

    47

    45

    30-34

    61

    42

    57

    56

    58

    35-39

    95

    73

    101

    100

    73

    40-44

    162

    156

    162

    229

    148

    45-49

    256

    254

    319

    377

    386

    50-54

    417

    439

    477

    636

    603

    55-59

    980

    812

    973

    1,216

    1,283

    60-64

    2,617

    2,589

    2,647

    2,833

    2,767

    65-69

    4,740

    5,153

    5,982

    6,427

    6,729

    70-74

    8,685

    8,937

    9,770

    9,847

    10,671

    75-79

    12,998

    14,051

    15,347

    14,506

    16,069

    80-84

    16,568

    17,083

    18,765

    17,747

    18,847

    85-89

    13,114

    13,960

    15,550

    14,262

    15,497

    90+

    5,382

    6,179

    7,320

    7,318

    8,580

    Unknown

    8

    6

    7

    11

    18

    TOTAL

    66,195

    69,826

    77,559

    75,672

    81,815

    This would include age related macular degeneration, as well as other conditions. It also only relates to people admitted to hospital not those seen in outpatients or primary care.

    Notes:

    A finished admission episode is the first period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider.

    Admissions do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the same period.

  • Oliver Colvile – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Oliver Colvile – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Oliver Colvile on 2016-02-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, when investments pledged under the Ross Fund will be made available for research and development into infectious diseases.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    The Ross Fund is a new £1 billion fund that will be used to support the global fight against malaria and other infectious diseases.

    Programmes under the Ross Fund will be led by either the Department of Health or the Department for International Development. Details about the exact nature and timing of investments pledged under the Ross Fund are still under development.