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Category: Speeches

  • Seema Malhotra – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Seema Malhotra – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Seema Malhotra on 2016-01-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the ease by which UK SMEs can access the export market.

    Anna Soubry

    Increasing exports is a key factor in the Government’s long-term economic plan and, through the GREAT campaign, it continues to promote the support available to those UK businesses looking to take advantage of overseas opportunities.

    According to data from the Office of National Statistics, since 2010 UK exports have increased from £444.4bn to £513.5bn per annum. At the same time, the number of UK exporting businesses has increased from 188,000 in 2010 to over 221,000 in 2014. The Government commitment is to increase this figure to over 288,000 UK exporting businesses per annum by 2020; an increase of 100,000 on the 2010 figure.

  • Andrew Murrison – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Andrew Murrison – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Murrison on 2016-02-04.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the number of businesses and other organisations in (a) Wiltshire and (b) the UK that will be required to pay the apprenticeship levy.

    Greg Hands

    The apprenticeship levy will apply across the UK and will be collected from employers on a UK wide basis. An allowance of £15,000 means those with a paybill exceeding £3million will have to pay the levy.

    Regional level estimates of those likely to pay the Apprenticeship Levy is not available.

  • 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 2016-03-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what total number of years sentencing was handed out to offenders brought back to the UK from Spain under a European Arrest Warrant as part of Operation Captura.

    Dominic Raab

    This information is not held centrally and can only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

    The National Crime Agency publishes statistics on the operation of the European Arrest Warrant and these can be found here: http://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/publications/european-arrest-warrant-statistics/wanted-by-the-uk-european-arrest-warrant-statistics/608-wanted-by-the-uk-european-arrest-warrant-statistics-2009-april-2015-1

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  • Tom Blenkinsop – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Tom Blenkinsop – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when he was made aware of the decision by Air Products to exit its energy-from-waste business.

    Anna Soubry

    The Government engages with Air Products in relation to their Tees Valley energy-from-waste plant at both Official and Ministerial level. My Department was first made aware of this decision on 4th April and will be working with the Local Enterprise Partnership to explore the impacts of this announcement.

  • Gordon Marsden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Gordon Marsden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2016-05-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions he has had with the Cabinet Office on the liability of charities and voluntary organisations to pay the apprenticeship levy.

    Nick Boles

    We are working with the Cabinet Office and other government departments on helping employers in different sectors prepare for the apprenticeship levy. Only charities and voluntary organisations with a pay bill greater than £3million will pay the apprenticeship levy. These organisations and all other employers will be able to get back the funds they pay in levy if they take on apprentices. Apprenticeships can benefit all sectors, including charities, and we will work with these organisations to grow the number of apprenticeships they offer.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-06-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what information his Department holds on how many free trade negotiations involving the EU have been both initiated and concluded in the last 10 years.

    Anna Soubry

    Over the last ten years, the EU has initiated, but not yet concluded, preferential trade negotiations with the following countries: United States of America; Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay); the Pacific Community (Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu); Japan; India; the Philippines; Malaysia, Thailand; Tunisia; Libya. The European Commission has also launched trade negotiations to modernise existing agreements with Armenia, Mexico and Morocco.

    Over the last ten years, the EU has concluded preferential trade negotiations with the following countries: Kosovo; Bosnia; Serbia; Ukraine; Montenegro; Albania; South Korea; Singapore; Vietnam; Ukraine; Georgia; Moldova; Canada; the Andean Community (Colombia, Ecuador and Peru); Central America (Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala); the East African Community (Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda); the West African Community (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo); the Southern African Development Community (Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Swaziland); and CARIFORUM (Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Surinam, Trinidad, Tobago, and the Dominican Republic).

  • Baroness Drake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Baroness Drake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Drake on 2016-09-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with HM Revenue and Customs about the annual publication, in standard format, of data on the drawing of pension savings that have to be reported as taxable income by (1) age, (2) gender, (3) characteristics of income draw down products, (4) cash lump sums, and (5) annuities.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) publishes the number and value of flexible payments made from pensions since April 2015. The quarterly publication does not include breakdowns of pension payments by characteristic, nor are there any plans to.

    In accordance with the National Statistics Code of Practice, Official Statistics are shared with a minimal number of named officials 24 hours prior to publication. HMRC maintains and publishes a record, which can be found on gov.uk, of all of those who have pre-release access to National Statistics and Official Statistics.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-10-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment he has made of the capacity of his Department to negotiate future trade deals with multiple countries and trading blocks at the same time; and if he will make a statement.

    Greg Hands

    The Department for International Trade has already established a strong and capable trade policy team with significant negotiating experience. The team has more than doubled in size since 23 June and is still growing. We will continue to hire the brightest and best talent from within the UK civil service and from elsewhere in order to deliver the best outcomes for the UK.

  • Chris Leslie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Chris Leslie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Leslie on 2015-11-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans his Department has to work with credit reference agencies on addressing benefit fraud and error.

    Justin Tomlinson

    We already use credit reference agency data in the Fraud and Error Service on a case by case basis to support investigations, for example once high suspicion has already been identified which could be via a Hotline allegation or staff referral for example. In debt recovery the use of credit reference agency data enables us to have more informed discussions with the debtor and to reach agreement on rates of repayment that are sustainable for the debtor and meet our needs.

  • Daniel Zeichner – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Daniel Zeichner – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2015-12-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of councils have had at least one residential, domiciliary or specialist care provider fail in the last 12 months.

    Alistair Burt

    The Government does not collect this information.

    Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities have statutory responsibilities to temporarily meet the needs of individuals and their carers should their provider fail.

    The Act also gave the Care Quality Commission (CQC) a new function to oversee the finances of care providers which are either large or whose provision is geographically concentrated as their financial failure would make it difficult for local authorities to discharge their statutory responsibilities.

    The oversight function will provide early warning to relevant local authorities in the event that one of these providers is likely to fail and their services cease. This will allow local authorities time to implement contingency plans.

    The CQC have not made any such notifications to local authorities.