Category: Speeches

  • John Mc Nally – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    John Mc Nally – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Mc Nally on 2015-11-09.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether it is his policy to maintain the level of funding to the NHS from national insurance contributions (NICs) regardless of the overall amount raised by NICs; and if he will make a statement.

    Greg Hands

    By 2020-21, the Government will increase funding for the NHS by £10 billion a year in real terms compared to 2014-15 to support the transformation of services across the country. This investment is £2bn more than the NHS asked for, and will help deliver the Government’s objective in moving to a seven day NHS by 2020.

    The Government does not commit to achieving a specific level of funding to the NHS from National Insurance contributions (NICs). Instead, a fixed proportion of each class of NICs receipts (from employees, the self-employed and employers) is allocated directly to the NHS; this adds up to about 20% of NICs receipts. The rest of NHS funding comes from general taxation.

  • Lord Rowe-Beddoe – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Rowe-Beddoe – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Rowe-Beddoe on 2015-12-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the reply by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 30 November (HL Deb, col 931–3) about the non-devolution of the long-haul element of air passenger duty to Wales, how they differentiate between Edinburgh and Newcastle, and Cardiff and Bristol with respect to state aid.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    As set out in the St David’s Day Agreement, the government is considering the case and options for devolving powers to the Welsh Assembly over air passenger duty (APD). Any next steps pursued by the government will comply with EU State aid rules on tax devolution.

    Discussion of State aid is relevant to options we are considering to mitigate the effects of APD devolution with respect to English airports. In July, the government published a discussion paper on several options to do this. We will respond to the consultation and announce next steps in due course.

  • Chi Onwurah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Chi Onwurah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-01-13.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of (a) the number of websites using the HM Revenue and Customs logo without permission and (b) how many people have paid to use them; and what steps he is taking to identify and proceed against such websites.

    Mr David Gauke

    HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has a dedicated Customer Protection Team, within its Cyber Security capability, who proactively seek out websites abusing their brand. Such websites fall into two categories: fraudulent websites that seek to dupe unsuspecting customers into divulging personal information and websites which inappropriately use the HMRC brand and/or logo in order to purvey an affiliation with HMRC when offering services to customers.

    HMRC’s Customer Protection Team has taken down over 15,000 fraudulent websites in the last year and taken successful action against 130 websites inappropriately using the HMRC brand.

    The Customer Protection Team utilises a blended approach of internally developed tools and processes alongside partnerships with leading third parties, search engines and enforcement agencies, such as the National Trading Standards Board e-Crime Unit, to take action against any websites using the HMRC logo or brand without permission, undertaking criminal proceedings where appropriate.

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 8 February 2016 to Question 25818, on NHS England: Deloitte, how many policies NHS England is working on with Deloitte and its clinical reference group.

    George Freeman

    Due to the need to safeguard commercial-in-confidence information, we are unable to provide a breakdown of the number of policies completed within the contract.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-02-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average amount of time was that a prisoner spent on education or work-related activities at HMP Wormwood Scrubs in the last period for which figures are available.

    Andrew Selous

    Our prison system needs reform. Without reform, there will be more reoffending, more crime, more victims and the public will be less safe. We want prisons to be places of hard work, rigorous education and high ambition, with incentives for prisoners to learn and for prison staff to prioritise education and work. Prison should help offenders get the skills and qualifications to make a success of life on the outside. When so many come into custody illiterate and innumerate it would be a travesty if we didn’t get them reading and writing when they are in our care.

    Of the 1251 prisoners at HMP Wormwood, 665 are either remand or non-EU foreign national (FNO) prisoners. Non-EU FNO prisoners are not eligible for employment on release and therefore education funding for this cohort mainly concentrates on English as a second language and basic literacy and numeracy provision. Remand prisoners are not required to work though are able to access education if they choose to.

    There are 556 activity spaces available daily at Wormwood Scrubs which involve work or education. There are a further 108 spaces related to resettlement activities or addressing reoffending needs.

  • Debbie Abrahams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Debbie Abrahams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Debbie Abrahams on 2016-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many care leavers aged 18 to 25 have had sanctions overturned or reduced on reconsideration or appeal in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15.

    Priti Patel

    The information requested in respect of care leavers is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-05-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of the proposed removal of Government support for solar thermal energy on the (a) UK solar thermal and (b) solar cylinder manufacturing industry.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Government’s recent consultation on reform of the Renewable Heat Incentive included a proposal to withdraw RHI support for solar thermal technologies. The consultation closed on 27 April. In taking a decision on the future of support for solar thermal we will consider all relevant factors including potential effects on the UK supply chain.

  • Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2016-06-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many visitors from the EU came to the UK in (1) 2000, (2) 2010, and (3) 2015.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    In 2010 there were 20.3 million visits to the UK from the EU, and 24.2 million in 2015. This data is not available for 2000. This Government is committed to further increasing the number of visitors to the UK and growing the tourism industry across the whole of Britain, as set out in our Five Point Plan, which can be found on the attached report.

  • Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick on 2016-09-06.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the possible impact of Brexit on workers’ pensions.

    Lord Freud

    The period since the referendum has seen movements in market conditions that could have a material impact on pension schemes funding positions. However, the precise effect will depend on a number of factors including how assets are allocated and the approach to hedging. It is important to remember that pensions are invested in the long-term. We continue to monitor the impact.

  • Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town on 2016-10-21.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the percentage of drivers or riders involved in a road accident who were given a breath test, for each of the last five years; and what assessment they have made of the change, if any, in that percentage.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    A significant majority of road accidents are damage-only incidents where all participants exchange insurance and contact details. In line with s170 of the Road Traffic Act there is no requirement to report these incidents to the police and, unless there is a specific need for it, the police will not attend the scene. In these cases no breath tests are carried out and the accident is not recorded.

    As a result, it is impossible to state what percentage of drivers involved in all accidents are given a breath test as the total number of drivers involved in accidents is unknown.