Category: Speeches

  • Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-03-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will seek a meeting with the new President of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, on reducing corruption in international football.

    David Evennett

    The government is committed to tackling corruption in sport. I have no plans to meet with Mr Infantino at this stage. I am, however, happy to work with all sports bodies, including international federations, to discuss reducing corruption and promoting good governance in sport.

  • Lord Pendry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Lord Pendry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Pendry on 2016-03-23.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the International Tennis Federation about the issue of equal prize money for men and women in tennis tournaments.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    HMG has had no such discussions.

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-05-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many members of staff in (a) his Department and (b) the Maritime and Coastguard Agency have been seconded from the private sector to work on the implementation of the recommendations of the (i) Maritime Growth Study and (ii) UK Ship Register Advisory Panel.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    No members of staff have been seconded from the private sector to work on the implementation of these recommendations at this stage. Both the Department and the MCA engage closely and regularly with industry partners.

  • Jeremy Lefroy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Jeremy Lefroy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeremy Lefroy on 2016-06-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what research and development her Department is funding into the potential role of agroforestry in improving soil health and condition and prevention of erosion.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    The Department for International Development supports a number of research programmes that assess the use of agroforestry to promote soil health and prevent as well as reduce erosion. This includes, for example, work with the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) and the global Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security research programme (CCAFS).

    My Department also supports a wide range of development programmes with agro-ecological components, from agroforestry, soil and water conservation, land use management to climate resilience and conservation agriculture. These include, for example, The Adaptation for Smallholder Agriculture Programme (ASAP), and Building Resilience and Adaptation to Climate Extremes and Disasters (BRACED). The full range of our programmes can be found on our Development Tracker website.

  • Lord West of Spithead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord West of Spithead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2016-09-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much Ascent Flight Training charges the Ministry of Defence to train a fast jet pilot to the point where they are ready to move on to the Operational Conversion Unit of their chosen aircraft.

    Earl Howe

    Ascent Flight Training charges approximately £610,000 to train each fast jet student pilot to the point where they are ready to move on to the Operational Conversion Unit stage.

  • Patrick Grady – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Patrick Grady – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2016-10-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many (a) full-time, (b) part-time and (c) full-time equivalent staff are employed at each of her Department’s offices in the UK.

    Rory Stewart

    DFID has the following employees located in each of its UK offices:

    Abercrombie House, East Kilbride

    22 Whitehall, London

    Victoria Street, London

    King Charles Street, London

    Full Time Staff

    612

    805

    21

    98

    Part Time Staff

    91

    130

    3

    6

    Full Time Equivalent Staff

    703.2

    881.6

    22.61

    101

  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an estimate of the effect on the rural economy of the reduction in grouse shooting caused by poor weather in 2015.

    Rory Stewart

    The Government has no plans to make an estimate of the effect the weather in 2015 has had on the grouse shooting industry and the rural economy.

  • Ian Blackford – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Ian Blackford – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Blackford on 2015-12-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions his Department has had with the General Medical Council on amending guidance related to the prescription of off-label drugs and subsequent personal liability.

    George Freeman

    The Government has made no such assessment and has not had discussions with the General Medical Council (GMC) on amending their guidance related to the prescription of off-label drugs and subsequent personal liability. The GMC is responsible for the assessment of its national guidance and this is kept under review as part of GMC’s normal internal governance arrangements.

    As part of its response to the Off-Patent Drugs Bill, the Government has discussed a range of issues around off-label prescribing with a wide range of stakeholders, including the GMC. Working with the Department of Health, the GMC has recently published a Hot Topic on ‘Prescribing unlicensed medicines.’ This on-line tool explains GMC’s prescribing guidance and assures doctors of the clinical appropriateness of unlicensed and off-label prescribing. A copy of this is available at:

    http://www.gmc-uk.org/guidance/28349.asp

    “

  • Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-01-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to prevent laundered money entering the London housing market.

