The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bill Wiggin on 2015-12-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many semen collection licences her Department has issued in each year from 2010 to 2015.
George Eustice
The information will be placed in the House Library.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bill Wiggin on 2015-12-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much revenue accrues to the public purse for payments received for semen collection licences.
George Eustice
The information will be placed in the House Library.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bill Wiggin on 2015-12-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she intends to meet the hon. Member for North Herefordshire to discuss Brockhampton school.
Nick Gibb
The Secretary of State met the hon. Member for North Herefordshire last Wednesday 9th December. Department for Education officials are investigating the concerns raised about Brockhampton Primary School. We will follow up with options as quickly as possible. We will keep the hon. Member for North Herefordshire informed on developments.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bill Wiggin on 2016-01-26.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, to which (a) government departments, (b) agencies, (c) commercial companies and (d) charities HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) Fast Stream civil servants are (i) attached or (ii) seconded; what the average length of time is for such (A) attachments and (B) secondments; and what assessment HMRC makes of the benefits of those attachments and secondments to its own work and to the tax payer.
Mr David Gauke
Civil Service Resourcing coordinates the Fast Stream for the Civil Service and manages all Fast Streamers on the central corporate schemes.
A list of Government departments, Agencies, Arms Length Bodies, NDPB’s, Commercial (private) organisations and charities to which Fast streamers are currently posted to as at January 2016 can be found at Annex A.
Fast stream postings in the Civil Service are either 6 or 12 months depending on the timing of the posting
The average length of time for a secondment to an external organisation is 6 months.
Civil Service Resourcing assesses the value of these postings and placements to the Civil Service (including HMRC) in the following ways:
Individual performance management through postings; mid and end of scheme assessments to track developments against the Fast Stream aims (core skills, competency framework and leadership potential)
Posting and secondment evaluation to ensure the effectiveness of each posting in supporting Fast Streamers’ development.
Overall assessment via Fast Stream Annual survey to measure ongoing effectiveness of the Fast Stream
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bill Wiggin on 2016-01-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many copies of the Agra-Europe report on Brexit her Department has.
George Eustice
My Department is aware of Agra Europe’s recent report but has not purchased any copies.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bill Wiggin on 2015-11-02.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 29 October 2015 to Question 12970, for what reasons estate agents that do not hold client money fall within the scope of the Money Laundering Regulations 2007.
Harriett Baldwin
The Money Laundering Regulations 2007 sets out what regulated sectors (includes businesses such as estate agents) must do to prevent their services being used for money laundering and terrorist financing purposes. Money laundering can take many forms and in the property sector it often involves: (i) buying property using the proceeds of crime and selling it on; (ii) criminals hiding behind complex structures to disguise the true purpose of the transaction; (iii) paying an estate agent or auctioneer a significant deposit and reclaiming it later; and (iv) using purchase monies from a mortgage fraud.
Estate agents that do not hold client money fall within the scope of the Money Laundering Regulations 2007 in accordance with the requirements of article 2 1. (3) (d) of European directive 2005/60/EC of 26 October 2005 on the prevention of the use of the financial system for the purpose of money laundering and terrorist financing.
The Directive requires estate agents to exercise due diligence and to report suspicious transactions. Suspicious transactions, and preventing the inappropriate use of services, may arise in a variety of ways that do not involve handling funds. Estate agency businesses are well placed as they encounter both parties to the transaction at an early stage.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bill Wiggin on 2015-11-02.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to reduce red tape affecting estate agents subject to the Money Laundering Regulations 2007.
Harriett Baldwin
The Government’s Anti-Money Laundering regime has a clear aim: to make the UK financial system a hostile environment for illicit finances, whilst minimising the burden on legitimate businesses and reducing the overall burden of regulation.
With this in mind, the Government has launched a review of the impact on business of the current anti-money laundering and terrorist finance regime as part of the Cutting Red Tape Review programme. The call for evidence from all parties closes on 6th November and the Review is specifically seeking evidence on the role of supervisors in that regime, so that regulatory activity can be made as efficient as possible. The Review will examine the potential to improve compliance and efficiency, by identifying aspects of the supervisory regime that appear to businesses in the regulated sector to be unclear or unnecessarily cumbersome.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bill Wiggin on 2015-12-03.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reasons HM Revenue and Customs co-ordinates the Fast Stream scheme for civil servants; and what role the Cabinet Office has in the development for future civil servants.
Mr David Gauke
Civil Service Resourcing coordinates the Fast Stream for the Civil Service and manages all Fast Streamers on the central corporate schemes.Civil Service Resourcing is currently hosted by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), and reports to the Minister for the Cabinet Office on talent matters.
161 Fast Streamers currently work in HMRC.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bill Wiggin on 2015-12-03.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many fast stream civil servants work for HM Revenue and Customs.
Mr David Gauke
Civil Service Resourcing coordinates the Fast Stream for the Civil Service and manages all Fast Streamers on the central corporate schemes.Civil Service Resourcing is currently hosted by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), and reports to the Minister for the Cabinet Office on talent matters.
161 Fast Streamers currently work in HMRC.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bill Wiggin on 2015-12-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps she has taken to improve the administration of the Rural Payments Agency.
George Eustice
The Secretary of State and I have regular meetings and discussions with the Chief Executive of the Rural Payments Agency (RPA). The Chief Executive of the RPA also attends the department’s weekly Executive Committee.
Around 33,000 Basic Payment Scheme claims were paid promptly and accurately on 1st December, the first day of the payment window that runs through to 30 June.