Category: Speeches

Hilary Benn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-03-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his oral contribution of 12 January 2016, Official Report, column 697, whether UK personnel provided a quick check on whether the reported airstrike in Yemen on a market place in the Hajjah Governorate had broken international humanitarian law.

Mr Philip Hammond

The role of the UK liaison officers is to maintain an information flow with the Saudi Arabian authorities. We do not comment on the specifics. The Saudi Arabian Government announced on 29 February, that they are forming an independent committee to examine military activity in civilian areas in order to minimise possible civilian casualties; assess the Coalition’s rules of engagement; assess accidents, verification and targeting procedures and advise how they can be improved; and provide a clear, full and objective report for each investigation made including conclusions, lessons learnt and recommendations for future actions.

January 1, 2023
Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-05-03.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 18 April (HL7718), what action they will now take to protect land designated as a future Palestinian state.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We continue to robustly raise our concerns over Israel’s expropriation of land in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Such steps damage the prospects for a two state solution. The UK has consistently called for an end to settlement expansion, which is illegal under international law. If the Israeli government is committed to a two-state solution then it will reverse its policy.

January 1, 2023
Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2016-06-15.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of asylum applications were accepted over the past 12 months.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

In the year ending March 2016, there were 33,713 initial decisions on asylum applications from main applicants and dependants. Of these decisions, 37% (12,410) were grants of asylum or an alternative form of protection.

The Home Office publishes quarterly figures on asylum applications and initial decisions within the Immigration Statistics release. A copy of the latest release, Immigration Statistics January to March 2016, is available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-january-to-march-2016.

January 1, 2023
Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-09-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of how much her Department will spend on children’s centres in each of the next five years; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Dinenage

Local authorities have a duty under the Childcare Act 2006 to ensure sufficient children’s centres to meet the needs of local families. Local authorities must meet their statutory duties on children’s centres from funding that forms part of the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) Business Rates Retention Scheme. In addition, other government funding, including that for public health, adult skills training and troubled families may also be used locally to support services delivered wholly, or in part, through children’s centres.

Since April 2010 local authorities have reported actual and planned expenditure on children’s centres (regardless of the funding source) through annual Section 251 returns. This information is published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/expenditure-on-education-children-and-young-peoples-services-academic-year-2011-to-2012 and: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/section-251-materials

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January 1, 2023
Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-10-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the reasons for police forces across (a) regions and (b) the UK having variations in their respective plans of action for dealing with traveller camps in (i) public parks and recreation sites and (ii) other publicly-owned land.

Brandon Lewis

Dealing with unauthorised traveller sites requires a multi-agency response, involving local authorities and supported by the police.

The police have powers under the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 to remove travellers from a site. The decision on whether to use these powers is an operational matter for the police who must consider their duties under the Equalities Act and Human Rights Act in each case.

January 1, 2023

Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-01-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many portions of milk have been reimbursed by his Department under the nursery milk scheme in each month of the last 10 years.

Jane Ellison

The Nursery Milk Scheme allows for the reimbursement of the cost of providing portions of one-third of a pint of milk per day to children under the age of five attending childminders or private and local authority nurseries for at least two hours a day. The Scheme covers England, Scotland and Wales; Northern Ireland has its own arrangements. The Department holds information relating to the number of portions of milk reimbursed in respect of claims from eligible settings in Great Britain since January 2009 and this information is in the following table.

