Author: admin

  • Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-06-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to reduce the gap in apprenticeship completion rates for people who are Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic.

    Nick Boles

    We want to increase the quantity and quality of all apprenticeships, including for people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities.

    Our far-reaching reforms are improving the quality of all apprenticeships. We have insisted that they must all be paid jobs with substantial training, develop transferable skills and have a minimum 12 months’ duration. The Institute for Apprenticeships is being created to ensure the quality of apprenticeship standards in England.

    Information on apprenticeship completion rates is published in the National Achievement Rate Tables: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/sfa-national-achievement-rates-tables-2014-to-2015

    “

  • Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-06-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what his policy is on whether the cost of degree apprenticeships are supported from the proceeds of the apprenticeship levy.

    Nick Boles

    The apprenticeship levy will fund growth in apprenticeships at all levels, including Degree Apprenticeships. Degree Apprenticeships are widening access to the professions and providing higher level technical skills employers need.

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-06-14.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what processes are in place for strengthening partnerships between law enforcement agencies in the UK and elsewhere in order to tackle international corruption.

    Matthew Hancock

    UK law enforcement agencies​ already have strong collaborative partnerships with many overseas authorities which are valuable in supporting and developing their investigations into international corruption. The London Anti-Corruption Summit in May galvanised further efforts to improve international cooperation.

    At the Summit, the PM announced that the UK will host a new International Anti-Corruption Coordination Centre (IACCC) to help law enforcement investigators work together effectively across multiple jurisdictions, ending the impunity often associated with grand corruption. We are working with international partners towards making the IACCC operational by April 2017.

    The UK also committed to supporting the creation of a Centre of Excellence for Financial Intelligence Units to support the sharing of information with other countries. This will help to improve the effectiveness of the international response to international money-laundering. We are also working with other countries to establish a Global Forum for Asset Recovery.

    Initiatives to enhance transparency over beneficial ownership information will also support international law enforcement cooperation in tackling international corruption. This includes the initiative on the automatic exchange of beneficial ownership information between jurisdictions, as well as the UK’s new public register of persons of significant control, (which goes live this month) and the agreements reached with relevant Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies to grant UK law enforcement access to beneficial ownership information there.

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-06-14.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what discussions his Department had with business and professional services companies before the Anti-Corruption Summit on 12 May 2016.

    Matthew Hancock

    Ahead of the Anti-Corruption Summit, Cabinet Office and a number of other government departments engaged with a wide range of businesses, including professional service companies, to understand their views, promote best practice and encourage their support for the objectives of the Summit.

    A number of business leaders attended the Summit, as well as the Tackling Corruption Together conference which was organised by civil society and business on 11 May. A group of professional services companies published a statement on 11 May in which they commit to maintaining robust procedures when taking on new clients and​ building ​a culture​, through education and training,​ that allows no space for corruption.

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-06-14.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether there is a designated team of staff in his Department working solely on anti-corruption issues.

    Matthew Hancock

    Yes.

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-06-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what progress he has made since the Anti-Corruption Summit of 12 May 2016 on implementing the Government’s plan to establish central registers of beneficial ownership in the Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.

    James Duddridge

    Agreement has been reached with all the relevant Overseas Territories, and with the Isle of Man and Jersey on the establishment of central registers or similarly effective systems. These arrangements will give UK law enforcement and tax authorities quick and unrestricted access to beneficial ownership information on corporate and legal entities incorporated in these Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. This is a significant step forward in our ability to fight criminal activity. The signing of a similar arrangement with Guernsey is expected shortly, following their recent general election and formation of a new government.

    Requests from UK law enforcement will be processed within 24 hours and quicker in urgent cases. The new arrangements must be in place by June 2017, but relevant Government Departments and law enforcement authorities are working with the Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies to ensure some changes are made immediately.

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-06-14.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish the terms of reference for the Inter-Ministerial Group on Anti-Corruption.

    Matthew Hancock

    This is available on www.gov.uk

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-06-14.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, who is leading the negotiations with the Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies on sharing beneficial ownership information.

    Matthew Hancock

    The Foreign and Commonwealth Office leads on discussions with the Overseas Territories. The Ministry of Justice is responsible for the constitutional relationship with the Crown Dependencies.

    Discussions on beneficial ownership information-sharing, with both the OTs and CDs, has involved a range of departments, including FCO, MoJ, HM Treasury, Cabinet Office and law enforcement authorities.

  • Barry Gardiner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Barry Gardiner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Gardiner on 2016-06-14.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans he has to appoint a new Charity Commissioner to replace Peter Clarke.

    Mr Rob Wilson

    We are currently recruiting three new board members for the Charity Commission in England and Wales, including a replacement for Peter Clarke. We are specifically seeking skills and experience in the charity sector, in law enforcement and in IT. The posts were opened for applications in early June and we intend to appoint as soon as this process is successfully concluded. The recruitment process follows the Commissioner for Public Appointments’ Code of Practice for Ministerial Appointments to Public Bodies and its core principles of merit, openness and fairness.

  • Julian Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Julian Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Knight on 2016-06-14.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will discuss with the banking sector steps to ensure that individuals seeking to switch their current account are able to access their historical transaction data to better enable them to secure a similar overdraft to their existing one with a new provider.

    Harriett Baldwin

    The Government is committed to increasing competition in banking to ensure banks have to work hard to offer the best possible products and services to their customers. A key part of that is making the process for customers switching their current accounts as easy and as effective as possible, to ensure customers are able to hold their banks to account by voting with their feet.

    The Government has already undertaken a lot of work to improve the process for customers switching their current accounts, including helping to deliver the Current Account Switch Service to enable customers to switch banks simply, quickly and reliably, and delivering midata, to enable customers to compare which bank is best for them based on how they use their current account.

    As part of its retail banking market investigation, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is considering what additional improvements could be made to the process of customers switching current accounts, including requiring banks to make historical transaction data available and making it easier for customers to switch their overdraft when they move banks. The CMA is also considering other additional measures designed to support overdraft users.

    The Government welcomes the CMA’s investigation, and stands ready to take action as necessary once it publishes its final report in the summer.