    Mike Penning

    The Government is committed to protecting the integrity of our financial system and to ensuring that the UK is a hostile environment for illicit finance, to protect our national security and promote growth. The Government is also committed to ensuring that we maintain a robust and proportionate anti-money laundering regime.

    Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is the anti money laundering supervisor of estate agents and takes a robust, intelligence led approach to ensuring compliance with the Money Laundering Regulations 2007 (the Regulations). An estate agent should not operate as such unless they are registered with HMRC under Regulations. It is an offence to carry out relevant business without registering with HMRC and the Estate Agency Business (EAB) may be penalised or face criminal prosecution if they fail to do. All those dealing with property transactions in the UK are regulated for money laundering purposes, including banks, the legal and accountancy sectors, and estate agents, and are required to report suspicious activity to the National Crime Agency. The Suspicious Activity Reports regime is currently being reviewed to make it a more effective mechanism for identifying money laundering and terrorist financing.

    The National Risk Assessment of money laundering and terrorist financing was published on 15 October 2015. This identified the threats and vulnerabilities we face in these areas, and an Action Plan will be published shortly, setting out the steps that the Government will take to address them.

    The Prime Minister made clear in his Singapore speech on corruption last year that the Government is determined to make sure the UK does not become a safe haven for corrupt money. As a first step he asked the Land Registry to publish data on which foreign companies own which land and property titles in England and Wales. The Prime Minister’s Anti-Corruption Summit in May will also consider what more the Government can do to tackle flows of illicit finance at home and abroad.

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-02-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has paid out in compensation to (a) internal and (b) external claimants in each year since 2010.

    Mark Lancaster

    The amounts paid as a result of claims brought by internal and external claimants including claimants’ legal costs from Financial Year (FY) 2010-11 to FY2013-14 are shown below. The costs for FY 2014-15 are being finalised and will be published shortly.

    Internal Claimants

    The amounts paid in compensation, including claimants’ legal costs, for claims brought against the Ministry of Defence (MOD) by members and former members of HM Forces and civilian employees since 2010 are as follows:

    Employers Liabilty Claims (including Service personnel and civilian staff)

    FY 2010-11

    FY 2011-12

    FY 2012-13

    FY 2013-14

    £83.9 million

    £62.0 million

    £69.5 million

    £58.5 million

    The vast majority of clinical negligence claims are brought by current or former members of HM Armed Forces but a small number will relate to their dependants treated in MOD medical facilities. The amounts paid in compensation, including claimants’ legal costs, for these claims since 2010 are as follows:

    Clinical Negligence Claims

    FY 2010-11

    FY 2011-12

    FY 2012-13

    FY 2013-14

    £17.0 million

    £6.7 million

    £7.1 million

    £5.8 million

    External Claimants

    Public Liability Claims

    The amounts paid in compensation, including claimants’ legal costs, for public liability claims brought against the MOD by third parties, including civilians both in the UK and overseas, relating to personal injury or property damage since 2010 are as follows:

    FY 2010-11

    2011-12

    2012-13

    2013-14

    £5.4 million

    £10.0 million

    £25.0 million

    £11.1 million

    Third Party Motor Claims in UK

    The amounts paid in compensation, including claimants’ legal costs, for claims brought against the MOD by third parties involved in collisions with MOD-operated vehicles since 2010 are as follows:

    FY 2010-11

    FY 2011-12

    FY 2012-13

    FY 2013-14

    £5.6 million

    £6.7 million

    £4.8 million

    £5.0 million

    Area Claims Offices

    The amounts paid in compensation, including claimants’ legal costs, for claims brought against the MOD by third parties that are managed by the MODs regional Area Claims Offices since 2010 are as follows:

    FY 2010-11

    FY 2011-12

    FY 2012-13

    FY 2013-14

    £3.0 million

    £1.8 million

    £1.7 million

    £1.5 million