Category: Speeches

  • Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick on 2016-02-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they plan to take to clarify the tax rules relating to fines imposed on banks.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    Fines imposed as a punishment by regulators are non-deductible for UK Corporation Tax purposes, while compensation expenditure arising from trading activity is in principle deductible.

    However, the government took steps in Finance Act (No2) 2015 to make compensation associated with bank misconduct and mis-selling non-deductible and offset the deductibility of administrative costs associated with this compensation through a taxable receipt. This action is forecast by the OBR to increase banks’ tax payments by around £1bn over the next 5 years.

  • Bernard Jenkin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    Bernard Jenkin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bernard Jenkin on 2016-03-04.

    To ask the Prime Minister, whether (a) he, (b) his officials or (c) advisers in his Department read the Duke of Cambridge’s speech at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of 16 February 2016 before it was given.

    Mr David Cameron

    No.

  • Bridget Phillipson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Bridget Phillipson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bridget Phillipson on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to present the new Buses Bill to Parliament.

    Andrew Jones

    Work continues on the drafting of the Bill. Its introduction will depend on the Parliamentary timetable, but we are working towards introducing the Bill in the next session.

  • Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-05-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has withdrawn the Code of Practice on how to prevent the spread of ragwort; and what plans she has to consult with stakeholders and bring forward regulations under the Ragwort Control Act 2003.

    George Eustice

    The Code of Practice on How to Prevent the Spread of Ragwort is not being withdrawn. The Code will remain available on the GOV.UK website and all interested parties will be consulted if any changes are made in the future.

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-06-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reports from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that ISIS has (1) executed five activists who had been collecting evidence of ISIS genocide and crimes against humanity, (2) murdered the editor of Hentah, and (3) wounded the founder of the Syrian news site Eye on the Homeland; and what discussions they have held with the government of Turkey about bringing to justice those responsible for those crimes.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We are aware of these reports, which appear to be further examples of Daesh crimes in the region. The Government continues to support the collection of evidence against Daesh and pays tribute to those risking their lives to document its atrocities. We are working tirelessly with our Coalition partners, including Turkey, to defeat Daesh and ensure that those responsible for committing atrocities are held to account.

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-09-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of total spending on High Speed 2 has been on (a) wages and (b) performance bonuses.

    Andrew Jones

    From 2009-10 to 2015-16, the Government spent £1.4bn on the HS2 programme. The total payroll costs for HS2 Ltd permanent staff for the same period were £94.6m, out of which £113.5k was spent on performance related pay.

  • Kate Green – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Kate Green – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many of his Department’s policies have been assessed against the family test; what steps he has taken to publish the outcome of such assessments; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Family Test was announced by the Prime Minister in August 2014 and introduced in October 2014. Department of Work and Pensions published guidance for Departments and officials on how the Test should be applied when formulating policy and my Department follows that guidance- Family Test Guidance

    The Family Test is an integral part of the policy making process and is applied in a proportionate way in the development of all new policy in line with the Family Test guidance. As a result potential impacts of policy on family functioning and relationships are considered as part of the normal process of agreeing policy and any outcomes will be incorporated into the impact assessments published on legislation.gov.uk.

    “

  • Lord Greaves – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Lord Greaves – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Greaves on 2015-12-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the expected yield of an increase of two per cent in the council tax levied by each local authority with adult social care responsibilities, and in each case how much that is per (1) head of population, and (2) number of households.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    The Government announced on 17 December 2015, Official Report, Column 2238-2241, that Local Authorities with social care responsibilities will be able to increase their council tax by up to 2% above the core referendum principles of 2% (4% in total) which is expected to raise an extra £2billion by 2019/20. A breakdown of the £2billion, by how much individual local authorities could raise, has been made and can be viewed at the following link or in the attached document.

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/486708/Core_spending_power_supporting_information.xlsx

    “

  • Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information her Department holds on research taking place to find alternatives to neonicotinoid pesticides.

    George Eustice

    Research to bring individual insecticides to the market is carried out by pesticide companies. A number of public bodies fund research into pest control chemicals, biological controls and cultural methods. This includes funding from Innovate UK through mechanisms including the Agri-Tech Catalyst, which helps develop innovative solutions to challenges in crop production. Defra research into alternatives to current chemical pesticides can be found at http://randd.defra.gov.uk.

    “

  • Lord Turnberg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Turnberg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Turnberg on 2016-02-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Palestine about recent pronouncements by Mr Abbas praising the actions of Palestinians who have killed Israeli civilians.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    On 17 December, our Deputy Consul General in Jerusalem raised comments attributed to President Abbas, characterising events since last October as a “justified popular uprising”, with the President’s Diplomatic Adviser, Majdi Khaldi. Mr Khaldi informed us that President Abbas condemned violence against Israelis and Palestinians.

    On several occasions in recent months, our Consul General in Jerusalem has expressed our deep concern about comments made by other Palestinian figures.