UKPOL.CO.UK

Category: Speeches

  • Lord Lester of Herne Hill – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Lester of Herne Hill – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lester of Herne Hill on 2015-12-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the reply by Lord Faulks on 18 November (HL Deb, col 132), whether they have commended the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 to the Northern Ireland Executive; and if not, what are the reasons behind the decision not to do so.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    The UK Government has demonstrated its commitment tomarriagefor same sex couples by introducing it for England and Wales, and haswelcomedits introduction in other jurisdictions.

    The UK Government recognises and respects the devolution settlement in Northern Ireland. The constitutional arrangements in place mean that any decision to extend marriage to same-sex couples in Northern Ireland is a matter for the Northern Ireland Assembly.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what information his Department holds on how many people attended the Hospitality Guild’s centres of excellence in Asian cookery in each of the last three years; and how many such people successfully completed that training.

    Nick Boles

    The ‘Centres of Excellence in Asian Cookery’ pilots were organised by People 1st, which was operating on behalf of the Hospitality Guild, which received funding from the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) through their grant with BIS. People 1st reported that during the period of the pilot (October 2011 to September 2013), 79 people started training at the Centres of Excellence for Asian and Oriental cuisine, out of which 46 completed the pre-employment course, 22 completed work experience and 7 moved onto an apprenticeship.

    £205,961 was provided to fund the Asian Cookery campaign. In total, UKCES allocated £1,745,785 to create the Hospitality Guild and to promote skills training, apprenticeships and innovation in the hospitality industry through a range of measures. These included apprenticeships as chefs, baristas, bar staff and hotel management, training provider accreditation, work placements and launching the Hospitality Guild Portal where careers tools, an employer guide and a vacancy matching service can be accessed.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-02-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential costs and benefits of reducing the mandatory retirement age of magistrates from 70 to 60; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    The Government position remains that a retirement age of 70 for all judicial office holders is appropriate.

    A mandatory retirement age of 70 means both judges and magistrates can continue to make a contribution to society whilst allowing for regular recruitment of the judiciary.

    It also enables the judiciary to have the correct number of judges and magistrates, while preventing them from retiring on an ad hoc basis, and ensuring judicial independence is protected.

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-03-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much the UK has received in grants and funding from the EU to fund research into cancer under (a) the EU’s 7th framework programme 2007-2013 and (b) the current Horizon 2020 programme.

    Ben Gummer

    The Department does not hold this information.

  • Craig Whittaker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Craig Whittaker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to work with the Football Association to raise awareness of doping issues at all levels of football.

    David Evennett

    The Football Association operates a sport-specific anti-doping education programme for players of all ages. UK Anti-Doping – the relevant Arm’s Length Body of DCMS – works closely with the Football Association on this programme.

  • Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne Main on 2016-05-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much her Department and its agencies and non-departmental public bodies have spent on infraction proceedings in each of the last 10 years.

    James Brokenshire

    I refer my Hon. Friend to the answer given by my Rt. Hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office (Matthew Hancock) 36288.

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-06-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on whether the National Crime Agency plans to investigate the UK office of the law firm Mossack Fonesca.

    Mr John Hayes

    On 10 April 2016 the Prime Minister announced a new cross-agency taskforce to obtain, analyse and take action on the information that has been made available from Mossack Fonseca and to take rapid action on any form of illegality that emerges.A number of investigations are underway, and the taskforce, which is led by the National Crime Agency and HM Revenue & Customs, and which is accountable to the Home Secretary and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, will report on its progress later this year.

  • Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2016-09-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that prescriptions are affordable for people with long-term medical conditions.

    David Mowat

    The Department receives numerous representations on prescription charges for people in England with long-term medical conditions. It is not possible to say how many of these were from clinical experts or health economists, though the independent Commission on the Future of Health and Social Care in England’s report, A new settlement for health and social care, published in 2014, did have health economist input. There have also been representations from the Prescription Charges Coalition, but it is not certain to what extent these were informed by clinical experts or health economists.

    Arrangements are in place to ensure that prescriptions are affordable for everyone, including those with a long-term condition. There are exemptions from the prescription charge for people with low income, including through receipt of specific benefits and through application to the NHS Low Income Scheme. For those who do not qualify for exemption, prescription prepayment certificates are also available, which allow people to claim as many prescriptions as they need for a set cost. To support those with high levels of need, the cost of the 12-month and 3-month certificates have been frozen since 2009 and 2011, respectively.

    The Department has not undertaken a formal impact assessment on the potential cost of eliminating or reducing prescription charges for people with long-term medical conditions. However, the Prescription Charges Review undertaken by Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, and published in 2010, estimated that extending exemption to all those with a long-term condition would lead to a loss in revenue of between £360 and £430 million.

  • Lord Pendry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Lord Pendry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

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

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the allegations directed at the leadership of the International Association of Athletics Federations in the light of the World Anti-Doping Agency report on non-compliance and widespread doping in Russian athletics.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    The International Association of Athletics Federation’s (IAAF) near unanimous vote to suspend Russian athletes from all competition reflected the worldwide reaction to the Independent Commission’s report to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

    Russia, the IAAF and WADA must now work together, to not only resolve the findings within the report, but to also re-establish the trust of clean athletes and spectators.

  • Lord Balfe – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Balfe – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Balfe on 2015-12-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made, at EU level or otherwise, about the cases of Can Dündar and Erdem Gül who were detained by the Turkish authorities on 26 November.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We continue to monitor these specific cases and regularly underline the importance of freedom of expression and all fundamental freedoms as part of our broader dialogue with the Turkish government. Our Ambassador in Ankara highlighted his concerns about the number of journalists detained in Turkey, including Mr Dündar and Mr Gül, in his public blog released on International Human Rights day. We welcomed the EU Commission’s Annual Progress Report on Turkey, released on 10 November, which highlighted the need for further reforms from Turkey in these areas. Freedom of expression must be respected and all media outlets must be allowed to report freely without intimidation.