Tag: Ian Murray

  • Ian Murray – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Ian Murray – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Murray on 2014-06-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions his Department has had with Ofcom regarding the postal service standards provided by TNT.

    Jenny Willott

    Ministers and officials in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) meet with officials from Ofcom, the independent regulator for postal services, on a regular basis to discuss a broad range of market issues. There have not been any specific discussions about TNT Post’s service standards.

    All postal operators are subject to regulatory conditions set by Ofcom. These regulatory conditions cover such things as the security and confidentiality of the mail that operators handle and ensure that effective complaints procedures are in place for consumers. More information about Ofcom’s regulatory regime can be found on its website (www.ofcom.org.uk).

  • Ian Murray – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Ian Murray – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Murray on 2014-03-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent discussions his Department has had with (a) Post Office Limited and (b) the National Federation of Sub-Postmasters on the future use of the Post Office Card Account.

    Steve Webb

    The Post Office card account (POca) contract expires in March 2015 with the possibility of a 2 year extension beyond that date.

    The POca is a very simple account designed for the receipt of pensions and legacy benefits. It cannot be used for the payment of wages/salaries and does not offer transactional services such as direct debits so will not be suitable for the majority of working age claimants eligible for Universal Credit.

    No decision has been made on the future of the POca but discussions are currently taking place between DWP, Post Office Ltd and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to consider the future needs of customers beyond 2015 and any announcement on this matter will be made in due course.

    Ministers and Officials have also met with relevant stakeholders, including the National Federation of Sub-Postmasters to discuss POca related issues.

  • Ian Murray – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Ian Murray – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Murray on 2014-06-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much the Government spent on National Minimum Wage enforcement in 2013-14.

    Jenny Willott

    Final figures for the Government spend on National Minimum Wage enforcement during 2013/14 are not yet available.

  • Ian Murray – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Ian Murray – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Murray on 2014-04-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when his Department plans to carry out a review on its policy on fees in the employment tribunal system.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    The Lord Chancellor is committed to reviewing the impact of the introduction of fees in the employment tribunals system. The Ministry of Justice is currently finalising arrangements for the timing and scope of this review, to enable the impacts to be properly assessed, and we will be making an announcement in due course.

  • Ian Murray – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Ian Murray – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Murray on 2014-06-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the budget for enforcement of the National Minimum Wage was in 2013-14; and what that budget will be in (a) 2014-15 and (b) 2015-16.

    Jenny Willott

    The National Minimum Wage enforcement budgets for 2013/14, 2014/15 and 2015/16 in principal were set out in Parliamentary Question 174284 on 7 November 2013, Official Report 7 Nov 2013, Col 351W.

    The 2014/15 budget was reviewed at the start of the financial year and will be considered again at mid-year and may be subject to change.

  • Ian Murray – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Ian Murray – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Murray on 2014-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans his Department has to increase or lower the level of fees in the employment tribunal system.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    The Lord Chancellor is committed to reviewing the impact of the introduction of fees in the employment tribunals system. The Ministry of Justice is currently finalising arrangements for the timing and scope of this review, to enable the impacts to be properly assessed, and we will be making an announcement in due course.

  • Ian Murray – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Ian Murray – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Murray on 2014-04-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what category of investor Lansdowne Partners was with regard to the sale of Royal Mail.

    Michael Fallon

    All investors in Royal Mail – whether individuals or institutions – have a reasonable expectation of privacy: therefore we have not disclosed the names of specific investors and their involvement in the IPO process.

  • Ian Murray – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Ian Murray – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Murray on 2014-04-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, who made the decisions and on what basis were the decisions made on how many shares would go to each priority investor, each institutional investor and each retail investor in respect of the privatisation of Royal Mail.

    Michael Fallon

    The Government set the overall allocation policy with the aim of getting the right balance between longer-term, stable investors, retail investors and shorter-term investors who provide liquidity in the market.

    Allocations were made to a number of institutions who in the early stages of engagement were willing to place non-binding orders despite the risks attached to the IPO such as the industrial relations situation. These investors gave us confidence that there was sufficient demand to proceed with the IPO.

    We had nearly three-quarters of a million retail applications so their allocations were scaled back as they were for institutional investors. Given this high demand, Ministers decided to prioritise smaller investors and put in place a cut-off above £10,000 and give everyone below that the same number of shares. Around 95% of retail investors were allocated shares.

  • Ian Murray – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Ian Murray – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Murray on 2014-04-10.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate he has made of how much the reduction in the additional rate of income tax to 45 per cent will be worth each year for a person earning £1 million a year.

    Mr David Gauke

    I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave today to the hon. Member for Sefton Central (Bill Esterson).

  • Ian Murray – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Ian Murray – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Murray on 2014-04-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when the stabilisation period in respect of the privatisation of Royal Mail, as detailed in the engagement letter between his Department and the underwriting banks, ends; and how that period has been defined.

    Michael Fallon

    The stabilisation period, also known as a "greenshoe" or "over-allotment" option, is a market-standard provision that allows the Initial Public Offering’s (IPO) stabilisation manager to provide share price stabilisation (if required) for up to 30 days post-commencement of conditional dealings. In the case of the Royal Mail, the stabilisation manager was UBS and the stabilisation period ended on 8 November.

    In the engagement letter, the payment of the discretionary fee was linked to the ending of the stabilisation period. However, we informed the banks involved that a decision would not be taken in the timeframe set out in the engagement letter given the volatility of the Royal Mail share price after the IPO.

    We have not set a rigid timetable for the decision on the payment of the discretionary fee which remains unpaid.