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  • Dawn Butler – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Dawn Butler – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dawn Butler on 2016-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many equality impact assessments government departments carried out in each year between 2010 and 2016.

    Caroline Dinenage

    The Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) in the Equality Act 2010 ensures that public bodies take account of equality and consider the potential impact of decisions on groups with protected characteristics. All bodies exercising public functions who are subject to the PSED need to understand the impact of their policies and services on people with different protected characteristics and be able to provide evidence that this has been taken into account during the decision-making process. However, the legislation does not prescribe how this information needs to be recorded and it is not a statutory requirement in England to prepare or publish information in a particular form, such as an Equality Impact Assessment.

    The Government Equalities Office does not therefore keep records of how many equality impact assessments are carried out by Departments; in any case, this information would not give an indication of the extent to which equality issues have been considered under the PSED.

  • Paul Flynn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Paul Flynn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2016-10-13.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the process used by the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments in drawing up its advice on appointments to be taken by former Ministers and former civil servants.

    Ben Gummer

    I refer the honourable gentleman to my answer of 17th October, given in response to PQ 47620.

  • Theresa Villiers – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Theresa Villiers – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Theresa Villiers on 2016-10-13.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the Government’s policy is on transitional arrangements for financial service providers to minimise disruption to financial markets during and after the process of the UK leaving the EU.

    Simon Kirby

    The Government is working to deliver the best possible exit from the European Union. As the Prime Minister has said, we will not give a running commentary on the negotiations or our position.

  • Phil Boswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Phil Boswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Phil Boswell on 2016-10-13.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the amount of money lost by UK investors as a result of Providence Bonds and Providence Bonds II being placed in administration in September 2016.

    Simon Kirby

    The government does not hold this information.

  • Phil Boswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Phil Boswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Phil Boswell on 2016-10-13.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what communication has taken place between the UK Financial Ombudsman Service, the Bank of England and the Channel Islands Financial Ombudsman in relation to protection for investors in Providence Bonds and Providence Bonds II.

    Simon Kirby

    The government is unable to comment on the communications of external bodies.

  • Phil Boswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Phil Boswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Phil Boswell on 2016-10-13.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to increase financial protection for investors within the UK who invest in mini-bonds.

    Simon Kirby

    The government is committed to regulating only where there is a clear case for doing so, in order to avoid putting additional costs on lenders that would ultimately lead to higher costs for businesses and consumers.

    The marketing and promotion of mini-bonds is subject to financial promotion restrictions set out in the Financial Services and Markets Act (FSMA). Firms that fail to meet any of these requirements may be subject to enforcement action by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

  • Phil Boswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Phil Boswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Phil Boswell on 2016-10-13.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the level of financial protection available to investors in mini-bonds not covered under the financial services compensation scheme.

    Simon Kirby

    The government is committed to regulating only where there is a clear case for doing so, in order to avoid putting additional costs on lenders that would ultimately lead to higher costs for businesses and consumers.

    The marketing and promotion of mini-bonds is subject to financial promotion restrictions set out in the Financial Services and Markets Act (FSMA). Firms that fail to meet any of these requirements may be subject to enforcement action by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

  • Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-10-13.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much has been paid to Concentrix for revising tax credit offers in a way which was initially thought to be correct; and if any of that amount can be subsequently recovered should those decisions be successfully appealed.

    Jane Ellison

    As at 17th October, payments made to Concentrix, in line with contracted charging and payment mechanisms, to date total £15,495,971 plus VAT.

    HM Revenue and Customs pays Concentrix within 25 working days of receipt of a valid and undisputed invoice. The contract provides for a commission payment of an initial invoice value, with a subsequent quarterly reconciliation mechanism which takes into account supplier performance via specific Quality Performance Indicators and Key Performance indicators.

    Payment to Concentrix is reduced accordingly in line with the contract should they fail to meet performance targets.

    The contract also provides for commission payments to be further corrected should savings, which have previously been reported by Concentrix, be adjusted following a successful appeal by a customer.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-10-13.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the introduction of the national living wage on the UK’s international competitiveness.

    Mr David Gauke

    The introduction of the National Living Wage marked an important step towards building an economy that works for everyone. It ensures that low-wage workers are fairly rewarded for their contribution to a growing economy. At £7.20, it is a 50p increase on the National Minimum Wage and means a pay rise for over a million workers aged 25 and over across the UK.

    The impact assessment for the National Living Wage is available at legislation.gov.uk. It covers the direct costs and benefits to businesses and employees, along with the indirect effects of the policy, including the macroeconomic and fiscal impacts.

  • Richard Graham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Richard Graham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Graham on 2016-10-13.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, for how long his Department plans that the Lifetime ISA will be on offer.

    Jane Ellison

    The Lifetime ISA will be available from April 2017. This is a long-term savings product and there will be no limit on how long people are able to hold funds in a Lifetime ISA for. The Government intends this to be a long-term reform and has no plans to limit the time that Lifetime ISAs will be available.