Tag: Margaret Ritchie

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2015-11-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of the files held at Swadlincote that are subject to the Public Records Act 1958 have been (a) assessed by and (b) released to the National Archive.

Mark Lancaster

All Ministry of Defence (MOD) records held at Swadlincote that are subject to the Public Records Acts have been assessed for ongoing business or potential historical value. More than one third of the files at Swadlincote have been selected for transfer to The National Archives. These are largely military service records, which The National Archives has identified as being required for permanent preservation.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2015-12-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in what ways the proposed life chances measures in the amendments to the Child Poverty Act 2010 will measure child poverty in households with at least one employed adult.

Priti Patel

We are clear that the existing low-income measures do not drive the right action to tackle the root causes of child poverty.

Our proposals in the Welfare Reform and Work Bill introduce new statutory measures of worklessness and educational attainment which the evidence indicates are the biggest factors affecting child poverty now and in the future.

The Department will also continue to publish low-income statistics as part of the ‘Households Below Average Income’ publication.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2016-04-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies of the findings of the Intergenerational Foundation in its research report, Toxic time capsule, published in April 2016, on the relative costs to the public purse and generating capacity of solar power, wind power and the Hinkley Point C project.

Andrea Leadsom

We do not recognise the figures presented in the report for the Intergenerational Foundation. Hinkley Point C is a good deal for consumers and, once operational will provide 60 years of secure, reliable and low-carbon electricity. This will help us to keep the lights on while meeting our emissions targets in the most cost-effective way.

My Rt. hon friend, The Secretary of State is minded to proceed with the CfD support package for Hinkley Point C, subject to EDF taking a final investment decision.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in the devolved administrations on health and medical waiting lists; and what steps he is taking to reduce waiting lists.

Mr Philip Dunne

Health is a devolved matter, and there have been no discussions with counterparts in the devolved administrations about waiting lists for non-urgent conditions.

The Government’s mandate to NHS England for 2016-17 includes the objective that NHS England should support the National Health Service to maintain, and where possible improve, performance against core waiting time standards in line with the NHS Constitution. NHS England and NHS Improvement continue to work together to support the NHS to maintain low waiting times for patients.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2015-11-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many files held at Swadlincote his Department has made available to the (a) Historical Enquiries Team and (b) Da Silva Review.

Penny Mordaunt

The Historical Enquiries Team and the De Silva Review were able to access any Ministry of Defence file at Swadlincote or elsewhere which was relevant to their functions, but the Department does not record the number of files which were actually inspected or copied over time by members of these teams.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2016-01-06.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the most recent assessment of progress in the roll-out of the universal credit programme by the Infrastructure and Project Authority is.

Matthew Hancock

The most recent assessment of Universal Credit was set out in the MPA Annual Report 2015, published in spring 2015. This is available at: (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/major-projects-authority-annual-report-2015)

The 2016 Report will be published in due course.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2016-04-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment she has made of the potential economic effect in Northern Ireland of the imposition of border checks between that country and the Republic of Ireland in the event of a UK withdrawal from the EU.

Mr Ben Wallace

The Government’s position is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU.

The UK and Ireland are part of the EU Customs Union, which means that there are no customs controls on the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland. Without this, goods being exported across the border could be subject to various forms of customs controls and their liability to duty determined according to complex Rules of Origin.

The absence of cross-border restrictions has both encouraged cooperation and increased trade over the last twenty years. Overall, around 60 per cent of Northern Ireland’s exports go to the EU, with 37 per cent going to Ireland alone. It is the Government’s view that if the UK left the EU these arrangements could be put at risk.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will discuss with the Northern Ireland Minister for Communities the calls by the Women Against State Pension Inequality for transitional state pension arrangements for women in Northern Ireland born in the 1950s.

Richard Harrington

DWP Ministers have regular meetings with ministers from devolved administrations where current areas of interest are discussed. In relation to transitional arrangements for the equalisation of State Pension age, the government’s position is clear; equalisation of women’s State Pension age with men and the subsequent increases in the State Pension age will continue as currently scheduled, in line with the legislation.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2015-11-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his policy is on declassifying and transferring historical files relating to Northern Ireland held at Swadlincote to the National Archive under the 30-year rule.

Mark Lancaster

The Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) policy for the capture, management and final disposal, including transfer to The National Archives, of the MOD’s records is detailed in Joint Service Publication 441-Defence Records Management Policy and Procedures. A copy of JSP 441 has been placed in the Library of the House. JSP 441 can also be found on the Gov.uk website:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/jsp-441-defence-records-management-policy-and-procedures–2

All files relating to Northern Ireland held at Swadlincote are assessed by the MOD and The National Archives officials for sensitivity and historic value. Those files deemed worthy of permanent preservation will be selected for transfer to The National Archives.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2016-02-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how her Department works with other governments to tackle internet harassment and trolling perpetrated by residents of other countries on UK citizens.

Karen Bradley

Legislation is in place to deal with internet trolls, cyber-stalking and harassment, and perpetrators of grossly offensive, obscene or menacing behaviour.

The Criminal Justice Act 2015, strengthened legislation in respect of two communications offences which can be used to prosecute misuse of social media: section 1 of the Malicious Communications Act 1988, and section 127 of the Communications Act 2003. These amendments provide the police with additional time to investigate these offences, and increasing the maximum penalty for the former to two years imprisonment. We are continuing to invest in law enforcement capabilities at the national, regional and local levels to ensure delivery agencies have the capacity to deal with the increasing volume and sophistication of online crime. We have boosted the capabilities of the National Crime Agency’s National Cyber Crime Unit (NCCU), which has led and will continue to lead operations to disrupt serious cyber crime at scale, both domestically and internationally. This includes joint operations with industry and international law enforcement partners globally, to disrupt cyber criminals and protect UK citizens.