Tag: Gregory Campbell

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2014-06-26.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will meet representatives of financial institutions to discuss how those institutions can assist customers to get the best return on their savings.

Andrea Leadsom

Treasury Ministers have discussions with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors. Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at:

www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel

It is important that customers can make the most of their savings. This is why at Budget 2014 we announced a radical package of measures to support savers – reducing taxes for the lowest income savers, reforming the ISA regime to give savers greater flexibility as to where and how they save their money, and creating a product to help retired savers see a better return.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2014-06-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to make e-books available from public libraries.

Mr Edward Vaizey

I have been asked to answer this question on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport have changed the law so that the Public Lending Right (PLR) is now extended to e-books for on-site lending. This legislation came into force on 1 July. Due to current EU copyright law it is not possible to extend PLR to remote lending at this time, however the Government will revisit the issue as part of a continuous review of e-lending, and are in contact with the EU Commission on this matter.

The Society of Chief Librarians and the Publishers Association are currently conducting a 12 month pilot into e-lending in public libraries, working closely with four local authorities in England to carry out research into the impact of e-book lending in public libraries on authors, publishers and the library service, in order to identify a suitable and sustainable model for all stakeholders. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport are in contact with the major stakeholders of this pilot, and will follow up with its findings, which are due in March 2015.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2014-06-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his counterparts in the devolved administrations on the proposed National Pollinator Strategy to reverse the decline in the bee population in the UK.

Dan Rogerson

Defra officials have been in regular contact with theDevolved Administrations as we prepare the National Pollinator Strategy. We have shared lessons learned and how to work cooperatively to achieve common goals. As we move to implementation of the Strategy’s actions, this cooperation will continue.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2014-06-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the NSPCC’s Order In Court campaign seeking change changes to the way the criminal justice system treats children.

Damian Green

The Ministry of Justice is committed to protecting and supporting child witnesses to help give their best evidence. In doing so, we have equipped the majority of Crown Courts and Magistrates Courts with facilities to enable vulnerable witnesses to give evidence by secure video link from an alternative location to the trial court. We are exploring ways to increase the use of video links, including in cases involving vulnerable and intimidated victims and witnesses.

We are also working with other criminal justice agencies to improve the uptake of Registered Intermediaries for child and other vulnerable witnesses. I am grateful to the NSPCC, whose campaign will assist in raising awareness.

Specialist training for judges is the responsibility of the judiciary and the Judicial College.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2014-06-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, in how many meetings of the British-Irish Council he has taken part.

Jo Swinson

My Rt Hon Friend, the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills has not held any meetings with the British-Irish Council within the last year.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2015-01-13.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will discuss with his counterparts in the devolved administrations the possibility of extending the National Citizen Services to those administrations.

Mr Rob Wilson

The Government is committed to giving as many young people as possible the chance to take part in this life-changing opportunity. The programme will continue to take place in every English Local Authority in 2015. 2014 saw 504 young people take part in Northern Ireland and 364 young people take part in Wales.

My officials and I continue to work closely with the devolved administrations and following successful pilots of the programme the Northern Ireland Minister for Social Development is developing a longer term plan for supporting NCS in Northern Ireland.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2015-02-09.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the merits of allowing savings bonds for older people to be used as part of an ISA.

Andrea Leadsom

The Government has introduced a range of measures to support savers, including raising the ISA limit to £15,240, and making ISAs more flexible by allowing all of that money to be invested in stocks and shares or cash. The 65+ “Pensioner” Bond is a specific policy on top of the improvements to ISAs, designed to help savers who rely on their income during retirement. The Bonds will be taxed in line with other comparable products in the savings market: the only difference is the market-leading rate.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2015-02-09.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an estimate of the number of people currently paying income tax who would not pay that tax if the threshold at which it begins to be payable were to be raised to £15,000 per annum.

Mr David Gauke

It is estimated that raising the personal tax allowance to £15,000 in the year 2015-16 would take 6.2 million individuals out of income tax liability at a cost of £26 billion to the Exchequer.

These estimates are based on the 2011-12 Survey of Personal Incomes projected forward to 2015-16 using economic assumptions consistent with the OBR’s December 2014 economic and fiscal outlook.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2014-06-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his Sudan counterpart on that government’s attitude towards its Christian communities.

Mark Simmonds

We regularly raise our concerns with the Government of Sudan about religious persecutions and the need to respect freedom of religion or belief for all its citizens. My officials have recently made representations to the Foreign Minister, urging the Government to respect the right to freedom of religion or belief including one’s right to follow the religion or belief of choice. This right is enshrined in international human rights law as well as in Sudan’s own 2005 Interim Constitution. We will continue to raise these issues.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2015-02-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to inform older people about the implications of digital radio switchover.

Mr Edward Vaizey

The Government set out its plans for digital radio in December 2013. We have always been clear that the listener is at the heart of any decision in relation to a digital radio switchover. With digital radio listening under 40% we concluded it was not the right time to announce a switchover or set any dates.

Whilst we are fully committed to a digital future for the UK, a decision about the timetable for a future switchover will only be considered once 50 per cent of all radio listening is on digital platforms and local and national DAB coverage matches FM.

As part of the Digital Radio Action Plan, DCMS worked with the Consumer Experts Group (originally formed to inform the digital TV switchover process) which included representatives from a number of consumer organisations*, including Age UK, in order to ensure the policy on digital radio takes account of a wide range of listeners needs. A paper by the Consumer Experts Group was published by DCMS and is available at www.gov.uk/government/publications/help-scheme-digital-radio-action-plan. The Government will take account of this paper as part of a future consideration of a switchover.

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