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  • Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb on 2015-09-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have sought, or intend to seek, funding outside their own resources (1) in Europe, and (2) globally, for a road-widening solution for the A303 that avoids the entire surface area of the Stonehenge part of the World Heritage Site by the use of a tunnel.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The Road Investment Strategy is clear that the A303 Amesbury to Berwick Down scheme involves a tunnel of at least 1.8 miles (2.9 kilometres). Highways England is in the early stage of scheme development, looking at options, including the length of tunnel. Consultation on options will take place in 2017 and will involve stakeholders, local residents, businesses, road users and interested parties.

    Highways England does not yet have reliable cost estimates for a 2.8 miles (4.5 kilometres), or 4.3 miles (7 kilometres) tunnel. This information would become available during the consideration of options. The A303/A30/A358 Corridor Feasibility Study indicated that the cost estimate for a 1.8 miles (2.9 kilometres) tunnel is in the range of £864m to £1321m.

    To date, Highways England has not sought funding outside of their own resources to fund a solution for the A303 past Stonehenge although this does not preclude them from considering other funding sources in the future.

  • Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb on 2015-09-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend fully to honour Article 4 of the 1972 Convention Concerning the Protection of the World’s Heritage in respect of any future A303 dualling scheme at Stonehenge; and if not, whether they intend to withdraw as a signatory to the World Heritage Convention.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    This Government will continue to honour its obligations under article 4 of the World Heritage Convention regarding the Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site. We are committed to working with UNESCO and its advisory bodies to ensure that the Outstanding Universal Value of the World Heritage Site is taken into consideration in any forthcoming road scheme. We will be closely monitoring the development of any such scheme as it progresses.

  • Thangam Debbonaire – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Thangam Debbonaire – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2015-09-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that criterion 8 of the consolidated EU Licensing Criteria document is consistently applied to all export licences.

    Anna Soubry

    The Department for International Development (DFID) is responsible for assessing licence applications against Criterion 8. DFID considers export licence applications destined to all International Development Association eligible countries and may also ask to see applications in respect of other countries of concern. Further information on DFID’s role is given in the Government’s Strategic Export Controls Annual Report for 2014, which was presented to Parliament on 16 July 2015 and is also available on the gov.uk website.

  • Stuart Blair Donaldson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Stuart Blair Donaldson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stuart Blair Donaldson on 2015-09-17.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of shell companies being used to invest corrupt money in the UK in each of the last 10 years; and what steps he plans to take to tighten related money laundering regulations.

    Harriett Baldwin

    The opaque nature of such structures means that we are unable to produce an accurate estimate of how many are used to invest corrupt money in the UK. That is one reason why the Prime Minister put beneficial ownership transparency at the heart of the UK’s G8 Presidency in 2013. The Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act received Royal Assent earlier this year and established a public register of company beneficial ownership information. This register will be operational from June 2016. The Act also abolished bearer shares and introduced a requirement for all company directors to be natural persons.

    In Europe, we worked hard during the negotiation of the 4th Anti-Money Laundering Directive to encourage European partners to match our level of ambition to ensure that criminal activity would not simply be displaced. The Directive was formally adopted in June 2015 and requires all Member States to implement central registers of company beneficial ownership will access for competent authorities, obliged entities and those with a legitimate interest. Member states have until June 2017 to transpose these requirements.

    The Government is continuing to take strong action to make the UK a hostile environment for corrupt money and to make it increasingly difficult for criminals to abuse corporate structures. We will shortly publish the UK’s first National Risk Assessment of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing and have committed to publishing an Anti-Money Laundering Action Plan to address those issues which are highlighted by the National Risk Assessment.

  • Stuart Blair Donaldson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Stuart Blair Donaldson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stuart Blair Donaldson on 2015-09-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when he expects the Land Registry to publish data on which foreign countries own which land property titles in England and Wales.

    Anna Soubry

    Land Registry has no plans to publish data on which foreign countries hold land and property titles in England and Wales.

  • Stuart Blair Donaldson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Stuart Blair Donaldson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stuart Blair Donaldson on 2015-09-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps the Government has taken to make property ownership by foreign companies more transparent.

    Anna Soubry

    The Prime Minister stated during a speech made in Singapore on 28 July that he will consult on the best way forward to extending what we ask of UK companies to foreign companies.

    He has also asked Land Registry from this autumn to publish data on which foreign companies own which land and property titles in England and Wales.

  • Stuart Blair Donaldson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Stuart Blair Donaldson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stuart Blair Donaldson on 2015-09-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps the Government is taking to reform company law to require the disclosure of beneficial controlling interests of offshore companies.

    Anna Soubry

    From next year companies registered in the UK will be required to hold a register of people with significant influence or control over them. This information will be filed with Companies House, which will maintain a central, publicly accessible register.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Caroline Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2015-09-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to his Department’s Research Paper No. 235, on pregnancy and maternity-related discrimination and disadvantages, what estimate his Department has made of the annual cost to the economy of women forced out of work on account of their pregnancy or maternity leave.

    Nick Boles

    The paper referred to provides interim research results on potential pregnancy and maternity-related discrimination and disadvantage in the workplace. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, in collaboration with the Equality and Human Rights Commission, is undertaking further analysis, to be published later this year, which may include some financial information, where estimates are possible.

  • Gavin Newlands – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Gavin Newlands – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Newlands on 2015-09-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will make an assessment of the contribution of trades unions to the national economy.

    Nick Boles

    Trade unions have a constructive role to play in maintaining positive industrial relations. The British Social Attitudes Survey and the Workplace Employment Relations Survey provide information on how the population, employers and union members view the services and activities of Trade Unions. The Office for National Statistics publishes estimates of the approximate Gross Added Value for Trade Union activities as well as the number of disputes (and days lost to industrial action).

  • Greg Knight – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Greg Knight – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Knight on 2015-09-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will require restaurants and take-away food outlets selling meals described as fish to specify the species of fish the dish contains.

    George Eustice

    There are no plans to require restaurants and take-away food outlets to specify the fish species being offered for sale. However this information should be available to the owners or managers of these establishments, so they could let their customers know which fish they are buying if they are asked.

    The general provisions of the Food Safety Act 1990, General Food Law Regulation 178/2002, and the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 make it an offence to label or present food in a false or misleading way. A failure to adequately describe or label fish species in a food may constitute an offence under these rules.