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  • Rob Marris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Rob Marris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rob Marris on 2016-06-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, which bodies have made representations to the Government on the inclusion of administration costs, travel and wages in the funding for the Digital Apprenticeship System; and what proportion of bodies making such representations were in favour of the Government’s proposals.

    Nick Boles

    My officials have been engaging employers throughout the policy development to gain their insight and advice. As part of the formal consultation last year, over 700 responses were received from employers. Opinions were evenly split as to whether levy funding should only be used to pay for the direct costs of apprenticeship training and assessment. Further information is available in the published Government response.

  • Peter Kyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Peter Kyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2016-06-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether a provider would need to achieve an Excellent rating in (a) one, (b) two or (c) three of the Teaching Quality, Learning Environment and Student Outcomes and Learning Gain categories in order to achieve an overall Excellent rating under the Teaching Excellence framework.

    Joseph Johnson

    A provider’s performance in the three areas of Teaching Quality, Learning Environment, and Student Outcomes and Learning Gain will not be subject to individual ratings. Assessors will make a holistic assessment, considering all three areas, in order to award a single TEF rating for the provider.

  • Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-06-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, by when he expects the findings from the Insolvency Service investigation into BHS to be published.

    Anna Soubry

    My Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills recently announced plans to expedite this Insolvency Service investigation. It is not appropriate for details of the ongoing investigation to be made public as that may prejudice the outcome of any criminal or civil cases which arise from it. This is long standing Insolvency Service policy. However, I have met with the Insolvency Service to discuss the conduct of the investigation and will expect to do so periodically as the investigation progresses.

    If any directors are disqualified the Insolvency Service will publish the details of the disqualification on its website (for three months) and will notify Companies House, which keeps the statutory register of disqualifications. In addition, where the investigation uncovers matters of potential criminal misconduct or other regulatory breaches then this will be reported to the relevant authority for further action.

    Once the investigation is completed the Government will consider what detail it is appropriate to publish having full regard to any legal restrictions and on the legitimate public interest in the cause of the BHS failure.

  • Mark Prisk – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Mark Prisk – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Prisk on 2016-06-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, in which month the Pye Tait Review of retentions in the construction industry will be published.

    Anna Soubry

    The main aim of the Pye Tait research is to provide a qualitative and quantitative assessment of the costs and benefits of the contractual practice of holding retentions in construction.

    My Department is currently working with Pye Tait to finalise this research. It will be published alongside a consultation document later this year.

  • Clive Lewis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Clive Lewis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Clive Lewis on 2016-06-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what resources his Department has allocated to the Regulatory Delivery Directorate for enforcement of part G of the Building Regulations 2010 in domestic properties.

    Anna Soubry

    My Department has no direct responsibility for Building Regulations Part G as this falls to the Department for Communities and Local Government and is enforced through local authorities who have a general duty to enforce Building Regulations in their area.

  • Dan Jarvis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Dan Jarvis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-06-08.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many meetings Ministers of his Department had to discuss tax evasion and avoidance between (a) 5 April 2016 and 5 May 2016 and (b) 6 May 2016 and 6 June 2016.

    Matthew Hancock

    Details of Ministers’ meetings with external organisations are published on a quarterly basis. In line with the practice of previous administrations, details of internal meetings are not normally disclosed.

  • Dan Jarvis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Dan Jarvis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-06-08.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many meetings Ministers of his Department had to discuss tax evasion and avoidance between (a) 5 April 2016 and 5 May 2016 and (b) 6 May 2016 and 6 June 2016.

    Mr David Gauke

    In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of ministerial discussions are not normally disclosed.

    The government is committed to ensuring that everyone makes a fair contribution towards reducing the deficit. We have already announced, during this Parliament, that we will legislate for over 25 measures to tackle avoidance, evasion and aggressive tax planning, which are forecast to raise £16 billion by 2021.

    We also announced that HMRC would receive an extra £800 million, at Summer Budget 2015, to fund additional work to 2020-21. This will enable HMRC to recover a cumulative £7.2 billion in tax over the next five years by tackling evasion and non-compliance.

  • Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-06-08.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Government’s anti-poverty objectives in (a) Malawi, (b) Ghana and (c) Nepal are being taken into account when negotiating tax treaties with those countries.

    Mr David Gauke

    The Government recognises that developing countries may have different preferences from those of the UK and is willing to accommodate these preferences as part of a balanced agreement that is acceptable to both sides.

    By governing the taxation of cross-border income flows in a predictable manner and eliminating double taxation and excessive taxation, tax treaties promote international trade and investment, leading to sustainable tax revenues, which are vital in financing for development.

    Treasury Ministers decide the UK’s treaty negotiation programme following consultation with a number of interested parties, including the Department for International Development.

  • Kirsten Oswald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Kirsten Oswald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2016-06-08.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the distributional effect of the exclusion from National Insurance contributions of property, dividends, pensions and other forms of non-employment income.

    Mr David Gauke

    National Insurance contributions (NICs) are not intended to tax all forms of income. As a system of social security, the purpose of NICs is that individuals contribute when they are working, in order to build entitlement to contributory benefits such as the State Pension.

    Taxes are levied on non-employment income through the rest of the tax system, and the government’s policies since 2010 have repeatedly increased the contribution of the wealthy. The richest fifth of households will contribute more than half (52%) of UK household tax receipts in 2019-20; under the 2010-11 tax system, they would have paid 49%.

  • Rob Marris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Rob Marris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rob Marris on 2016-06-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what representation there will be on the board of the Institute for Apprenticeships from (a) business, (b) charities and (c) trades unions.

    Nick Boles

    The Chair and Board members will be appointed in accordance with the public appointments process. It is expected that the members of the Institute’s board will be comprised primarily of persons with a background as employers and business leaders. This is to ensure that employers continue to drive apprenticeship quality. Applications to join the Institute’s board are also open to representatives of other organisations, including the trade unions.