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Tag: 2016

  • Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-02-05.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what double taxation treaties the Government expects to sign in the next 12 months.

    Mr David Gauke

    Negotiating double taxation treaties involves a number of stages including the requirement for ministerial and parliamentary approval in both countries. Even once the substantive provisions have been agreed, finalising certain technical issues is an unpredictable process over which the United Kingdom is not fully in control. It is therefore not possible to say which treaties will be ready for signature in the next 12 months. However, HM Revenue and Customs does publish the programme of tax treaty negotiations and news of signed treaties at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/double-taxation-agreements-developments-and-planned-negotiations.

    “

  • Ian Austin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Ian Austin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-03-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the cost per year is of storing the London 2012 Olympics athletics warm-up track.

    David Evennett

    Parts of the London 2012 warm-up track are being stored free of charge by the London Borough of Newham.

  • Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2016-03-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what information he holds on the number of private sector employment agencies in each of the last 10 years.

    Nick Boles

    According to the Office for National Statistics the number of employment placement agencies and temporary agencies is given in the table below.

    2015

    22,445

    2014

    19,440

    2013

    18,180

    2012

    17,865

    2011

    17,515

    2010

    18,195

    Data on number of the employment agency businesses are not available on a consistent basis prior to 2010. This is due to changes in methodology and the industrial classification system.

  • Lord Mendelsohn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Mendelsohn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mendelsohn on 2016-05-04.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to legislate to ensure that all fees charged to pensioners by fund managers are made publicly available monthly, including transaction and research costs and all other costs that investors bear.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    The Government is committed to the principle that people who have worked hard and saved should have access to appropriate and accessible investment options and understand the charges that they face. We appreciate the efforts that industry have made to fulfil this aim.

    Since last April, the Government has ensured that trustees of defined contribution pension schemes report charges levied on members in schemes used for auto enrolment.

    We are also engaging with international work on transparency, such as the legislation agreed at European Union level through the Packaged Retail and Insurance Based Investment Products (PRIIPs) and Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID). MiFID II will introduce new measures to increase transparency of research costs for clients of portfolio managers. Under these new measures, portfolio managers may only pay for research through their own funds or from a specific research payment account funded by its clients and subject to specific controls, including a research budget.

    The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is also currently conducting a market study into asset management, which covers the issue of whether the level of fund management fees charged to consumers reflects a competitive market. We await the FCA’s assessment of competition in this sector. The FCA expect to publish an interim report in summer 2016 and a final report in early 2017.

  • Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-06-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency training programme in increasing availability of motorcycle assessors.

    Andrew Jones

    The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) evaluates the effectiveness of its examiner training programme by monitoring the waiting times for both modules of the motorcycle practical test. This enables the agency to balance the demand for tests with the number of motorcycle examiners, which directly affects the availability of motorcycle test appointments. This is measured against the agency’s commitment to maintain or improve upon a six-week annual average waiting time for practical motorcycle tests.

    In addition, the progress against this commitment, the demand for tests and the examiner training programme are discussed in a wider forum at a monthly Service Management Group for Vocational and Motorcycle testing. Specific issues are escalated in this forum as necessary.

    Waiting times for last year and the first two months of this year are shown in the table below, it should be noted that motorcycle testing is affected by seasonal variation and waiting times inevitably rise in the summer months when demand is higher.

    Commitment: 6 weeks

    Year 2015/16

    Year to Date April – May 2016

    MC Mod 1

    4.7

    6.8

    MC Mod 2

    3.9

    5.5

  • – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by on 2016-09-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the latest figures of how many British Islamists who have fought in Iraq or Syria for Islamic State (1) are believed still to be in those countries, and (2) have returned to the UK; of those who are known to have returned how many (a) have been prosecuted, (b) have received de-radicalisation” treatment

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    Approximately 850 UK linked individuals of national security concern have travelled to engage with the Syrian conflict. We estimate that just under half have returned and approximately 15% are now dead. This number includes all those of national security concern, not just those affiliated with Daesh.

    Data from the Crown Prosecution Service shows that they have successfully prosecuted 10 cases involving 14 defendants who have returned to the UK and are suspected of having fought in Syria and /or Iraq. In compiling this answer, we have learned that the data on this subject which was included in our answer to question HL8065 (11 May 2016) was incorrect, as it included all prosecutions related to Syria and / or Iraq, rather than those related only to people who had returned from Syria or Iraq.

    All those who return from engaging in the conflict in Syria and Iraq can expect to be subject to investigation to determine if they have committed criminal offences abroad or represent a threat to our national security. Decisions to prosecute are taken, independently of Government, by the Crown Prosecution Service. Assessments are also made of the appropriateness of other forms of intervention, for example including referral to mental health services or to the Channel programme. For reasons of national security, we do not comment further on action taken with respect to returners from Syria.

  • Grant Shapps – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Grant Shapps – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grant Shapps on 2016-10-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy to relax rules on the use of animal growth hormones in beef farming once the UK has left the EU.

    George Eustice

    There are no plans to relax rules on the use of hormones for the purposes of growth promotion, following the UK’s exit from the EU.

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-01-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answers of 24 December 2015 to Questions 19956 and 19957, how many migrants granted leave to remain in the UK did not have No Recourse to public funds conditions imposed on them because of exceptional circumstances in (a) 2008, (b) 2009 and (c) 2010.

    James Brokenshire

    The number of cases in which leave to remain in the UK was granted that did not have No Recourse to Public Funds conditions imposed on them in the years 2008 to 2010 was as follows:

    2008: 3,490

    2009: 7,795

    2010: 9,020

    These figures have been provided by the Home Office database with figures rounded to the nearest 5, interpreting ‘migrants’ as ‘lead cases’ and excluding asylum applications.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-02-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what funding she plans to allocate to Birmingham City Council for implementation of a Clean Air Zone in Birmingham; and how much funding she plans to allocate to that Council under the air quality grant programme.

    Rory Stewart

    The air quality plan for nitrogen dioxide we published on 17 December last year confirms that we will be providing funding to help five Local Authorities in England outside London to implement clean air zones and to support the implementation of additional measures where necessary. We will be discussing the details of this with the Local Authorities concerned, including Birmingham City Council.

    Birmingham City Council has not received any funding for 2015-16 under our air quality grant programme. No decisions have been made about air quality grant awards for 2016-17 and beyond.

  • Kevin Hollinrake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Kevin Hollinrake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Hollinrake on 2016-03-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the timetable is for completion of the Defence Infrastructure Organisation Footprint; and what alternative uses his Department has recently considered suitable for RAF Linton-on-Ouse.

    Mark Lancaster

    The RAF envisages no further use for RAF Linton-on-Ouse following the out of service date of the Tucano aircraft which is anticipated to be October 2019.

    Further announcements regarding the rationalisation of the Defence estate will be made later this year.