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Tag: 2015

  • Nigel Evans – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Nigel Evans – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Evans on 2015-10-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what sanctions the HSE can place on companies breaching gas safety.

    Justin Tomlinson

    Sanctions that can be put in place by HSE range from verbal and written advice, improvement notices which require companies to take specified measures to achieve compliance and prohibition notices that stop companies from carrying out specified activities. Ultimately there is prosecution where unlimited fines are available in the Courts. (13083)

  • Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale on 2015-10-21.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government to what extent they take into account development goals when negotiating taxation treaties with developing countries, and what role the Department for International Development has in those negotiations.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have responsibility for negotiating the UK’s double taxation agreements, subject to oversight by HM Treasury. HMRC run an annual consultation exercise to establish the negotiating priorities for the coming year, which are then approved by ministers. As part of this exercise they consider representations made by UK businesses, NGOs and government departments, including the Department for International Development, as well as the UK’s diplomatic missions throughout the world. When the programme is published it also invites representations about our forward programme.

    HMRC’s programme for 2015/16 covers the following countries: Colombia, Fiji*, Ghana, Guernsey, India, Isle of Man, Israel, Jersey, Kazakhstan*, Kyrgyzstan, Lesotho*, Malawi*, Portugal*, Russia, Thailand*, Turkmenistan*, UAE*, US, Uruguay*.

    The UK’s starting point in negotiations is based closely on the OECD Model Double Taxation Convention, which is also the basis for most other countries’ tax treaties. Some developing countries prefer to follow the UN Model, the provisions of which differ in some areas to the OECD Model, and the UK has agreed to adopt these provisions in its treaties. The object of the negotiations is to produce a text acceptable to both countries, balancing their preferences. There is no timetable for how long negotiations should take. It is quite normal for negotiations to take two to three rounds to complete.

    Consultation during the negotiations would be rare.

    *Negotiations largely completed.

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

    Lord Storey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2015-10-21.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made on the Law Commission review of taxi and private hire cars, and rickshaws.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The Law Commission has proposed extensive reform to the legislation around taxi and private regulation which requires careful consideration before recommending a way forward. We will share this the outcome of this consideration once it is completed.

  • Lord Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lucas on 2015-10-21.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will ask general practitioners who prescribe antifungals to patients with Alzheimer’s disease to notify the National Health Service of the results of that treatment, in the light of the article published online by Nature on 15 October regarding the infection of different brain regions with fungi in Alzheimer’s.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The use of antifungal medication is not licensed for the treatment of patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Consequently there would be no requirement for systematic monitoring of the use of these drugs.

  • Dan Jarvis – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Dan Jarvis – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2015-10-21.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent progress his Department has made on the Strategic Defence and Security Review.

    Mr Oliver Letwin

    Work on the Strategic Defence and Security Review is progressing well and we expect it to be published by the end of the year. During the course of the review we have engaged with a wide range of stakeholders and external experts including Parliamentarians, academics, think tanks, NGOs, industry and international allies. Members of the public also have the opportunity to contribute views via a dedicated page on gov.uk.

  • Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-10-21.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the likely change to levels of child poverty resulting from reductions in tax credits in 2015-16.

    Damian Hinds

    The Government is making changes to Tax Credits which will help put welfare spending on a more sustainable path. The Government wants to move from a low wage, high tax, high welfare society to a higher wage, lower tax, lower welfare society.

    We know that work is the best route out of poverty. The intended impact of these reforms is to incentivise work, ensure work always pays, and then allow people to keep more of what they earn.

  • Justin Madders – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Justin Madders – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2015-10-21.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of proposed changes to tax credits on (a) nurses and (b) other NHS staff.

    Damian Hinds

    No such assessment has been made.

  • Carolyn Harris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Carolyn Harris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Carolyn Harris on 2015-10-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to paragraph 7 of his Department’s Triennial Review of gaming machine stake and prize limits, published in October 2013, whether it is his policy that there is a serious case to answer in relation to the potential harm caused by category B2 gaming machines.

    Tracey Crouch

    Following the last review, new measures were introduced in April 2015 to help players of fixed odds betting terminals (FOBTs) stay in control. Players of FOBTs who want to stake more than £50 in one play are now required to interact with staff over the counter or register a customer account card. My department are in the process of conducting an evaluation of thesemeasuresand I will publish the results in due course.

  • Baroness Parminter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Baroness Parminter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Parminter on 2015-10-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what services they will introduce to replace the advisory, training and assessment services on the government’s timber procurement policy currently provided by the Central Point of Expertise on Timber when funding for its work comes to an end in 2016.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    The Central Point of Expertise on Timber (CPET) has been in place since 2004 and has advised and trained procurers across the public sector on implementation of the UK Government’s Timber Procurement Policy (TPP). CPET has been educating public procurers to meet their requirements under TPP and guidance will continue to be made available via the GOV.UK website. The certification schemes FSC and PEFC have been recently reviewed and it has been confirmed that they continue to provide Category A evidence of meeting the TPP. Defra is working with stakeholders who may wish to create additional support services for procurers of timber.

  • Peter Kyle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Peter Kyle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2015-10-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many people completed more than one apprenticeship at the same qualification level between May 2010 and May 2015.

    Nick Boles

    Individuals who have successfully completed an Apprenticeship are not normally allowed to repeat an Apprenticeship at the same Level. A recent piece of research focusing on value added post learning shows that of the 280,000 people with a Level 2 Apprenticeship as their highest qualification held between 2004/2005 to 2010/2011, 8,000 (3 per cent) had previously achieved a Level 2 Apprenticeship in the same period. And of the 233,000 people with a Level 3 Apprenticeship as their highest qualification held between 2004/2005 to 2010/2011, 5,000 (2 per cent) had previously achieved a Level 3 Apprenticeship in the same period.

    Funding for Apprenticeships is managed by the Skills Funding Agency through funding rules. These rules state that Apprentices who have successfully completed an Apprenticeship at any level are not expected to start a second Apprenticeship at the same or lower level. Apprentices will be expected to progress to a higher level.

    In general, to receive funding for an Apprenticeship, the training provider and SFA must be satisfied that, for all Apprentices, this is the most appropriate learning programme and that they are carrying out a new job role or an existing job role where the individual needs significant new knowledge and skills. If an individual changes jobs, remaining in the same sector or changing sector, and fulfils these criteria, funding is available for an Apprenticeship.

    In certain circumstances, Apprentices may need to be multi-skilled. In this case, the SFA will fund an Apprenticeship at the same or lower level if the Apprenticeship is supporting the Apprentice in an extended job role.

    However, individuals who have a prior qualification at Level 4 or above are only eligible for funding for a Higher Apprenticeship at Level 5 or above. They are not eligible for funding for an Intermediate Level (Level 2), Advanced Level (Level 3) or Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship, even if they change their job role or the sector they work in.