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Category: Speeches

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-01-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions her Department is having with (a) the Greater Manchester combined authority, (b) the metropolitan district councils of Greater Manchester, (c) Transport for Greater Manchester and (d) Highways England on the Greater Manchester Air Quality Action Plan.

    Rory Stewart

    Air quality control in the ten district councils of Greater Manchester is managed as a consortium led by the air quality and transport delivery arms of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), with input from Highways England. It is through this consortium that Defra engages on air quality matters.

    The latest Air Quality Action Plan progress report submitted by Greater Manchester GMCA was in March 2015. The next progress report is expected to be submitted to Defra for review early this month.

    Defra has regular discussions with Highways England to ensure that air quality outcomes are mainstreamed in their policy, and that adequate measures are put in place at strategic roads to address the impact of air pollution. Defra is also part of Highways England’s delivery programme board for the air quality element of the Road Investment Strategy.

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many overseas visits have been carried out by UK Trade and Investment trade envoys in each year since September 2012.

    Anna Soubry

    The table below shows the number of overseas visits taken by Trade Envoys since September 2012.

    Year

    Number of Overseas visits

    2012

    1

    2013

    9

    2014

    37

    2015

    34

    2016

    12

    Total

    93

  • Imran Hussain – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Imran Hussain – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2016-03-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many full-time members of staff her Department employs in renegotiating tax treaties with developing countries.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    Negotiation of UK tax treaties is a matter for HM Revenue and Customs.

  • Lord Hunt of Chesterton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Hunt of Chesterton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Chesterton on 2016-04-21.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have plans to introduce standards to minimise the risk of the malfunctioning of electronic financial transactions and data storage by financial and public organisations; and what information is available to the general public to enable them (1) to choose which organisations and services to use, and (2) to know whether or not to use electronic systems depending on those services.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    On 18th March, the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, Matthew Hancock, announced that the new National Cyber Security Centre will work with the Bank of England to produce advice for the finance sector for managing cyber security effectively. This will build on tools such as the Cyber Essentials scheme, which sets out the technical controls organisations should have in place to demonstrate that they are following a basic level of ‘good practice’ in terms of their cyber security.

    It is the responsibility of firms to ensure the resilience of their Information Technology (IT) systems. Through the Dear Chairman Exercise I and II, the Financial Authorities have assessed large UK deposit-takers’ technology resilience, and are working with firms to ensure that further improvements are made and customers are protected.

  • Kate Hollern – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Kate Hollern – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Hollern on 2016-06-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of the defence budget was spent on foreign military sales in (a) 2012-13, (b) 2013-14 and (c) 2014-15.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The proportion of the defence procurement budget, and the defence budget spent on foreign military sales in each financial year cannot be provided. Under the Foreign Military Sales Agreement (FMS), Her Majesty’s Government commits to FMS cases with the US Government which then places contracts with industry to deliver our requirements. Additionally, FMS cases typically cover differing periods of performance, thereby making estimation of the commitment that would fall within each financial year unreliable.

    The number of new cases, together with their values, committed to under FMS for each financial year is given in the table below. They do not equate to actual expenditure, accruals or contractual commitments and include contingency provisions.

    Financial Year

    No. of new cases

    Value of new cases ($millions)

    2009-10

    22

    995

    2010-11

    30

    111

    2011-12

    33

    284

    2012-13

    23

    137

    2013-14

    25

    301

    2014-15

    26

    328

    2015-16

    32

    245

    2016-17 to date

    6

    13

    Totals

    197

    2,414

  • Catherine McKinnell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Catherine McKinnell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine McKinnell on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government will be represented at the Leaders’ Summit on Refugees to be hosted by President Obama on 20 September 2016.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Government has no plans to introduce additional pathways for refugees to come to the UK. The UK is already a leading resettlement state, offering a number of safe and legal pathways for refugees. In the year ending June 2016, a total of 3,439 people were resettled in the UK.

