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Tag: Adam Afriyie

  • Adam Afriyie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Adam Afriyie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Afriyie on 2014-04-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will provide a simple route for people to donate their universal benefits back to the state; and if he will make a statement.

    Steve Webb

    The majority of winter fuel payments are sent out automatically. However, people can simply return their winter fuel payment to the office that issues it. They can also write to the Department requesting not to receive a winter fuel payment for future years, either in advance of first getting a payment, or after they have received one or more payments.

    Anyone aged 75 or over is entitled to a free TV Licence for their main address. The free licence is not issued automatically and needs to be applied for. Once issued, licences are renewed automatically every year unless the customer does not have a National Insurance Number in which case TV Licensing will contact them to confirm their circumstances have not changed each year. An over 75 licence can be cancelled at any time and a paid-for licence requested.

    The concessionary travel benefit is optional. An eligible person can choose not to take up the entitlement. The National Travel Survey 2011 shows that in GB, 79 per cent of people eligible for an older persons’ bus pass held one.

  • Adam Afriyie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Adam Afriyie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Afriyie on 2014-06-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent progress she has made in introducing universal exit checks; and if she will make a statement.

    Karen Bradley

    The Government is committed to reintroducing exit checks. By April 2015, comprehensive exit checks will apply on scheduled and commercial air, sea and rail routes.

    We have recently introduced new powers in the Immigration Act 2014 to support embarkation checks at the border, and we continue to work with carriers and port operators to explore the least burdensome way of delivering the exit checks commitment.

  • Adam Afriyie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Adam Afriyie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Afriyie on 2014-04-07.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect the introduction of seven-day bank account switching has had on the number of people changing bank account provider; and if he will make a statement.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Current Account Switching Service launched in September of last year, and has had a very positive impact. Early signs are positive, with switching numbers in Q4 of 2013 up by 17 per cent compared to Q4 of the previous year.

    The Financial Conduct Authority will carry out a review in September of this year into the effectiveness of the Current Account Switching Service. This will include an assessment of the effect the introduction of seven day account switching has had on the number of people changing bank account provider.

  • Adam Afriyie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Adam Afriyie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Afriyie on 2014-06-11.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the accuracy of the International Passenger Survey for estimating migration flows; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

  • Adam Afriyie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Adam Afriyie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Afriyie on 2014-04-07.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many meetings he held with the Office of Tax Simplification in (a) 2011-12 and (b) 2012-13.

    Mr David Gauke

    Treasury Ministers regularly meet with the Office of Tax Simplification and other parts of Treasury group as part of normal departmental and Government business. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government’s practice to provide details of all such meetings and discussions.

    Details of Ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at:

    http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/minister_hospitality.htm.

    “

  • Adam Afriyie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Adam Afriyie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Afriyie on 2014-04-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what guidance and support his Department provides to military veterans and their families on securing stable housing; and if he will make a statement.

    Anna Soubry

    The £200 million Forces Help to Buy scheme commenced on 1 April 2014, meaning that Servicemen and women can now borrow up to 50% of their salary, up to a maximum of £25,000, interest-free, providing a boost to those needing to find a deposit to buy their own home.

    To assist the transition of serving personnel to civilian life, the MOD offers a wide-ranging resettlement programme which includes a briefing by the Joint Services Housing Advice Office. This offers advice and information about a range of topics that armed forces personnel may find useful relating to an individual’s housing needs before they leave the armed forces.

    Once a person leaves service, any need for social housing becomes a local authority matter. The MOD is working closely with the Department for Communities and Local Government to ensure the fair treatment of service families in need of social housing and ensure they are given proper priority on housing waiting lists.

    The Government recognises that there is more that can be done to provide practical support to our veterans and their families in this area. In February I announced LIBOR funding of £40 million to support charities which assist veterans with housing needs in order to build new homes, buy new accommodation and renovate old facilities. Projects are expected to include hostels and half-way houses for veterans who have fallen on hard times, supported housing for the wounded, injured and sick, and long-term care homes.

  • Adam Afriyie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Adam Afriyie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Afriyie on 2014-04-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent steps he has taken to ensure that exporters of intangible goods can access the resources of UK Export Finance.

    Michael Fallon

    UK Export Finance can provide support for intangibles, such as software licenses, where they are provided in connection with goods or services. As far as the supply of intangibles by themselves are concerned, UK Export Finance has initiated a public consultation on proposals to widen its powers under its enabling legislation, the Export and Investment Guarantees Act 1991 (as amended). These proposals include giving UK Export Finance the ability to support exports of intangible goods such as intellectual property rights by themselves. If, having regard to the responses to that consultation, it is deemed to implement these proposals, they will form part of a Bill that will be introduced in the next session of Parliament.

  • Adam Afriyie – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

    Adam Afriyie – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

    The tribute made by Adam Afriyie, the Conservative MP for Windsor, in the House of Commons on 10 September 2022.

    Her Majesty the Queen was the heart of Windsor, and it is in some ways fitting that my words will be the last of the Back-Bench tributes to Her Majesty. I wish to pass on condolences not just from me but from my many constituents to the royal family.

    The Queen was an exceptional monarch through an extraordinary era. Even before her coronation, the young Elizabeth made a vow to devote her life to serving her country. She kept her promise, and she surpassed our expectations. She has been the constant in an ever-changing world not just for Windsor, but for the country, the Commonwealth, and in the hearts and minds of all those around the world. She has been the embodiment of the United Kingdom. She has been projecting all that is good about our nation across the globe for more than 70 years, and her image is our image to the world.

