Tag: Gregory Campbell

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-02-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what proportion of donations to the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisations she expects the UK’s share to be at the end of the 2016 to 2020 funding period.

Mr Nick Hurd

Based on pledges made at Gavi’s replenishment conference in January 2015, the UK share of the total budget for Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, from 2016 to 2020 will be 26%. However, I expect that this level may vary according to other donor pledges.

Since 2000, Gavi has vaccinated half a billion children and saved 7 million lives. The UK pledge of £1 billion for the 2016 to 2020 period, by itself, is likely to vaccinate an additional 76 million children and save 1.4 million lives.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-04-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to protect serving and former members of the armed forces from discrimination in obtaining goods and services.

Mark Lancaster

The Government is fully committed to eliminating discrimination against Service personnel which is why we enshrined our commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant into law. One of the core principles of the Covenant is that Service personnel should not suffer disadvantage as a result of their membership, or former membership, of the Armed Forces. The Covenant exists to redress the disadvantages that the Armed Forces community may face in comparison to other citizens.

Every Local Authority in mainland Great Britain, and two in Northern Ireland, have signed the Armed Forces Covenant which encourages local communities to support the Armed Forces in their area and promote public understanding and awareness. Additionally, over 930 organisations have now signed a Corporate Pledge to the Armed Forces Covenant, demonstrating their support for the Armed Forces Community.

Examples of steps being taken include developing shadow postcodes for British Forces Post Office (BFPO) addresses so that Service personnel can access online goods and services and launching the Defence Discount Service which offers a privilege card entitling members of the Armed Forces and their families to a range of discounts on goods and services.

Information on benefits and concessions available to the Armed Forces and veterans can be found at the following address:

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/armed-forces-and-veterans/benefits-and-concessions-for-the-armed-forces-veterans-and-their-families/

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-05-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the proposals in his Department’s White Paper, A BBC for the future, published in May 2016, if he will take steps to ensure that employees earning above £450,000 will not be able to be exempted from the requirement to publish their name by using personal service companies or similar structures.

Mr Edward Vaizey

Our White Paper, ‘A BBC for the Future’, makes it clear that we want to ensure that the BBC is transparent and efficient in how it spends its funding. As set out in its annual report, the BBC reviewed the use of Personal Service Companies as a means of engaging presenters and contributors​ in 2012​. ​It continue​s to apply an employment test, discussed with HM Revenue & Customs, to all workers to ensure they have the appropriate employment status.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-07-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent discussions she has had with her counterparts in the Middle East on steps to tackle the refugee crisis in that region.

Sir Desmond Swayne

The UK is at the forefront of international efforts to support over 4.8 million Syrian refugees to remain in host countries in the region until it is safe to return to Syria, and to support host countries to accommodate them.

As part of this, we are working in partnership with host countries to help them to expand job and education opportunities for refugees in a way that will enable them to better support themselves and give them skills for the future, and we are helping host countries to cope with the impact of refugees on local services.

The UK co-hosted the “Supporting Syria and the Region” conference in London in February, at which neighbouring governments made bold commitments to open up their labour markets to refugees, to improve regulation and the investment climate in their countries, and to ensure all children in their countries have access to quality education.

The Secretary of State for International Development continues to lead engagement with regional partners on tackling the refugee crisis, including by delivering on the commitments made at the London Conference, which will help to create 1.1 million jobs and provide quality education to 1.7 million children by the end of the 2016/17 school year. At the IMF and World Bank Spring Meetings in April she convened meetings between regional governments, the UN and World Bank and held bilateral discussions with key Ministers. And at the World Humanitarian Summit in May, she and other London Conference co-chairs convened a meeting of all interested parties to discuss and review progress.

Looking forward, we will be using UN General Assembly in September as an important moment to review progress with key leaders on the Syria Conference implementation, including how all parties are all delivering on their commitments to support refugees in the region.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-10-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions his Department has had with the relevant departments in the devolved administrations on ensuring the maximisation of treatment for life limiting conditions under best practice across the UK.

David Mowat

There have been no recent discussions between the Department and the devolved administrations on ensuring the maximisation of treatment for life limiting conditions under best practice across the United Kingdom. Whilst the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) meets regularly with other UK CMOs to discuss issues of mutual interest, this issue has not been specifically raised.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2015-10-28.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, following his decision to reduce the lifetime allowance for those saving with personal pensions, what assistance the Government plans to offer to people whose additional pension provision is likely to breach the reduced lifetime allowance for personal pensions but would not have breached the previous limit.

Harriett Baldwin

The Government will put in place transitional protection to ensure that individuals with savings over the proposed lifetime allowance limit are not subject to retrospective taxation. Further detail on these protections is provided at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pension-schemes-newsletter-73-october-2015/pension-schemes-newsletter-73-october-2015

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2015-11-18.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take steps to ensure that section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 is taken into account in decisions about the future of HM Revenue and Customs offices in Northern Ireland.

Mr David Gauke

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) fully recognises its legislative commitments to Northern Ireland. As part of the planning to move to regional centres, it will comply with Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2015-12-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what level of co-operation there is between the National Crime Agency and authorities in the Republic of Ireland on combatting organised criminal activities taking place between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Mike Penning

The Common Travel Area between the UK, Ireland and the Crown Dependencies and the free movement of goods within the EU mean that close liaison and co-operation between UK and Irish law enforcement partners against serious and organised crime is both vital and valued by both sides. The National Crime Agency has dedicated resources currently working with Irish law enforcement agencies to tackle the threat from organised crime that affects both our countries.

On 17 November 2015, the Northern Ireland Office published ‘A Fresh Start: The Stormont Agreement and Implementation Plan’. The National Crime Agency will be involved in discussions with the Department of Justice for Northern Ireland, the Northern Ireland Office, the Police Service of Northern Ireland, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs and Immigration Enforcement in relation to the implementation of the agreement.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-01-04.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people invested the maximum ISA amount in the financial year ending 31 March 2015.

Harriett Baldwin

The latest figures are published by HM Revenue and Customs and are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/number-of-individuals-subscribing-to-an-individual-savings-account-isa-by-income

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-01-11.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will direct the civil contingencies secretariat to ensure there is liaison with the devolved nations on best practice procedures in its area of practice.

Mr Oliver Letwin

The Cabinet Office Civil Contingencies Secretariat routinely works with the devolved administrations, including in the sharing of best practice. They are represented on official-level governance boards that cover all the key areas of resilience, including risk assessment, protection of critical national infrastructure, and capability planning. There are also established arrangements in place for linking the UK Government’s emergency co-ordination structures with those in the devolved nations, to ensure a co-ordinated response.