Category: Speeches

  • Lord Harrison – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Harrison – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Harrison on 2016-03-21.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what advice they received on the impact on small and medium-sized enterprises’ productivity levels following the withdrawal of HM Revenue and Custom’s valuation check service.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    No impact on the productivity of small and medium-sized enterprises is anticipated. HMRC has not withdrawn the valuation service for those share schemes most relevant to these enterprises.

    These include:

    • Enterprise Management Incentives (EMI),

    • Company Share Option Plans (CSOP),

    • Save As You Earn share option schemes (SAYE),

    • Share Incentive Plans (SIP) and

    • Employee Shareholder Status (ESS).

      HMRC has however announced a review of the valuation services for those schemes and is consulting interested parties.

      HMRC has withdrawn valuation checks for income tax and PAYE that are not part of these recognised employee ownership schemes. Most people submitted acceptable valuations and therefore the valuation service offered was not seen as needed.

  • Will Quince – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Will Quince – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Will Quince on 2016-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 21 April 2016 to Question 34465, if her Department will take steps to allow web-users to include honours when completing government online forms.

    George Eustice

    We would only include a specific place for users to include honours information, when designing an online form or transaction, if that information was directly relevant and necessary.

  • Nicholas Soames – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Nicholas Soames – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-05-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he plans to take to expand health services in Mid Sussex to meet increased housing and population numbers.

    Alistair Burt

    NHS England has advised that the Horsham and Mid Sussex Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is using the predicted population data from the developing estates strategy to model health services to meet the increased demand. NHS England further advises that it is working closely with the CCG to develop an action plan for local primary care services in East Grinstead.

    NHS England is responsible for commissioning of primary care in Mid Sussex. NHS England advises that only one general practitioner practice in Grinstead has closed its list to new patients and two others have applied to close their lists but are still currently being allocated patients by NHS England.

  • Kirsten Oswald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Kirsten Oswald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2016-07-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what advice she has received from the (a) Video Standards Council and (b) Games Rating Authority on proposed amendments to the meaning of the term supply in the Video Recordings Act 1984 to include adults providing children with access to recordings categorised as containing age-inappropriate content.

    Matt Hancock

    Following public consultations involving representations from classification bodies, child welfare groups, local authorities, content producers and many others, since 2010 we have legislated twice to strengthen the protections provided by the Act. This has ensured that retailers now cannot sell or rent any age-inappropriate DVDs or video games discs or cartridges to children. It also ensures these products are all labelled with relevant British Board of Film Classification (DVDs) and PEGI (video games) age ratings and content advice. This means adults have better information to help them make responsible decisions about the material children can access.

    We will continue to work with industry and the age ratings bodies to encourage further promotion of the BBFC and PEGI age ratings to consumers including through initiatives such as BBFCInsight and AskAboutGames.

  • Baroness Altmann – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Baroness Altmann – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Altmann on 2016-10-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to offer relief to unincorporated employers who are at risk of personal bankruptcy as a result of significant increases in defined benefit pension deficits in Non-Associated Multi-Employer Schemes following the rise in annuity costs associated with the falls in long-term interest rates in recent years; and if so, what relief will be made available.

    Lord Freud

    We have recently consulted on problems faced by non-associated multi-employer schemes (NAMES) and had representations from various interested parties. We will be responding in due course.

  • Baroness Jones of Whitchurch – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Baroness Jones of Whitchurch – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 2015-11-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of the badgers culled in the pilots undertaken in 2013 and 2014 had tuberculosis.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    Badgers culled under licence in Somerset and Gloucestershire in 2013 and 2014 were not routinely tested for tuberculosis (TB), since this research had already been carried out under the Random Badger Cull Trial (RBCT). However, testing of badgers between 1998 and 2005 via the Randomised Badger Culling Trial and Road Traffic Accident surveys provided evidence of the typical prevalence of TB in badgers in areas of high incidence of TB in cattle. TB was found in around one third of all badgers in these areas.

  • Rebecca Long Bailey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Rebecca Long Bailey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rebecca Long Bailey on 2015-11-23.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 18 November 2015 to Question 16174, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of HM Revenue and Customs’ targeting of operational and intelligence activity on tackling online VAT fraud.

    Mr David Gauke

    HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is actively targeting operational and intelligence activity, as well as a range of other options, to tackle this issue. This work is ongoing. However, HMRC is unable to give details of specific results in respect of any individual taxpayer because of taxpayer confidentiality.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-01-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which government departments have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with another nation since 2010; and what the date was of each such agreement.

    James Duddridge

    Unlike treaties, HMG does not maintain a central record of Memorandums of Understanding with third states. It is the responsibility of the lead policy department to file and record them.

  • Andrew Percy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Andrew Percy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2016-01-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support her Department is providing to projects that develop opportunities for educational co-operation between Palestinians and Israelis.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    Through the Conflict Stability and Security Fund (CSSF), the UK provides support for the ‘Youth Creating Peace On/Line’ project which encourages educational cooperation between Palestinians and Israelis. The project, run by NGO ‘Kids Creating Peace’, uses dialogue and leadership workshops to train participants to become peace advocates in their communities and beyond. The UK is providing £40,000 to ‘Youth Creating Peace On/Line’ for 2016/17.

  • Nicholas Soames – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Nicholas Soames – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will carry out a review of UK dairy processing capacity.

    George Eustice

    Dairy processors have undertaken a sustained high level of investment in the UK. In recent years, capital investment by the top five dairy organisations in the UK has regularly exceeded £100m per annum. In total, over the period March 2006 to 2013, capital expenditure by these organisations exceeded £1.2bn.

    It is important to continue to encourage high quality inward investment from around the world to boost security and growth. UKTI, the Great British Food Unit and Dairy UK are hosting a senior delegation of dairy companies from China in March 2016. These companies are interested in building stronger relations with British counterparts whether through the development of direct imports of finished products into China, collaboration on ingredients and processing, or joint ventures.