The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michelle Thomson on 2016-10-19.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his Department’s objectives are in negotiating double taxation treaties with developing countries.
Jane Ellison
In negotiating double taxation treaties, the UK’s objective is to reach an agreement that allocates taxing rights on a basis acceptable to both countries.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Finlay of Llandaff on 2016-01-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when and by which ministerial department the decision was taken to cancel the transfer of police custody healthcare services to the NHS; when that decision was announced; and what were the reasons for that change of policy.
Lord Bates
My rt hon Friend the Home Secretary has decided that a reallocation from the overall police settlement in respect of custody healthcare costs would not be appropriate at this time. This decision was communicated to Police and Crime Commissioners on 17 December 2015 in correspondence on the provisional police funding settlement. Police and Crime Commissioners will therefore retain responsibility for commissioning such services, and have flexibility to prioritise resource towards police custody healthcare, based on local needs.
In most areas police forces and NHS Commissioners have already developed close effective partnerships in respect of custody healthcare provision and we expect that they will continue to build on these.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Hepburn on 2016-02-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average time taken was between a fatal accident occurring in construction and the start of a prosecution on the latest date for which data is available.
Justin Tomlinson
For fatalities in construction (Standard Industrial Classification, section F) reported to HSE between 2005/06 and 2014/15, the average time between the date of incident and the date prosecution action was approved is 751 days. This number does not include some more recent or complex incidents, which remain under investigation. The time between the incident and prosecution approved to date by yearly time bands is as follows:
|
Time between incident and approval |
Number |
Percentage |
|
0 – 1 year |
43 |
23 |
|
1-2 years |
51 |
27 |
|
2-3 years |
56 |
30 |
|
3-4 years |
28 |
15 |
|
4-5 years |
9 |
5 |
|
5 years + |
2 |
1 |
|
189 |
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-02-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, for what reason the report commissioned by his Department from Ecofys on international electricity prices has not yet been published; when the Government plans to publish that report; and whether that report found that electricity price increases for energy intensive industries as a result of climate policies will be larger in the UK than any other country.
Anna Soubry
The Department is currently reviewing the findings of the Ecofys international energy price comparisons report. We are considering publication options but the report found that the increase in electricity prices for energy intensive industries varies considerably by country depending on their climate change policy landscape.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2016-03-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much Southern Rail/GTR has paid in compensation payments to passengers in each of the last three years.
Claire Perry
The Department holds the information as set out in the table attached. Not all operators are required to provide such figures.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Judd on 2016-04-28.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reports from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) about the condition of Palestinian refugees and UNRWA staff following the recent bombing near Qabr Essit camp, Sayyida Zeinab, including threats to life, and access to food, water, and health services; and what action they are taking both multilaterally and unilaterally to relieve the situation.
Baroness Verma
Da’esh has claimed responsibility for indiscriminate attacks in the Sayyida Zeinab area that have killed dozens of civilians since the beginning of the year. We share UNRWA’s concerns about the volatile situation on the ground, including its impact on the Palestinian refugee camp at nearby Qabr Essit.
We have given over £59 million to UNRWA to provide assistance to Palestinian refugees affected by the violence in Syria. Through the International Syria Support Group and UN Security Council, we are pushing for improved humanitarian access to all those in need across Syria and supporting attempts to find a political settlement that will end the conflict.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2016-06-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016 on access to housing for victims of domestic violence.
Justin Tomlinson
The Government set out its assessment of the impacts of the welfare policies in the Welfare Reform and Work Act on 20th July 2015. It set out its assessment of the impacts of the social rents policies in the Act on 28th September 2015.
A link to the impact assessments is included:
http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2015-16/welfarereformandwork/documents.html
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Tomlinson on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to improve data-sharing (a) across government departments and (b) between government departments and local authorities.
Ben Gummer
The Cabinet Office has consulted public authorities, academics, civil society organisations and privacy groups to explore how data-sharing can be used to improve public services to better support citizens in need, tackle fraud and debt and inform better policy making through world class research and statistics.
The government has included a number of provisions within the Digital Economy Bill to enable government to share data more effectively, whilst also including a set of principles to strengthen the safeguards around the use of data.
The government has also worked to establish a Centre of Excellence for Information Sharing, supporting public sector organisations and government departments in identifying and overcoming the organisational and cultural issues that limit effective sharing.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Reynolds on 2016-10-18.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions the Economic Secretary to the Treasury has had with representatives of the UK financial services sector on the UK’s exit from the EU since assuming office.
Simon Kirby
Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery.
Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at:
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-01-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the feasibility of dropping food by air to civilian communities now under siege in Syria and cut off from all external supplies.
Earl of Courtown
The UK has pledged over £1.1 billion in response to the crisis in Syria and the region, making us the second largest bilateral donor after the US. We have provided support to the UN and international NGOs (INGOs) since the start of the conflict to deliver aid in hard to reach and besieged areas of Syria. By the end of June 2015, UK support inside Syria and in the surrounding region had, for example, delivered almost 20 million food rations that feed one person for a month; over 2.5 million medical consultations; and relief items for 4.6 million people.
The UK will consider any option compliant with international law that might save lives in Syria. We rule nothing out. However, the use of air drops is high risk and should only be considered as a last resort when all other means have failed.
Attempting air drops without the consent of the parties to the conflict may risk undermining negotiations on humanitarian access to the 4.5 million people in hard to reach areas across Syria. Even in uncontested space air drops poise significant challenges. There is a requirement to identify clear drop zones, ensure safe access for the intended recipients and to co-ordinate with authorities on the ground. Instead, the UN, the Red Cross Movement and NGO partners are best placed to deliver aid to vulnerable people in besieged and hard to reach areas.
The desperate situation in besieged and hard to reach areas shows why we need the international community to come together at the London Conference for Syria and the Region on 4 February to support immediate needs and identify longer-term solutions to address the needs of those affected by the crisis.