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Category: Speeches

  • Mike Kane – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Mike Kane – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Kane on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the proportion of the gross working premium of insurers which was required to fund the Diffuse Mesothelioma Payments Scheme in (a) 2014-15 and (b) 2015-16.

    Justin Tomlinson

    In 2014/15 the Diffuse Mesothelioma Payment Scheme (DMPS) levy was charged at £32m which represented 2.2% of employers’ liability gross written premium (EL GWP). The actual cost of the DMPS in 2014/15 was £24.2m, and the additional £7.8m collected has been carried forward into 2015/16.

    On 12 January 2016 the Department announced that it anticipated the gross cost of the DMPS in 2015/16 to be £31m. This represents 2% of EL GWP. However, the amount actually levied on the insurance industry for 2015/16, taking into account the £7.8m carried forward, is £23.2m, which represents 1.5% of EL GWP.

    Note: The proportions quoted above use the most recently available EL GWP data in any one year. Due to the time taken to collect and verify this data, the EL GWP figure used to calculate the proportion the levy represents will be two years old. For example, for the 2014/15 levy the EL GWP data is from 2012.

  • Chris Stephens – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Chris Stephens – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Stephens on 2016-02-08.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assurances HM Revenue and Customs seeks from its contractors and suppliers that they are fully compliant with their UK tax obligations.

    Mr David Gauke

    Prior to engagement, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) require a new contractor or supplier to provide their tax details, and to agree to HMRC performing revenue compliance checks throughout the procurement process, using information from its own records and taking appropriate action where required in line with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.

    Contracts for such engagements include clauses requiring that at all times the contractor or supplier shall comply with all statutes and regulations relating to direct or indirect taxes, and that failure to comply may constitute a material breach of the contract.

  • David Morris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    David Morris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Morris on 2016-03-03.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of how many personal service companies are in operation in the UK.

    Mr David Gauke

    The information requested is obtainable from a discussion document on IR35 published by HM Revenue and Customs on 17 July which is available at the following link :

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/446242/Intermediaries_legislation_IR35-discussion_document.pdf

    “

  • Karl Turner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    Karl Turner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl Turner on 2016-04-11.

    To ask the Attorney General, how many cases of alleged (a) rape, (b) sexual assault and (c) domestic violence where the alleged offending took place in the UK were referred to the Services Prosecuting Authority for a charging decision in (i) 2013, (ii) 2014 and (iii) 2015.

    Robert Buckland

    Figures for all referrals received by the Service Prosecuting Authority of Rape, Sexual Assault & Domestic violence covering the period 2013 to 2015 where the alleged offence took place in the UK.

    Year

    Rape referral received

    Sexual assault referral received

    Domestic violence referral received

    2013

    7

    22

    4

    2014

    3

    23

    6

    2015

    7

    22

    9
  • Alex Chalk – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Alex Chalk – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Chalk on 2016-05-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department plans to review the length of maximum sentence for animal cruelty offences.

    Dominic Raab

    We keep maximum penalties under review. This includes sentencing trends, and whether the courts may be finding their sentencing powers inadequate.

    Data on the average sentence length for animal cruelty can be found in the Outcomes by offence table at the attached link:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2014

    “

  • Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-06-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he had with (a) bus operators and (b) local authorities on preventing local authorities outside of London from forming bus companies whilst the Bus Services Bill is under consideration.

    Andrew Jones

    There are only 8 existing municipal bus companies operating services in England, and we are not aware of any current plans to establish new municipal bus companies.

    Government recognises the quality services that existing municipal bus companies provide for passengers, and these existing companies will not be affected. However, it is our view that the commissioning and provision of bus services should be kept separate from each other, particularly as the introduction of new partnership and franchising powers in the Bill could lead to more local authority control and influence of local services.

  • Lord Mawhinney – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Mawhinney – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mawhinney on 2016-09-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many provider NHS trusts achieved an improvement in operating efficiency of four per cent or more without aggravating their debt position in the last financial year.

    Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen

    There is no nationally agreed metric for operating efficiency. However, an annual efficiency requirement is built into the tariff uplift calculation that is used by commissioners in their contract negotiation with providers. In 2015-16 this efficiency requirement was 3.5% over 2014-15. Therefore, we can assume that organisations are delivering this efficiency if they improve their financial position based on these efficiency adjusted prices.

    In February 2016, the Department published Lord Carter’s Operational productivity and performance in English NHS acute hospitals: Unwarranted variations report, a review of efficiency in hospitals which provided details of how operational savings can be achieved. A copy of the report is attached. This programme, along with ‎additional funding provided by the government, will help reduce deficits in this year and bring the sector back into financial balance in future years.

    The National Health Service will receive additional funding of £10 billion per year by the end of the current Spending Review period, with £3.8 billion provided in 2016-17 alone. From this £3.8 billion, we have created a £2.1 billion Sustainability and Transformation Fund that will help providers move to a sustainable financial footing.

    NHS Improvement’s 2016-17 quarter 1 performance report confirmed that things are improving in this year, with lower levels of deficit, fewer trusts reporting a deficit and savings on agency staff.

  • Lord Smith of Finsbury – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Lord Smith of Finsbury – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Smith of Finsbury on 2015-11-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they intend to bring forward any legislative proposals, following the current consultation, to give effect to the green paper on higher education Fulfilling our Potential.

    Baroness Evans of Bowes Park

    The Government’s consultation on the higher education green paper, Fulfilling our Potential: Teaching Excellence, Social Mobility and Student Choice, closes on 15 January 2016. The Government will issue its response No decisions have yet been taken on the proposals in the green paper or how they would be implemented.

  • Douglas Carswell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Douglas Carswell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2015-12-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many planning refusals for greenfield sites have been overturned on appeal in each year between 2010 to 2015.

    Brandon Lewis

    This information is not held centrally by this Department.

  • Lord Hoyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Hoyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hoyle on 2016-01-20.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether steel produced in Britain will be used for the electrification of the Manchester to Blackpool train route.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The electrification of the Manchester to Blackpool train route is still in the design phase and the steel has not yet been purchased.

    Network Rail already sources 95% of its steel rail from the UK. Steel for electrification projects has typically been procured by principal contractors from a variety of sources, but Network Rail is currently seeking to aggregate volumes wherever possible and procure materials directly. Total forecast requirement of steel for electrification projects is forecast to be around 175k tonnes over the next 6 years. Network Rail’s strategy is to source this from the UK wherever possible, and the electrification of the Manchester to Blackpool train route will also be in accordance with this.