Date	Total Portions (1/3 pints) Claimed
January 2009	18,123,707
February 2009	17,637,807
March 2009	21,558,309
April 2009	17,371,970
May 2009	16,221,249
June 2009	13,432,093
July 2009	15,464,454
August 2009	11,467,147
September 2009	16,389,034
October 2009	20,382,597
November 2009	16,079,212
December 2009	17,391,428
January 2010	15,680,452
February 2010	24,496,820
March 2010	33,011,644
April 2010	22,567,652
May 2010	17,782,066
June 2010	21,798,146
July 2010	21,923,309
August 2010	23,117,196
September 2010	15,810,902
October 2010	20,081,579
November 2010	23,160,564
December 2010	20,662,622
January 2011	23,048,244
February 2011	25,351,169
March 2011	26,415,006
April 2011	22,494,397
May 2011	18,211,857
June 2011	24,807,226
July 2011	24,435,096
August 2011	20,694,290
September 2011	15,889,141
October 2011	20,655,967
November 2011	21,672,552
December 2011	24,047,889
January 2012	23,045,503
February 2012	25,555,512
March 2012	29,047,089
April 2012	26,723,281
May 2012	21,223,680
June 2012	23,990,408
July 2012	23,634,192
August 2012	23,634,192
September 2012	10,813,985
October 2012	18,973,780
November 2012	22,527,849
December 2012	21,635,603
January 2013	20,907,751
February 2013	27,996,321
March 2013	23,764,641
April 2013	23,390,936
May 2013	20,100,589
June 2013	21,982,896
July 2013	23,393,113
August 2013	22,317,209
September 2013	13,218,322
October 2013	22,600,819
November 2013	25,334,664
December 2013	24,340,053
January 2014	20,978,012
February 2014	26,176,219
March 2014	26,673,043
April 2014	22,229,447
May 2014	20,175,242
June 2014	22,182,139
July 2014	26,207,194
August 2014	20,259,095
September 2014	13,121,733
October 2014	22,573,963
November 2014	26,413,799
December 2014	24,221,524
January 2015	24,901,748
February 2015	25,079,913
March 2015	25,432,666
April 2015	25,831,561
May 2015	19,519,236
June 2015	23,815,213
July 2015	27,758,159
August 2015	20,262,151
September 2015	16,068,770
October 2015	25,258,995
November 2015	26,127,900
December 2015	28,076,574

January 1, 2023

Matthew Offord – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2015-11-09.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the illegal trade of cigarettes in Northern Ireland.

Damian Hinds

Estimates of the volume and total revenue losses associated with the tobacco illicit market are published in ‘Tobacco Tax Gap Estimates 2014 to 2015’.

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tobacco-tax-gap-estimates

These estimates cannot be broken down on a regional basis.

The methodology for producing the estimates are provided in the ‘Measuring Tax Gaps 2015 edition: Methodological Annex’.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/469973/HMRC-Measuring-tax-gaps-2015-methodological-annex.pdf

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January 1, 2023
Alan Whitehead – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Whitehead on 2015-12-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether she plans to produce an updated version of her Department’s carbon capture and storage roadmap.

Andrea Leadsom

The Government continues to view Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) as having a potential role in the long-term decarbonisation of the UK’s power and industrial sectors. The detailed design and implementation of CCS policy changes are currently being assessed.

January 1, 2023
Bill Esterson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bill Esterson on 2016-01-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many SMEs have been declared bankrupt as a result of late payments in each of the last 10 years.

Anna Soubry

The Department does not hold the information required. However, BACS data shows that small and medium businesses are owed a total of £26.8 billion, and the average small business is waiting for £31,900 in overdue payments.[1]

The Government recognises that late payment remains an important issue for small businesses in the UK and is taking significant steps to assist small businesses to recover late payment debts. This is part of a package of measures to tackle late payment. We have also legislated for new transparency measures in the public and private sectors.

The Small Business Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 legislated for new reporting requirement on the UK’s largest companies and Regulations will be introduced this year which will compel larger companies to report on payment practices and performance. This information will be published on a six-monthly basis and will be made publicly available.

The Public Contracts Regulations 2015 introduced a requirement for all public-sector buyers to publish annually, from 2017, their liability to debt interest payments. In central government we have gone further and faster. We will be publishing against these requirements quarterly from April this year. This will allow full public scrutiny of payment performance.

Through the Enterprise Bill, currently before Parliament, we will legislate to establish a Small Business Commissioner to give general advice and to help small businesses resolve disputes relating to payment matters with larger businesses.

Tackling late payment is about creating a responsible payment culture where larger companies recognise the benefit of having a sustainable and robust supply chain, and smaller businesses feel able to challenge poor behaviour. Once implemented, the Government is confident that these measures will lead to significant changes in the UK’s payment culture.

[1] BACS Data June 2015.

January 1, 2023
Lord Krebs – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Krebs on 2016-02-04.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the finding of the Lead Advisory Group, reported by the Chairman in his letter of 3 June 2015 to the Secretary of State, that 10,000 children are growing up in households where they could regularly be eating sufficient game shot with lead ammunition to cause them neurodevelopmental harm and other health impairments”.”

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

The Food Standards Agency has identified that lead shot game is unlikely to be a significant source of exposure for the majority of consumers but recognises that it may be a significant additional contribution for frequent consumers and vulnerable groups. The FSA has advised that those consuming high levels of such game should reduce their intake, especially vulnerable consumers such as children and pregnant women. The FSA is considering what further action is required to raise awareness of their advice, particularly with vulnerable groups such as parents and carers of young children.

January 1, 2023