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  • George Howarth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    George Howarth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by George Howarth on 2015-11-03.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assistance he proposes to provide to small businesses in Halton in relation to the completion of the Mersey Gateway Project.

    Greg Hands

    As announced at the Summer Budget, we have asked the Department for Transport to look at extending the Mersey Gateway local discount scheme to residents of Chester West & Chester and Warrington, as well as looking at help for small businesses. This work is ongoing.

  • George Howarth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    George Howarth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by George Howarth on 2015-11-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the additional travel costs likely to be incurred by people not resident in Halton, of commuting using the bridge, arising from the Mersey Gateway Project in the first year that bridge is open.

    Andrew Jones

    The Department does not hold the information requested.

  • Helen Jones – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Helen Jones – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2015-11-03.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the amount which the proposed apprenticeship levy will raise in (a) Warrington and (b) the North-West.

    Greg Hands

    Apprenticeships are a cornerstone of our skills system. The levy will drive growth in quality and quantity in apprenticeships and further details will be set out at the Spending Review. Provisional information shows that there have been 6,470 apprenticeship starts in Warrington North since May 2010. There have been over 78,000 apprenticeship starts in the North West over the same period with a 51% increase in starts from 2009/10 to 2013/14. The levy will ensure we can build on that success over the next five years by putting the funding of apprenticeships in the hands of employers in the North West.

  • Helen Jones – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Helen Jones – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2015-11-03.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what representations he has received on the level at which the apprenticeship levy should be set; and if he will make a statement.

    Greg Hands

    Treasury Ministers have meetings with a wide variety of organisations as part of the process of policy development. Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at: http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/minister_hospitality.htm. We had a full public consultation on the implementation of the levy and are considering those representations now. Further details will be announced at the Spending Review.

  • Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2015-11-03.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Shares for Rights scheme.

    Damian Hinds

    No assessment has been made of the effectiveness of employers offering employee shareholder shares to their employees.

    Employee shareholder status has been carefully designed as light touch and accessible, and to conduct an assessment of the policy effectiveness would require detailed information gathering from businesses and employees. There is no requirement on any company wishing to offer an employee shareholder contract to contact or notify any Government department or agency in advance or ‘apply’ to Government if they intend to use this measure.

  • Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2015-11-03.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what average time his Department took to respond to freedom of information requests in each year since 2005.

    Harriett Baldwin

    The Government publishes statistics on the operation of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 within central government, including on timeliness. These can be found at the following links:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statistics.

    http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http:/www.justice.gov.uk/publications/freedomofinformationquarterly-archive.htm

    http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http:/www.dca.gov.uk/foi/reference/statisticsAndReports.htm

  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-03.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many tax returns have been filed after the deadline in each of the last five years.

    Mr David Gauke

    This information is not held by HM Revenue and Customs.

  • George Howarth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    George Howarth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by George Howarth on 2015-11-03.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he expects there to be an announcement on the extension of the Mersey Gateway free travel scheme to residents and businesses in Cheshire; and if he will make a statement.

    Greg Hands

    As announced at the Summer Budget, we have asked the Department for Transport to look at extending the Mersey Gateway local discount scheme to residents of Chester West & Chester and Warrington, as well as looking at help for small businesses. This work is ongoing.

  • Paul Monaghan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Paul Monaghan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2015-11-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will ensure that any agreement on a central registry of beneficial ownership in the British Virgin Islands will include access for the public with legitimate reason, in line with the Fourth EU Anti Money Laundering Directive.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    I refer the Honourable Gentleman to the answer the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, my hon. Friend, the Member for South West Hertfordshire (David Gauke MP), gave on 16 October 2015 (PQ10437, PQ10438 and PQ10448), which sets out the criteria we expect the Overseas Territories to meet in relation to their central register of company beneficial ownership, or similarly effective system.

  • Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-11-03.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he expects manufacturing output to exceed the level of quarter one in 2008.

    Mr David Gauke

    The Office for Budget Responsibility, which provides independent forecast for the Government, does not produce a forecast for manufacturing output.

    Manufacturing has grown 4.1% from the start of 2010, following a 12.5% fall in the financial crisis. The headline manufacturing PMI accelerated to 55.5 in October, recording its fastest expansion rate in two and a half years.