UKPOL.CO.UK

Category: Speeches

  • Danny Kinahan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Danny Kinahan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Danny Kinahan on 2015-10-27.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent steps his Department has taken to encourage the development of enterprise zones in Northern Ireland.

    Greg Hands

    In Northern Ireland, many of the benefits associated with Enterprise Zones are the devolved responsibility of the Northern Ireland Executive.

    The 2013 economic pact, Building a Prosperous and United Community, indicated that the Government would consider designating a range of sites within any Northern Ireland Enterprise Zone as eligible for Enhanced Capital Allowances, which as part of the UK’s tax system remain a non-devolved responsibility.

    In March 2014 the NI Executive indicated that it was considering creating a pilot Enterprise Zone near Coleraine. The Government remains open to examining the case for offering Enhanced Capital Allowances at that, or alternative, locations when proposals are brought forward by the Executive.

    Budget 2014 announced that businesses located within the Executive’s proposed pilot Enterprise Zone near Coleraine will benefit from enhanced capital allowances until 2020. I understand the Executive continues to work towards the implementation of this pilot Enterprise Zone.

  • John Mann – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    John Mann – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Mann on 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of UK aid in improving access to family planning in the last five years.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    Our investments aim to reach 24 million additional women and girls by 2020. We are on track to meet this.

  • Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2016-01-21.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the timetable for the Transport for London and Department for Transport partnership to take control of the suburban rail routes in London.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    We are going to work with Transport for London (TfL), local authorities, Local Enterprise Partnership and others over the next few months to set up the Partnership announced on 21st January 2016 but the timetable for the formation of the partnership has yet to be agreed.

    Depending on responses to the Prospectus and being able to agree satisfactory terms, transfers of the suburban services could take place when franchises end (the dates are as per the prospectus). We are exploring with TfL whether a separate business unit can be created for South West Trains.

  • Paul Flynn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Paul Flynn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2016-02-09.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the loan guarantee facility offered by his Department to EDF Energy for construction of the twin Hinkley Point C nuclear power plants will be conditional on the prior successful operation of the same model elsewhere in the world before entering into force.

    Greg Hands

    The Chancellor announced in September 2015 an initial guarantee of £2 billion of bonds which must be repaid by December 2020 by the shareholders of the project company. There is no further obligation to issue guarantees after that date.

  • Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2016-03-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the impact of tax regimes in each Crown Dependency and British Overseas Territory on tax receipts from individuals.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    The information requested is not available in this format.

    HM Revenue and Customs publishes estimates of the tax gap each year. The latest edition was published on 22 October 2015 and is available on the gov.uk website.

    Estimates are made for all major taxes, including corporation tax and income tax. However, this information is not broken down in such a way that can be used to identify the loss of tax receipts due to the tax regimes requested.

  • Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-04-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her policy is on whether academies will be able to employ unqualified teachers when all schools become academies.

    Edward Timpson

    Since August 2012, the funding agreements for all new academies has given the academy trust the freedom to employ anyone it believes is suitably qualified or is otherwise eligible to plan and prepare lessons and courses for pupils, teach pupils, and assess and report on pupils’ development, progress and attainment. Academies set up prior to this date can apply to the Education Funding Agency to have their funding agreement amended.

    As set out in our White Paper, Educational Excellence Everywhere, we will replace Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) with a stronger, more challenging accreditation based on a teacher’s effectiveness in the classroom, as judged by great schools. This new accreditation will raise the quality and status of the teaching profession, better recognising advanced subject knowledge and pedagogy that is rooted in up-to-date evidence, ensuring the highest quality of teaching is paramount to the success of each school. Headteachers know this, which is why we trust them to employ staff that they believe to be best qualified for the job – including whether to make this accreditation a mandatory requirement or not, considering how to weigh it against other qualifications and experience the potential teacher may bring.

  • Nick Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Nick Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Smith on 2016-05-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the annual budget is for food produced for her Department’s offices; and what proportion of food produced for her Department was sourced from British producers in the last period for which figures are available.

    Mrs Theresa Villiers

    There is no specific budget allocated for food produced within the Departmen; figures which detail the origin of food produced are not held by my department.

  • Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2016-07-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 30 June 2016 to Question 40488, on civil service recruitment, who has been appointed the board level diversity champion in his Department.

    Joseph Johnson

    Gareth Davies, Director General for Business and Science, is the Department’s board-level diversity champion.

  • Baroness Randerson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Baroness Randerson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Randerson on 2016-10-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they plan to address the shortfall in revenue from Vehicle Excise Duty since October 2014.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The amount of vehicle excise duty (VED) collected varies year on year. The Office of Budgetary Responsibility forecast that VED revenue would fall by £300 million in 2015-16. The actual reduction of £93 million was principally caused by the ever increasing number of fuel-efficient cars on the road which attract a lower rate of VED, as well as a small increase in evasion.

    The DVLA operates a comprehensive package of measures to tackle VED evasion. These measures range from reminder letters, penalties and court prosecutions through to the use of Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras, wheel-clamping and the removal of unlicensed vehicles. The latest figures show that 98.6% of all motorists comply with the requirement to pay VED.

  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-10-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the number of people sustaining serious injuries as a result of playing rugby in each of the last five years.

    Tracey Crouch

    DCMS does not hold information or data on the comparative health risks resulting from taking part in major sports.