    In addition to the 20,000 Syrian refugees and up to 3,000 vulnerable persons from the Middle East and North Africa region that the Government has committed to resettle by 2020, the UK has also committed to relocate unaccompanied refugee children from France, Greece and Italy. Under the family reunion policy we have reunited around 22,000 refugees with their immediate family over the past five years and will continue to do so. The Government supports the principle that those who need international protection should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach. This allows vulnerable persons to receive help quickly rather than risking their lives on hazardous journeys into and across Europe or falling victim to criminal gangs who are exploiting the situation. Providing humanitarian aid in the region is the best way to provide much needed support to the majority of those fleeing persecution while working with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to resettle the most vulnerable who cannot reasonably remain.

    HM Government will be represented at the UN General Assembly high level meeting on 19 September and the Leaders’ Summit on refugees to be hosted by President Obama on 20 September.

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-10-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the government of North Korea, or any of its state-owned companies, has access to the London Stock Exchange or holds financial interests in the UK.

    Lord Young of Cookham

    As part of UN and EU sanctions, banks are required to close existing branches, subsidiaries or accounts in North Korea where it has been determined that they contribute to North Korea’s ballistic missile programmes. The sanctions also prohibit any commercial activity by the Government of North Korea (including legal persons, entities or bodies owned or controlled by them).

    Assets owned or controlled in the EU by designated DPRK persons, entities or bodies, including government bodies, are subject to an asset freeze and cannot be traded on the London Stock Exchange. A list of designations which has been placed in the Library includes a number of DPRK government and state-owned bodies. HM Treasury implements these financial sanctions in the UK. Non-compliance with financial sanctions is a criminal offence and HM Treasury works closely with law enforcement to ensure sanctions breaches are dealt with appropriately. For reasons of confidentiality, the Treasury does not make public the details of individual reports of frozen assets.

  • Lord West of Spithead – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Lord West of Spithead – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2015-10-29.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the size of the present stockpile of plutonium held in the United Kingdom.

    Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

    Data on the amount of civil plutonium in the UK are published each year by the Office for Nuclear Regulation. As of 31 December 2014 there was 126.3 tonnes. Detailed information can be found at http://www.onr.org.uk/safeguards/civilplut14.htm.

    Data on the amount of civilian plutonium as of 31 December 2015 will be published in the spring 2016.

    “

  • Rachel Reeves – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Rachel Reeves – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rachel Reeves on 2015-11-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the average transitional protection award that will be paid to the claimants who are migrated from tax credits to universal credit.

    Priti Patel

    At the summer budget the Chancellor of the Exchequer set out the Government’s commitment to move the UK from a high tax, high welfare, low wage society to a lower tax, lower welfare, higher wage society. This remains the case, and Universal Credit (UC) is delivering this.

    UC is a fundamentally different benefit to the legacy benefit system and provides people with support into, and to progress in work.

    Therefore there is no meaningful way of comparing an unreformed Tax Credit system with Universal Credit. The Government has committed to transitional arrangements as we reform the benefits and Tax Credit system. Those transferred by DWP from tax credits to UC will receive Transitional Protection. In addition, estimates of entitlements under UC of the sort requested will vary depending on assumptions on the level of earnings.

  • Liam Byrne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Liam Byrne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Byrne on 2016-01-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many intervention providers her Department has approved as part of its Channel Programme.

    Mr John Hayes

    There are currently 55 Home Office approved Intervention Providers for the Channel programme. They play a central role in reducing the vulnerability of people being drawn into terrorism. They are recruited on the basis of proven experience in mentoring, their work with key communities affected by terrorism and extremism and their knowledge of extremist ideologies and recruitment narratives.

    Recruitment rounds take place approximately every quarter. Candidates can be recommended by local partners, including Local Authorities, community groups, or other local partners.

    Applications undergo stringent background checks and where candidates are suitable they will be invited to interview. Candidates who meet the requirements at interview are put forward for Ministerial approval. This robust process, given that they will be working with the most vulnerable individuals on sensitive issues, takes up to twelve weeks.

    The list of Intervention Providers is kept under regular review and the Home Office is working on their number of providers and to respond to the changing threat, for example to recruit more female providers. Intervention Providers are given ongoing professional training.