Tag: 2016

  • Lord Sharkey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Sharkey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Sharkey on 2016-01-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect the Migration Advisory Committee to publish the findings of the review of the Tier 2 route of the Points Based System, including their recommendations on the application of a skills levy to businesses recruiting from outside the EEA.

    Lord Bates

    In June last year, the Government commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to advise on how to restrict Tier 2 to roles where there are genuine skills shortages or which require highly-specialised experts, but with sufficient flexibility to include high value roles and key public service workers.

    As part of that commission, the MAC was asked for advice on applying an immigration skills charge to businesses recruiting from outside the EEA. The MAC published its report on 19 January 2016.

  • Jamie Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Jamie Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2016-02-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will make it his policy that business rates generated by new nuclear development in Copeland will be retained by the billing authority.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    The Government has announced reforms to the business rates retention scheme which mean that, by the end of this Parliament, local government will keep 100% of locally raised business rates and 100% of the growth generated by new development. 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 of the reforms will be on individual areas’ spending power.

  • Matthew Pennycook – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Matthew Pennycook – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Pennycook on 2016-02-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent consideration he has given to amending existing non-statutory guidelines on Residential Leasehold and Recognised Tenants’ Associations to ensure that those who reside in larger blocks and developments have the same opportunity to gain recognition as a recognised tenants’ association as those in smaller blocks and developments.

    Brandon Lewis

    The non-statutory guidelines available to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) when considering applications for statutory recognition of a tenants’ association, apply to all residential blocks of flats, large or small.

    Recognising concerns raised about the ability to acquire statutory recognition, the Department published a detailed discussion paper last year to consider what more can be done through the existing guidelines to assist the tribunal when considering applications. We are currently considering responses to the discussion paper.

  • Lord Moynihan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Lord Moynihan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Moynihan on 2016-03-23.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress they have made in discussions with the European Commission about whether it would be in accordance with the EU Consumer Rights Directive for both primary and secondary market ticket sellers to be required to provide a unique reference number to ensure event organisers can track ticket sales.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    Her Majesty’s Government is satisfied that it has a clear understanding of the constraints on legislation imposed by the Consumer Rights Directive and has not to date sought discussions with the European Commission on this matter.

  • Peter Kyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Peter Kyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2016-04-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will set a target for apprenticeship completion rates by the end of this Parliament.

    Nick Boles

    Apprenticeship completions are monitored closely by the Skills Funding Agency. There are minimum levels of performance for individual providers.

    We have already taken action to increase the quality of apprenticeships; including introducing a minimum duration and ensuring that all apprenticeships are real jobs. We are continuing to go further by giving employers the opportunity to design rigorous new apprenticeships with end point assessments and by establishing the Institute for Apprenticeships.

    We will continue to focus on quality as much as on quantity, but do not intend to set a separate target for apprenticeship completion rates.

  • Lord Tebbit – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Tebbit – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Tebbit on 2016-06-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Sovereign is subject to legislation originating in the EU.

    Lord Bridges of Headley

    In relation to UK law civil and criminal proceedings cannot be taken against the Sovereign as a person under UK law.

    Under EU law, EU Heads of State enjoy a special status, in accordance with generally accepted principles of international law.

  • John Mann – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    John Mann – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Mann on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what powers he intends to devolve to city regions; and if he will make a statement.

    Andrew Percy

    It is for a city region or any other place to put forward proposals for any powers that it wishes to be devolved to it, together with its proposals for the necessary strong governance arrangements to support these.

    The Government has already agreed devolution deals with nine areas which provide for the devolution of wide ranging powers and budgets on planning, transport and skills and the election of mayors in 2017.

  • David Crausby – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    David Crausby – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Crausby on 2016-10-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make it his policy to restore compensation for war widows who remarried between 1973 and 2005.

    Mark Lancaster

    There are currently no plans to restore War Widows Pensions to those who had surrendered it on re-marriage or cohabitation, however, I remain sympathetic to the circumstances of this group of widows and have asked Ministry of Defence officials to continue to consider potential options given the financial and legal considerations we are faced with.

  • Lord West of Spithead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord West of Spithead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2016-01-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 8 December 2015 (HL4047), whether the build time of HMS Vanguard from beginning of whole boat construction to commissioning was six years 11 months; and, if so, why the first Vanguard replacement will take in excess of 14 years, as laid out in the Strategic Defence and Security Review.

    Earl Howe

    The Vanguard class were built at the end of an extensive period of UK submarine production. UK industrial capacity diminished following the subsequent 10 year gap in submarine building, which is a key factor in the Successor build schedule. Additionally, the Vanguard build duration, which was more than eight years in duration, did not include sea trials, which take several years. The dates for Successor reported in the Strategic Defence and Security Review do include that activity.

  • Seema Malhotra – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Seema Malhotra – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Seema Malhotra on 2016-02-03.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the (a) primary and (b) secondary policy purposes are of income tax and corporation tax relief on payments to relevant scientific research associations.

    Mr David Gauke

    This is a longstanding tax relief which ensures that business payments made to scientific research associations which carry out research relevant to the business can be taken into account in calculating taxable profits.