Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Shailesh Vara and Philip Hollobone

Wednesday 5th September 2018 Commons Chamber

[Mr Vara]

I assure the right hon. Gentleman that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State spoke to the Chief Constable this morning. We are in regular dialogue and we are considering the proposals that he has put forward. That is what I can say. We hope to come up with a solution in due course.

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

The Government are right to reject the EU’s proposals for a customs border in the Irish sea. Will the Minister remind the House of the balance of trade between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, and the Republic and Great Britain?

[Mr Vara]

It is important to remember that 58% of the external sales of Northern Ireland—over £14 billion—are with the rest of the United Kingdom. That is four times more than its trade with Ireland.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Shailesh Vara and Philip Hollobone

Wednesday 20th June 2018 Commons Chamber

[Mr Vara]

I do not accept the hon. Gentleman’s analysis. The fact is that the Northern Ireland economy is doing very well, with the lowest unemployment rate in the country, and exports are increasing. On the single market and the customs union, let me be absolutely clear: the people of the United Kingdom collectively voted to leave the EU, and that includes the customs union and the single market.

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

Does the Minister agree that there would be no need for any kind of border infrastructure at all if the UK and the EU could agree what everybody wants, which is a comprehensive free trade agreement?

[Mr Vara]

My hon. Friend is absolutely correct. We need to have a comprehensive economic agreement with the European Union. That is possible, and I very much hope that all parties will work towards it.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Shailesh Vara and Philip Hollobone

Monday 2nd November 2015 Commons Chamber

[Mr Vara]

May I bring the hon. Gentleman into the 21st century? There have been over 1.5 million visits to the Pension Wise website. We are confident we will make sure that the public are aware of what Pension Wise has to say, and that people can access the website or have face-to-face, telephone or online interviews.

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

I am getting a growing number of inquiries from women in their early 60s who seem to be unaware of the changes to the retirement age. I am worried that these ladies have not been contacted by the relevant Department and seem to be unaware that their retirement date will be rather later than they had imagined. What can be done to help them?

[Mr Vara]

My hon. Friend makes a very good point. May I put on the record the facts and circumstances? Between April 2009 and March 2011, the Department proactively mailed all women born between 6 April 1950 and 5 April 1953, informing them of their state pension age under the Pensions Act 1995. Following the 2011 changes, the Department wrote to all individuals directly affected to inform them of the change to their state pension age. Sending mail to those individuals, who are due to reach state pension age between 2016 and 2026, was completed between January 2012 and November 2013.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Shailesh Vara and Philip Hollobone

Tuesday 11th November 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Vara]

It is crucial that the sufferers of this horrible disease get the full compensation they are due. We are working closely with victims groups and various other groups, as I mentioned earlier, to ensure that the process is as simple and easy as possible and that the compensation that is rightfully due to them and others is received as quickly as possible.

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

How many foreign national offenders are there in our prisons and what steps have been taken to return them to serve out their sentences in their countries of origin?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Shailesh Vara and Philip Hollobone

Tuesday 18th March 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Vara]

The pilot programme is now being rolled out and we need to see its full impact. The DWP has found the information it has been given very useful and as a consequence it is in the process of revising the guidance for decision makers. It is to be hoped that the decisions taken as a consequence will be of a much better standard.

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

In Kettering, benefit claimants who appeal against refusals sometimes have to wait for more than 40 weeks for their appeals to be heard. That is completely unacceptable and involves some of the longest waits in the whole country. What is being done by the Department to tackle these long waiting times?

[Mr Vara]

My hon. Friend will appreciate that that is the legacy of the previous Government and that the backlog is being dealt with—[Interruption.] I appreciate that this is difficult for the Opposition, but the truth often hurts—[Interruption.]

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Shailesh Vara and Philip Hollobone

Tuesday 17th December 2013 Commons Chamber

[Mr Vara]

I have corresponded with the hon. Gentleman on the subject, and I can assure him that there will be a covenant to ensure that the monument is preserved, and not temporarily.

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

How many foreign national offenders are there in our prisons, and what steps are being taken to send them back to secure detention in their own countries?