Category: Speeches

  • Thangam Debbonaire – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Thangam Debbonaire – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2016-03-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the remit is of the NATO operation in the Aegean Sea relating to the refugee crisis.

    Mr David Lidington

    I refer the Hon. Member to answers the Secretary of State for Defence, my right Hon. Friend the Member for Sevenoaks (Mr Fallon), gave to the House on 7 March (Official Record, Cols 23-37). The purpose of this NATO operation is to provide monitoring, surveillance, and reconnaissance (MSR) of the Aegean migration routes to better enable Turkish and Greek coastguards and Frontex (the EU’s border management agency) to intercept the migrant boats and disrupt the business model of illegal migration. It is worth noting that the formal mandate of NATO’s activity is neither interdiction nor search and rescue, but if UK vessels encounter migrants in distress at sea, they will be rescued in accordance with international obligations and arrangements made for them to be returned to land.

  • Roberta Blackman-Woods – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Roberta Blackman-Woods – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roberta Blackman-Woods on 2016-04-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 13 April 2016 to Question 33183, whether his Department advises prisons (a) to ask prisoners upon induction if they are already organ donors or if they wish to become one and (b) to keep records of which prisoners are registered organ donors; and if he will amend prison service orders to ensure that the organ donors register is taken into account if a prisoner dies in a prison or in a hospital.

    Andrew Selous

    The Organ Donor Register is a confidential record maintained by NHS Blood and Transplant and patient details are not shared with other organisations; asking prisoners if they are registered could serve to compromise their confidentiality. Joining the Organ Donor Register is a voluntary matter and there are no plans to focus on specific groups such as prisoners. The decision to be a donor is one which prisoners should discuss with their next of kin.

    The Government remains fully committed to the strategy agreed in 2013 “Taking Organ Transplantation to 2020” (www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/to2020/) which aims to enable the UK to match world-class performance in organ donation and transplantation.

    “

  • Eilidh Whiteford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Eilidh Whiteford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Eilidh Whiteford on 2016-05-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidelines his Department issues to its staff on carrying out Genuine Prospect of Work assessments.

    Priti Patel

    Guidance for Department for Work and Pensions staff responsible for carrying out Genuine Prospect of Work tests can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/510008/dmgch0703.pdf

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  • Lord Chidgey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Lord Chidgey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Chidgey on 2016-07-06.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of Médecins Sans Frontières’ rejection of EU funding in Sudan in response to the EU’s policies on migrants attempting to reach Europe.

    Baroness Verma

    We were disappointed to learn about Médecins Sans Frontières’ rejection of EU funding in Sudan. Sudan is a major source, host and transit country for migration. As such we remain committed to tackling the full range of migration issues in Sudan, including addressing the conflicts and the human rights situation, and supporting regional co-operation and efforts to stop people trafficking and smuggling through the ‘Khartoum Process’. Through DFID, we will deliver support that addresses the root causes of migration, and strengthen the basis for inclusive economic development and increased employment opportunities to encourage Sudanese people to better see their future in Sudan.

  • Keith Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Keith Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2016-09-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many UK Government staff are seconded to or directly assist the UK Special Envoy to Yemen and his team.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    No UK Government staff are seconded to or directly assist the UK Special Envoy to Yemen and his team. Through the cross-government Conflict, Stability and Security Fund, we are providing £1.05 million to the UN Special Envoy’s office to bolster UN capacity to facilitate the peace process, and are also supporting work to broaden the dialogue to include women and other under-represented groups.

  • Tom Pursglove – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Tom Pursglove – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Pursglove on 2015-10-27.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants in his Department are members of trades unions; how many working hours of facility time are taken by such civil servants; and what estimate he has made of the cost of that facility time to his Department.

    Matthew Hancock

    The number of civil servants who are trade union members is a matter for individual trade unions.

    The Cabinet Office publishes data relating to Civil Service facility time on a quarterly basis. The latest published data is for Quarters 1-4, 2014 and is available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/trade-union-facility-time

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  • Lord Rowe-Beddoe – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Rowe-Beddoe – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Rowe-Beddoe on 2015-11-24.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 23 November (HL Deb, col 468), whether they will consider introducing a small annual licence fee and mandatory registration of all bicycles.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The Government has no plans to introduce such measures.

  • Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2015-12-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what provision is made to enable young asylum seekers to have legal support and advice on reaching the age of 18.

    Lord Bates

    Unaccompanied asylum seeking children are placed into the care of local authorities and are provided with specialised legal advice and support. If they have an outstanding asylum claim on reaching the age of 18, legal advice will continue to be provided and their social worker will help them to access that support.

  • Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-01-21.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Prime Minister’s speech of 11 January 2016, on life chances, what the sources of the £60 million of social investment for drug and alcohol treatment are expected to be.

    Mr Rob Wilson

    The Government has actively supported the growth of the social investment market over the last five years. This includes through the establishment of Big Society Capital which is investing up to £600m in growing the social investment market, and the Social Investment Tax Relief which is incentivising individual investors to make social investments. Other social investors investing in social impact bonds include charitable trusts and foundations as well as institutional investors and dedicated social impact funds.

  • David Anderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    David Anderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether she has made an estimate of the difference in value between coal produced in the UK and coal imported from overseas for each of the last five years for which figures are available.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The table below gives the values of UK coal production and imports for 2010 to 2014. Data for 2015 will be available on 28 July 2016.

    Coal production (£million)

    Coal imports (£million)

    Difference (£million)

    2010

    1,065

    2,080

    -1,015

    2011

    1,175

    3,050

    -1,875

    2012

    990

    3,315

    -2,325

    2013

    535

    3,235

    -2,700

    2014

    450

    2,235

    -1,785

    Source: Tables DUKES 1.4-1.6, Digest of UK Energy Statistics, July 2015, available at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/energy-chapter-1-digest-of-united-kingdom-energy-statistics-dukesv

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