    She was the omnipresent Queen. I have been listening to the tributes in this debate, and it seems as though the Queen has been to every part of our United Kingdom. Everybody has a story to tell and everyone in this Chamber has a story to tell. I can tell the House that, as the Prime Minister’s trade envoy to parts of west Africa, everybody there has a story to tell as well. Everyone has a story to tell about our omnipresent Queen. Nationally and internationally, she is recognised.

    Yet amid all her duties, responsibilities and commitments, the Queen remained ever-present in the Windsor constituency, one of her favourite homes. People felt her presence everywhere across the constituency—absolutely everywhere. As the MP, I have had the privilege of greeting Heads of State as they arrived in Windsor, albeit in the shadows of Her Majesty, and I could witness at first hand her incisive wit and her cool and calm humour, which set guests at their ease. Aside from seeing the Queen at Royal Ascot, the Savill garden, the Combermere barracks and the Victoria barracks, or at military parades, virtually every constituent will have seen or met her, or knew somebody very close to them who had.

    If people lived in Windsor, there was no escape—none whatsoever. If they were strolling in Windsor Great park, they would inevitably bump into the Queen walking, driving or, in the past, on a horse. Their children were likely to see her at school or at college, and for anyone working for our many charities and good causes, it was inevitable that they would receive visits and great patronage from the Queen. When it came to our businesses, if the foundation stone of the building was not laid by the Queen, a plaque with her name was placed there on her opening it, or the business received a letter or an invite to the Castle. Whether people knew it or not, even when they were shopping in the King Edward Court centre in central Windsor, it was inevitable that they would bump into Her Majesty on occasion. She was everywhere: she was truly omnipresent. So I am not surprised—I am not—that her last official engagement was at the Thames hospice in our local area. It makes sense in so many ways.

    In closing, it is difficult for me to express just how much the Queen will be missed in Windsor and how thankful we are to have known her. She was our omnipresent Queen—the Queen of constancy—and her image is our image to the world. In future, in this place and across the country, we must strive to live up to her image of us. In Windsor the Queen will live on in our parks, lakes and buildings, and in our memories. She will live on in her eldest son, and I say without hesitation, long live King Charles III.

  • Adam Afriyie – 2022 Comments on Vaping

    Adam Afriyie – 2022 Comments on Vaping

    The comments made by Adam Afriyie, the Conservative MP for Windsor, on 6 May 2022.

    Whilst I am a strong advocate for vaping as a means of harm reduction for adult smokers, it is clear that swift and decisive action should be taken against those pushing it on children.

  • Adam Afriyie – 2020 Speech on the Coronavirus Bill

    Adam Afriyie – 2020 Speech on the Coronavirus Bill

    Below is the text of the speech made by Adam Afriyie, the Conservative MP for Windsor, in the House of Commons on 23 March 2020.

    I would like to put one or two points on the record before the Bill goes through. The first thing that strikes me is that this is an ambitious and aggressive virus, which intends to infect every single one of us, both here in the UK and across the entire globe, unless we do something quite dramatic to stop it. It does not discriminate between rich and poor, old and young, black and white, gay and straight, and it does not discriminate on the grounds of nationality. It does not respect borders, and the pace at which it is covering the globe is something to behold. That is why I very much welcome the legislation, because the pace at which we are delivering these important measures that the Government need to be able to take under Executive action is equally as impressive.

    I have a couple of questions for Ministers. Clearly, I am going to support the measure, as it is necessary that these types of measures go through quickly so that we can respond as a nation. First—I asked this question last week, but did not receive a full answer—why was it felt necessary to introduce a brand-new piece of legislation, as we have the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 on the books? Looking at the Bill, it seems that the measures and powers in it would fit within that Act quite comfortably. I raise that because some of the questions that have been asked today—I am glad that we have seen some compromises—were about accountability and about the timeframe in which the measures will be in force. The Civil Contingencies Act says that if a measure is introduced by a Minister, within seven days Parliament can say something about it. If Parliament is in recess, it can be recalled to within five days deal with any urgent matters.

    I am only flagging that up—I suspect that there are good reasons why a separate piece of legislation outwith the scope of the Civil Contingencies Act was introduced. This is a dynamic and fluid situation, and things are changing, literally day by day. Some of the actions that the Government may rightly need to take may have consequences, some intended, some unintended. For example, last week, we heard about measures that, I suspect, will be incorporated in powers in the Bill relating to pubs, restaurants and clubs being told to close their doors. Without an immediate adjustment, perhaps 1 million to 3 million people would have had no money within a week or so. Thankfully, the Government were able to introduce measures that dealt with that for the majority of those people. I suspect that there will be situations in the weeks ahead where the numbers begin to escalate and we all begin to worry about our sanity, let alone our health. There will be moments when it may be necessary for the military or police services to be on the street, committed to take actions that will surprise us.

    Mr Steve Baker

    Does my hon. Friend agree that all these measures need to be unwound one day, and that Ministers must keep an eye on how they are going to do so?

    Adam Afriyie

    I certainly do, and my hon. Friend has made the point very well. That is the central thrust of what I am saying.​
    One of the key aspects of the virus, and a key reason why it is so aggressive, intrusive, ambitious and quick to move around is that it may well have the ability to mutate. If that were to happen, I should like confirmation from the Government that they have in the Bill the powers necessary to ramp up the actions that they have taken in the wording of the Bill.

    Overall, I very much welcome this piece of legislation, but I should like clarification about why the Civil Contingencies Act was not used, as it was carefully thought through and includes a lot of checks and balances. Secondly, I should also like reassurance that if some of the powers under the Act were deployed on the streets of our country, Parliament would in some way—I know that Ministers are responsive, and the Prime Minister has shown great leadership and is seeking to do the absolute best for the nation—be able to express, even in recess, concerns to which Government Ministers and the Executive could respond quickly, rather than at the end of a six or three-month period, or a two-year period.