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Tag: 2015

  • Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-12-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what representations he has received from the Automotive Council on the long-term sustainability of automotive manufacturing in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

    Anna Soubry

    The Government has regular and constructive dialogue with the automotive industry – including through the Automotive Council, which is taking a leadership position in ensuring the sustainable growth of the sector in the UK.

  • Lord Avebury – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Avebury – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Avebury on 2015-11-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the compatibility of their decision to delay the publication of their feasibility study regarding establishing baseline data to evaluate the effectiveness of caste legislation with their commitment to open government.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    This Government has been giving consideration to the legal position on caste discrimination in light of the Tirkey v Chandhok Employment Appeal Tribunal judgment which suggests there is an existing legal remedy for claims of caste-associated discrimination under the ‘ethnic origins’ element of Section 9 of the Equality Act 2010.

    Our consideration of the research report commissioned by the coalition Government, designed to determine the feasibility of conducting a national survey to quantify the extent of caste discrimination in Britain, is part of this process.

    We remain mindful of the Open Government Action Plan published by the Coalition Government in 2013, to the extent that this concerns the results of commissioned research.

  • Rebecca Long Bailey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Rebecca Long Bailey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rebecca Long Bailey on 2015-12-10.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps HM Revenue and Customs is talking to ensure that payroll taxes are collected from employers who pay wages in cash; what recent estimate he has made of the number of (a) employers using cash in hand for payroll and (b) employees receiving wages in cash; and what information he holds on the prevalence of payment of wages in cash in different sectors.

    Mr David Gauke

    HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) takes a risk-based approach to employer compliance interventions, checking that employers and contractors have complied with their tax obligations. There are a variety of methods by which employers make payment to their employees, and HMRC will check wages have been received net of the appropriate tax and National Insurance Contributions deductions as part of our compliance intervention activity, regardless of the method of payment. Where this activity identifies that there may be non-compliance with other taxes, HMRC takes steps to address this risk.

    Where inaccuracies are found, HMRC will consider whether a penalty is appropriate based on the behaviour which led to the inaccuracy. The penalty will be highest in circumstances in which the behaviour which led to the inaccuracy was deliberate.

    HMRC is conducting research into the role of cash in facilitating non-compliance, and into the trends which are likely to change that role. As part of this work, on 25 November 2015 HMRC published a call for evidence on cash, tax evasion and the hidden economy, which seeks a better understanding of what implications the trend away from cash has for tax compliance.

    The call for evidence is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/cash-tax-evasion-and-the-hidden-economy-call-for-evidence

    “

  • Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick on 2015-11-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to use the forthcoming spending review to act on the findings of the Institute for Government report Managing with Less, in particularly the finding that some government targets….look unachievable”.”

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    The Government receives a wide range of representations which inform the Spending Review process. The Spending Review has now been published and is available in the Library of the House and on gov.uk .

  • Mark Pritchard – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Mark Pritchard – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Pritchard on 2015-12-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 16 November 2015 to Question 15775, on how many occasions since 2010 an authorisation under section 60AA of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 has been granted in each police force area in England and Wales; and for what purpose each such authorisation was granted.

    Mike Penning

    The Home Office does not collect data on either the number of authorisations under section 60AA of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 or the reasons for granting such authorisations.

  • Lord Bradshaw – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Bradshaw – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bradshaw on 2015-11-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effect that congestion in urban areas is having on the cost and attractiveness of bus travel to travellers.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The Department for Transport has not conducted a specific assessment of the effect that congestion in urban areas is having on the cost and attractiveness of bus travel to travellers.

  • Jake Berry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Jake Berry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jake Berry on 2015-12-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many applications by grandparents for rights of access to their grandchildren there were in each year since 2010.

    Caroline Dinenage

    Under the Children Act 1989 the court may make a child arrangements order to determine with whom a child is to live or spend time. Prior to 22nd April 2014 such orders were called contact and residence orders. The Department collates figures on the numbers of applications made by grandparents for child arrangements orders and the figures for such applications since 2010 are shown below.

    Number of child arrangement (contact) order applications made by grandparents in England and Wales

    Year

    Applications by grandparents

    2011

    2403

    2012

    2574

    2013

    2755

    2014

    1624

    2015 – 3 quarters only

    1335

    Unlike parents, grandparents and other family members can only make an application for a child arrangements orders with the permission of the court. The requirement to apply for the court’s permission is not designed to be an obstacle to grandparents, or other close relatives, but to act as a filter to sift out those applications that are clearly not in the child’s best interests. Experience suggests that grandparents (or other interested relatives) would not usually experience difficulty in obtaining permission where their application is motivated by a genuine concern for the child.

    The Department does not collate figures on applications for a child arrangements order where the court’s permission has been sought. This information could only be obtained by manually checking each case file at disproportionate cost. Similarly, the Department does not collate figures centrally on family members named in a child arrangements order. Details of the numbers of child arrangements orders issued specifically for grandparents to see their grandchildren could only be obtained by checking each file at disproportionate cost.

  • The Marquess of Lothian – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The Marquess of Lothian – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2015-11-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what conclusions they have drawn from the recent findings of Antibiotic Research UK about the possibility of a significant surge in winter antibiotic prescriptions; and what assessment they have made of whether government action is required.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The findings of Antibiotic Research UK are consistent with the data included in the most recent report on English Surveillance Programme for Antimicrobial Utilisation and Resistance published on the 16 November 2015. In the winter of 2014 there was a 16.7% increase in antibiotic prescribing in general practice compared to the summer months.

    Public Health England is working to implement the UK 5 Year Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy and as part of this work our surveillance teams are monitoring the seasonality of antibiotic prescribing. It is unclear currently, whether the rise of prescribing in winter months is due solely to the increase in infections or whether some prescribing is inappropriate.

    In response to increased usage of antibiotics in winter months, public facing campaigns such as Stay Well This Winter, run by NHS England, take place to increase public awareness of inappropriate prescribing amongst other seasonal concerns.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Andy Slaughter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2015-12-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his policy is on proposals for an independent body to regulate the car insurance industry.

    Andrew Jones

    There are no proposals for a new independent body to regulate the car insurance industry.

    Motor insurers are regulated and authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority.

  • Lord Laird – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Lord Laird – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2015-11-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what non-disclosure agreements the Department for Constitutional Affairs made in 2003–04, and on what date each agreement was made.

    Lord Faulks

    The information requested is not held centrally.

    The Ministry of Justice is the successor department to the Department for Constitutional Affairs. Searches have been conducted for the information requested. These searches have revealed no trace of any records that relate to such non-disclosure agreements, nor any references to records that were held previously and destroyed.