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Category: Speeches

  • Seema Malhotra – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Seema Malhotra – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Seema Malhotra on 2015-12-10.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 4.2 of the Government response to the 49th Report from the Committee of Public Accounts, Session 2014-15, for the effective management of tax reliefs, if he will (a) list and (b) place in the Library the external research reports commissioned by his Department which covers the use of tax reliefs.

    Mr David Gauke

    A full list of external research reports commissioned by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), with links to the full reports, is published on the HMRC website here:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hm-revenue-and-customs-research-report-collection

    “

  • 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 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions officials in his Department have had with officials of the Department for Work and Pensions on JobCentre Plus involvement in the Find An Apprentice Service.

    Nick Boles

    The Skills Funding Agency (SFA) is working closely with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). A live link from the ‘Find an Apprenticeship’ service provides real time apprenticeship vacancies each day to the Jobcentre Plus Universal Jobmatch vacancy website. This ensures that clients who are in receipt of benefits have easy access to information about apprenticeship vacancies.

    In addition, the SFA is working with DWP to train work coaches in job centres so that they have up to date information on apprenticeships to share with clients. The SFA is also ensuring that DWP employer teams have the information needed on apprenticeships to promote these as part of their conversations with businesses.

  • John Mann – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    John Mann – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Mann on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many unaccompanied children arriving at UK airports from which countries were not eligible for entry clearance in 2015.

    James Brokenshire

    This information is not held centrally.

    The UK Government takes child safeguarding extremely seriously. All Border Force officers have received training in keeping children safe and all operational processes involving children comply with requirements as set out in the Children and Young Persons Act.

  • Mrs Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Mrs Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mrs Anne Main on 2016-03-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many foreign national offenders from each other EU member state serving a custodial sentence in the UK in each of the last 10 years have been transferred to serve the remainder of their sentence in another EU member state.

    Andrew Selous

    It is right that foreign criminals who break our laws are properly punished but this shouldn’t be at the expense of the British taxpayer.

    Since 2007, a total of 402 foreign national offenders have been transferred from England and Wales to other EU Member States to complete their sentence, 73 under the EU Prisoner Transfer Agreement

    The table below shows the number transferred to complete their sentence in each year since 2007. The comparable information is not available for the prior years.

    EU Member States

    Year of transfer 2007

    Year of transfer 2008

    Year of transfer 2009

    Year of transfer 2010

    Year of transfer 2011

    Year of transfer 2012

    Year of transfer 2013

    Year of transfer 2014

    Year of transfer 2015
    1. Austria

    1

    1
    1. Belgium

    10

    5

    1

    2

    1

    2

    3

    24
    1. Bulgaria

    1

    1
    1. Croatia
    1. Cyprus

    2

    1

    1

    1

    5
    1. Czech Republic

    1

    1

    4

    1

    2

    1

    10
    1. Denmark

    1

    1
    1. Estonia
    1. Finland

    10 France

    3

    4

    4

    1

    1

    13
    1. Germany

    2

    4

    1

    1

    8
    1. Greece

    1

    1

    1

    3
    1. Hungary
    1. Republic of Ireland

    5

    4

    1

    2

    1

    13
    1. Italy

    1

    1

    1

    1

    4
    1. Latvia

    1

    2

    2

    5
    1. Lithuania

    1

    4

    3

    2

    1

    1

    12
    1. Luxembourg

    1

    1
    1. Malta

    1

    1
    1. Netherlands

    75

    42

    25

    24

    12

    20

    16

    12

    12

    238
    1. Poland

    1

    1

    3

    1

    1

    2

    3

    2

    14
    1. Portugal

    2

    1

    1

    1

    1

    6
    1. Romania

    1

    1

    5

    7

    14
    1. Slovakia

    3

    9

    12
    1. Slovenia

    1

    1

    2
    1. Spain

    2

    3

    1

    2

    2

    2

    2

    14
    1. Sweden

    The numbers reported here are drawn from a case management system. Care is taken when processing these cases but the figures may be subject to inaccuracies associated with any recording system.

