Tag: 2015

  • Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-02-11.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, which HM Revenue and Customs officials saw the list of bank accounts held at the HSBC private bank in Geneva, known as the Falciani list, as passed to the Government by the French financial authorities; what evaluation was conducted of that list on its receipt; and when Ministers in his Department were first made aware of the information on that list.

    Mr David Gauke

    On receipt of the list HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) set up a project, called ‘Operation SOLACE’, which at its peak had around 300 tax specialists systematically examining the leaked HSBC Suisse data, to assess how it could be used to identify tax evasion and whether it provided sufficient evidence to support enforcement action against UK resident account holders.

    The HSBC Suisse data initially revealed 6,800 ‘entities’ – individuals, businesses and trusts – but this contained duplication (some people had multiple accounts). Removing duplication left around 3,600 entities, all of which HMRC have examined.

    HMRC have investigated and challenged more than 1,000 account holders, and collected £135 million from them in unpaid tax, interest and fines.

    HMRC received the data from the French in April 2010 under very strict international treaty conditions, which limited its use to tax purposes only and prevented HMRC from sharing the data with other law enforcement authorities for investigating other potential offences.

    Since 2010 we have asked the French authorities on a number of occasions for permission to use the data for purposes wider than tax collection.

    The French authorities gave written confirmation on 23 February 2015 that they were lifting restrictions on the use and sharing of the data with other law enforcement agencies and regulators for the purpose of investigating criminal offences.

    As a result, HMRC has recently held a multi-agency meeting to discuss how the stolen HSBC Suisse data can be shared with them.

    Ministers were not made aware of any specific cases under the long standing principle of taxpayer confidentiality and HMRC operational independence.

  • Cathy Jamieson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    Cathy Jamieson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cathy Jamieson on 2015-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on issues arising from the measures contained in the Football Governance Bill.

    Mrs Helen Grant

    I have had no such discussions. It would be for the Scottish Government to work with the key football bodies in Scotland on governance matters as they saw fit. I continue to encourage the football authorities in England to introduce improved measures around regulation and governance to their sport.

  • Grahame M. Morris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Grahame M. Morris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame M. Morris on 2015-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 9 February 2015 to Question 223360, what proportion of the 1,000 skilled people he expects to be UK-based; and whether he expects these people to be subject to a collective bargaining agreement.

    Matthew Hancock

    The information requested is not available.

  • John Howell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    John Howell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Howell on 2015-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many NHS doctors are excluded from practice under the Maintaining High Professional Standards framework.

    Dr Daniel Poulter

    This information is not collected centrally.

    Under Directions to the NHS Litigation Authority, the National Clinical Assessment Service function has a responsibility to monitor and report on national suspensions and exclusions under the Maintaining High Professional Standards framework.

    The National Clinical Assessment Service has provided the following information. In their most recent published report ‘Use of exclusion and suspension from work in England’ of June 2014, which refers to financial year to 31 March 2014 they recorded 148 exclusions for doctors with a mean duration of 41 weeks based on 75 cases.

    The information provided does not provide a breakdown of clinical and non-clinical behaviour.

    The classification used is that the primary recorded reasons for exclusion are conduct (119 cases (80%)) and clinical (29 cases (20%)).

  • Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-02-11.

    To ask the Prime Minister, what due diligence he undertook on the background of Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint before his appointment as a Minister of State in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office; and what communications he has had with Lord Green in respect of the accounts of British residents and nationals held by HSBC in Switzerland since 2005 since 7 February 2015.

    Mr David Cameron

    I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Washington and Sunderland West (Mrs Hodgson) on 11 February 2015, Official Report, columns 774-775.

  • Keir Starmer – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Keir Starmer – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keir Starmer on 2015-10-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what compensation HS2 Ltd has to pay to rail franchise holders for the track possessions required to bring High Speed 2 to Euston; and what effect the provisions made in the AP3 Environmental Statement have had on this figure.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    HS2 Ltd deposited an Additional Provision (AP3) to the HS2 Phase One hybrid Bill on 16 September 2015 which includes revised plans for London Euston station. The new plans focus on an incremental strategy which will deliver new high speed platforms (Stages A and B1) and do not preclude wider redevelopment of the existing station in the future (Stage B2).

    We have listened to train operators and worked very closely with them throughout the development of the new design. The staged approach will mean less disruption to passengers using existing train services and therefore compensation to train operators. We have made budget provision for a level of compensation to train operators as part of the overall Phase One rail budget. These allowances have still to be agreed with the relevant train operators and will be assessed further as part of the design development process. The information also remains commercially sensitive.

