Category: Speeches

  • Nigel Dodds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Nigel Dodds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2015-12-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Pet Travel Scheme in tackling pet smuggling.

    George Eustice

    The carriers which carry out checks to ensure pets animals are compliant with Pet Travel Scheme rules are audited by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) and the results show that they are performing satisfactorily. In 2014, APHA audited close to 6,000 pets. Of these only 0.9% of the pets were found not to comply with the entry rules. These pets were either detained until their compliance could be established, re-exported or placed into quarantine.

  • Matthew Pennycook – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Matthew Pennycook – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Pennycook on 2016-01-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what recent discussions she has had with the big six energy companies on the introduction of half-hourly settlements before the national smart meter rollout.

    Andrea Leadsom

    DECC engages regularly with energy suppliers and other industry stakeholders on half-hourly settlement. We consider there is a strong case for half-hourly settlement for domestic and smaller non-domestic customers to be enabled in step with the smart meter roll-out. Half hourly settlement, using the functionality provided by smart meters, can help support the move towards a smarter, more flexible energy system that delivers lower bills, lower carbon emissions and enhanced security of supply.

    We are working with Ofgem to remove the barriers to suppliers and consumers choosing half-hourly settlement by early 2017. This work will also consider the approach for moving to mandatory half-hourly settlement with a decision to be taken on the timescale and approach in 2018.

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-02-01.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what discussions (a) the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and (b) the Paymaster General have had with representatives of (i) the Food and Drink Federation, (ii) Coca-Cola, (iii) PepsiCo and (iv) the British Soft Drinks Association.

    Matthew Hancock

    Details of Ministers’ meetings with external organisations are published on a quarterly basis and can be found on Gov.uk.

  • 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 2016-02-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, who the members of the nuclear enterprise board are; what the terms of reference are of that board; how many times that board has met since January 2015; and how that board reports to ministers.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    Membership of the Defence Nuclear Executive Board consists of the:

    Permanent Secretary

    Vice Chief of the Defence Staff

    Director General Finance

    Director General Security Policy

    Deputy Chief of Defence Staff Military Capability

    Chief Scientific Advisor

    Fleet Commander

    The Terms of Reference for the Board are currently being reviewed. The Board sits quarterly and has met four times since January 2015; it reports to Ministers via the Defence Board.

  • Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people who had their entitlement to the personal independent payment enhanced mobility rate removed and then reinstated on appeal were required to return a mobility vehicle or aid before that reinstatement in 2014-15.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The Department does not routinely collect information on the numbers of people who have had to return a Motability vehicle nor on whether they were successful on appeal. Motability is an independent charitable organisation that is wholly responsible for the administration of the Motability scheme, including collating its own management information. Whilst the Department meets regularly with Motability to discuss scheme performance, questions relating to the details of the scheme’s operation should be directed to Motability itself.

  • Owen Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Owen Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Owen Smith on 2016-04-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his Department’s total legal costs were in case EA/2013/0148/9 heard by the First-Tier Tribunal General Regulatory Chamber Information Rights on 22 February 2016.

    Priti Patel

    At the First Tier Tribunal on 22 February 2016 3 cases were heard together – EE/2013/0145; EA2013/0148; EA/2013/0149 . We can not break down the costs for the individual cases.

  • Karl McCartney – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Karl McCartney – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl McCartney on 2016-06-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will place in the Library the raw data from each English Housing Survey detailing the nationalities of the Household Representative Person.

    Brandon Lewis

    Raw data from the English Housing Survey are publicly available via the UK Data Service (archive for survey and economic data). These publicly available datasets undergo rigorous disclosure control to ensure the anonymity of our respondents is protected and, as such, do not include individual level nationality data.

  • Charles Walker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Charles Walker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charles Walker on 2016-09-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when the Government intends to publish its consultation relating to death by dangerous driving and driving without due care and attention.

    Sir Oliver Heald

    My department is looking at driving offences and penalties for those who kill or cause serious injury and the best way to take this work forward.

  • Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-10-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in their discussions with French ministers, they plan to ask that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees be fully represented at camps near Calais and Dunkirk; and whether they plan to press the case for competent interpreters and child advocates.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    The management of the migrant camp in Calais, including any decision to dismantle it, is the responsibility of the French Government. The UK continues to work closely with the French Government at both a political and operational level on every aspect of the migrant situation in northern France.

    Although the primary responsibility for unaccompanied children in France lies with the French authorities, the Home Secretary made clear on 10 October that we will transfer as many minors as possible to the UK who are eligible under the Dublin Regulation before the camp clearance starts. The Home Secretary further emphasised that the remaining children who may be eligible to come to the UK under the Dubs amendment must be moved to safe facilities where there best interests can be properly considered

  • Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-11-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he has taken to establish whether more senior staff were involved in fraudulent misuse of the Flexible Support Fund since the dismissal of two staff from Plaistow Jobcentre in May 2014.

    Priti Patel

    Allegations of misuse of the Flexible Support Fund at Plaistow Jobcentre during 2013 and 2014 were investigated fully by the Department’s investigators. Investigators also undertook further work, completed in July 2014, which examined whether there was any evidence of wider misuse of the Flexible Support Fund at this office or other offices in the immediate area. Disciplinary action was taken in all cases where evidence of the misuse of the Flexible Support Fund was proven; there was no evidence of misuse by senior officers.