The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-01-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions he has had with the Home Secretary on amending immigration rules to support the curry industry.
Anna Soubry
My Rt hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills has regular discussions with the Home Secretary on a wide variety of issues.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-02-04.
To ask the Prime Minister, whether it is Government policy to promote multiculturalism in the UK.
Mr David Cameron
We have been very clear: we are proud that Britain is one of the most successful multi ethnic, multi faith democracies in the world. The Government is clear that people have full freedom here to choose and practice their faith. It is right though to challenge the view held by some that we should encourage communities to develop separately and effectively live in a segregated way. The Government is committed to boosting integration in some of our most isolated communities, and to proudly promoting the British values that we all share.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2016-03-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what information her Department holds on the number of coal-fired powered stations which have been built in Germany since 2010; and if she will make a statement.
Andrea Leadsom
The Department commissioned an independent study[1] published in April 2013 looking at new coal-fired power stations in Germany. This study found 10 coal plants (a total of 8GW) were under construction at the time and would be ready to be commissioned by 2015.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2016-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many local authorities in each of the nations and regions of the UK have a multi-agency service dedicated to supporting members of the armed forces and former members of the armed forces and their families.
Mark Lancaster
The Ministry of Defence does not hold this information.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-05-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Answer of 8 December 2015 to Question 17583, on child maintenance, for what reason there is a difference between the estimated costs of (a) caseworker activity to review and update Child Support Agency (CSA) arrears and (b) establishing arrears on the CMS system set out in paragraph 93 of the Department’s final impact assessment on CSA case closure, dated 10 April 2013, and those supplied in that Answer.
Priti Patel
The estimates given in the answer to question 17583 differ from the figures in the Impact Assessment (£123m) because:
i. The actual caseload has been slightly smaller than was forecast at the time of the Impact Assessment and
ii. There has been improved analysis of the effort required to close cases, informed by the actual experience of closing cases.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-06-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to (a) assess and (b) address the effect on rail services of the infrastructure bottleneck at Croydon.
Claire Perry
Network Rail’s Sussex Route Study has assessed capacity constraints on the Brighton Main Line. It is increasingly apparent the junctions around Croydon create a complex operating environment for train operators, which translates into constrained capacity and potential delays for passengers. As we develop our emerging priorities for improvements to the national network in 2017, we will give due consideration to improving these junctions.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Natalie McGarry on 2016-09-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which reports commissioned by his Department from external bodies between 1 January 2015 and 31 August 2016 have not yet been published; when each report was commissioned for research; what the nature of the research commissioned was; from which external body or individual person the research was commissioned; what the value was of each such piece of research commissioned; on what date each report was received by his Department; for what reasons the research has not yet been published; and when he plans to publish each report.
Mr John Hayes
The Department commissions a wide range of research to support its objectives. The general presumption is that research results used in the course of the Department’s business should be made available to broaden knowledge and better inform discussion. In a few circumstances (for instance, where the research relates to security matters or where the Department does not hold the necessary rights to publish) such information is not published; but such circumstances are exceptional. Information on publication of the outputs of this research is not collected centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Cooper on 2016-01-18.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps the Government has taken to prevent predatory high-frequency trading.
Harriett Baldwin
It would not be appropriate for the Government to comment on any ongoing investigations. This is an operational matter for the FCA which is an independent regulator. I have transferred this question across to them and they will respond fully in due course.
The Government is clear that any attempted manipulation of any financial market is completely unacceptable. The integrity of the City matters to the economy of Britain, and that is why the Government is taking action at home, in Europe, and globally, to ensure that this behaviour is punished and that similar scandals cannot occur again.
The Government has taken a number of steps to strengthen financial regulation in the UK. These include introducing the Senior Managers and Certification Regime to provide for effective regulation of individual conduct and accountability in the banking sector. The Bank of England and Financial Services Bill, now before the House of Commons, will extend this regime to cover all authorised financial services firms, including dealers in securities and other non-banks which may engage in high-frequency trading (HFT).
The Government has supported the European Union (EU) Markets in Financial Instruments Directive 2 (MiFID 2), which from 2017 will alter the regulatory landscape in relation to automated trading including HFT. As part of this, HFT firms will be required to disclose information concerning their trading activities to their regulator in order to increase the regulatory supervision of these markets.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-02-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport of 28 January 2016, Official Report, column 523, on trains running over tracks from the 1930s, which sections of track on which routes carrying Southeastern services date from the 1930s.
Claire Perry
I would like to clarify that, in my contribution to the debate in Parliament on 28 January 2016, column 523, I was making a statement about how certain areas of the network in the South East have not been substantially changed or enhanced in keeping with the modern demands being placed upon them since the 1930’s, though evidently renewals will have happened over time.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2016-03-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what automatic access (a) the UK would have to the markets of other WTO members and (b) other WTO members would have to the markets of the UK if the UK leaves the EU.
Anna Soubry
The paper published on 2nd March entitled “Alternatives to membership: possible models for the United Kingdom outside the European Union” makes clear that if the UK were to leave the EU, then unless we were able to negotiate a preferential trade deal under WTO rules neither the UK nor the EU could offer each other better market access than that offered to all other WTO members. Furthermore, our privileged access to 53 markets outside the EU through the EU’s Free Trade Agreements would be terminated. We could seek to negotiate new agreements, but this would take many years. It would be difficult to replicate the terms that we currently enjoy.
A WTO-only arrangement would create a particularly difficult dilemma for the UK over trade tariffs. We could extend the tariffs that the EU currently applies to all WTO members to UK imports from the EU, but this would make those imports more expensive. Conversely, lowering UK tariffs would make imports cheaper, but there is no guarantee that this would be reciprocated. In addition, our guaranteed access to global services markets, including within the EU, would revert to the basic level of access that WTO members offer through the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS).