Category: Speeches

  • Angus Brendan MacNeil – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Angus Brendan MacNeil – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Brendan MacNeil on 2015-11-04.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to equalise the treatment of UK refinery manufactured finished petroleum products compared to imported fuels when products leave the UK customs bonded oil storage location in respect of imposition of VAT and duty.

    Damian Hinds

    Hydrocarbon oil becomes liable to duty and VAT when it is released for consumption in the UK. This is either: when it is imported; or when it is produced in the UK and delivered for home use from a refinery. Where hydrocarbon oil is imported to an excise warehouse, the duty and VAT is due when the oil is released for home use from the warehouse.

    This administratively simple fuel duty system reduces the number of taxpayers and ensures that there is minimal fraud by reducing opportunities for criminals to infiltrate the supply chain. As a result, fuel duty is a large and stable source of revenue for the Exchequer, raising £27.2 billion in financial year 2014/15, with a very low tax gap of less than £100m. Allowing the movement of fuel on which duty and VAT has not yet been paid within the UK would add complexity to the administration of the tax and increase the opportunities for tax evasion. For these reasons the government has no plans to change the fuel duty or VAT point.

    One of this government’s key priorities, as we transition to a low carbon economy, is to ensure a secure and resilient oil supply at affordable prices, whilst supporting investment and jobs. Following a review of the refining and import sectors by the previous government in 2014, a package of actions was developed, designed to help improve the operating environment for the refining and import sectors. These actions focus on three areas: a partnership approach with industry; removing market distortions; and tackling regulatory burden.

  • Ms Margaret Ritchie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Ms Margaret Ritchie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ms Margaret Ritchie on 2015-12-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will reintroduce the Super Highway Broadband Voucher Scheme; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The £40m government-funded Broadband Connection Voucher Scheme – which closed to new applications on 12 October 2015 – was a huge success, issuing well over 50,000 vouchers, as well as funding the cost of installation of wi-fi in more than 1500 public buildings. We have no plans to reintroduce the scheme, though it is worth noting that some commercial providers, such as Virgin media, are now offering free installation of business broadband.

  • Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-12-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many staff worked for the UK Trade and Investment Defence and Security Organisation on 1 April 2015; and what the budget of that organisation is for 2015-16.

    Anna Soubry

    At 1 April 2015 the UK Trade & Investment Defence and Security Organisation had 140 staff-in-post. As at 1 April the 2015-16 budget for UKTI DSO was £9.75M NET.

  • Douglas Chapman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Douglas Chapman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many companies based in Scotland have expressed an interest in trading with Iran; and what steps the Government is taking to increase trade between Scotland and Iran.

    Anna Soubry

    The Government does not currently hold information centrally on how many companies have expressed an interest in trading with Iran.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-02-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to improve rail infrastructure and service in the south of England.

    Claire Perry

    As part of our Rail Investment Strategy, the Government is investing over £15 billion in enhancements to the rail network. This includes the modernisation of the Great Western Main Line, and investing £700 million on infrastructure in the most congested routes in London and the South East. In addition, we are delivering the £14.8bn Crossrail and £6.5bn Thameslink projects.

    Further, our franchising programme is delivering valuable passenger benefits, such as smart ticketing and faster services.

  • Gerald Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Gerald Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gerald Jones on 2016-03-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what account is taken when assessing people for personal independence payments of the need for aids and appliances as a proxy of the condition of the person being assessed.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The PIP Assessment Guide for Health Professionals carrying out assessments includes guidance on the assessment criteria and how they should be applied.

    Section 3.2 ‘Applying the criteria’ (page 75) explains how to assess a person who is reliant on aids and appliances to complete an activity. This guidance can be accessed on the gov.uk website:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/449043/pip-assessment-guide.pdf

    “

  • Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 10 February 2016 to Question 25543, whether the definition of UK troops includes members of the (a) Joint Cyber Unit (Reserve), (b) 13 Squadron of the Royal Air Force and (c) 39 Squadron of the Royal Air Force.

    Penny Mordaunt

    I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to Question 32570 on 11 April 2016.

    “

  • Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, on how many occasions has the personal independence payment (PIP) telephone has been unobtainable to the public in 2016; and how many people calling to enquire about PIP have been affected by those incidents.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The total number of calls made to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) Claims and Enquiry lines that were unable to access our services due to heavy demand at peak periods including customers receiving a busy or engaged tone are set out below, this covers the period 1 January to 30 April 2016:

    Calls Received

    Calls not Connected

    % Not connected

    PIP Claims

    411,147

    168

    0.04%

    PIP Enquiries

    1,113,803

    18,949

    1.70%

    The department employs the following contingency arrangements to reduce the level of unanswered calls::

    • assigning staff that are undertaking clerical work to take calls for busy periods,
    • opening extra hours and ask for staff to volunteer to take additional calls
    • postponing non-priority offline time (L+D, team meetings etc.) to meet the demands of the customers
    • increasing the amount of open lines before a call is blocked by the network.
  • Martin Docherty-Hughes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Martin Docherty-Hughes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Martin Docherty-Hughes on 2016-06-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions his Department has had with airport operators on responding to incidents involving unmanned drones and aircraft.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Department for Transport (DfT) and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) work with a wide range of industry partners across the aviation sector, (including manufacturers, airports, and airlines), to ensure our understanding of potential hazards to aircraft remains up-to-date. Further work is underway to better understand the risk posed by flying drones close to commercial planes to ensure that regulations remain fit for purpose.

  • Kate Green – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Kate Green – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2016-09-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to increase the number of accessible taxis in the UK.

    Andrew Jones

    Government is committed to giving disabled people the same access to transport services as other members of society. It also recognises the particularly significant role played by taxis and private hire vehicle (PHV) operators for many disabled people, in helping them to remain active and independent.

    It is for local authorities to specify a number of accessible vehicles to be within their licensed taxi and private hire vehicle fleet, and to take account of their public sector equality duties when doing so.