Roger Williams MP

Roger in Parliament

Here is news of Roger's recent activity in Parliament, as found in the Parliamentary record - Hansard at theyworkforyou.com. This gives responses to questions Roger has asked, Roger's contribution to debates and more:

• May 20, 2013:
  • Oral Answers to Questions - Work and Pensions: State Pension (20 May 2013)
    Roger Williams: What assessment he has made of the effects of planned changes to the state pension on women born between April 1952 and April 1953.
  • Oral Answers to Questions - Work and Pensions: State Pension (20 May 2013)
    Roger Williams: I thank the Minister for that reply, and for the work that he has done on this matter. Given the fact that the new system and the current one will run concurrently after the implementation of the single-tier pension, can he reassure women in the affected age group that none will lose out in the transition, compared with women who are eligible for the proposed single-tier pension? Would he...
• May 16, 2013:
  • Oral Answers to Questions - Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Horse Passports (16 May 2013)
    Roger Williams: Everybody agrees that there must be reform and improvement of the horse passporting system, but under the current system there is a derogation for native breeds such as Welsh mountain ponies and Exmoor ponies. Without that derogation, it would become almost financially impossible for people to continue to keep those breeds. Will the Secretary of State consider keeping the derogation so that...
  • Oral Answers to Questions - Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Topical Questions (16 May 2013)
    Roger Williams: The Secretary of State often makes reference to the common agricultural policy delivering public goods for public money. Does he agree that the delivery of increased amounts of safe, high-quality, affordable food from this country's farms is one such public good?
• May 15, 2013:
  • Oral Answers to Questions - Prime Minister: Petrol Prices (15 May 2013)
    Roger Williams: If there has been market manipulation by big companies in the oil market, then as well as consumers suffering, small independent suppliers and retailers who were not part of the scam will also have suffered. Independents are important in rural areas, as they are often the only supplier. While the Secretary of State will not want to intervene directly with the regulatory bodies he mentioned, I...
  • Oral Answers to Questions - Wales: Overseas Students (15 May 2013)
    Roger Williams: What discussions he has had with his ministerial colleagues and others on increasing the accessibility of educational institutions in Wales to students from overseas.
  • Oral Answers to Questions - Wales: Overseas Students (15 May 2013)
    Roger Williams: I am sure that the Minister will want to join me in congratulating Swansea university, whose pro-vice chancellor I met last night, on the start of its new, second campus, which will house 5,000 students. Will my hon. Friend make every effort to publicise the fact that Welsh universities are open for business and open to applications from overseas students?
• Apr 23, 2013:
  • Upland Sheep Farmers (23 Apr 2013)
    Roger Williams: I apologise for not being present at the start of the debate. The Minister is quite right that a lot of the effect of the snow was very local. Certainly in the Radnor forest in my constituency it was particularly difficult. I want to make the point that the whole sheep industry has suffered a very long period of very severe weather, which has left a lot of those ewes very weak going into...
• Apr 18, 2013:
  • Oral Answers to Questions - Culture, Media and Sport: Topical Questions (18 Apr 2013)
    Roger Williams: Will the Minister tell us what steps he is taking to ensure that consumers do not lose Freeview television reception as part of the 4G roll-out?
  • Written Answers - Culture Media and Sport: Freeview (18 Apr 2013)
    Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to ensure that consumers do not lose Freeview TV reception as part of the roll-out of 4G.
• Apr 16, 2013:
  • [Mr David Crausby in the Chair] - Off-gas Grid Households (16 Apr 2013)
    Roger Williams: Will the hon. Gentleman give way?
  • [Mr David Crausby in the Chair] - Off-gas Grid Households (16 Apr 2013)
    Roger Williams: I pay tribute to my hon. Friend the Member for Truro and Falmouth (Sarah Newton) for securing this debate. As the hon. Member for Angus (Mr Weir) said, it has been oft-repeated. It is none the worse for that, but progress is pitifully slow. I am sure that constituents throughout the UK who are represented by hon. Members across this Chamber must feel that their cause has not been addressed...
  • [Mr David Crausby in the Chair] - Off-gas Grid Households (16 Apr 2013)
    Roger Williams: My hon. Friend makes a good point. However we cut the cake, heating a property with LPG is almost twice as expensive as doing so with mains gas. I am sure that consumer groups can achieve a 10% reduction, which is valuable. My hon. Friend leads me on to say-this point was also made by the hon. Member for Angus-that although off-grid energy consumers often live in very isolated...
  • [Mr David Crausby in the Chair] - Off-gas Grid Households (16 Apr 2013)
    Roger Williams: The hon. Gentleman makes a good point, but there will always be people left off-grid. We will not reach a situation in which everyone is on mains gas. Where there is an opportunity to take a larger step forward in access to the mains supply, we should look at ways to achieve that because, as I have said, it would make a huge difference to fuel poverty in such communities. To conclude, we are...
  • [Mr David Crausby in the Chair] - Off-gas Grid Households (16 Apr 2013)
    Roger Williams: The hon. Gentleman raises an issue that was very evident in my constituency during that time. The remote sensing meant that the supplier would not deliver unless the gas got down to a specific volume. Some people, for instance those suffering from cancer, were so afraid that they would be without heat that they were caused considerable anxiety and concern.
• Apr 15, 2013:
  • Oral Answers to Questions - Defence: Topical Questions (15 Apr 2013)
    Roger Williams: In drawing up plans for the return of military equipment from Afghanistan, what account has the Ministry of Defence taken of the equipment that the Afghan army will need to carry out its challenging duties in the future?
• Mar 21, 2013:
  • Oral Answers to Questions - Business, Innovation and Skills: Royal Mail (21 Mar 2013)
    Roger Williams: What plans he has to implement a share scheme for Royal Mail employees.
  • Oral Answers to Questions - Business, Innovation and Skills: Royal Mail (21 Mar 2013)
    Roger Williams: I thank the Minister for that encouraging reply. The better financial performance of Royal Mail owes much to the loyalty of postmen and women getting the mail out to every address in the country, even in during these difficult weather conditions. Can the Minister give us a little more certainty about the timing of this scheme and how those loyal postmen and women will benefit?
  • Oral Answers to Questions - Business, Innovation and Skills: Topical Questions (21 Mar 2013)
    Roger Williams: Will the Secretary of State comment on the progress that has been made in Europe on the introduction of transparency to the extractive industries?
• Mar 20, 2013:
  • Biomass Power Generation - [Mrs Anne Main in the Chair] (20 Mar 2013)
    Roger Williams: I have listened carefully to the discussion today, most of which has been about large-scale operations. The BSW Timber sawmill in my constituency uses waste to kiln-dry material for use in gardens and other facilities. With no transport costs, keeping it local adds to the sustainability of biomass and carbon reduction.