Category: Speeches

  • Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2016-03-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent assessment has he made of the potential impact on innovation in the UK of his Department’s change to government research and development funding from a grant-based to a loan-based system.

    Joseph Johnson

    Like many of our competitor economies, we are looking to provide a wider range of financial products to support, innovation in UK industry. In the coming months, we will, be conducting market research to better understand the needs of innovative businesses in the UK.

    This will be followed by a pilot to test specific financial support mechanisms, with an evaluation in late 2016, leading to a roll-out of a range of new products in 2017. We will continue to provide grant funding to support research and development where appropriate – including, for example, aerospace research supported by the Aerospace Technology Institute and automotive research supported by the Advanced Propulsion Centre.

  • Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2016-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department’s Graduate Development Scheme will take place in 2016; and if she will make a statement.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    DFID will be running a Graduate Development Scheme for 2016. Recruitment is due to launch in May 2016.

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-05-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with inflammatory bowel disease as their main disabling condition granted a personal independence payment between April 2013 and October 2015 were (a) new claimants, (b) expiring time-limited claimants and (c) claimants whose circumstances had changed.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The available data on the number of claimants in receipt of Personal Independence Payment (PIP), by main disabling condition and whether they are new claimants or reassessment claimants, are published on Stat-Xplore: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/. Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html.

    Data on the circumstances leading to a reassessment is not published and could only be produced at disproportionate cost.

    “

  • Kevan Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Kevan Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2016-07-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many horses have been euthanized by his Department in each of the last 12 months.

    Mark Lancaster

    The numbers of horses euthanised by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) in each month up to June 2016 are provided in the table below.

    2015

    July

    August

    September

    October

    November

    December

    2

    0

    0

    2

    0

    1

    2016

    January

    February

    March

    April

    May

    June

    0

    0

    2

    2

    1

    0

    Decisions to euthanise any animal in military service are only taken by a veterinarian officer after all possible treatment avenues have been exhausted and where it is considered to be the most humane option for the animal. The only other scenario where an animal would be euthanised is where it is considered to pose a risk to public safety.

    Where possible, Military Working Animals (MWAs) at the end of their service life will be rehomed however sadly there are some occasions where veterinary reasons indicate that re-homing would compromise the welfare of the animal, or rehoming would pose an unacceptable risk to public safety as a result of the animal’s service life. The decision to euthanise an MWA must always be balanced and pragmatic, and consider a range of factors including the MOD covenant with society which allows us to use animals in Defence. This covenant requires us to:

    Make decisions regarding animal care, use, and welfare by balancing scientific knowledge and professional judgment with consideration of ethical and societal values; and

    Ensure animals are treated with respect and dignity throughout their lives and, when necessary, provided a humane death.

  • Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-10-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to implement the recommendation of the Review of the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) for victims of human trafficking, published in November 2014, on contacting all relevant people going through the NRM to remind them when their immigration leave expires.

    Sarah Newton

    We are committed to doing all we can to identify and support UK-based victims of modern slavery. Following the NRM, and in consultation with law enforcement and NGOs, we are piloting ways of improving the efficacy and efficiency of existing arrangements in two regions. The pilot will be evaluated and the findings will inform any reforms that we decide to roll out. Putting the NRM on a statutory footing would require secondary legislation and we will consider whether there is a need do so at the end of the pilot.

    However, following the commencement of the Immigration (Variation of Leave) Order 2016, individuals on an Overseas Domestic Workers (ODW) visa only, who are also potential victims of modern slavery, are informed of the date that their visa will expire and whether they can continue to work. They will be updated up until 28 days after a conclusive grounds decision is made.

  • Barry Sheerman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Barry Sheerman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2015-11-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many apprentices who have dyslexia have received support from the Access to Work fund in each of the last five years.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The Government does not collate data on the number of apprentices with dyslexia who have received support from Access for Work.

    However, the overall number of people with dyslexia who are helped by Access to Work has been steadily increasing. In 2014/15, 4,560 people who reported dyslexia as their primary condition were supported by the scheme.

  • Baroness Tonge – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Baroness Tonge – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2015-11-24.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures are being taken in the UK to safeguard moderate Muslims from Islamophobic crime, in the light of the recent terrorist attacks around the world.

    Lord Bates

    The Government takes the safety of the Muslim and all other communities extremely seriously, and deplores all forms of hate crime. We are concerned by reports of increased attacks against Muslims in recent weeks, and we are working with the police and community groups on monitoring the situation and taking appropriate action where required.

    The police constantly review events and potential threats to ensure everything is being done to protect our communities from terrorism, hate crime and the impact of public protest.

    After the attacks in Paris the police have increased their presence on some streets and at some locations, and they will be intensifying their approach at events in big cities. Officers are working closely with London’s communities and businesses to provide advice and reassurance. Government officials are also speaking to community organisations such as Tell MAMA to ensure that we are aware of the current issues around anti-Muslim hatred and to ensure that we increase reporting of it.

    The Government is committed to tackling hate crime. That is why we have announced a new cross-Government Hate Crime Action Plan. This will be taken forward in partnership with the communities that it seeks to protect, and will include a range of actions across Government. We have also announced that from 2016, police forces will be expected to record data on hate crimes against Muslims and members of other religious groups, to allow us to properly assess the scale of the problem we are facing.

    Our Counter-Extremism Strategy, published in October, outlines how we will further protect British Muslims, including communities worried about Neo-Nazi groups who may be planning crimes such as attacks on Muslims.

  • Laurence Robertson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Laurence Robertson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Laurence Robertson on 2016-01-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her policy is on river dredging as a means of reducing flood risk.

    Rory Stewart

    The Government’s flood risk management work focuses on where it delivers the greatest flood risk benefit to people and property. Dredging and other kinds of conveyance work form an important part of the Environment Agency’s maintenance regime. The effectiveness of dredging in managing flood risk varies substantially for each stretch of river. The Environment Agency is spending a total of £21m on dredging in 2014/15 and 2015/16.

  • Jo Stevens – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Jo Stevens – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jo Stevens on 2016-02-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) assaults and (b) serious assaults on prison officers were recorded at HMP Cardiff during each of the last three years.

    Andrew Selous

    Statistics for assaults on staff by prison are published on an annual basis by calendar year in the Safety in Custody statistics bulletin annual assaults tables (see table 3.15 at the link below). https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/495430/safety-in-custody-assaults-dec-2014.xls.

    “

  • Nic Dakin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Nic Dakin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will publish details of the Global Challenges research fund announced in the Government strategy paper, UK aid: tackling global challenges in the national interest, published on 23 November 2015.

    Joseph Johnson

    I will publish further details of the Global Challenges Research Fund alongside allocation of the Science Budget shortly.