UKPOL.CO.UK

Category: Speeches

  • Lord Myners – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Myners – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Myners on 2016-03-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will review the contribution of contingent convertible bonds to financial stability and, in particular, the risk of adverse feedback loops and the contribution thereto of the absence of standardised terms.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    In December 2015, the Bank of England set out its medium-term capital framework for UK banks and building societies. The Bank’s analysis suggested that the optimal risk-based going-concern capital requirement for the system as a whole is between 10% and 14% of risk weighted assets.

    The majority of this capital is made up of the highest quality, common equity tier 1 (CET1) capital. However, a small part (up to 1.5 percentage points) can be made up of additional tier 1 (AT1) capital, such as contingent convertible bonds.

    The Financial Policy Committee confirmed that only ‘high-trigger’ AT1 instruments would count towards a bank’s AT1 capital in respect of non-risk-based leverage ratio requirements.

    This capital framework ensures that the UK’s banks and building societies are able to absorb losses and thereby reduce the risks to the stability of the UK financial system.

  • Norman Lamb – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Norman Lamb – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Norman Lamb on 2016-04-26.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, for what reasons the exemption from the anti-lobbying clause is limited to Research Councils, National Academies and the Higher Education Funding Council for England; and if he will delay the implementation of that clause until a full consultation has taken place.

    Matthew Hancock

    As I made clear in the House on 27 April, we are continuing to consider the comments of all interested parties, ahead of the introduction into grant agreements of the clause aimed at protecting taxpayers’ money from being wasted on government lobbying government. We are pausing the implementation, pending a review of the representations made, and to give further time to consider any necessary adjustments to the wording of the clause, or the policy on its implementation, to help to deliver this policy in the best possible way for all involved.

  • William Wragg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    William Wragg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by William Wragg on 2016-06-03.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reasons the HM Treasury analysis: the long term economic impact of EU membership and the alternatives did not include an assessment of the potential effect on the UK economy of a potential reduction in GDP in the EU.

    Mr David Gauke

    The main estimates in the HM Treasury analysis are based on the EU as it is today, without further reform. The total cost of leaving is likely to be higher. If the economic benefits of reform are realised this could increase UK GDP by up to a further 4% – which equates to £2,800 for every household in the UK. With the UK outside the EU these economic reforms would be less likely to happen. So the cost of exit in terms of the potential loss of GDP would be correspondingly greater.

  • Hannah Bardell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Hannah Bardell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hannah Bardell on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether the proposed Universal Service Obligation for broadband will apply in Scotland.

    Matt Hancock

    Telecoms, including the Broadband Univeral Service Obligation (USO) is a reserved matter and applies throughout the UK. We have regular discussions with the Scottish Government on a wide range of issues, and I am grateful for their responses to the Government’s USO consultation and more recently to Ofcom’s Call for Inputs on the design of the USO.

  • Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-10-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the costs and benefits of the NHS internal market; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    As with many healthcare systems worldwide, the National Health Service has employed a purchaser-provider split for a number of years, and under successive governments in order to ensure that resources are used to the maximum benefit of patients.

    A number of evaluations of aspects of this approach have been conducted, including work undertaken by organisations such as the Nuffield Trust and the King’s Fund. The Government remains committed to supporting both commissioners and providers to secure value by controlling costs and improving quality of care.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Caroline Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2015-11-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reason the qualifying threshold for baseline assessment providers was set at 10 per cent of primary schools.

    Nick Gibb

    The reception baseline contracts contained a number of criteria for approving suppliers.

    The 10 per cent threshold was set to ensure a statistically reliable sample size for each supplier when determining the relative progress measure for each pupil.

  • Callum McCaig – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Callum McCaig – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Callum McCaig on 2015-11-26.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the provisions in the Trade Union Bill on industrial relations within the civil service.

    Matthew Hancock

    Modernising the law governing Trade Unions will improve industrial relations. We have already seen the benefits in the Civil Service of reforming facility time, where we have delivered a saving to the taxpayer of over £52million, and the majority of departments have removed the outdated system of collecting union dues by check off. These benefits will now be delivered across the public sector.

  • Douglas Chapman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Douglas Chapman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-01-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department plans to build facilities to simulate the possibility of the future F35B Lightning II aircraft operating in austere operating bases.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The Ministry of Defence is procuring a Lightning II Integrated Training Centre (ITC) at its main operating base at RAF Marham. The ITC will house full mission simulators with the capability of simulating the full range of bases from which the F-35 may be required to operate.

  • Christopher Chope – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Christopher Chope – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2016-02-02.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many UK citizens resident overseas registered to vote in the 2015 general election; and how many such citizens voted in that election.

    John Penrose

    105,845 overseas electors were registered to vote in May 2015. The marked register, which records electors who have cast their vote, is not collated centrally. It is therefore not possible to tell how many overseas electors voted at the 2015 General Election.

  • Kate Hoey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Kate Hoey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Hoey on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the effect on passenger safety of reduced staff numbers on London Underground.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The safety of customers and staff is the top priority of Transport for London (TfL). TfL work as a team with London Underground (LU), the police, emergency services and my department, to prepare for, and deal with, incidents that threaten the security of the transport network. Station staff are supported by the LU Control Centre, which operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, working closely with the police, with access to CCTV cameras and other systems in order to manage and respond to incidents.

    LU will continue to ensure there are sufficient staff in place to maintain each station’s security, congestion control and emergency plans.