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Tag: 2016

  • Mark Hendrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Mark Hendrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2016-01-12.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what timescales the Tax Credit Office in Preston has in place to respond to representations made by hon. Members by (a) telephone, (b) email and (c) letter; and how this Office performed against these timescales in the last reporting year.

    Mr David Gauke

    HM Revenue and Customs’ (HMRC) Tax Credit Office aim to prioritise and respond to representations from hon. Members as soon as possible, irrespective of the route by which they are received. HMRC do not, however, routinely record and collate performance against specific timescales for such representations.

  • Geoffrey Clifton-Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Geoffrey Clifton-Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Geoffrey Clifton-Brown on 2016-02-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of benchmarking UKTI’s performance against that of other countries’ export agencies.

    Anna Soubry

    There is considerable merit in understanding how our competitors’ export agencies are structured and the services they offer. This is something the Exports Implementation Taskforce, which the Secretary of State chairs, looked at in some depth in developing a whole-of-Government approach to exports. This included, UK Trade & Investment participating in a formal benchmarking exercise by the International Trade Centre.

    Among the key things found from these comparative reviews is that UKTI employs more people than other countries’ export promotion agencies, but deploys less resource on practical support for exporters (such as interim export managers). Learning from this, UKTI is currently developing some small-scale direct practical support services and products to see what might work in the UK.

  • Gareth Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Gareth Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Johnson on 2016-03-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many road accidents have taken place between Junction 2 and Junction 30 of the M25 in each of the last four years.

    Andrew Jones

    The part of the M25 between Junction 2 and Junction 30 is classed as the A282.

    The number of reported personal injury road accidents occurring on the A282 between Junction 2 and 30 for the years 2011 to 2014 are as follows:

    Fatal

    Serious

    Slight

    Total

    2011

    0

    5

    39

    44

    2012

    1

    3

    35

    39

    2013

    0

    5

    44

    49

    2014

    0

    3

    41

    44

    Data for 2015 will be available in June 2016 when it is first published. Damage only accidents are not collected by the Department.

  • Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will estimate the number of (a) UK firms based in the South East of England that trade with other EU member states and (b) people employed by those firms.

    Anna Soubry

    HMRC Regional Trade Statistics on the number of firms trading with the EU are publically available through the UKTradeInfo website.

    HM Treasury has published estimates of the number of UK jobs linked to EU exports broken down by region. These are available through the GOV.UK website.

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-05-03.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraphs H.21 to H.6 of the HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) document, Measuring tax gaps 2015 edition: methodological annex, published in October 2015, for how many large businesses HMRC tax specialists carried out a detailed review of accounts and CT returns when working out their tax under consideration in each year since 2009-10.

    Mr David Gauke

    Until 31 March 2014, HM Revenue and Customs’ (HMRC) Large Business Service dealt with the tax affairs of around 800 of the largest businesses in the UK. From 1 April 2014 HMRC’s Large Business directorate deals with the tax affairs of around 2,000 large businesses.

    HMRC subject large businesses to an exceptional level of scrutiny for all taxes and duties, with half of all the large businesses managed by HMRC’s Large Business directorate under active enquiry at any one time (rising to over two thirds of the very largest and most complex 800 businesses in the UK).

  • Kevan Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Kevan Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2016-06-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department made an assessment of the potential merits of procuring an alternative to the P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft before the decision on that procurement was made.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    As my hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Armed Forces said on 23 June 2015 in response to Question 3244 to the hon. Member for East Lothian (George Kerevan) the capabilities required from a Maritime Patrol Aircraft were studied by the Department for two and a half years before the UK’s requirement for the capability was confirmed in the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015. During that time the Boeing P-8 Poseidon and a number of other potential platforms were assessed against their ability to meet the Department’s Key User Requirements, using a combination of scientific, technical and operational analysis, as well as industry’s ability to deliver the programme in a timely and cost-effective manner.

  • Douglas Chapman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Douglas Chapman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-09-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the expected lifespan is of the Sea Ceptor Anti-Air Missile System.

    Harriett Baldwin

    The Sea Ceptor system is currently being fitted to the Royal Navy’s Type 23 Frigates as the principal anti-air missile system and will also be fitted to the Royal Navy’s future Type 26 Frigates as they enter service. The capability will remain in service for over 40 years to align with the out of service date for the Type 26 Frigate.

  • Dan Jarvis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Dan Jarvis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-10-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what information her Department holds on the number of people aged between 18 and 25 who have taken a gap year over the last five years.

    Mr Rob Wilson

    The Department does not hold this information.

    Local Authorities hold data on NEETS (not in employment, education or training) but this data does not specify those on gap years.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-01-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the accessibility of mobile broadband services and wifi on public transport was (a) on the last date for which figures are available and (b) in 2010.

    Claire Perry

    Modes of public transport vary significantly with different factors influencing the availability of mobile broadband services which is generally outwith the control of the transport operator. It is not monitored and no data are available.

    Wi-Fi equipment has and continues to be installed by public transport operators to improve internet connectivity for passengers. Generally, the decision to install Wi-Fi is a commercial decision for the relevant operator and, where relevant, subsidising authority. With the exception of the Department for Transport-controlled rail franchised services, it has not been monitored and no data are available.

    On all Department for Transport-controlled rail franchises, in England and Wales, free Wi-Fi is being introduced. Currently around 30% of train carriages operating within the DfT controlled franchises and serving around 50% of rail passenger journeys have Wi-Fi available. Our intention is for 90% of passenger journeys to benefit from free Wi-Fi by the end of 2018. No figures are available for 2010.

  • Tim Loughton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Tim Loughton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2016-02-04.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent assessment of the value for money of the National Citizenship Service his Department has commissioned or reviewed.

    Mr Rob Wilson

    Value for money assessments take place yearly as part of the independent evaluation of the National Citizen Service (NCS).

    The most recent 2014 evaluation shows that every £1 spent on NCS generates up to £3.98 of social benefits. This figure quantifies a range of benefits, including the time participants spend volunteering on their social action projects.

    It is estimated by the NCS Trust that NCS participants have volunteered 8 million hours since the programme began in 2011.