Category: Speeches

  • 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 2016-05-26.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of corporation tax receipts from the digital economy sector in 2015-16.

    Mr David Gauke

    We cannot make an estimate of the corporation tax receipts from the digital economy.

    During the international work on corporate tax avoidance in the digital economy, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development agreed that the digital economy cannot be ringfenced for tax purposes. This is because it is becoming impossible to say what is and is not part of the digital economy, due to digital aspects permeating the economy as a whole.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-07-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps members of the public can take to ensure that their local authorities comply with the National Planning Policy Framework.

    Gavin Barwell

    There are many ways in which local people can ensure that Local Planning Authorities have regard to the policies in the National Planning Policy Framework when carrying out their planning functions.

    Local Plans prepared by Local Planning Authorities are assessed against requirements of the National Planning Policy Framework as part of the tests of soundness. There are opportunities at various stages for communities to comment on the Local Plan including at publication stage. Each local council must prepare a Statement of Community Involvement. This should set out a local council’s policy for involving communities in the preparation and revision of its Local Plan.

    Local Planning Authorities are required to make decisions on planning applications in accordance with the development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise. The National Planning Policy Framework is such a material consideration. There are opportunities for communities to comment on planning applications.

    Neighbourhood planning also provides a powerful set of tools for local people to ensure they get the right types of development for their community, where the ambition of the neighbourhood is aligned with the strategic needs and priorities of the wider local area. Communities are able to choose where they want new homes, shops and offices to be built, have their say on what those new buildings should look like, and what infrastructure should be provided, and grant planning permission for the new buildings they want to see go ahead.

  • Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions he has had with the Home Secretary on work permits and immigration rules for EU citizens working in the construction and building trades after the UK leaves the EU.

    Gavin Barwell

    The Secretary of State meets with the Home Secretary and other stakeholders regularly to discuss a wide range of policy issues.

  • Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick on 2015-10-28.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the reasons for the slowing of economic growth in Q3.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    The Government’s economic plan is working. In Q3 2015, the economy grew 0.5 per cent – the 11th consecutive quarter of quarter-on-quarter growth – and 2.3 per cent in the year to Q3 2015. The economy is now 12.4 per cent larger than at the start of the 2010. The UK is forecast by the OECD to be the joint fastest growing economy in the G7 in 2015.

  • Philip Davies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Philip Davies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2015-11-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 3 November 2015 to Question 13471, whether the Government’s proposed standardised packaging of tobacco policy will now be reassessed against the revised one-in-two-out framework criteria published by the Better Regulation Executive after that policy was finalised.

    Jane Ellison

    Government policies, including standardised packaging of tobacco products, are assessed against the Better Regulation Framework in place at the time.

  • Mary Creagh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Mary Creagh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mary Creagh on 2015-12-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much her Department has spent on the Darwin Initiative in each year since 2010.

    Rory Stewart

    The Darwin Initiative has funded biodiversity projects in developing countries since 1992 and is managed by Defra. Since 2011 it has been co-funded by Defra and the Department for International Development (DFID). The total expenditure on Darwin Initiative projects and running costs since 2010 is as follows:

    2010/11 – £6.1 million

    2011/12 – £4.3 million

    2012/13 – £5.7 million

    2013/14 – £6 million

    2014/15 – £6.9 million

    Darwin Initiative funding from DFID can only be spent on projects which meet Official Development Assistance (ODA) criteria and this ODA expenditure (reported by calendar year) is as follows:

    2010 – Zero

    2011 – £2.4 million

    2012 – £2.4 million

    2013 – £3.1 million

    2014 – £5.3 million

    Defra additionally manages the Overseas Territories Environment and Climate Fund (also known as Darwin Plus) which is co-funded by Defra, DFID and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). The total expenditure since it was established in 2012 is as follows:

    2013/14 – £720,000

    2014/15 – £1.8 million

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-01-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the total number of people from the UK who have joined Daesh.

    Mr John Hayes

    We believe approximately 800 UK linked individuals of national security concern have travelled to take part in the Syrian conflict since it began. Of those who are known to have travelled, about half have returned.

  • Mark Durkan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Mark Durkan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Durkan on 2016-02-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if his Department, NHS England and NICE will publish work undertaken to analyse variation between areas in treatment for patients during the transition from the current Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) to proposed a new CDF scheme.

    George Freeman

    NHS England has advised that it plans to publish analyses of variation in use of Cancer Drug Fund (CDF) drug indications according to geographical areas in the spring of 2016 and then routinely in the future for the new CDF.

  • Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-03-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools participated in the Schools Direct programme in each year since 2010.

    Nick Gibb

    The School Direct programme began in 2012. School Direct lead school information was not published prior to 2013/14 and partner school information was not collected prior to 2015/16. The summary data below reflects this:

    2013/14

    2014/15

    2015/16

    2016/17

    Number of School Direct lead schools

    788

    887

    773

    818

    Number of partner schools

    No data available

    No data available

    8,184

    8,956
  • Derek Twigg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Derek Twigg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Derek Twigg on 2016-04-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much was spent from the public purse on the maintenance of NHS buildings in each year since 2010.

    George Freeman

    The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the following table.

    Data is collected annually in the Estates Return Information Collection from the National Health Service for maintenance service costs (prior to 2013-14 the data collected was “total building and engineering maintenance costs”). The data for 2010 onwards is provided for the NHS below:

    £ million

    2010-11

    768.46

    2011-12

    751.40

    2012-13

    753.64

    2013-14

    756.06

    2014-15

    749.82

    The data is provided as received from the NHS and has not been amended centrally.