    “

  • Barry Gardiner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Barry Gardiner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Gardiner on 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what discussions she had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the potential effect of discontinuing funding for the Climate Local programme on the likely level of local authorities’ contributions to delivering the UK’s emissions reductions targets.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Department continues to work closely with Local Authorities, LEPs and other local decision makers to support their hard work in reducing local emissions.

    My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State has regular meetings with Cabinet colleagues on a variety of subjects but has not specifically discussed Climate Local with my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

  • Steven Paterson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Steven Paterson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steven Paterson on 2016-05-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether HMS Queen Elizabeth remains on schedule to be handed over and commissioned into the Royal Navy in 2017.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The approved cost of the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers is £6.2 billion, as announced by the previous Defence Secretary on 6 November 2013 (Official Report, column 251). Whilst there are cost pressures, the Ministry of Defence continues to work closely with Industry to drive the programme to remain within the approved cost.

    We expect the First of Class, HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH, to be accepted from the Aircraft Carrier Alliance in 2017 and, as reported in the NAO’s Major Project Report 2015, the ship remains on schedule to enter service with the Royal Navy in February 2018. We remain on course to undertake Platform Sea Trials in 2017, commence Fixed Wing Flying Trials with the F35B Lightning II in 2018 and deliver Initial Operating Capability (Carrier Strike) in 2020.

  • William Wragg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    William Wragg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by William Wragg on 2016-07-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many primary and secondary academies and free schools teach sex and relationships education.

    Edward Timpson

    The Department does not hold this information.

    Sex and relationship education is compulsory in maintained secondary schools. Academies and free schools do not have to teach sex and relationship education but many choose to do so as part of their statutory duty to provide a broad and balanced curriculum. When academies do teach sex and relationship education they are required through their funding agreement to have regard to the Secretary of State’s Sex and Relationship Education Guidance. The guidance can be accessed at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/sex-and-relationship-education

    “

  • Tim Loughton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Tim Loughton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2016-09-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much in compensation payments has been paid by Network Rail to Govia Thameslink Railway since the start of that franchise.

    Paul Maynard

    The latest information is published on Network Rail’s website – http://www.networkrail.co.uk/transparency/datasets/ – covering the years 2011-12 to 2014-15.

    “

  • Bridget Phillipson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Bridget Phillipson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bridget Phillipson on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what definition of underperforming local authorities, or other measures of performance her Department will use in a decision to convert a school to academy status.

    Edward Timpson

    We have been clear that we want to see all schools, over time, become academies. But our focus is on schools where standards need to be raised. So we will continue to convert all schools that are judged inadequate by Ofsted, and work with those that are coasting or otherwise underperforming to identify the support they need to improve. We expect that in some cases this support will be through conversion to become a sponsored academy. No new legislation is required for these purposes.

  • Bill Wiggin – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Bill Wiggin – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bill Wiggin on 2015-11-02.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 29 October 2015 to Question 12970, for what reasons estate agents that do not hold client money fall within the scope of the Money Laundering Regulations 2007.

    Harriett Baldwin

    The Money Laundering Regulations 2007 sets out what regulated sectors (includes businesses such as estate agents) must do to prevent their services being used for money laundering and terrorist financing purposes. Money laundering can take many forms and in the property sector it often involves: (i) buying property using the proceeds of crime and selling it on; (ii) criminals hiding behind complex structures to disguise the true purpose of the transaction; (iii) paying an estate agent or auctioneer a significant deposit and reclaiming it later; and (iv) using purchase monies from a mortgage fraud.

    Estate agents that do not hold client money fall within the scope of the Money Laundering Regulations 2007 in accordance with the requirements of article 2 1. (3) (d) of European directive 2005/60/EC of 26 October 2005 on the prevention of the use of the financial system for the purpose of money laundering and terrorist financing.

    The Directive requires estate agents to exercise due diligence and to report suspicious transactions. Suspicious transactions, and preventing the inappropriate use of services, may arise in a variety of ways that do not involve handling funds. Estate agency businesses are well placed as they encounter both parties to the transaction at an early stage.