    Any necessary impacts to the existing railway will be carefully planned with Network Rail and the affected operators from the outset, learning from experiences at other major stations such as Kings Cross and London Bridge.

  • Ian C. Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Ian C. Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian C. Lucas on 2015-10-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applications for jobseeker’s allowance were made in Wrexham (a) by telephone and (b) online in each of the last 24 months.

    Priti Patel

    The information requested is not available.

  • Chris Stephens – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Chris Stephens – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Stephens on 2015-10-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what meetings (a) Ministers and (b) officials of his Department have had with representatives of (i) the Taxpayers’ Alliance, (ii) the Confederation of British Industry, (iii) the Institute of Economic Affairs, (iv) the Adam Smith Institute, (v) the Freedom Association, (vi) the Politics and Economics Research Trust and (vii) the Midlands Industrial Council in the last 12 months.

    Justin Tomlinson

    Details of Ministers’ meetings with external organisations are published up to 31 March 2015 and can be accessed on Gov.uk at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ministers-transparency-publications

    Further publications of Ministerial meetings will be published in due course.

    “

  • Gareth Thomas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Gareth Thomas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2015-10-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applications for funeral payments were (a) made and (b) granted in each region in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12, (iii) 2012-13, (iv) 2013-14 and (v) 2014-15; and if he will make a statement.

    Justin Tomlinson

    Tables 1 and 2 give the number of the Funeral Expense Payment applications received and awards made by the Department for Work and Pensions by region from 2010/11 to 2014/15.

    Table 1: Funeral Expense Payment applications received by region, 2010/11 to 2014/15

    Region

    2010/11

    2011/12

    2012/13

    2013/14

    2014/15

    East of England

    4,200

    4,800

    4,700

    4,100

    3,500

    East Midlands

    8,400

    4,600

    4,500

    4,000

    3,200

    London

    6,800

    6,900

    6,700

    6,500

    5,800

    North East

    4,400

    4,700

    4,200

    3,600

    3,000

    North West

    10,600

    10,400

    10,300

    9,200

    8,100

    Scotland

    8,300

    8,500

    8,000

    7,400

    6,300

    South East

    6,200

    6,400

    5,700

    5,200

    4,400

    South West

    4,000

    4,300

    4,200

    4,000

    3,100

    Wales

    4,300

    4,300

    4,400

    3,700

    3,500

    West Midlands

    7,200

    6,800

    6,600

    6,000

    4,900

    Yorkshire and Humberside

    4,300

    6,700

    6,400

    5,500

    4,900

    Total

    68,800

    68,500

    65,600

    59,100

    50,600

    Table 2: Funeral Expense Payment awards made by region, 2010/11 to 2014/15

    Region

    2010/11

    2011/12

    2012/13

    2013/14

    2014/15

    East of England

    2,500

    2,600

    2,500

    2,200

    2,200

    East Midlands

    4,200

    2,500

    2,300

    2,200

    2,100

    London

    3,800

    3,900

    3,600

    3,500

    3,600

    North East

    2,400

    2,400

    2,100

    1,900

    2,000

    North West

    6,100

    6,100

    5,700

    5,300

    5,000

    Scotland

    5,100

    5,000

    4,800

    4,400

    4,300

    South East

    3,100

    2,900

    2,500

    2,700

    2,700

    South West

    1,800

    2,300

    2,100

    2,100

    1,900

    Wales

    2,600

    2,400

    2,400

    2,200

    2,200

    West Midlands

    4,100

    3,800

    3,700

    3,300

    3,000

    Yorkshire and Humberside

    2,500

    3,600

    3,500

    3,300

    3,200

    Total

    38,200

    37,700

    35,200

    33,100

    32,100

    Notes:

    • All figures are rounded to the nearest 100.
    • Figures may not sum due to rounding.
    • The applications figures are based on applications received by DWP, not applications processed. Some applications may have been withdrawn before a decision was made.
    • The award figures include awards made after review, reconsideration or appeal following an initial refusal.
    • These figures do not include cases which have been processed clerically and have not been entered on to the Social Fund Computer System.
  • Lord Berkeley – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Berkeley – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Berkeley on 2015-10-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much Network Rail, the Department for Transport, First Great Western and Agility trains have each committed to contributing to the £7.5 billion Great Western route modernisation programme.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    Contracts between the Department for Transport and Agility Trains and Great Western Rail are commercially confidential.