Category: Speeches

  • Julian Lewis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Julian Lewis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Lewis on 2016-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make it his policy to provide immediate legal advice, without cost, to former service personnel required to submit to an interview about allegations related to past service during the Troubles.

    Penny Mordaunt

    In accordance with its normal policy, the Department funds the provision of legal advice to current or former Service personnel whose conduct in the course of their duties in Northern Ireland is being investigated by the police with a view to possible prosecution. This support includes the services of a barrister wherever necessary. The support will be available from the point at which the individual is notified that the police wish to interview him or her as a suspect, which will of course be before any charge, and will continue until the determination of the proceedings. In addition, the Department works closely with Regimental Associations and other Service and veterans’ welfare organisations to ensure the provision of appropriate pastoral support.

  • Alan Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Alan Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2016-03-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he expects discussions to begin with the US government on extending the lease for the military base on Diego Garcia.

    James Duddridge

    We have been clear that we want to see US presence continue. No decisions have yet been made about whether and when to have discussions with the US about their continued presence on Diego Garcia.

  • Lord Myners – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Myners – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Myners on 2016-04-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government to what extent their fiscal strategy is influenced by Office for Budget Responsibility forecasts.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) was established to introduce independence, greater transparency and credibility to the economic and fiscal forecasts on which the government’s fiscal policy is based. Since 2010, the government has used the OBR’s economic and fiscal forecasts as the official forecasts. The government sets its fiscal strategy independently of the OBR but the forecasts are used to inform decisions on fiscal policy.

  • Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of microplastics entering the sea on protected species in UK waters.

    George Eustice

    Defra has funded a project, undertaken by the University of Plymouth, to study the effects of microplastics in the marine environment. The study did not specifically cover protected species. The project studied whether chemical pollutants stick to plastic particles, whether marine organisms ingest plastic particles and pass them along the food chain, and whether the plastics themselves, or associated chemical pollutants, could cause harm to those organisms. The final report for this project is expected to be published shortly.

  • Cheryl Gillan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Cheryl Gillan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cheryl Gillan on 2016-07-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when and where the next community engagement event for High Speed 2 Phase One in Chesham and Amersham constituency will take place.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    HS2 Ltd’s most recent engagement with the Amersham and Chesham community took place at the Amersham Town Carnival on Saturday 9th July, and was part of the project’s more localised approach to community engagement. The HS2 stall presented local information on the project, and was attended by around 180 residents from the Amersham / Chesham community.

    HS2 Ltd plans to attend similar existing community events across the Phase One route during the summer months, and is also drawing up a schedule of HS2 Ltd run community events, expected to be delivered in the autumn. Amersham and Chesham will be included as part of this exercise. Further details will be made available once the next event is confirmed.

  • Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-09-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will make representations to the Kurdistan Region Government about the proposed closing of schools and institutions linked to the Gülen Movement, as a result of discussions between the government of Turkey and that government.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We are aware of reports that all Gulen schools in the Kurdistan Region will come under the management of the Kurdistan Regional Government ‘s Ministry of Education, although we do not yet fully understand the rationale behind this decision. Officials at our Consulate General in Erbil will discuss this issue with representatives of the Kurdistan Regional Government at the earliest opportunity. Delivering a quality education remains an ongoing challenge for the government of Iraq. Reports suggest that almost one in five schools across Iraq is out of use due to conflict, which has left millions of Iraqi children of school-age outside of the education system. We continue to work with the government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government to promote education, particularly through the work of the British Council and our Chevening programme.

  • Owen Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Owen Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Owen Smith on 2015-11-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the increase in the number of in-work recipients of housing benefits in the last five years.

    Justin Tomlinson

    Under this Government the number of out-of-work Housing Benefit claimants has fallen and one key reason for this is that they have made the positive move into work. In this way it is unsurprising, therefore, that the number of in-work recipients of Housing Benefit should rise.

  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-12-14.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with the insurance industry on steps that can be taken to ensure that people with cancer can access low-cost travel insurance.

    Harriett Baldwin

    Insurers take into account a range of different factors when considering risk and decisions concerning the pricing of insurance products are a commercial matter for individual insurers. The Government does not seek to intervene in these decisions.

    Information is available on the Cancer Research UK website for people seeking travel insurance who have been or are currently affected by cancer.

    The British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA) may be able to provide names of specialist brokers who can advise on the availability of appropriate travel insurance, and trawl the market for the best available deals.

  • 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 2016-01-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people have been diagnosed with meningitis in each of the last five years.

    Jane Ellison

    Public Health England (PHE) collects data on laboratory confirmed cases of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) which is a major cause of bacterial meningitis in England. The data do not distinguish between IMD presentation as meningitis or septicaemia. National data on the number of cases of IMD in England are published by PHE based on the number of laboratory confirmed cases.

    Table 1: Number of laboratory confirmed cases of IMD in England by epidemiological year: 2010/11 to 2014/15.

    2010/11

    2011/12

    2012/13

    2013/14

    2014/15

    Cases of IMD

    1,009

    730

    769

    636

    724


    Source:     PHE Health Protection Report, 2015

  • Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what extra support is provided to foster carers receiving children who have experienced multiple placement breakdowns.

    Edward Timpson

    The statutory framework is clear that fostering services must provide carers with the necessary training, information and support, in the interests of children placed with them.

    Through the Children’s Services Innovation Programme, the Government continues to support the roll out of interventions such as KEEP (Keeping Foster and Kinship Carers Safe and Supported) and the Mockingbird Project. The Children’s Services Innovation Programme has £100m worth of funding and supports 53 programmes in the development, testing and spreading of more effective ways of supporting children and families who need help from children’s social care services. KEEP is a training programme for foster carers and part of the National Implementation Service, which has £4.1m worth of funding. The Mockingbird Project supports groups of ten foster carers around a ‘hub’ which provides support. This is part of the Fostering Network, which has £1.6m worth of funding. Both projects aim to increase the positive parenting skills of foster and kinship carers in responding to children’s difficulties. They seek to build resilience, improve placement stability and enable young people to thrive as children and adults.