Tag: Gareth Thomas

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-10-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many local authorities in England have held council tax referendums in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Marcus Jones

The only council tax referendum to date was held by the Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner. A proposed 15.8% increase in the Commissioner’s precept was rejected by a margin of 70% to 30% in May 2015.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-10-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, which agreed EU directives have not yet been transposed directly into UK law; and if she will make a statement.

Matt Hancock

Until exit negotiations are concluded, the UK remains a full member of the European Union and all the rights and obligations of EU membership remain in force. During this period the Government will continue to negotiate, implement and apply EU legislation.

One directive within the jurisdiction of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has not been transposed yet.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-10-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, which agreed EU directives have not yet been transposed directly into UK law; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Jones

Until exit negotiations are concluded, the UK remains a full member of the European Union and all the rights and obligations of EU membership remain in force. During this period the Government will continue to negotiate, implement and apply EU legislation.

There are no outstanding directives waiting to be transposed that fall under the jurisdiction of the Department for Exiting the European Union.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-10-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what his policy is on changing the apportionment of business rate income between district and county local authorities once business rate income is fully devolved; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Marcus Jones

We recently conducted a consultation on our approach to the implementation of 100% Business Rates Retention. This consultation included questions on how to take account of changes in need over time, how to manage volatility in business rates income and how to distribute funding between different tiers of government. My officials are currently considering the 454 responses we have received to this consultation and we will publish a summary of the responses and our proposed way forward in due course. In the meantime, we will continue close collaboration with the Local Government Association, other groups representative of local government, and individual local authorities, in taking this work forward.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2015-10-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his European counterparts encouraging them to oppose Lithuanian government plans to erect a convention centre in the Jewish cemetery in Piramont, Vilnius; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Lidington

The Government is aware of plans announced by the Lithuanian Government to renovate the Soviet-era Vilnius Palace of Concerts and Sports, located in the Šnipiškės Jewish cemetery. The existing building on the site has been left derelict for some time. The Chairperson of the Jewish Community in Lithuania has been clear in her public support for the renovation, stressing that the current site is run-down and at risk otherwise of further deterioration. It is the Governement’s understanding that there will be no significant structural changes and that only the interior will be renovated for use as a centre for conferences and cultural events. The surrounding area will be maintained as a memorial park. The Lithuanian Prime Minister has said that all Jewish cemeteries in Lithuania would be memorialised and marked by the end of 2017. We welcome his commitment to working alongside the Jewish Community of Lithuania and the international Jewish community on this renovation. The Lithuanian government has also said it will discuss the renovation with the Israeli government.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-01-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to encourage investment in infrastructure in the north and east of Sri Lanka; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Desmond Swayne

DFID does not have a bilateral programme with Sri Lanka. However, the UK continues to provide assistance through a share of its contributions to multilaterals working in Sri Lanka, such as the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Inclusive growth is a major thrust of the ADB’s Sri Lanka strategy, with projects that support investment in infrastructure in the north and east of the country, as well as elsewhere.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-01-26.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has undertaken a value for money assessment of the National Citizen Service; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Rob Wilson

A value for money assessment is conducted annually as part of the independent evaluation of the National Citizen Service programme. The most recent report, covering 2014, shows a return of up to £3.98 for every £1 invested. This figure quantifies a range of benefits including the time participants spend volunteering on their social action projects. The NCS Trust estimates that participants have volunteered 8 million hours since 2011.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-02-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential effect of the new grading system for GCSEs on students of Latin and Greek; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Gibb

This is a matter for Ofqual, the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation. I have therefore asked its Chief Regulator, Glenys Stacey, to write directly to the Honourable Member. A copy of her reply will be placed in the House of Commons Library.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the recent report by the Sri Lankan Centre for Policy Alternatives that more than 12,500 acres of land in the Northern Province remains occupied by the Sri Lankan military; what recent representations he has made to the Sri Lankan government on the restitution of land and reparations; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Hugo Swire

Since President Sirisena came to power in January 2015, the Sri Lankan Government has made efforts to return some military occupied private land to civilians. The UK has welcomed this. However, as the CPA report sets out, much more remains to be done. In January 2016, during my second visit in a year to Sri Lanka, I raised land returns in my meetings with the Government and reaffirmed our readiness to help it implement its commitments on reconciliation. I also met resettled families in the north, seeing for myself the progress that has been made as well as the challenges that remain. We will continue to encourage further land returns, a process the UK is contributing to through our support for demining in the north of the country.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-05-18.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will conduct a consultation with small and medium-sized enterprises on potential steps to support and encourage the take up of employee share ownership schemes after the withdrawal of the valuation check service by HM Revenue and Customs on 31 March 2016; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Gauke

Tax-advantaged employee share schemes are greatly valued by both companies and employers, and the government wants to make sure that the rules surrounding these schemes are as simple and clear as possible. Budget 2016 made a number of changes to the rules for employment-related securities and options which will make these schemes fairer and easier for taxpayers to understand, and therefore encourage businesses to use them.

An HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) commissioned report conducted by Oxera considered the effect of the tax-advantaged employee share schemes on productivity. The report is available at: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110203095056/http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/research/tax-advantaged-report2.pdf.

The government’s most recent assessment of the cost of the tax-advantaged employee share schemes to the Exchequer is provided in the table below.

	Forecast cost of Income Tax relief (2015-16)	Forecast cost of National Insurance relief (2015-16)
Share Incentive Plan	£220 million	£165 million
Save As You Earn	£180 million	£140 million
Enterprise Management Incentives	£70 million	£40 million
Company Share Option Plan	£70 million	£40 million

HMRC has not withdrawn the valuation checking service for the tax-advantaged employee share schemes. However, HMRC has withdrawn other checks for non-tax advantaged schemes as, in the majority of cases, acceptable valuations were submitted. Therefore, the valuation service added no value and is seen as unnecessary.

The government keeps all areas of the tax system under review and as part of that in always interested in understanding the views of all interested parties.

Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at: http://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel

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