Written Ministerial Statements
Formal statements made by UK government ministers to Parliament.
3,440 statements
Report of the Biometrics Commissioner
Today I am publishing a report of the Biometrics Commissioner, on the retention of biometric material by the police on the grounds of national security, which I asked the Commissioner to prepare following publication of his second annual report on 11 Marc...
Operation of the UK’s Counter-Terrorist Asset Freezing Regime: 1 January 2016 to 31 March 2016
Under the Terrorist Asset-Freezing etc. Act 2010 (TAFA 2010), the Treasury is required to report to Parliament, quarterly, on its operation of the UK’s asset freezing regime mandated by UN Security Council Resolution 1373.This is the eighteenth report und...
DOUBLE TAXATION CONVENTIONS BETWEEN THE UNITED KINGDOM AND URUGUAY AND THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
A double taxation convention with Uruguay was signed on 24 February 2016 and with the United Arab Emirates on 12 April 2016. The text of each convention has been deposited in the Libraries of both Houses and will be made available on the GOV.UK website. E...
Government response to the recommendations of the Insurance Fraud Taskforce
The Insurance Fraud Taskforce was established as an independent body by HM Treasury and the Ministry of Justice in January 2015 in order ‘to investigate the causes of fraudulent behaviour and recommend solutions to reduce the level of insurance fraud in o...
Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council
The Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries (Ed Vaizey): The Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council will take place in Brussels on 31st May. Baroness Neville-Rolfe, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State and Minister for Intellec...
BIS Consultation
Today the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has announced its decision to create a combined BIS headquarters and policy function in London to deliver a simpler, smaller department that is more flexible and responsive to stakeholders and busin...
Justice and Home Affairs post-Council statement
A meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) Council was held on 20 May. I attended on behalf of the UK. The Council began with an adoption of the A Items, before a discussion on the current migration situation. The Commission reminded Ministers that t...
LSCB Review and Government Response
Today I am publishing Alan Wood’s review of the role and functions of Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCBs), along with the government’s response.Local agencies - police, health, local authorities, schools - are the front line when it comes to safegu...
Foreign Affairs Council for Development (12 May 2016)
My Noble Friend, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development (Baroness Verma) has made the following statement:On 12 May, I attended the Foreign Affairs Council for Development in Brussels. The meeting was chaired by the High ...
Rail Franchising
I am pleased to inform the house that my department has published its refreshed programme for rail franchising. Through this my department is setting out an ambitious plan for new rail franchises that will give passengers high-quality rail services. It is...
Higher Education Student Support in England
Today I am announcing that the Government will extend student support in England to an additional group of students.This decision follows a ruling of the Supreme Court on 29 July 2015 that it was unlawful to refuse an individual student, Ms Beaurish Tiger...
Hillsborough
The determinations and findings of the fresh Hillsborough inquests are being announced today. The jury are responding to 14 questions as part of a general questionnaire and responding to two questions in an individual questionnaire related to each of the ...
UK Guarantee for Countesswells Development Limited
The UK Guarantees scheme was announced in July 2012 with spending cover provided through the Infrastructure (Financial Assistance) Act 2012, receiving Royal Assent on 31 October 2012. The scheme provides a sovereign-backed guarantee to help infrastructure...
Joint Transport and Environment Informal Council 14-15th April 2016
Today my noble hon Friend the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth) has made the following statement:I attended the Joint Transport and Environment Informal Council in Amsterdam on 14th and 15th ...
April Agriculture and Fisheries Council
My Hon friend, the Minister of State for Farming, Food and Marine Environment (George Eustice), represented the UK at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council on 11 April in Luxembourg.Two fisheries items were presented. Firstly by the Presidency, on the fra...
Service Complaints Ombudsman's 2015 Annual Report
I am pleased to lay before Parliament today the Service Complaints Ombudsman’s annual report for 2015 on the fairness, effectiveness and efficiency of the service complaints system. This report is published by Nicola Williams as the first Service Complain...
Nuisance calls - requiring direct marketing callers to provide Calling Line Identification
My Honourable Friend the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Culture, Media and Sport (Baroness Neville-Rolfe) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.On 12 January 2016, the Government published a consultation seeking views on a pr...
Vehicle Emissions
I wish to inform the House that the Government has now concluded the Vehicle Emissions Testing Programme and we have published our findings. My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport informed the House on 10 November that we had established ...
April Agriculture and Fisheries Council
My Rt. Hon friend, the Secretary of State for Farming, Food and Marine Environment (Elizabeth Truss) has today made the following statement.My Hon friend, the Minister of State for Farming, Food and Marine Environment (George Eustice), represented the UK ...
Joint Transport and Environment Informal Council 14-15th April 2016
I attended the Joint Transport and Environment Informal Council in Amsterdam on 14th and 15th April.The main focus of the meeting was on the future of European transport, the challenges in the transition to a zero-emissions economy and the steps that shou...
Service Complaints Ombudsman's 2015 Annual Report
My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State and Minister for Defence Personnel and Veterans (Mark Lancaster) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.I am pleased to lay before Parliament today the Service Complaints Ombudsman’s ...
Nuisance calls - requiring direct marketing callers to provide Calling Line Identification
On 12 January 2016, the Government published a consultation seeking views on a proposal to amend the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003 (the 2003 Regulations) to make it a requirement for direct marketing callers to prov...
Vehicle Emissions
My Honourable Friend, the Minister of State for Transport (Robert Goodwill) has made the following Ministerial Statement.I wish to inform the House that the Government has now concluded the Vehicle Emissions Testing Programme and we have published our fin...
Leader’s Group on Governance
In January I published the report of the Leader’s Group on Governance, chaired by Baroness Shephard of Northwold. I express my gratitude again to the members who served on the group. Since the report’s publication I have considered its recommendations and...
Civil Legal Aid
My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice, Minister for the Courts and Legal Aid (Shailesh Vara) has made the following Written Statement."On 18th February the Court of Appeal handed down judgment on an appeal in a j...