Tag: Gregory Campbell

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-02-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what further assistance his Department plans to give the devolved legislatures for providing access to higher speed broadband services.

Mr Edward Vaizey

Superfast broadband is available to nearly 90 per cent of homes and businesses in the UK, and we are on track to reach 95% by the end of 2017, as set out in our manifesto All of the BDUK superfast broadband contracts with BT contain a claw-back mechanism so that as take-up rises above a set level of 20%, further funding is reinvested in extending coverage, which all the nations will benefit from, including Northern Ireland.

In November, the Prime Minister announced the Government’s intention to implement a new broadband Universal Service Obligation (USO) and our ambition is to set this at 10 Mbps. This will give people the legal right to request an affordable broadband connection from a designated provider, up to a reasonable cost threshold, no matter where they live.

We are also piloting a range of alternative technology approaches to help us understand the options for extending superfast broadband further. We are also encouraging commercial suppliers to meet their commitments to provide further coverage who are themselves investing in new technology to extend coverage.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-04-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many times explosive ordinance officers were deployed to deal with incidents in Northern Ireland between 1 July 2015 and 1 January 2016.

Penny Mordaunt

The Explosive Ordnance Device teams in Northern Ireland continue to respond with great professionalism to requests for assistance. We will continue to support the Police Service of Northern Ireland in the most operationally effective way.

Incidents requiring explosive ordnance disposal experts in Northern Ireland are dealt with solely by military personnel.

The information requested on the number of occasions Explosive Ordnance Disposal personnel have responded to incidents in Northern Ireland is published annually in the Report of the Independent Reviewer of the Justice and Security (Northern Ireland) Act 2007. A copy of the report covering up to 31 July 2015 is available in the Library of the House and can be found at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/499691/Independent_Reviewer_of_the_Justice_and_Security__Northern_Ireland__Act_2007__8th_report.pdf

Between August 2015 and December 2015, Explosive Ordnance Disposal personnel responded on a further 111 occasions to incidents in Northern Ireland.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-05-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many households in Northern Ireland held black and white television licences in (a) 2005 and (b) 2015.

Mr Edward Vaizey

TV Licensing have confirmed that the number of black and white TV licences in force in Northern Ireland was 2,978 in 2005, and 736 in 2015.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-07-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Indian counterpart on the release of the British citizens detained after anti-piracy operations by the MV Seaman Guard Ohio.

Mr Hugo Swire

I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 7 July given in response to PQ 41797.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-10-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the Kenyan government on the attack of 6 October 2016 carried out by Al-Shabaab militants in Mandera County.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The UK government condemns the tragic loss of life during the Al Shabaab terrorist attack in Mandera, Kenya on 6 October. We have expressed our regret to the Kenyan authorities. The UK and Kenya have a shared interest in tackling terrorism, and we are committed to supporting the Government of Kenya and building capacity to counter this shared threat.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2015-10-28.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will hold discussions with Lloyds Bank on that company prioritising the payment of dividends to encourage small shareholders to retain shares for the long term, in advance of further sales of the Government’s stake in that company.

Harriett Baldwin

The Government is planning to encourage long-term share ownership in Lloyds shares, offering the incentive of bonus shares for longer-term investors.

Lloyds Banking Group (LBG) remains a commercial company in which the Government is currently a shareholder. The Government’s shareholding is managed at arm’s length from HM Treasury by UK Financial Investments (UKFI). The Government does not involve itself in the commercial decisions of LBG. Whether or not to pay dividends to its shareholders is a commercial decision to be made by the bank’s independent management team.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2015-11-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to change attitudes to personal health issues among men.

Jane Ellison

We recognise that men do not seek medical help as often as women, and their health can suffer as a result and that changing their behaviours could reduce premature death, illness and costs to society. The Department does not have a separate policy approach to men’s health as all policy subjects are expected to take into account equality issues as they are developed.

In 2013, Public Health England was established to protect and improve the nation’s health and to address inequalities, working with national and local government, the National Health Service, industry, academia, the public and the voluntary and community sector. Local authorities are responsible for assessing the current and future health needs of their local population and targeting of interventions to reduce health inequalities. We have also given local authorities the flexibility to innovate and tailor services to meet local individual and population needs.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2015-12-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people applied for British passports through the passport section of the British embassy in Dublin in the last 12 months.

James Brokenshire

Her Majesty’s Passport Office Belfast commenced the repatriation of application processing for customers residing in the Republic of Ireland on 20th January 2014 and the decommissioning of passport processing at the British Embassy in Dublin was completed by 31st March 2014. Therefore, no applications for British passports will have been dealt with or issued by the British Embassy Dublin after 31 March 2014.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-01-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what information her Department holds on the average life expectancy for girls aged 15 in sub-Saharan Africa between 2005 and 2015.

Mr Nick Hurd

The UN Population Division estimates that total average life expectancy for fifteen year old girls in Sub-Saharan Africa was 63.53 years between 2005 and 2010 and 66.12 years between 2010 and 2015.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-01-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of trends in the numbers of sham (a) marriages and (b) civil partnerships since March 2015.

James Brokenshire

Since the marriage referral scheme commenced on 2nd March 2015, the number of marriages considered to be a sham has reduced slightly although these numbers are too small to indicate any trend.

Referrals under Section 24 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 and allegations have remained stable since March.

From the data extract it is not possible to determine if a notification under the scheme relates to a Civil Partnership or a Marriage as the referrals are identical.