The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2015-11-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment his Department has made of the appropriateness of the level of apprenticeship levy funding for (a) SMEs in general and (b) creative industry SMEs.
Nick Boles
My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer will announce further details of the apprenticeship levy at the Spending Review, including the scope and rate.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2015-12-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the length of time it would take to deploy 10,000 armed forces personnel in the event of a civil emergency.
Mark Lancaster
The Ministry of Defence has developed a comprehensive deployment plan for this force in cooperation with the police and Home Office; this includes timescales to deploy.
I am withholding information about response times for reasons of operational security.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2015-11-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what guidance his Department gives to local authorities on the statutory minimum level for a local authority trading standards service.
Nick Boles
There is no statutory minimum level for a local authority trading standards service. It is a locally based service, accountable to local communities and therefore the decision making process lies at a local level.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-12-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many new EU regulations have become law in the UK since May 2015.
Mr David Lidington
There are different types of EU laws, some of which are directly applicable in the UK (regulations), and others which may require domestic implementing measures to give them full effect (such as directives). Sometimes administrative rules or guidelines will be needed in the UK whilst on other occasions legislation may be necessary. Additionally, EU legislation may be new, or it may amend or repeal existing legislation. There is often a delay before an EU law enters into force for instance in order to enable Member States to adopt the necessary domestic implementing measures; different parts of EU laws may enter into force at different times. The information which brings together all these categories of EU measures is not held centrally. However details of all EU-derived legislation currently on the statute book in the UK can be found on our website at: legislation.gov.uk and on the Official Journal of the EU at: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/oj/direct-access.html
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2015-11-13.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will ensure that all staff in HM Revenue and Customs authorised to cancel late-filing penalties are authorised to provide the person concerned with written confirmation of that cancellation.
Mr David Gauke
All staff in HM Revenue and Customs who are authorised to cancel late-filing penalties and late-payment penalties are also authorised to provide the customer concerned with written confirmation of that cancellation. The process to advise the person of the cancellation may differ between taxes, and the notification may in some cases be on-line rather than in a letter.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2015-12-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential cost to the NHS of the introduction of the apprenticeship levy in April 2017.
Ben Gummer
The apprenticeship levy will come into effect in April 2017. It will be payable by employers in the United Kingdom at 0.5% of pay bill. All employers will receive an allowance of £15,000 to offset against payment of the levy which means the levy will only be payable on pay bill in excess of £3 million per year. The NHS contribution to the levy will be dependent on individual NHS organisation’s pay bill at that time. The NHS is fully committed to the apprenticeship agenda and will use the levy contributions to grow the number of apprentices in the NHS.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Sturdy on 2015-11-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to ensure that the Universal Service Obligation on broadband download speed for all properties will be achieved by 2016.
Mr Edward Vaizey
Plans have been set out by the Government to ensure that every home and business can have access to fast broadband by the end of this Parliament. We will launch a public consultation early next year in preparation for the implementation of a new broadband Universal Service Obligation by 2020.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Lavery on 2015-12-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what arrangements have been made to ensure that fire cover remains available whilst fire crews are responding to major floods.
Mike Penning
I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Home Office.
The Civil Contingencies Act 2004 requires that fire and rescue services have plans in place, working with local partners, to deal with emergencies such as flooding, and to ensure that the appropriate level of resource is available. Fire and rescue authorities are also required by the statutory Fire and Rescue National Framework for England to produce Integrated Risk Management Plans which identify the full range of risks to which an authority’s service is expected to respond, and to consult the local community on those plans.
In addition, fire and rescue authorities’ mutual aid arrangements are well established under Section 13 and Section 16 of the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004. These arrangements ensure continuity of service provision across authority boundaries, through mutual assistance from supporting authorities and other agencies other than the host fire and rescue authorities. The National Coordination and Advisory Framework, a collaborative arrangement between the Government, the Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser and Chief Fire Officers Association, is in place to both support and supplement these arrangements.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2015-11-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the announcement by BAE Systems on jobs, related to production of the Eurofighter Typhoon on 12 November 2015, what estimate he has made of the number of jobs in each production location that will be lost which are related to the production of that aircraft.
Mr Philip Dunne
BAE Systems issued a statement on 12 November 2015 confirming that the company was taking action to reduce the Eurofighter Typhoon production rate; it also confirmed its intention to reduce the workforce within its Military Air and Information business by up to 371 roles. The majority of the affected posts are based at the company’s Samlesbury site, with the remainder at its Warton facility.
Decisions on the capacity and capability of any company, including the division of work between sites, primarily rests with the company concerned.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2015-12-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will make an assessment of the potential effect on the Northern powerhouse of the closure of the Business Growth Service.
Anna Soubry
We do not expect closure of the Business Growth Service to have an impact on the growth of Small and Medium sized Enterprises or the Northern Powerhouse.