The below Parliamentary question was asked by Norman Lamb on 2016-09-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what role his Department played in drafting the Government’s childhood obesity plan.
Margot James
I refer the Rt hon Member to the reply I gave to Question UIN 44973.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mary Glindon on 2016-10-21.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the value of salary sacrifice company cars to employers in the public sector for (a) recruiting and (b) retaining for staff.
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.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Pearson of Rannoch on 2016-01-13.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to alter the timing of school exams to accommodate Muslim children during Ramadan, and whether they have similar plans to accommodate Jewish children and the children of other non-Christian religions during their religious festivals.
Lord Nash
This is a matter for the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) and I have asked its Chief Regulator, Glenys Stacey, to write directly to the Noble Lord. A copy of her reply will be placed in the House of Lords Library.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-02-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which assets of his Department took part in the rescue of MV Verity on 29 January 2016.
Penny Mordaunt
No assets from the Ministry of Defence took part in the rescue of the MV Verity on 29 January 2016. There were no Royal Navy ships in the immediate vicinity.
His Netherlands Majesty’s Ship De Ruyter responded while in the area undergoing training and assisted the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2016-02-29.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on developing a cross-departmental strategy to improve access and availability to fitness and sports facilities to improve public health.
Jane Ellison
The Department works closely with other Government departments to achieve a joined-up approach to improving the public’s health, including with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in the development and implementation of their Sporting Future: A New Strategy for an Active Nation.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2016-03-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he expects the UK-China human rights dialogue to take place.
Mr Hugo Swire
The next round of the annual UK-China Human Rights Dialogue will take place in London. The date is still being agreed with the Chinese Government.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-05-04.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with which countries the UK has negotiated agreements on the exchange of tax information which (a) are in compliance with the OECD’s standard for such agreements and (b) provide for the automatic exchange of tax information since the OECD’s standard was released in July 2014.
Mr David Gauke
The UK has exchange of tax information agreements with 142 different jurisdictions, through Double Taxation Agreements and Tax Information Exchange Agreements, and also as party to the OECD/Council of Europe Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters (the ‘Multilateral Convention’).
A list of the international agreements the UK is party to can be found on Gov.uk under ‘Tax Treaties’, and details of which jurisdictions have entered the Multilateral Convention into force alongside the UK can be found on the OECD website.
Of the 142 international tax agreements the UK is party to, only the following 12 do not meet the international standard for exchange of information on request:
Egypt
Fiji
Gambia
Israel
Jamaica
Kenya
Namibia
Oman
Papua new Guinea
Sri Lanka
Swaziland
Zimbabwe
That international standard does not apply to automatic exchange. The standard for automatic exchange the question refers to (as published by the OECD in July 2014) is the Common Reporting Standard, the globally acceptable standard on automatic exchange of information with respect of financial accounts information.
The means of ensuring this standard was through a common Competent Authority Agreement, which supplements the international tax agreement allowing for exchange of tax information, rather than being an international tax agreement itself. There is no standard for automatic exchange in international tax agreements; just whether the agreement allows for it or not.
It is the UK policy to interpret international tax agreements to allow automatic exchange even where not expressly stated, with the exception of cases where the exchange of information provision clearly uses restrictive wording that would preclude such an exchange.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Crispin Blunt on 2016-06-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to paragraph 10 of NHS England’s Strategic Framework for Specialised Services board paper, published in May 2016, what plans his Department has to issue directions to NICE regarding the adoption of its guidance by NHS England for treatments recommended through (a) the technology appraisal programme and (b) the highly specialised treatment evaluation programme.
George Freeman
The Department has no plans to issue any such directions to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
NHS England and clinical commissioning groups are legally required to fund drugs and treatments recommended in technology appraisal and highly specialised technologies guidance issued by the NICE, normally within three months of the publication of the NICE’s guidance.
Following NHS England’s review of its specialised commissioning processes and the publication in the summer of the final report from the Accelerated Access Review, we anticipate the NICE will want to look at its processes and methods for the assessment of drugs and treatments used in specialised commissioning.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-09-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, when he plans for the UK to initiate Article 50; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Robin Walker
The Prime Minister has made it clear that we will not be triggering Article 50 before the end of 2016. She has said that we won’t be triggering Article 50 until we have a UK approach and clear objectives for negotiations. It is in everyone’s interest that we establish this before we trigger Article 50.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-10-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with reference to the Answer of 10 October 2016 to Question 46333, how much has been spent on the functions of the Department for International Trade; and what estimate he has made of how much will be spent on those functions by the end of the current fiscal year.
Mark Garnier
Following her appointment on 13 July 2016 the Prime Minister established the Department for International Trade (DIT). Until such time as a transfer of functions order establishes my Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade as a corporation sole, DIT remains a unified Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) department for accounting purposes. The transfer of functions order (No 2016/ 992) laid on 19 October 2016 will come into effect on 9 November 2016.
DIT is a new Department and is in the process of establishing a separate and distinct budget for its operating costs. This will be shared with Parliament through the Autumn Statement and Supplementary Estimates.