Category: Speeches

  • Baroness Morgan of Ely – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Baroness Morgan of Ely – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Morgan of Ely on 2016-02-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will publish the legal advice sought from First Treasury Counsel in relation to the impact of the Trade Union Bill on the devolved administrations of the UK, in particular in relation to Wales; and whether they will place a copy of that advice in the Library of the House.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    As noble Lords would expect, the Government has carefully considered a range of legal issues in relation to the Trade Union Bill. The Government does not disclose the content or the source of its legal advice. It is essential to good government that ministers of the day are able to seek and receive legal advice on a confidential basis. To do otherwise might inhibit governments from seeking legal advice in the future.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Teverson on 2016-03-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to review Best Available Techniques permissible with respect to environmental permits for back-up electricity generating plant.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    Back-up electricity generating plants with a rated thermal input of 20MW or more are currently regulated under the Environmental Permitting Regulations. Guidance on Best Available Techniques that plants should use is periodically reviewed. The Best Available Techniques for plants with a rated thermal input above 50MW are currently being reviewed. Research is also being undertaken to assess Best Available Technique for combustion plants operating in the capacity market.

    Defra is reviewing environmental legislation for back-up generators and will consult on options to set emissions for relevant air pollutants for some plants such as diesel engines. We will consider the coherence of existing legislation with measures we will be introducing as a result of the review and the Medium Combustion Plant Directive.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-04-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, at which military bases unauthorised entries were reported in each year from 2014.

    Mark Lancaster

    The figures for unauthorised entries to military bases include drones and air balloon flying at low altitude over military sites but do not include failed attempts at authorised access. None of these incidents resulted in any significant ramifications for Defence security.

    The Ministry of Defence (MOD) treats all unauthorised entries very seriously. They are investigated to a level commensurate with their complexity and impact by Military Police, MOD Police or local constabulary.

    The locations of security incidents of this category recorded within the Ministry of Defence for 2014 are set out below.

    Her Majesty’s Naval Base (HMNB) Portsmouth

    HMNB Clyde

    Royal Marine (RM) Stonehouse

    Army Reserve Centre, Bristol

    Army Reserve Centre, Blackburn

    Army Careers Centre, Glasgow

    RAF Halton

    RAF Kirton on Lindsay

    RAF Wyton

    RAF Linton on Ouse

    RAF Brize Norton

    RAF Scampton

    RAF Benson

    RAF Honington

    RAF Mona

    RAF Leeming

    DSTL Porton Down Range Area

    With regard to the locations of security incidents of this category within the MOD for 2015 I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave on 9 February 2016 to question number 25082.

    “

  • Stuart C. McDonald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Stuart C. McDonald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stuart C. McDonald on 2016-05-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people of each nationality were held in detention for over (a) six and (b) 12 months between 2005 and 2015 for the purpose of removal.

    James Brokenshire

    The table attached shows the number of people removed on leaving detention, by nationality who were held for over six and over twelve months.

    Published statistics relating to immigration detention are only available from 2010 onwards. It is not possible to provide pre-2010 figures and this information could be provided only by examining individual case records, which would result in disproportionate cost.

    The Home Office publishes quarterly and annual statistics on the number of people detained in the United Kingdom for immigration purposes, within the Immigration Statistics release on the GOV.UK website:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office/series/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release

  • Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick on 2016-07-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the risk that leaving the EU could negatively affect the growth of startup companies in the UK.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    There will be no immediate changes to the UK’s relationship with the EU, in the way goods can move or services can be sold.

    The Government is committed to ensuring that the UK remains open for business and continues to grow and thrive.

  • Baroness Hollins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Baroness Hollins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hollins on 2016-10-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have for monitoring the impact of the new funding system for supported housing on people with a learning disability after 2019.

    Lord Freud

    The Secretary of State confirmed in his written Ministerial Statement to Parliament on 15th September that the Government will shortly be publishing a consultation document on supported housing.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to improve diplomatic and economic ties with the new government in Burma.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    Burma’s constitution establishes a long delay between the election and the formation of a new government, which is due to take place in March 2016. The Prime Minister, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), called Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on 10 November to offer continued political and economic support for the people of Burma. We will of course keep in close contact on a range of topics and look forward to working with whatever new administration emerges in March.

  • John Mann – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission

    John Mann – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Mann on 2015-12-14.

    To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission, what provision the Electoral Commission has made to ensure that there is no inappropriate election spending on the EU referendum during the 2016 May elections.

    Mr Gary Streeter

    Political parties and non-party campaigners intending to spend money on campaigning at the elections taking place across the UK in May 2016 must adhere to spending limits set out in law during the regulated period for these polls. The Commission will provide advice and guidance throughout this period so that campaigners are aware that any spending on EU referendum related campaign activity that would be caught by the rules during the regulated period for the May 2016 polls are properly accounted for.

    The rules on campaign spending for the EU referendum are not currently in force as the government has yet to make the regulations that specify when they will apply. Should the regulated period for the EU referendum overlap with that for the May 2016 polls, we will ensure that our guidance clearly sets out the rules that must be followed to comply with both regimes. All of the Commission’s guidance is published on its website when it is complete.

    The Commission is monitoring the campaigning activities of political parties, non-party campaigners and potential EU referendum campaigners so that it can identify any emerging issues and offer advice and guidance to those it regulates or, if necessary and appropriate, use its enforcement and sanctioning powers where the rules are not followed.

  • Baroness Redfern – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Baroness Redfern – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Redfern on 2016-01-21.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to encourage innovation in paint products to make better use of resources, and what steps they are taking to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill and to create new markets for paint products.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    I am pleased to highlight a project by Akzo Nobel, Newlife Paints and Seymour Consulting supported through our delivery arm – Innovate UK – to industrialise the process of recycling paint through increased automation which has proved successful and could lead to significant commercial opportunities as well as a better environmental outcome.

    Additionally, the Government’s Innovation in Waste Prevention Fund is supporting a RePaint project in Cheshire which is working across the local community to minimise the amount of paint going for disposal.

    The disposal of liquid waste, including liquid paint, to landfill is banned under the Landfill Directive (Directive 1999/31/EC on the landfill of waste). The ban is implemented in England through the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2010 (as amended) and is enforced by the Environment Agency through the environmental permits it issues to landfill operators.

    The creation of new markets for paint products was one of the recommendations from the British Coatings Federation’s “Paintcare” initiative which was launched last year. The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) is taking steps to encourage consumers to recycle/reuse household paint by providing information through the Recycle Now campaign. This includes a postcode locator to pinpoint local facilities and information on how to deal with paint.

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

    Lord Patten – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2016-02-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 1 February (HL5287), whether they intend to ask the National Infrastructure Commission to undertake work on railway links between London and South West England; and if not, why not.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) currently operates in shadow form, and the Government is consulting on its governance, structure and operation. The NIC has a mandate to examine the country’s most pressing infrastructure challenges across all sectors of economic infrastructure – including energy, transport (roads, rail, ports and airports), water and sewage, waste, flood defences, and digital communications‎. There has not yet been decision on future studies to be undertaken by the NIC.

    The Government remains committed to investment in railway links between London and the South West, regardless of whether a study is undertaken by the NIC. This is an unprecedented investment in rail infrastructure in the South West, totalling over £400m. This includes; resignalling the mainline from Totnes to Penzance, developing a strategic freight network, electrifying the Great Western Main Line, refurbishing the Cornwall sleeper, £35m to repair the tracks at Dawlish, a brand new station at Newcourt and another planned at Marsh Barton and 29 new AT300 trains.