Tag: 2016

  • Stephen Gethins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    Stephen Gethins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Gethins on 2016-07-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many additional members of staff will be posted at UKRep during the period of negotiations for UK withdrawal from the EU.

    Mr David Davis

    The UK’s Permanent Representation to the EU will play an important part in negotiating the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, as part of the Department for Exiting the European Union. The overall size and scope of the department, including staffing and budget, are being considered.

  • Alistair Carmichael – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    Alistair Carmichael – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alistair Carmichael on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the inclusion of Scottish universities in the post-study work visa pilot.

    David Mundell

    I meet my Rt hon Friend the Home Secretary regularly and we discuss a wide range of issues.

    The Tier 4 visa pilot is part of the Home Office’s continued efforts to ensure that the UK maintains an excellent offer to attract the brightest and best to study at our world-leading institutions. Its main aim is to help simplify the visa application process for international students looking to study on a Masters’ course, in the UK, of 13 months or less. It will also help to support students who wish to switch into a work route and take up a graduate role by extending the leave period following the end of their study to up to six months. The pilot does not make any changes to the Tier 2 visa route and is not a return to the post-study work visa route, which we closed in April 2012 due to high levels of abuse.

    The institutions taking part in the pilot were chosen due to their consistently low level of visa refusals. It is a fundamental requirement of Tier 4 that education institutions who recruit international students take responsibility for them. This means the institution must ensure the student is genuine and meets the requirements of the Immigration Rules, before assigning them a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS), as well as ensuring that the student leaves the UK at the end of his or her studies.

  • Keith Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Keith Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2016-01-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much funding was allocated to raising awareness of diabetes by Public Health England in each of the last three years.

    Jane Ellison

    There is no specific budget for diabetes awareness marketing within Public Health England.

    However, Change4Life is Public Health England’s (PHE) social marketing programme which aims to inspire families with children aged five to 11 to eat well and move more in order to lower the risks of diseases such as type 2 diabetes, some cancers and heart disease. More than 2.7 million people have engaged with the campaign.

    Table: Costs for the delivery of the Change4Life campaign

    Year

    Cost

    2012/13

    £8,933,000

    2013/14

    £12,582,000

    2014/15

    £10,041,000

    Note: These costs are total campaign costs and only exclude staffing costs.

    PHE is also developing an integrated social marketing campaign to engage adults in making changes to improve their own health. The programme will encourage people to make a number of lifestyle changes including taking up more exercise, improving diet, stopping smoking and reducing alcohol consumption.

  • Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2016-01-25.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what funding has been allocated for national minimum wage enforcement activity within his Department from 2015-16.

    Greg Hands

    The Government is committed to increasing compliance with minimum wage legislation and effective enforcement of it. Everyone who is entitled to the minimum wage should receive it.

    Employers who pay workers less than the minimum wage not only have to pay arrears of wages at current minimum wage rates but also face financial penalties of up to £20,000 per underpaid worker. A further increase in penalties will come into force in April 2016 and will increase the penalty percentage from 100% to 200% of the underpayments owed to each worker, up to the existing maximum.

    The extra funding was allocated in two tranches. The first of £3 million has been used by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to recruit additional staff primarily into front line compliance posts to increase the scope and coverage of interventions aimed at identifying employers who do not pay the minimum wage.

    The second tranche of £1 million has been used to appoint staff into new roles specifically geared to promoting compliance with the National Minimum Wage, through education and support for employers, helping workers to understand their rights, and tackling serious non-compliance where deliberate behaviour is suspected.

    Staff across HMRC contribute to enforcing National Minimum Wage, including people who work in legal advice, debt management, technical support and criminal investigation. However, HMRC does not record the specific numbers of those staff involved beyond those identified in UIN 16853.

    HMRC does not breakdown the overall budget allocated into specific activities. For details of the overall budget in 2015/16, I refer the honourable member back to the answer provided at UIN 16853. Funding allocations for 2016/17 onwards have yet to be confirmed.

  • Jonathan Edwards – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Jonathan Edwards – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Edwards on 2016-02-22.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of what the most appropriate fiscal framework mechanism would be to accompany the devolution of income tax powers of Wales.

    Greg Hands

    The Autumn Statement announced that the Government will legislate to remove the need for a referendum to introduce Welsh Rates of Income Tax. The Government has been clear that it will amend the draft Wales Bill to do this.

    The programme of fiscal reform has been designed for a purpose: to empower the Welsh Government with further tools and levers to deliver more growth and be more accountable to the people of Wales by raising more of the money they spend.

    We will continue to discuss the implementation of Welsh Rates of Income Tax – including the financial arrangements – with a range of interested stakeholders, including the Welsh Government.

  • Kelvin Hopkins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Kelvin Hopkins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kelvin Hopkins on 2016-03-16.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the judgment in Stagecoach Group PLC & Anor v Revenue and Customs [2016] UKFTT 120 (tc) (10 February 2016), what steps his Department has taken against KPMG for designing and marketing the tax avoidance scheme rejected by the court.

    Mr David Gauke

    It is not possible for HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to provide details of any action taken in connection with these organisations.

    In the March 2015 Budget, the Government challenged the accountancy and tax professional bodies to improve how they deal with their members who promote tax avoidance schemes.

    The professional bodies have responded positively to this challenge and are working with HMRC to agree a new standard to which their members will need to adhere.

  • Maggie Throup – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Maggie Throup – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maggie Throup on 2016-04-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which areas have been chosen as test sites for the pre-exposure drug prophyaxis (PrEP); what selection criteria have been used to identify those test sites; and what measures his Department plans to use to assess the effectiveness of PrEP in the test sites over the next two years.

    Jane Ellison

    The planning of the process to select test sites, including timing and criteria for selection, will continue alongside NHS England’s review of its position on the commissioning of pre-exposure prophyaxis (PrEP).

  • Jeff Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Jeff Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeff Smith on 2016-05-23.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people under the age of 25 in (a) England, (b) Greater Manchester and (c) Manchester, Withington constituency are employed on zero-hours contracts.

    Mr Rob Wilson

    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

  • Julian Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Julian Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Knight on 2016-07-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 24 May 2016 to Question 37407, when he plans to publish the new Tobacco Control Plan.

    Nicola Blackwood

    The Government remains committed to publishing a new tobacco control plan and Ministers will decide on a publication date shortly.

  • Anna Turley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Anna Turley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anna Turley on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when his Department plans to launch its consultation on biofuels; and whether that consultation will address the issues of indirect land use and level of the crop cap.

    Mr John Hayes

    We plan to consult later this year on changes to the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation including steps to provide more long term confidence for producers and to address indirect land use change with options to limit the contribution from crop based biofuels.