Category: Speeches

  • Lord Campbell-Savours – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Campbell-Savours – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Campbell-Savours on 2016-01-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to carry out an inquiry into VAT fraud in the London souvenir and gift trade.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) are committed to tackling tax avoidance, evasion and fraud at all levels to ensure everyone pays the right tax at the right time.

    HMRC introduced a series of taskforces in 2011 to target specific high risk sectors in certain locations. There are currently no plans for a taskforce dedicated to the London souvenir and gift trade, although that does not mean that HMRC takes no action against fraud in this sector.

    Other, existing taskforces – for example those focusing on London retail, indoor and outdoor markets, and VAT repayments – will have an impact on the sector. Additionally, the sector will be impacted through HMRC’s normal intelligence- and data-led way of identifying and addressing tax risks.

  • Lord Laird – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Lord Laird – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2016-02-23.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government why there have been no meetings of the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference since 26 February 2007.

    Lord Dunlop

    There have been no meetings of the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference since 26 February 2007 largely because the scope of the BIIGC agenda is now much narrower, given the completion of devolution and the fact that the political situation is more stable. The Conference remains part of the architecture of the Belfast Agreement, but is no longer used as the significant forum it was in the past for interaction between the UK and Irish Governments.

    Interaction between the governments of the UK and Ireland takes place regularly at all levels and in many different forums. These include an annual summit between the Prime Minister and the Taoiseach, and regular meetings between the heads of UK and Irish government departments.

  • Ann Clwyd – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Ann Clwyd – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ann Clwyd on 2016-03-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Turkish government on the conflict in South East Turkey and further steps to protect the civilian population in that region.

    Mr David Lidington

    We are aware of reports of civilian casualties in south east Turkey. The Turkish Government have said that 120 civilians and more than twice that number of Turkish police and military personnel have lost their lives in clashes between 20 July 2015 and 17 February 2016. We continue to believe Turkey has a legitimate right to defend itself against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), whose attacks we condemn as we condemn all terrorism. Our thoughts are with the victims of these attacks, and the civilians who have been caught up in the violence. As in any conflict, civilian casualties should be avoided and human rights need to be fully protected.

    The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), and our Ambassador in Turkey have emphasised to the Turkish government the need to respect human rights, avoid civilian casualties and return to the peace process. We have been clear, in public and private, that PKK violence must end and we support a return to the peace process, in the interests of Turkey and the region. We stand ready to help in any way we can. I raised these issues when I met Turkey’s Deputy Prime Minister on 12 March and with my Turkish counterpart the last time we met in August 2015.

  • 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 2016-04-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the new annual payments to infected individuals with stage 1 hepatitis C will be backdated to April 2016.

    Jane Ellison

    Under the reformed scheme, annual payments to the hepatitis C stage 1 cohort will be backdated to 1 April 2016.

  • John Baron – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    John Baron – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Baron on 2016-05-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the cost has been of delivering the HPV vaccination programme to girls excluding the cost of procuring the vaccine itself in each of the three most recent years for which data is available.

    Jane Ellison

    NHS England has had responsibility for the delivery of the human papillomavirus (HPV) immunisation programme as part of the public health function section 7a agreement from 2013/14. The cost of delivery is not separately identifiable at a national level from the total costs of the programme.

    Costs of the HPV programme are unable to be provided as this is deemed commercially sensitive information and would, or be likely to, prejudice the commercial interests of the supplier and/or programme.

  • The Countess of Mar – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The Countess of Mar – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Countess of Mar on 2016-07-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether it is possible for members of the public who encounter a motor vehicle producing visible emissions to report the matter and if so, to whom should they report.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    Members of the public can report excessively smoky lorries and buses to the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency through their website (https://www.gov.uk/report-smoky-vehicle). There is no similar reporting system for cars or other vehicles. However all vehicles must meet strict standards before they enter service, as well as standards which must be maintained at all times while a vehicle is in service. It is the owner’s responsibility to ensure that the vehicle meets the necessary limit requirements at all times.

  • Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many EU citizens resident in the UK are eligible to apply for permanent residency.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    EEA nationals who have exercised a Treaty right in the UK, for a continuous period of 5 years, acquire an EU right to reside here permanently. Exercising a Treaty right in the context means that the EEA national must have been a worker, a self employed person, a self sufficient person or a student.

    Once they have fulfilled the relevant criteria, an EEA national automatically acquires this EU right to reside here permanently. They do not need to apply for documentation confirming this right.

  • Luciana Berger – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Luciana Berger – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2015-11-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of jobcentres have a private room in which Improving Access to Psychological Therapies services can take place.

    Priti Patel

    The Budget 2015 provided £15 million over three years to co-locate Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) services in Jobcentres. We are looking to test co-location of IAPT services in two phases in 2015-2018. Within the first phase Canterbury Jobcentre is hosting their local IAPT service within private rooms on site. The second phase will test co-location of IAPT in a wider number of Jobcentres, which have yet to be selected. Some Jobcentres are independently building relationships with their local IAPT services under Freedom and Flexibilities.

  • Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-12-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 8 December 2015 to Question 18747, if he will publish the eligibility criteria for advance universal credit payments.

    Priti Patel

    To be eligible for a Universal Credit (UC) Advance payment, the claimant has to have an underlying entitlement to UC, be in financial need, and be able to afford to repay the Advance. These criteria are contained within the Social Security (Payments on Account of Benefit) Regulations 2013.

    If during the initial work search interview, a work coach identifies a claimant is in financial need, or cannot manage until they receive their first UC payment, they will advise them about advance payments.

  • Andrew Griffiths – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Andrew Griffiths – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Griffiths on 2016-01-25.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the (a) potential merits and (b) cost to the public purse of extending the class 1 secondary national insurance contributions exemption for employees aged under 21 to include employees aged under 25.

    Mr David Gauke

    The Government is determined to support young people into work. The existing Employer NICs relief for under 21 year olds recognises that the problem of youth unemployment is most acute for those at the youngest end of the scale. The Employer NICs relief for apprentices under 25 (to be introduced this April) focuses resources on those seeking to gain skills and experience through an apprenticeship to improve their employment prospects.

    HM Revenue and Customs does not routinely estimate the cost of extending tax or NICs reliefs, so an accurate assessment of the cost of extending the Employer NICs relief to all under 25s is not available. However, the Government keeps all taxes and tax reliefs under review as a matter of course. Any decision on extending these existing NICs reliefs would depend on whether this would offer value for money in helping young people find and stay in work.