Category: Speeches

Chi Onwurah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-04-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions he has had with the (a) Law Society and (b) other representatives of the legal profession on the issuing of seven day notices of legal proceedings at the same time as invoices for payment to consumers.

Mr Shailesh Vara

Ministers at the Ministry of Justice have had no such discussions with the Law Society or other representatives of the legal profession on this issue.

01/01/2023
Richard Arkless – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Arkless on 2016-06-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assistance the Government plans to provide to broadband suppliers to meet the terms of the Universal Services Obligation.

Mr Edward Vaizey

Universal Service Providers responsible for delivering the broadband Universal Service Obligation (USO) will be designated by Ofcom following changes to primary and secondary legislation. No decision has been taken yet on funding the USO’s delivery .

01/01/2023

Sarah Wollaston – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Wollaston on 2016-09-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many callouts have been recorded for each coastguard rescue team along the south coast from Plymouth to Selsey Bill in each of the last five years.

Mr John Hayes

The number of incidents recorded for each Coastguard Rescue Team along the south coast from Plymouth to Selsey Bill in each of the last five years is shown below:

	Bigbury	Bembridge	Beer	Berry Head	Dartmouth	Exmouth	Hope Cove	Kimmeridge
2011	15	75	37	115	52	105	28	24
2012	25	67	38	95	32	93	36	21
2013	16	60	32	86	38	54	16	7
2014	29	71	31	93	55	63	36	15
2015	20	42	26	86	20	48	78	17

	Lymington	Lulworth	Lyme Regis	Newport IOW	Portland Bill	Plymouth	Poole	Prawle
2011	88	40	46		67	73	138	23
2012	69	45	52		53	62	131	15
2013	47	42	33		58	50	95	24
2014	52	26	44		54	48	98	34
2015	48	31	43	22	40	87	71	8

	Selsey	Southampton	Swanage	Torbay	Teignmouth	Ventnor	West Bay	Wyke	Yealm
2011	1	123	133	143	89	44	38	192	18
2012		84	145	137	64	26	43	152	14
2013		69	110	124	71	40	34	119	18
2014		121	108	122	74	41	30	83	26
2015		144	81	90	66	37	29		7

01/01/2023

Phil Boswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Phil Boswell on 2016-10-13.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what communication has taken place between the UK Financial Ombudsman Service, the Bank of England and the Channel Islands Financial Ombudsman in relation to protection for investors in Providence Bonds and Providence Bonds II.

Simon Kirby

The government is unable to comment on the communications of external bodies.

01/01/2023
Lord Ahmed – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ahmed on 2015-11-03.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government which categories of United Kingdom visa application processes are outsourced; which companies have been given the right to process those applications; and whether those companies have been provided with guidance in relation to religious and cultural sensitivities.

Lord Bates

UKVI has two suppliers, VFS and Teleperformance, who are contracted to run UK Visa Application Centres (VACs) overseas. Their role is to capture visa applicants’ biometrics and forward their visa application documentation to the Home Office run Decision Making Centres (DMCs). Once Home Office staff have decided an application, the decision is returned to the customer via the suppliers. The suppliers have no role in visa decision making.

VACs are generally staffed and managed by local nationals, so staff should be aware of any local cultural and religious sensitivities. Where local sensitivities require special arrangements, such as ensuring that there are female as well as male security guards or privacy when capturing biometrics, UKVI ensure the arrangements are in place by setting out requirements in the contract, providing guidance and training and through inspection visits.

01/01/2023
Lord Donoughue – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Donoughue on 2015-11-30.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of the £361,446,114 spent on DfID’s Programme Partnership Arrangements in the 2011–14 round was spent: (1) overseas, and (2) on UK staff and advocacy efforts in the UK

Baroness Verma

DFID does not hold details of the proportion of funding spent through the Programme Partnership Arrangements (PPAs) overseas and on UK staff. PPAs are not used for any campaigning or advocacy efforts in the UK.

The PPAs are strategic level arrangements with Civil Society Organisations based around mutually agreed outcomes. Organisations have individual performance frameworks against which they formally report against on an annual basis. Funding is flexible and not tied to specific interventions or initiatives.

01/01/2023
Neil Parish – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Parish on 2016-01-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what criteria her Department plans to use to determine which biomass combined heat and power schemes receive support under the Renewable Heat Incentive scheme.

Andrea Leadsom

To be eligible for Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) support, all biomass combined heat and power (CHP) must be certified by the Combined Heat and Power Quality Assurance (CHPQA) scheme, and must demonstrate that they have a valid CHPQA certificate. Any installation claiming the CHP Renewable Obligation Certificate uplift will not be eligible for receiving support under the RHI scheme.

We intend to reform the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) to improve value for money and reduce costs; improve cost control and budget management; and ensure the scheme focuses more on our long-term needs, while contributing to both our carbon and renewable energy targets. We plan to consult on the changes shortly. Therefore, I am unable to make specific commitments as to the future shape of the scheme at this point.

01/01/2023
Jim McMahon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim McMahon on 2016-02-01.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many commercial organisations have reached a negotiated settlement with HM Revenue and Customs on the amount of tax owed to the public purse since 2010.

Mr David Gauke

Disputes with taxpayers of all types as to the right amount of tax that is due are a normal part of tax administration. There is huge variation in the nature of tax disputes depending on the complexity of the taxpayer’s behaviour, the amount and type of tax at stake and the transactions undertaken. Under its statutory powers, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) resolves most civil tax disputes by agreement and without resorting to litigation where the settlement secures the tax that HMRC believes is due under the law. If the right amount can’t be agreed, the dispute goes to litigation at the Tribunal. For any dispute, HMRC’s decision on how it should be resolved is taken by the final appropriate decision maker with appropriate management oversight. For the majority of cases this will constitute authorisation by a case worker’s line manager. However, the most significant and sensitive cases are considered by three Commissioners.

01/01/2023
Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-02-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the rate of pay is for cleaners in her Department.

Nick Gibb

The hourly rate of pay for cleaners working in buildings managed by the Department for Education is between £7.85 and £9.15 depending on location and duration of tenure.

The Government Equality Office is based within buildings managed by the Department for Education, and therefore the same rates apply.

From 1 April 2016, the rate of pay will be increased to the 2016 Living Wage Foundation rates.

01/01/2023
Anne-Marie Trevelyan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne-Marie Trevelyan on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many nationals from other EU member states have been in receipt of jobseeker’s allowance for (a) less than one month, (b) more than one month, (c) between one and three months, (d) between three and six months, (e) between six and 12 months and (f) more than 12 months.

Mr Shailesh Vara

The information requested is not available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

01/01/2023