Tag: 2016

  • Lord Pendry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Pendry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Pendry on 2016-06-15.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to make representations to the President of Colombia during his state visit to the UK in November, about domestic laws that potentially conflict with international human rights obligations and the rights of indigenous and Afro-descendant peoples.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The State Visit presents an opportunity for us to continue our engagement with the Government of Colombia on a wide variety of themes.

    We continue to raise the issue of human rights with the Colombian Government at the highest levels. In recent months the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt. Hon Friend, the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt. Hon Friend, the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), and I have all urged President Santos to continue Colombia’s efforts to address human rights concerns.

    We support the peace process and hope that achieving a sustainable peace agreement will benefit all Colombian citizens, including indigenous and afro-descendant communities.

    I am pleased to note that at the 46th session of the Organisation of American States and General Assembly, the Colombian Government supported the adoption of the instrument for the rights of indigenous peoples of the Americas and renewed its commitment to continue advancing respect for pluralism and ethnic and cultural diversity.

  • The Marquess of Lothian – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The Marquess of Lothian – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2016-09-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the target length of time for Border Force to process (1) non-European Economic Area passengers, and (2) European Union passengers, at each terminal in Heathrow; and how often that target has been missed in the past six months.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    The service level agreement for passengers arriving at Heathrow for Non-EEA nationals is 95% of queue measures to be less than 45 minutes and for EU/EEA nationals this is 95% of queue measures to be less than 25 minutes.

    The data on the Border Force performance against the targets at Heathrow can be found at:

    www.heathrow.com/company/company-news-and-information/performance/airport-operations/border-force

  • Drew Hendry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Drew Hendry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Drew Hendry on 2016-10-19.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when his Department plans to review the VAT threshold.

    Jane Ellison

    The Government keeps all tax rates and thresholds under review.

  • Geraint Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Geraint Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Geraint Davies on 2016-01-13.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that government procurement helps to increase tax receipts.

    Matthew Hancock

    Procurement Policy Note 03/14 sets out the scope, background and detailed guidance for the policy of using the procurement process to promote tax compliance:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/procurement-policy-note-0314-promoting-tax-compliance

    “

  • Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2016-02-04.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of calls by The Elders and other groups for changes in the composition and working of the UN Security Council in order to make it more democratic and representative.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The UK welcomes all contributions to the important debate on how to improve the working of the UN Security Council. We regularly re-examine our UN policies and take into consideration the views and thoughts of interested parties, including The Elders. We have long advocated expansion of the UN Security Council in order to reflect the growth in UN membership and the need for the Council to better represent the modern world. To achieve this we are in favour of new permanent seats for Japan, Germany, India and Brazil, along with permanent African representation. But we are also clear that Council reform should not make it less effective. We are also fully behind efforts to improve the workings of the Council so that it can better fulfil its function of maintaining international peace and security. It is for this reason that the UK was one of the initial signatories of the Accountability, Coherence and Transparency group’s Code of Conduct. This makes explicit the UK’s intention never to vote against credible Security Council action to end or prevent the commission of genocide, crimes against humanity or war crimes. It is also why we are at the forefront of efforts to improve the Council’s working methods, as demonstrated during our Presidency of the Council in November 2015 where we put the emphasis on transparency, action, and interactivity between states.

  • Ian Murray – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Ian Murray – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, (a) when, (b) where and (c) for how long the powers under section 101 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 to designate reception zones have been used to date; and how many asylum seekers designated under section 95 of that Act have been so supported.

    James Brokenshire

    The Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 introduced the policy of national dispersal, designed to share the impact of asylum seekers across the whole of the UK. Asylum seekers are housed across the UK under voluntary agreements between national government and local authorities that have been in place since 2000. The powers under Section 101 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 have not been used to date.

  • Derek Twigg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Derek Twigg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Derek Twigg on 2016-03-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans his Department has to increase the retention rate of doctors working in general practice.

    Alistair Burt

    The number of full time equivalent doctors working in general practice has increased by 1,677 since September 2010.

    The Department has committed to further increasing the primary and community care workforce by 10,000 by 2020, including an additional 5,000 doctors working in general practice. In January 2015, NHS England, Health Education England, the Royal College of General Practitioners and the British Medical Association’s General Practitioners Committee published Building the Workforce, a ten point plan to address general practitioner (GP) workforce issues.

    The ten point plan includes actions to improve retention, as well as to increase recruitment and support GPs to return to practice. As part of this work, NHS England has commissioned a detailed review to identify the most effective measures to encourage experienced GPs to remain in practice.

  • Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne Main on 2016-05-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much his Department and its agencies and non-departmental public bodies have spent on infraction proceedings in each of the last 10 years.

    Joseph Johnson

    I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 11 May 2016 to Question UIN 36288.

    “

  • Richard Burgon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Richard Burgon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burgon on 2016-06-15.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of instituting a common standardised approach for calculation of risk weights in the capital requirements regulation for banks and building societies, including new entrant banks less than five years old.

    Harriett Baldwin

    The government is committed to increasing banking competition and meets with a wide range of institutions as part of the process of developing policy to help drive more competition.

    We have already taken significant action to improve competition in banking. This includes:

    • Delivering the Current Account Switch Service and midata so customers are able to compare personal current accounts and switch where they see a better deal – simply, quickly and reliably;

    • Lowering barriers to entry and helping to establish the New Bank start-up Unit, making it quicker and easier for new banks to enter the market and compete effectively with the incumbents;

    • Creating the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) as a single, stronger competition regulator, to promote competition and ensure markets work well for consumers, businesses and the wider economy.

    The government is also taking action by working with the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and the Bank of England to introduce a more proportionate prudential regime for smaller banks and building societies. The exchange of letters between the Economic Secretary and Andrew Bailey published in November 2015 highlights this work.

    In its retail banking market investigation, the CMA provisionally found that banks on the standardised approach are at a competitive disadvantage in the provision of lower LTV mortgages compared to banks using internal models. It also stated that the capital requirements regime has the potential to impact on competition in retail banking in a range of areas. The government, working with the PRA and Bank of England will take forward the issues identified by the CMA.

  • Tom Watson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Tom Watson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2016-09-12.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what progress has been made by the Cabinet Secretary on his inquiry into the recent leak of information concerning honours and peerages.

    Ben Gummer

    The investigation into the leak of the Prime Minister’s Resignation Honours List is ongoing.