Tag: Baroness Parminter

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Parminter on 2016-01-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to introduce an instalment scheme for businesses in all areas affected by flooding to enable them to spread tax payments in the light of the reduction in revenues as a result of unexpected costs associated with the recent flooding.

Lord O’Neill of Gatley

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) operates a dedicated Severe Weather helpline to offer help and advice on any tax matters to those people and businesses affected by the recent flooding. The helpline is 0800 904 7900Opening hours are Monday to Friday, 8.00 am to 8.00 pm; Saturday and Sunday, 8.00 am to 4.00 pm, excluding bank holidays.

In cases of severe flooding, HMRC will also:

• consider instalment arrangements where customers are unable to pay as a result of the floods;
• agree a practical approach when individuals and businesses have lost vital records to the floods;
• suspend debt collection proceedings for those affected by the floods; and
• cancel penalties when the customer has missed statutory deadlines due to the floods.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Parminter on 2016-02-02.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether retailer records provided to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs will be made available on the department’s website, in the light of the guidance Carrier bag charges: retailers‘ responsibility that states such information will be made public.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

Defra is required to publish every retailer record received on an annual basis. All records supplied by retailers will be published on the GOV.UK website by 31 July each year.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Parminter on 2016-02-02.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the records of retailers concerning carrier bag charges will be made public after the first reporting period, 5 October 2015 to 6 April 2016, in the light of the fact that members of the public can obtain copies of retailer carrier bag records within 28 days.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

Defra is required to publish every retailer record received on an annual basis. All records supplied by retailers will be published on the GOV.UK website by 31 July each year.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Parminter on 2016-02-24.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have (1) to develop a new strategy for the implementation of the European School Milk Scheme from 2017, and (2) to involve stakeholders in developing that strategy.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

If the European Parliament formally endorses the proposal for a revised EU School Milk Scheme in Plenary on 8 March 2016, it is likely to enter into force in spring 2016 and apply in schools from August 2017. We will use this period to consider the new requirements and consult with interested parties. Member States that wish to participate will be obliged to submit a multi-annual national strategy setting out their priorities for implementing the new Scheme. Detailed rules for the drawing up of national strategies will be adopted by the Commission in a delegated act which will be negotiated in the coming months.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Parminter on 2016-02-29.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many seized dogs are being held by police services across the UK, and how many of those have been held for over one year.

Lord Bates

This information is not collected centrally.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Parminter on 2016-03-10.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of microplastics from toiletries and detergents on aquatic life.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

Microplastics from cosmetic products make up a very small percentage of the total of microplastics entering the marine environment, with estimates ranging from 0.01% to 4.1%. Defra has funded a project, undertaken by the University of Plymouth, to study the effects of microplastics in the marine environment. The project studied whether chemical pollutants stick to plastic particles, whether marine organisms ingest plastic particles and pass them along the food chain, and whether the plastics themselves, or associated chemical pollutants, could cause harm to those organisms. The final report for this project is currently undergoing peer review.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Parminter on 2016-03-10.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the consumption of microplastics on human health.

Lord Prior of Brampton

No such assessment has been made.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Parminter on 2016-04-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government when decisions relating to the awards from the Office for Low Emission Vehicles for the low emission bus scheme will be made.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

We have received and assessed a large number of high quality bids for Government funding under the Low Emission Bus Scheme. We will be making an announcement of the results in the near future.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Parminter on 2016-05-23.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 15 December 2015 (HL4104), when they intend to make public the report of the Lead Ammunition Group, which was submitted on 3 June 2015, and their response.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

The Government is still in the process of considering the report’s findings and recommendations and will respond to it as soon as possible.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Parminter on 2016-06-28.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of leakage at landfill sites in Britain, and what plans they have to investigate landfill sites to identify any that are leaking.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

The Environment Agency is responsible for regulating landfill sites that hold an environmental permit, which includes all operational and some closed sites. Operators of landfill sites must comply with their permit conditions and these will normally include a requirement to monitor emissions or leakage. The Environment Agency assesses compliance with permit conditions on an ongoing site-specific basis.

The monitoring and management of historic landfill sites that are no longer operating under a permit is a matter for local authorities under the Environmental Protection Act 1990. The Government does not hold these records and has therefore not made an assessment of leakage from these sites.