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  • Charles Walker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Charles Walker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charles Walker on 2016-03-08.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of the personal and professional connections of the directors of UK-listed banks with domestic and overseas politicians on the potential risk of money laundering; and if he will make a statement.

    Harriett Baldwin

    The Government is taking concerns about the Anti-Money Laundering (AML) requirements regarding Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs) seriously. While addressing corrupt PEPs is an important aspect of global efforts to tackle corruption and money laundering, it is essential that this be done proportionately. The current AML regime is governed by the Money Laundering Regulations 2007, which implement the EU’s Third Money Laundering Directive and are based on the global Financial Action Task Force (FATF) standards. We intend to seek views on the transposition of the EU’s Fourth Money Laundering Directive, which addresses domestic PEPs, in our consultation which will be published in the spring.

    It is for individual financial institutions to apply a risk-based approach when considering Enhanced Due Diligence measures with regards to PEPs, in accordance with the Regulations and with FATF standards. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is the Treasury-appointed supervisor which oversees financial institutions’ implementation of the Regulations.

  • Mark Hendrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Mark Hendrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2016-03-08.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what bids his Department received for funding from the tampon tax fund by the deadline of 22 February 2016; and how such bids are being assessed.

    Mr David Gauke

    As the Chancellor set out at the Autumn Statement, further donations and recipients will be announced at Budget 2016

  • Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-03-08.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what effect recent reductions in fuel duty have had on economic growth.

    Damian Hinds

    The government recognises the link between low fuel prices and economic growth, which is why we have frozen fuel duty for the sixth year in a row.

  • Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-03-08.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of his Department’s (a) Senior Civil Servants and (b) core policy civil servants are based in London.

    Harriett Baldwin

    100% of HM Treasury Senior Civil Servants and 99.9% core policy civil servants are based in London.

  • Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-03-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what additional training provision and schemes his Department plans to put in place to support job losses arising as a consequence of the national living wage.

    Nick Boles

    The 2015 spending review made provision for a major expansion of adult further education, to increase employment and productivity levels.

    The Government has maintained funding for the core adult skills participation budgets in cash terms at £1.5bn and is also increasing opportunities in technical and professional education by doubling the level of spending on apprenticeships by 2019-20 in 2010-11 cash terms, including income from the new apprenticeship levy. It will be almost £900 million higher in 2019-20 than in 2015-16. By 2019-20, spending on apprenticeships in England will be £2.5 billion.

    The combination of the levy, the protection of the AEB, the extension of advanced learner loans, and the introduction of the youth obligation means that by the end of the Parliament, the cash value of core adult FE funding to support participation will be at its highest ever. The total spending power of the FE sector to support participation will be £3.41bn by 2019-20, which is a cash terms increase of 40% compared with 2015-16 (real terms 30%).

  • Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-03-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will estimate the cost to small and medium-sized enterprises of implementing the national living wage.

    Nick Boles

    The Government’s Impact Assessment for the introduction of the National Living Wage estimates the cost of the initial £7.20 rate will be just under £530 million in total for small, micro and medium sized businesses.

  • Owen Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Owen Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Owen Smith on 2016-03-08.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many self-employed people claimed (a) child and (b) working tax credits in (i) 2013-14 and (ii) 2014-15.

    Damian Hinds

    The latest information for 2013-14 recipients can be obtained from the ‘Child and Working Tax Credits statistics: finalised annual awards – 2013 to 2014’ publication. It is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-and-working-tax-credits-statistics-finalised-annual-awards-2013-to-2014

    The equivalent information for 2014-15 will not be available until May 2016.

    “

  • Dan Jarvis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Dan Jarvis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-03-08.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2016 to Question 28993, whether he plans to give Ministerial approval to relax the restrictions of the public sector exit cap on employees of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.

    Greg Hands

    The power to relax restrictions on exit payments imposed by the cap will enable decisions to be taken on individual or collective cases where there may be exceptional circumstances that justify the cap being relaxed. This would be subject to scrutiny and approval by the relevant Minister in accordance with directions issued by the Treasury. The relevant Minister for the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority would be the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change.

    The Government can confirm that the regulations detailing the relaxation provisions will not come into force before 1 October 2016 and therefore all exits before that date will not be within the scope of the public sector exit payment cap.

  • 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 2016-03-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions his Department has had with the Department for Work and Pensions on the consequential effects of the introduction of maintenance loans for part-time students.

    Joseph Johnson

    The Government announced in the Spending Review that for the first time, student finance would be available to part time students to help meet both tuition and living costs.

    Discussions are ongoing with other Government Departments and stakeholders regarding the new maintenance loan product for part time higher education students, and specifically its interaction with the social security system.

  • 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 2016-03-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if his Department will publish the full list of Equivalent or Lower Qualification exempt subjects announced in the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015.

    Joseph Johnson

    Part time students studying for a second degree in subjects allied to medicine; biological sciences; veterinary sciences, agriculture and related subjects; physical sciences; and mathematical sciences will be eligible for a tuition fee loan from the 2017/18 academic year. These are in addition to the exemption for part time technology, computer science and engineering degrees introduced in 2015/16. Subject lists below these broad headings are published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency at https://www.hesa.ac.uk/component/content/article?id=1787