Tag: 2016

  • Lord Vinson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Vinson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Vinson on 2016-01-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will consider making it an offence to lend shares for short-selling without permission of the beneficial owners.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    The short selling of securities is a legitimate and longstanding investment technique that can provide a positive contribution to efficient market functioning through supporting price formation and providing liquidity to markets.

    It is already illegal to lend any property, including shares, without the consent of the beneficial owner. However, there are limited circumstances in which fund managers are able to lend shares on behalf of investors (including for purposes such as facilitating a short sale). Under the Financial Conduct Authority’s rules, fund managers are able to do so if they have explicitly set out that they will do this in fund documentation, including the prospectus. This documentation forms part of the contract, which the investors agree to when they invest in the fund. FCA supervisors monitor compliance with applicable rules in this regard. These existing rules allow the FCA to take action, where appropriate, if shares are lent without the permission of the beneficial owner.

  • Maria Eagle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Maria Eagle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2016-02-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will estimate the total annual cost to the UK economy of broadband connections that do not reach Ofcom’s acceptable minimum speed of 10Mbit/s.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The economic benefits of broadband are clear – and that is why we have done and invested more that ever since 2010 than ever to ensure that 95% of homes and businesses right across the UK will have access to superfast broadband by the end of 2017. The benefits are supported by SQW Consulting’s UK Broadband impact study in 2013 estimated that the availability and take-up of faster broadband speeds will add about £17 billion to the UK’s annual Gross Value Added (GVA) by 2024.

    In November, the Prime Minister announced our ambition to implement a new broadband Universal Service Obligation (USO) at 10 Mbps. This new broadband USO will give people the legal right to request an affordable broadband connection from a designated provider, up to a reasonable cost threshold, no matter where they live. We will be consulting on these proposals shortly.

  • Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-02-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to improve the level of expertise and knowledge amongst 111 NHS staff.

    Jane Ellison

    As part of the process of moving to a new integrated urgent care service, accessed through the 111 telephone number, NHS England has established a Workforce Development Programme. This includes the development of a competency framework, which will set out the skills, behaviours and competencies needed for both clinical and non-clinical staff to continually improve the safety and quality of patient care. In addition, NHS England’s NHS 111 Workforce Investment Fund is supporting a number of projects that will test and evaluate a number of initiatives for improving the effectiveness of the NHS 111 workforce.

  • Christopher Pincher – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Christopher Pincher – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Pincher on 2016-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will estimate the costs to local authorities of (a) mixing a tonne of air pollution control residues into concrete blocks and (b) disposing of a tonne of air pollution control residues to secure hazardous waste landfill.

    Rory Stewart

    The derogation to allow the landfilling of air pollution control residues that are three times above normal waste acceptance criteria was originally granted because there was a lack of alternative treatment capacity at the time to either treat certain wastes to levels meeting normal waste acceptance limits, to treat the wastes via alternative treatment technologies or to recycle or recover the residues. The availability of sufficient alternative treatment capacity and the costs of that treatment are therefore the two central criteria that the government will use to decide whether or not to remove the derogation.

    The Government is making an assessment of the quantity of air pollution control residues produced at energy from waste facilities to inform its decision on whether or not to remove the derogation to allow the landfilling of air pollution control residues that are three times above normal waste acceptance criteria. These figures will be available following the announcement of that decision.

    The Government is making an assessment of the costs of the different forms of treatment for air pollution control residues, including their mixing into concrete blocks and their disposal to hazardous waste landfill, to inform its decision on whether or not to remove the derogation to allow the landfilling of air pollution control residues that are three times above normal waste acceptance criteria. These figures will be available following the announcement of that decision.

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-05-04.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what his policy is on making it mandatory for British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies to provide a central, public register of beneficial ownership.

    Matthew Hancock

    Our priority for the Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies has been for them to establish a central register of beneficial ownership information (or a similarly effective system) where they do not already have one, and for UK law enforcement and tax authorities to have full and automatic access to that information. As has repeatedly been set out the registers will not be public, these measures will place our Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories well ahead of many other similar jurisdictions and represent a significant step forward in our ability to counter criminal activity.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2016 to Question 38502, what estimate she has made of her Department’s (a) core total evidence spend and (b) core research and development spend in each of the next five years; and if she will make a statement.

    George Eustice

    The estimated evidence spend for core Defra for 2016/17 is £50m, of which £31m is planned to be spent in research and development (R&D). The estimates for each of the remaining years of the Spending Review 2015 (SR15) period will not be finalised until the annual business planning round is concluded before the new financial year begins.

  • Margaret Ritchie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Margaret Ritchie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2016-09-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effect of the UK leaving the EU on the renewables industry in (a) Northern Ireland and (b) the rest of the UK.

    Jesse Norman

    We remain committed to making Britain the best place in Europe to own and grow a business. That includes supporting those businesses that trade with the EU and the wider international markets, as well as continuing to encourage record foreign direct investment which supports business and communities up and down the country. Through our industrial strategy we will continue to put power in the hands of local communities to drive economic growth working in partnership with local business and civic leaders – to deliver an economy that works for all.

  • Mary Glindon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Mary Glindon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mary Glindon on 2016-10-21.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of taxation rules applied to company cars on incentivising the take-up of low and ultra-low emission vehicles.

    Jane Ellison

    The Government has recently consulted on proposals to limit the range of benefits in kind, such as company cars, that attract income tax and National Insurance Contributions advantages when they are provided as part of salary sacrifice arrangements. Responses have been received from a wide range of interested parties and the Government’s response will be published in due course.

    The Government is committed to encouraging company car drivers to take-up the driving of ultra-low emissions vehicles. A separate consultation published on 10 August sets out proposals to incentivise the take up of low and ultra-low emissions company cars.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2016-01-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government who supervises and audits public funding of universities in the UK.

    Baroness Evans of Bowes Park

    Responsibility for higher education is devolved.

    The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) has responsibility for oversight of the higher education sector in England.

    For Higher Education Institute’s that receive HEFCE funding, the individual HEI’s external auditor is required to provide a statement in their audit report that public funding has been used for the purposes for which it was provided. HEFCE also seeks a range of other accountability returns from each HEI and carries out periodic ‘HEFCE Assurance Reviews’ of all HEIs.

    Similar arrangements are in place in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. BIS is responsible for “alternative HE providers”, which includes some private universities, who are not in receipt of funding from HEFCE.

    Individual public bodies (such as Government Departments and Research Councils) are separately accountable for any public funding that they distribute.

  • Brendan O’Hara – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Brendan O’Hara – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Brendan O’Hara on 2016-02-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether British military advisers have been present in control rooms of the Saudi-led coalition engaged in conflict in Yemen.

    Penny Mordaunt

    We have deployed a small number of military personnel serving as liaison officers in Saudi headquarters to provide insight into Saudi operations. They remain under UK command and control. These liaison officers are not involved in the targeting process – whether it be the selection, decision making or directing.

    British personnel are not involved in carrying out strikes, directing or conducting operations in Yemen or selecting targets and are not involved in the Saudi targeting decision-making process.