Tag: Gareth Thomas

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2015-11-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many full-time equivalent UKTI staff in his Department were based in (a) India and (b) Gujarat in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry

UKTI-funded full-time equivalent (FTE) staff in India and Gujarat were as follows:

2015 – 90 UKTI FTE in India, of which 2 in Ahmedabad (Gujarat)

2014 – 86 UKTI FTE in India, of which 2 in Ahmedabad (Gujarat)

2013 – 87.2 UKTI FTE in India, of which 2 in Ahmedabad (Gujarat)

2012- 86.5 UKTI FTE in India, of which 2 in Ahmedabad (Gujarat)

2011- 83.85 UKTI FTE in India, of which 2 in Ahmedabad (Gujarat)

Under UKTI’s sector and project based approach, opportunities in Gujurat are supported by UKTI’s wider teams in India, as well as through links to experts and support in the FCO and in UKTI’s UK based networks.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-01-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with Flybe about its proposal to use RAF Northolt for domestic flights; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne

I have received and responded to two pieces of correspondence from Flybe on this topic. I advised the airline that I do not believe it appropriate to discuss their interest in use of RAF Northolt until after the Government has responded to the Davies Commission on Aviation capacity in the South East and greater clarity has been achieved on the future operating and airspace environment around RAF Northolt.

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

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the revenue that will accrue to the Exchequer from the insurance premium tax on health cash plans; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Gauke

In 2014-15, total Insurance Premium Tax receipts were approximately £3bn. HM Revenue and Customs estimates that £10.9 million in revenue was received from Insurance Premium Tax on health cash plans in 2014-15.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-02-24.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with the Swedish government over their decision to end the production of coins containing nickel; whether he plans to further investigate the health risks posed to those who suffer from nickel allergy of the decision to switch to steel nickel-plated 5p and 10p coins in 2012; and if he will make a statement.

Harriett Baldwin

Nickel has been used in UK coinage for over 60 years and nickel-plated coins introduced in the UK in 2012 were already in use in Canada, New Zealand and other countries around the world.

Independent tests have concluded that there is no increased risk to people from handling the nickel-plated steel five pence and ten pence coins compared to coins made of cupronickel alloy.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-04-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the threat posed by Daesh in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The Taleban remain the main threat to Afghans’ security. Although the Daesh affiliate in Afghanistan is under pressure from the US and Afghan armed forces, local militias and the Taleban (with whom they are competing for influence), we assess that Daesh aims to expand its presence in Nangarhar Province in the east of Afghanistan.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress he has made on bringing Crossrail 2 through Harrow and Wealdstone station; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The proposed route of Crossrail 2 connects south-west to north-east London via 23 miles of new tunnels between Wimbledon and Tottenham Hale. There are no plans to bring Crossrail 2 through Harrow and Wealdstone station.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-06-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many prosecutions there have been of applicants for asylum who have arrived without documents and concealed their identity to frustrate removal in each of the last 10 years.

James Brokenshire

The number of individuals prosecuted for arriving without documents and concealing their identity is 50. The figures are illustrated below.

1st April 2014 – 31 March 2015 26

1st April 2015 – 31 March 2016 22

This information was not held centrally prior to 2014.

The Home Office works closely with the NCA and other law enforcement agencies, and prosecuting authorities in the UK and abroad, to ensure criminal investigations are robustly progressed in accordance with Criminal Justice standards.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-06-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many persons of interest have been found to have left the UK when it has not been possible to check and act upon Advance Passenger Information in real-time since April 2015; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire

This information is not centrally held. Since April 2015, Advanced Passenger Information has been provided by international commercial air, sea and rail carriers to Border Force in advance of passenger travel from the UK. This data is used to identify known or suspected criminals and where appropriate is acted upon in real time by Border Force or another law enforcement partner.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-10-07.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many complaints have been made about credit rating agencies; how many investigations the Financial Conduct Authority has launched into the performance of credit rating agencies; how many investigations the Information Commissioner’s Office has launched into the performance of credit rating agencies; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Kirby

This question has been passed on to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). The FCA and ICO will reply directly to the Honourable member by letter. A copy of the letters will be placed in the Library of the House.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which local authorities’ children’s social work services have been rated inadequate; and if she will make a statement.

Edward Timpson

The following local authorities are currently rated as ‘inadequate’ under Ofsted’s Single Inspection Framework:

Birmingham, Bromley, Buckinghamshire, Coventry, Cumbria, Darlington, Doncaster, Dudley, Knowsley, Lambeth, Lancashire, Leicester City, Manchester, Norfolk, Reading, Rotherham, Sandwell, Slough, Somerset, Sunderland, Surrey, Torbay, Wandsworth, West Berkshire and Wirral.

The Government does not use set criteria to require local authorities to contract out their statutory children’s social care services.

The Department for Education has statutory powers to intervene in local authority children’s services under section 497A of the Education Act 1996. This legislation allows the Department to remove day-to-day operational control of children’s services from the local authority, for a period of time, if the Secretary of State believes that the local authority is failing to secure its relevant statutory functions by delivering children’s services to the required standard.

As a matter of policy, the Government has decided that any authority rated by Ofsted as ‘inadequate’ across all the key judgements in any one Ofsted inspection is deemed to be failing ‘systemically’, and any authority that is rated inadequate twice overall in any five year period is deemed to be failing persistently.

In these circumstances the Secretary of State appoints a children’s services commissioner to review services and then provide advice to the Secretary of State on whether they should remain in local authority control.

Once the Secretary of State has received the commissioner’s advice, she will decide whether to direct the authority to enter into a contract with a third party – for instance a Children’s Services Trust – to deliver those services on its behalf.