Category: Speeches

  • Patrick Grady – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Patrick Grady – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2016-01-27.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the merits of making public the rules for country-by-country reporting of tax and profits by multinational companies.

    Mr David Gauke

    The UK supports efforts to improve tax transparency. The UK initiated the international work on country-by-country reporting during its G8 Presidency in 2013, calling on the OECD to develop a template for country-by-country (CbC) reporting as part of the BEPS project.

    The UK was the first out of 44 to commit to implement the OECD model for CbC reporting with legislation in Finance Act 2015.

    We understand that the Commission is also undertaking an analysis of the various tax transparency requirements for multinationals as part of its public consultation, and we look forward to the outcomes of this work.

    The Government recognises the case for publishing country-by-country reports on a multilateral basis.

  • John Mann – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    John Mann – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the deliverable five-year housing allocation is for each local authority in (a) Derbyshire, (b) South Yorkshire and (c) Nottinghamshire.

    Brandon Lewis

    We do not collate information centrally on the number of sites that are available for residential development. Local planning authorities are required to identify and update annually a supply of specific deliverable sites sufficient to provide five years worth of housing against their housing requirements.

  • Peter Kyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Peter Kyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2016-03-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the role of (a) the Institute of Apprenticeships, (b) the Skills Funding Agency and (c) Ofqual is in relation to the independent assessment of Apprenticeship Trailblazers.

    Nick Boles

    The Institute for Apprenticeships (IfA) will be fully operational from April 2017 and will be responsible for the scrutiny and approval of expressions of interest, apprenticeship standards and assessment plans submitted by employer groups. As in the current system, employers will continue to come together to design new apprenticeship standards, should they choose. The IfA will be responsible for maintaining a public database of apprenticeship standards and may publish information on potential gaps.

    The IfA will also have a role in quality assuring the delivery of apprentice end-point assessments where employer groups have been unable to propose employer-led arrangements.

    It will work closely with the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) and Ofqual. The SFA registers of training providers and assessment organisations will continue to vet the appropriateness of organisations involved in the delivery of apprenticeships. Ofqual will continue to quality assure any qualifications, where included in apprenticeships.

  • Baroness McIntosh of Pickering – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Baroness McIntosh of Pickering – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness McIntosh of Pickering on 2016-04-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the average financial penalty issued for a breach of the Highway Code in each of the last three years.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    Enforcement of cycling offences and collection of data on such offences is a matter for the Ministry of Justice and Home Office.

    Based on information provided to the Department for Transport, the number of defendants proceeded against at Magistrates’ courts and found guilty and sentenced for some cycling (non- motoring) offences in England and Wales from 2012 to 2014 (latest available) can be viewed in the attached table. This includes the average fine given at all courts for the specific offences listed in the table.

    The Home Office collects data on the number of fixed penalty notices issued for motoring offences only and these data are published by the Home Office in the annual ‘Police Powers and Procedures’ publication. Data on fixed penalty notices issued to cyclists are not held centrally.

    We are not able to provide an overall average financial penalty figure for all cycling offences. Many of these cycling offences are recorded under a miscellaneous offence grouping. The information required to split this miscellaneous grouping at offence level is held in individual court files, which can only be inspected at disproportionate cost.

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-05-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what compliance procedures the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency has to ensure that its pharmacovigilance functions do not conflict with the relationships it builds with private companies when seeking business from such companies.

    George Freeman

    The requirements for the pharmacovigilance functions of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) are set out in European legislation through Directive 2010/84/EU and Regulation (EU) No 1235/2010 and in the Human Medicines Regulations 2012. MHRA is required to carry out independent audits of these pharmacovigilance functions and report to the European Commission every two years. This is in addition to routine reporting to the Commission on Human Medicines.

    The requirements on private companies in the pharmaceutical industry that hold Marketing Authorisations for medicinal products are also set out in the same legislation and the MHRA carry out inspections to ensure these companies are compliant with the requirements. The MHRA has contact with pharmaceutical companies in its day to day business as necessary to fulfil the requirements of its pharmacovigilance functions.

  • Craig Whittaker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Craig Whittaker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2016-07-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans his Department has to (a) invest in and (b) modernise Territorial Army centres.

    Mark Lancaster

    The Department continues to develop and invest in the Army Reserves, including its infrastructure and estate, in line with commitments set out in the Reserves White Paper (Cm8655) published on 3 July 2013 and accompanying statement (Official Report, column 49WS) and through our wider estate optimisation plans.

  • Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-10-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what his policy is on leaving the EU Customs Union.

    Mr Robin Walker

    We have been clear that we will pursue a solution that works for the unique circumstances of the UK. Ministers are considering the UK’s future customs and trading relations with the EU and work continues to analyse the options to ensure we have the best possible outcome for the UK.

  • Steven Paterson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Steven Paterson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steven Paterson on 2015-10-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to safely store or treat nuclear contaminated material arising from the decommissioning of nuclear-powered submarines at Rosyth by Babcock.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    All radioactive waste arising from the decommissioning of nuclear-powered submarines at Rosyth will be transported off-site either for recycling, direct disposal, or storage in an interim storage facility as part of the Submarine Dismantling Project.

    For certain components, a temporary holding facility may be required on site; this short-term holding and all other activities will be fully regulated by nuclear safety and environmental regulators.

  • Liz Kendall – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Women and Equalities

    Liz Kendall – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Women and Equalities

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liz Kendall on 2015-11-25.

    To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, how many people of each gender have worked as special advisers in the Government Equalities Office in each year from 2010-11 to 2014-15.

    Edward Timpson

    The information is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2015-12-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he plans to consult the Justice Select Committee on introducing a new streamlined claims process for low cost medical negligence claims.

    Ben Gummer

    The Department is leading the consultation on Fixed Recoverable Costs for low-value clinical negligence claims and there will be a full public consultation, which will be open to all interested parties to make representations.