Tag: Imran Hussain

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2015-11-18.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many HM Revenue and Customs jobs in (a) Bradford and (b) West Yorkshire will be lost as a result of the proposed restructuring plan.

Mr David Gauke

HM Revenue and Customs’ (HMRC) restructuring plans will mean it is even more effective in raising the taxes on which public services depend.

HMRC has around 3,774 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) jobs in the Yorkshire and the Humber Region. The intention to consolidate HMRC operations across Yorkshire and the Humber into a single regional centre in Leeds accommodating between 4,100 and 4,400 FTE, by 2021, is expected to result in an overall increase in jobs in the region.

In offices which will close and are outside reasonable travel distance of Leeds, HMRC employees will have the opportunity to discuss their personal circumstances in one-to-one meetings with their manager. Until then HMRC cannot be certain of the number staff who are unable to move to a Regional Centre.

More details on the number of people relocating from individual offices, including Bradford, Leeds and Shipley, will be known when lines of business have finalised their plans and individuals have had the opportunity to discuss their personal circumstances in one-to-one meetings with their manager.

HMRC will look at redeployment opportunities for people who are unable to move, helping and supporting them to find another role, possibly in other government departments.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2016-03-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what her Department’s decision making process is on the (a) provision and (b) removal of (i) bilateral and (ii) other aid assistance programmes.

Mr Desmond Swayne

DFID is undertaking a number of reviews, which aim to look across our portfolio to build the most effective response to deliver the Spending Review, the UK Aid Strategy and the Strategic Defence and Security Review. These include a review of the research portfolio, a Civil Society Partnership Review, a Multilateral Aid Review and a Bilateral Aid Review (BAR). The outcome of these reviews will collectively determine DFID’s approach to delivering the UK Aid Strategy over the period of the Spending Review.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2016-04-12.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of making country-by-country reporting of UK-listed company profits publicly available.

Mr David Gauke

The UK supports efforts to improve tax transparency. We initiated the international work on country-by-country (CbC) reporting to tax authorities during our G8 Presidency in 2013, calling on the OECD to develop a template for this as part of the BEPS project.

The UK was the first to commit to implementing the OECD model with legislation in Finance Act 2015. The Government believes that there is scope for greater transparency by pressing the case for public CbC reporting on a multilateral basis. As the Chancellor has said, this is something that the UK will seek to promote internationally.

The European Commission has now proposed amendments to the Accounting Directive for public CbC reporting, and we believe these proposals are a step in the right direction towards new international rules for greater public transparency

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2016-05-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to increase reporting and improve data collection of violence against women and girls in developing countries.

Mr Nick Hurd

DFID has championed the introduction of a VAWG ‘marker’ by the OECD-DAC to better track donor funding on VAWG. The Department has also already made changes to its own systems so that it can report annually to the OECD-DAC about VAWG spending. The DAC marker is a critical accountability tool for all donors, including in the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 5.2. In addition the department is supporting some national governments to collect data on violence against women and girls through its bilateral programmes, one example of which is the support to Ghana to conduct a violence against women and girls prevalence survey.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he and his Department have had with the Indian government on recent violence in Kashmir.

Alok Sharma

I remain very concerned by reports of violence and offer my condolences to the victims and their families. The United Kingdom abides by its commitments under international law and expects all countries to comply with their international legal obligations. Our High Commission in Delhi is monitoring the situation closely and we have changed our travel advice. The long standing position of the UK is that it is for India and Pakistan to find a lasting resolution to the situation in Kashmir, taking into account the wishes of the Kashmiri people. It is not for the UK to prescribe a solution or to act as a mediator.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans to publish the NHS Sustainability and Transformation Plans for West Yorkshire.

David Mowat

Local areas will submit their plans to the national health and care bodies for review shortly, with further public engagement and consultation taking place from this point.

We expect that most areas will take a version of their Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) to their organisation’s public board meeting for discussion between late October and the end of the year. We would also expect that most areas will publish their plans, for more formal engagement, during this period, building on the engagement they have already done to shape thinking. No changes to the services people currently receive will be made without local engagement and, where required, consultation.

Bradford Clinical Commissioning Group has confirmed that an extraordinary meeting of the Bradford and Airedale Health and Wellbeing Board has been arranged in public to discuss the local STP. This will take place on Wednesday 19 October. Papers are yet to be published.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2015-11-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much funding the UK has allocated to the International Foundation for Electoral Systems over the last five years; and how much such funding was allocated to that body for the purpose of overseeing elections in Burma.

Mr Desmond Swayne

Over the last five years DFID has allocated around £9 million to the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES). DFID has provided £2.7 million for IFES to provide technical support to the Union Election Commission in Burma. It has supported the UEC to train polling station staff and to develop procedures for the accreditation of nationwide international and domestic observation for the first time in Burma’s history.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2015-11-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effect of withdrawal of ESOL Plus mandated funding on the ability of refugees in the UK to access ESOL courses.

Nick Boles

The decision to withdraw the 2015/16 ESOL Plus (Mandation) funding was taken in the knowledge that providers could use their adult skills budget to continue to provide ESOL training for jobseekers and therefore mitigate any adverse impact. Our data showed that the numbers of claimants being referred to ESOL Plus (Mandation) provision was significantly lower than originally anticipated.

Adults who are granted refugee status or humanitarian protection become eligible for skills funding through the adult skills budget, as any other English resident and are not subject to the normal 3 year qualifying period.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2016-03-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what contingency plans her Department has for additional support to Burundi in the event of a further escalation of violence in that country.

Mr Nick Hurd

DFID is supporting Burundian refugees in Tanzania and Rwanda, as the second largest donor to the regional appeal with £21.15 million in contributions since April 2015. DFID has deployed a humanitarian adviser to the region, and within Burundi we are supporting technical experts seconded to the UN. DFID will continue to work with counterparts across Whitehall, the international financial institutions (IFIs) and humanitarian partners in Burundi. DFID has prepared a response plan in the event of significant unmet humanitarian needs emerging. DFID is monitoring the situation closely with the FCO, and will consider additional funding should there be a further deterioration in the situation.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2016-04-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate her Department has made of the extent of tax evasion and tax avoidance in the global south.

Mr Desmond Swayne

DFID has not made an estimate of the extent of tax evasion and avoidance in the global south due to a lack of reliable data.

The UK has been an international leader in efforts to tackle tax evasion and tax avoidance since the UK’s G8 Presidency in 2013. A key part of DFID’s work in this area is to ensure that developing countries can partake in and benefit from international initiatives to challenge tax avoidance and evasion.