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Tag: 2015

  • Diana Johnson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Diana Johnson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2015-11-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many investigations have been commenced by the National Crime Agency into human trafficking, in each of the last three years.

    Karen Bradley

    The National Crime Agency was established on 7 October 2013 and, at that time there were eight human trafficking investigations under way.

    Between 7 October 2013 and 6 October 2014 the NCA commenced a further eight NCA human trafficking investigations.

    Between 7 October 2014 and 7 Oct 2015 the NCA commenced a further 11 human trafficking investigation. In addition, over the same period, the NCA has provided specialist support to over 60 investigations led by other law enforcement agencies involving human trafficking.

  • Scott Mann – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Scott Mann – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Scott Mann on 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to change the distribution of Common Fisheries Policy quotas for inshore fishing fleets.

    George Eustice

    Defra is in the final stages of a permanent quota realignment exercise which will represent a 14% uplift in the amount of quota the inshore fleet currently receives.

    We have also announced that the inshore fleet will be the principal beneficiaries of any quota uplift received as a result of the introduction of the demersal landing obligation.

    For species subject to the discard ban from January 2016, we have announced that the non-sector pools will receive the first 100 tonnes of any quota uplift received and 10% of any remaining uplift. For 2016 this represents more than 1,000 tonnes of uplift to support the non-sector in their adaptation to the landing obligation and includes key stocks such as haddock, whiting and plaice.

    In the Celtic Sea there will be an estimated additional 126 tonnes of whiting and 142 tonnes of hake to support the non-sector.

  • Christina Rees – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Christina Rees – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christina Rees on 2015-11-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, by what process his Department identified the areas of policy within its responsibility proposed for reservation in Annex B of the publication Powers for a Purpose: Towards a lasting devolution settlement for Wales, published on 27 February 2015.

    Dominic Raab

    Annex B to the Powers for a Purpose Command Paper provided an illustrative list of the main areas in which reservations would be needed in a reserved powers model. The list described the Government’s emerging thinking as the new reserved powers model was being developed. The Government published its full proposals in the draft Wales Bill on 20 October.

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Tulip Siddiq – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2015-12-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many people took up ESOL Plus Mandation courses in each year such courses were available.

    Nick Boles

    An estimated 5,060 people in 13/14 and 20,530 in 14/15 were mandated to ESOL under the English Language Requirement policy.

  • Zac Goldsmith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Zac Goldsmith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Zac Goldsmith on 2015-11-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 10 November 2015 to Question 15131, what discussions the Government has had with Heathrow Airport on the mitigation measures proposed for Heathrow expansion in the Airport Commission’s final report; what information the Government has received from Heathrow Airport in response to those discussions; and what account the Government will take of the response from Heathrow Airport in reaching a final decision.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Airports Commission’s final report proposed a package of potential mitigation measures for all major UK airports as well as specific ones for Heathrow. Separately from its consideration of the evidence set out in the Airports Commission’s Final Report, the Government is also engaging in discussions with all three of the scheme promoters shortlisted in the Airports Commission’s Interim Report in order to understand the likely timescales, risks and dependencies associated with delivering each of the three schemes. The Government has yet to decide on the need for additional airport capacity and will not make any decisions on the next steps until it has considered the large amount of very detailed analysis contained in the Airports Commission’s final report.

  • Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-12-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the potential benefits of making penalties for data breaches a criminal act in which negligence is involved.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The Government keeps the sanctions available for breaches of the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) periodically under review. The Information Commissioner alreadyhas the power to serve a Civil Monetary Penalty of up to £500,000 for‘serious’ contraventions of the DPA.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-11-18.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many full-time equivalent staff were employed by HM Revenue and Customs to enforce compliance with minimum wage legislation in each of the last 10 years.

    Mr David Gauke

    The Government is committed to increasing compliance with minimum wage legislation and effective enforcement of it. Everyone who is entitled to the minimum wage should receive it. Employers who pay workers less than the minimum wage not only have to pay back arrears of wages at current minimum wage rates but also face financial penalties of up to £20,000 per underpaid worker.

    The Government has increased annual funding of National Minimum Wage enforcement by over 60% since 2010, meaning a £13.2m budget in 2015/16.

    This has enabled a significant expansion of resources dedicated to enforcing the minimum wage; there are currently 237 staff (224.05 full-time equivalent) in HM Revenue and Customs’ National Minimum Wage teams, up from 171 at the start of 2014/15.

    Previous years’ detail is provided in the table below:

    Year

    Funding allocated by BIS (or predecessor departments) (£m)

    Full-time equivalent staff

    2006/07

    5.8

    Not available

    2007/08

    6.8

    Not available

    2008/09

    7.6

    139.16

    2009/10

    8.3

    140.18

    2010/11

    8.1

    142.18

    2011/12

    8.3

    138.88

    2012/13

    8.3

    142.37

    2013/14

    8.3

    157.85

    2014/15

    9.2*

    183.47

    *Increased in-year

  • Daniel Kawczynski – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Daniel Kawczynski – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Kawczynski on 2015-12-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department made of the potential effect on Libya of the suspension of the Temporary Financial Mechanism before that suspension occurred.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The UK led thinking on the Temporary Financial Mechanism (TFM), established by the Contact Group in Doha in 2011 as a temporary response to the urgent financial needs of the new Libyan National Transitional Council, intended to be used until the new Libyan administration was able to take control of Libyan state assets and revenues that supported Qadhafi’s regime. The UK provided the funding to prepare the TFM and to establish operating procedures that would provide confidence that there was transparent and independent oversight of the funds, and that they would be used in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions.

    After National Transitional Forces (NTC) forces took control of Tripoli on 22 August 2011, the UK sponsored UN Security Council Resolution 2009. This established the UN Support Mission in Libya to support stabilisation in Libya, modified the asset freeze on four key listed state entities, provided for a new exemption to unfreeze their assets and mandated the Sanctions Committee to lift the remaining freeze as soon as practical (in consultation with the Libyan authorities). The TFM was used to provide a range of critical financial support, including the import of refined fuel, the treatment of injured Libyans, and family support payments to Libyans who had depended on government welfare payments.

  • Conor McGinn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Conor McGinn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Conor McGinn on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of his proposed changes to business rates on (a) Merseyside and (b) the UK.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    The Government intends to move to 100% business rates retention in England by the end of this Parliament. We have confirmed that as part of the new system there will continue to be redistribution of local tax revenue between authorities and protections in place for authorities that see their business rates income fall significantly. Over the coming months we will be working with local government on the details of the scheme.

    Ahead of final decisions it is too early to assess what the impact will be on individual areas or authorities, but before the start of the financial year, local authorities in Merseyside estimated that the total business rates income for 2015-16 would be £413.3 million.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andy Slaughter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2015-12-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of whether there has been a reduction in the number of claims brought to the courts as a result of the provisions of the Social Action, Responsibility and Heroism Act 2015.

    Dominic Raab

    The Act only came into force on 13 April 2015. As is normal practice, a formal assessment of its impact may be carried out after three to five years.