UKPOL.CO.UK

Category: Speeches

  • Byron Davies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Byron Davies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Byron Davies on 2015-12-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much her Department has spent on humanitarian assistance in (a) Syria and (b) neighbouring countries receiving Syrian refugees in the last two years.

    Justine Greening

    In the financial year 2014/15, the UK spent just under £150 million in humanitarian assistance inside Syria and around £125 million in the surrounding region. This has provided lifesaving support and helped ensure Syrian children can remain in education.

  • Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 19 January 2016 to Question 21728, how many applications for a Tier 2 (General) restricted Certificate of Sponsorship have been rejected on the grounds that the job is in an establishment which provides a take-away service in each of the last five years.

    James Brokenshire

    The information is not readily available and could not be obtained within the proportionate cost limit.

  • Lord Green of Deddington – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Green of Deddington – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Green of Deddington on 2016-02-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether, were the UK to leave the EU, they would be obliged to consider the case of an applicant for asylum who was known to have arrived directly from a safe country; and if so, as a result of which treaty or instrument.

    Lord Bates

    EU negotiations are ongoing and the UK is engaging with European partners to reach a positive outcome.

    The Government firmly supports the well-established principle that those seeking international protection should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach, a principle reflected within the Dublin Regulation.

    We are cooperating fully with the EU Commission’s review of the Dublin Regulation and will continue to make the case that its long – established principles should continue to be the basis for any future regulation.

  • Lord Freyberg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Freyberg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

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

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what timeframe has been agreed for Genomic England to publish a plan with patient volumes that can be shared with Parliament, and what steps they will take to hold the responsible individuals to account if they fail to deliver on any such plan.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    There are currently no plans to publish future patient volumes. However, the Department holds delivery partners to account for delivery of the project.

  • Kate Green – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Kate Green – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much of the £31 million of child maintenance arrears written off in 2014-15 was written off under each of the ground in the Child Support Management of Payment and Arrears (Amendment) Regulations 2012.

    Priti Patel

    The circumstances of the £31 million of child maintenance arrears written off in 2014-15 is shown in the table below:

    Circumstance

    2014/15 write off (£m)

    The person with care has requested that the Secretary of State ceases to act in respect of the arrears

    6.5

    A child in Scotland has requested that the Secretary of State ceases to act in respect of the arrears

    0.0

    The person with care, or (in Scotland) the child, has died

    3.0

    The non-resident parent died before 25 January 2010 or there is no further action that can be taken with regard to recovery of the arrears from the non-resident parent’s estate

    19.8

    The arrears relate to liability for child support maintenance for any period in respect of which an interim maintenance assessment was in force between 5 April 1993 and 18 April 1995

    0.1

    The non-resident parent has been informed by the Secretary of State that no further action would ever be taken to recover those arrears

    0.2

    Other

    1.3

    Notes

    1. The figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred thousand.
    2. The circumstance ‘Other’ includes amounts written off following Secretary of State and client part payment, £0.5m, arrears written off which were due to the Secretary of State, £0.2m and adjustments to arrears balances which have transitioned to the 2012 Child Maintenance system, £0.6m.
  • Lord Blencathra – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Lord Blencathra – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Blencathra on 2016-05-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the potential for the reintroduction of pine martens into areas of the UK that are infested with grey squirrels.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    The Forestry Commission is involved in the Vincent Wildlife Trust’s pine marten recovery project in mid and north Wales. The Forestry Commission in England is supporting a project in the Forest of Dean with the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, Natural England, Forest Research and others to pursue a pine marten restoration project. This project includes studies into impacts of pine martens including on trees and other wildlife. Natural England is also working with the Trust to restore viable populations of pine martens to northern England.

    The Forestry Commission is also working closely with one of the authors of the paper that identified the decline in grey squirrel populations in the Irish midlands, which may be associated with the abundance of pine martens. The work with the author and others will further explore the relationship between red squirrels, grey squirrels and pine martens in the UK.

  • The Marquess of Lothian – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The Marquess of Lothian – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2016-06-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have a strategy to combat the use of social media as a tool for radicalisation and the promotion of terrorism.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The Prevent Strategy sets out the Government’s approach to combatting the use of social media as a tool for radicalisation and the promotion of terrorism, focussing on restricting access to terrorist and extremist content online; supporting those who are challenging them online and helping people resist poisonous ideologies.

    Through the Home Office’s Research, Information and Communications Unit (RICU) the Government works with a range of civil society groups to counter extremist ideologies online by providing advice and support to deliver their own online campaigns. 26 RICU supported national campaigns have generated over 29.8 million online engagements since January 2014.

    The police Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit (CTIRU) refers content that they assess as contravening UK terrorism legislation or company terms and conditions to Communication Service Providers (CSPs) for removal. Since February 2010, CTIRU has secured the removal of more than 190,000 pieces of online terrorist-related content.

  • Justin Tomlinson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Justin Tomlinson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Tomlinson on 2016-09-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will commission the Behavioural Insights Team to conduct research on efficiency and passenger journeys in the rail sector.

    Paul Maynard

    The Department has recently commissioned the Behavioural Insights Team to deliver a programme of workshops on the use of behavioural insights research in policy making, including rail passenger experience. In addition, the Department is currently exploring a range of behavioural insight approaches as part of its wider programme of rail research.

  • Lord Hylton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Lord Hylton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-11-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the implications for social policy of (1) the February 2014 report Household Food Security in the UK: A Review of Food Aid; and (2) the 2015 book by Stewart Lansley and Joanna Mack, Breadline Britain.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    The “Review of Food Aid in the UK” was a short, literature based study designed to improve understanding of food aid provision in the UK, who makes use of it, and why. It was not a complete assessment of food aid as it found a variety of types of food aid, with mostly community-led provision responding to local needs. The report concluded that there is a lack of systematic peer-reviewed research from the UK on the reasons or immediate circumstances leading people to turn to food aid. Research such as the Review of Food Aid in the UK report and other publications provide evidence that informs the formulation of social policy in the UK.

    The Government is committed to tackling poverty and social disadvantage in all its forms in every part of the country. Work remains the most sustainable way out of poverty and means for parents to provide security for their families.

  • Baroness Gould of Potternewton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Baroness Gould of Potternewton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Gould of Potternewton on 2015-12-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the suffragettes and the feminist movement will remain part of the new Politics A-level syllabus.

    Lord Nash

    A public consultation on reformed content for politics AS and A level closed on 15 December. The proposed new content for politics A level will require all students to study core political theories. This is an improvement on the current system which does not require students to study any political ideologies, including feminism.

    We are analysing the responses to the consultation and have started work with the exam boards to develop the content in light of the views expressed. We will listen carefully to the views of the sector and the wider public as part of this full consultation process.