Tag: Helen Goodman

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that EU agri-environment schemes will be open to UK applicants after current funding guarantees expire in 2019.

George Eustice

The Government’s announcement of 3 October provided further certainty on funding to rural communities while we develop a new approach to supporting agriculture, protecting the countryside and generating growth in the rural economy.

We will now be working with the industry, rural communities and the wider public to shape our plans for food, farming, the environment and rural growth outside the EU.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-10-07.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with the Home Secretary on work permits and immigration rules for EU citizens working in the financial industry after the UK leaves the EU.

Mr David Gauke

The Chancellor has regular discussions with Government colleagues, including the Home Secretary, on a range of different issues. As the Chancellor said at the Lord’s Economic Affairs Committee the Government will not accept uncontrolled free movement of people but will continue to facilitate the movement of highly skilled people, including in financial institutions.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2015-11-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the running costs of the British naval base in Bahrain in (a) 2015-16, (b) 2016-17 and (c) 2017-18; and what proportion of those costs will be borne by the Government.

Mr Julian Brazier

Currently the UK has a Maritime Component Command (MCC) HQ and collocated Fleet Support Unit (FSU), which is a warehouse,in Bahrain. These were constructed on our behalf by the United States, at a cost to the UK Government of $10million. The Government expects to pay the United States for the ongoing running costs of these facilities, the precise costs of which are yet to be determined. The Kingdom of Bahrain (KoB) has no involvement in these arrangements.

The construction of the new UK Mina Salman Support Facility (MSSF) in Bahrain will consist of accommodation, life support facilities and further storage and will enhance the support to UK forces in the Gulf Region. Construction of the UK MSSF is being funded primarily by the KoB. To date in 2014 and 2015 the UK Government has expended £277,000 on engineering consultancy costs for the UK MSSF. We expect to contribute around £9 million towards the construction of the new UK MSSF. This will include costs of bespoke UK technical facilities and the additional cost of ensuring compliance with UK regulations.The balance of the costs, will fall to the KoB.

There are no running costs forecast in the current year or 2016-17, from 2017-18 the running costs for the UK MSSF are forecast to be £12 million per annum.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-01-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps the Government has taken to follow up the recommendations in the Kay Review of UK equity markets and long-term decision making, published in July 2012.

Anna Soubry

The Department published a detailed progress report on the implementation of the Kay Review in October 2014.

The Government’s Productivity Plan, “Fixing the Foundations”, published in July 2015, emphasised the central importance of encouraging long-term business investment as part of an ambitious vision to boost productivity in the UK economy. In particular, the Plan welcomed an initiative by several of the largest institutional investors to develop an Action Plan to support and challenge companies to invest for long-term productivity and growth. The Government is engaging with the Investment Association as it takes forward this work, and is also considering what further steps may be appropriate to encourage a culture of long-term investment on the part of UK companies and their shareholders.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-01-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) arrests and (b) convictions for laundering money there were from which countries in each year between 2010 and 2015.

Mike Penning

The Government is committed to ensuring that the UK has a robust anti-money laundering regime. The National Risk Assessment of money laundering and terrorist financing was published on 15 October 2015. This identified the threats and vulnerabilities we face in these areas, and an action plan will be published shortly, setting out the steps that we will take to address them.

To lead our law enforcement response to this threat, in 2013 the Government created the Economic Crime Command (ECC) of the National Crime Agency (NCA). The ECC has established a new International Corruption Unit in the NCA to provide a single centre of excellence in this field.

The Home Office collects data on arrests at offence group level, which includes groups such as ‘fraud and forgery’ and ‘theft and handling stolen goods’. Details on arrests for specific offences are not centrally collected.

The number of people prosecuted, convicted and given a custodial sentence for money laundering offences, in England and Wales, from 2004 to 2014 (the latest data available), can be viewed on the Ministry of Justice website at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2014

Under “Criminal justice statistics outcomes by offence data tool” by selecting the offence: 38 Money laundering. The Ministry of Justice is unable to identify from centrally held data the country of origin of a defendant convicted of a money laundering offence or the country where the money originated from.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-02-22.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what meetings (a) he and (b) Ministers of his Department have had with (i) arms manufacturers, (ii) tobacco manufacturers and (iii) representatives of the Israeli embassy since the period covered in the Cabinet Office’s most recent ministerial gifts, hospitality, travel and meetings data release.

Harriett Baldwin

Departments publish details of Ministers meetings’ with external organisations routinely on Gov.uk.

Details of meetings held during the period October – December 2015 will be published in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-03-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) nurses, (b) doctors and (c) allied health professionals practised overseas after qualifying from a UK institution in (i) 2013-14 and (ii) 2014-15; and how many of those professionals (i) hold British passports and (ii) were classified as overseas students when studying in the UK.

Ben Gummer

The information is not held by the Department.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-04-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what procedures his Department puts in place when a person benefitting from diplomatic immunity commits a crime in the UK.

James Duddridge

In accordance with Article 41 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office expects all foreign diplomats and members of their families in the UK to abide by UK laws at all times. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office treats all allegations of criminal offences committed by those with diplomatic immunity seriously. We work closely with diplomatic missions in the UK and the police or other law enforcement agencies to ensure an appropriate response to all allegations. If an allegation requires further investigation, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office will request a waiver of the diplomat’s immunity for the purpose of investigation by the police from the diplomatic mission concerned. Failure to provide a waiver may result in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office demanding the withdrawal of the diplomat.

Further answers to recent questions about alleged criminal conduct by foreign diplomats based in the UK and waivers of immunity can be found in the Official Report (24113, 26534 and 26535).

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-06-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answers of 7 April 2014 to Questions 194734 to 194737, who the named official was who was responsible for the sale of Brompton Road underground station.

Mark Lancaster

The official responsible for the sale of Brompton Road has now retired, the senior official responsible for the disposals programme has left the Department.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-09-02.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many letters have been sent by HM Revenue and Customs contractor Concentrix asking tax credit claimants for (a) proof of single status, (b) hours worked and (c) evidence of childcare in each tax year since 2013.

Mr David Gauke

From November 2014 to the end of August 2016 Concentrix sent

a) 381k letters for proof of single status.

b) 254k letters asking for hours worked.

c) 312k letter sent for evidence of childcare.

Information relating to individual tax years is not available.