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  • Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2014-06-26.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on the regulation of the practice of dark pool trading by high frequency bank traders.

    Andrea Leadsom

    Treasury Ministers regularly meet with Ministers in other departments as part of normal Government business. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government’s practice to provide details of all such meetings and discussions.

    Dark pool trading is subject to regulation under the markets in financial instruments directive (2004/39/EC) (MiFID). The new MiFIR Regulation (600/2014/EU) recently agreed as part of the “MiFID 2” negotiations will impose significant limits on dark pool trading in the EU.

  • Charlie Elphicke – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Charlie Elphicke – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charlie Elphicke on 2014-06-26.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 24 June 2014, Official Report, column 197W, on Mapeley, whether HM Revenue and Customs reviewed these commercial provisions following the raising of financial concerns by Mapeley in November 2001.

    Mr David Gauke

    There have been no material changes to the relevant commercial provisions in the STEPS contract. A copy of the contract can be viewed on the National Archive website at http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/freedom/steps-contract.htm

  • Tom Greatrex – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Tom Greatrex – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Greatrex on 2014-06-26.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of his Department’s consumption in kWh of (a) gas and (b) electricity in each month since June 2010; and what the cost of such consumption has been in each such month.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The information is not held by HM Treasury in the format you requested. Annual consumption and spend data is available in the Treasury Annual Report and Accounts for each year, copies of which have been deposited in the library.

  • Guto Bebb – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Guto Bebb – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Guto Bebb on 2014-06-26.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what role his Department played in the decision to separate Lloyds and TSB.

    Andrea Leadsom

    Lloyds Banking Group is required to divest part of its UK banking business – TSB – as a result of European Commission approval of the aid it received from the UK Government during the financial crisis.

    The TSB divestment was part of a wider package of measures to ensure that the recapitalisation of Lloyds was compliant with the single market. The State aid agreement is therefore between HM Government and Lloyds, and between the Government and the European Commission.

  • Mark Williams – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Mark Williams – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Williams on 2014-06-26.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Answer of 24 February 2014, Official Report, column 29W, on gold: prices, and the academic draft report of February 2014, by Professor Rosa Abrantes, Adviser to the EU and International Organisation of Securities Commission on Financial Benchmarks, entitled Gold Price Fix, and her reports of systemic manipulation of the twice daily gold fix over several years, if he will make an assessment of the effect of (a) US regulatory authorities’ interventions in the gold market and (b) such interventions on gold market-related securities in ISAs.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Government monitors all aspects of the gold market. Although no specific assessment of US regulatory interventions has been made, the Government is committed to taking action, whenever necessary, to ensure the efficient functioning of these essential markets. In order to raise standards of conduct in the financial system the Government has launched a joint review by the Treasury, the Bank of England and the Financial Conduct Authority into the way wholesale financial markets operate, including commodity markets.

  • Nick de Bois – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Nick de Bois – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick de Bois on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 25 June 2014, Official Report, column 228W, on billing, what the value is of the sums being claimed by outstanding creditors at 31 May 2014.

    Mr Francis Maude

    The value of sums being claimed by non-government creditors at 31 May 2014, can be found in the table below. All unpaid invoices are in dispute.

    Number of days unpaid

    Value

    45 – 59

    £120,891.87

    60-74

    £293,868.79

    75 and over

    £334,974.27

  • Chi Onwurah – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Chi Onwurah – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what security standards his Department mandates with Level 2 Building Information Modelling.

    Mr Francis Maude

    Building Information Modelling Level 2 operates alongside well-established industry standards such as ISO27001. Departments may specify additional security requirements as appropriate.

    Industry has responded positively to the introduction of Building Information Modelling Level 2, which represents the construction sector response to the Government’s “Digital by Default” initiative.

    BIM does not mandate the use of any specific software or hardware and supports innovation through its use of open standards. For SMEs BIM levels the playing field, allowing them to make their products immediately accessible to a global market, using freely-available tools.

    BIM represents an opportunity for UK industry to increase efficiency, its know-how and exports, thereby continuing its significant global presence in construction design and delivery.

  • Philip Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Philip Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many grades there are in the Civil Service.

    Mr Francis Maude

    Arrangements for setting grades below the Senior Civil Service (SCS) are delegated to departments and not held centrally. For the SCS, grading arrangements are determined centrally by the Cabinet Office. There are four main grades in the SCS.

    To deliver a flatter structure in the Civil Service, departments are, as set out in the Civil Service Reform Plan, reviewing their structures as part of ongoing change programmes and departmental improvement plans.

  • Tom Greatrex – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Tom Greatrex – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Greatrex on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of his Department’s consumption in kWh of (a) gas and (b) electricity in each month since June 2010; and what the cost of such consumption has been in each such month.

    Jo Swinson

    This information is currently being collated and I will arrange for this data to be deposited in the libraries of the House as soon as possible.

  • Ivan Lewis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Ivan Lewis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ivan Lewis on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what work the British Business Bank is doing in Northern Ireland to promote its services to small businesses located there.

    Matthew Hancock

    British Business Bank programmes facilitated £7.5m of new lending and investment to smaller businesses in Northern Ireland in 2013/14.

    The Business Bank’s Enterprise Finance Guarantee programme supported £5.1 million of additional lending to Northern Irish businesses during 2013/14, bringing the total amount of lending through the programme in Northern Ireland to £36.1 million.

    The Bank’s Start Up Loans programme was extended to Northern Ireland in June 2013 and since then, it has provided 120 loans to Northern Irish start-ups, lending a total of over £560,000.

    The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Northern Ireland Executive recently hosted a roadshow in Northern Ireland to promote the delivery of Business Bank programmes through Northern Irish finance providers and the Business Bank is actively discussing with the Executive how it can continue to support Northern Irish businesses in the future.