Tag: Ivan Lewis

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ivan Lewis on 2015-01-13.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he last met the Chief Executive of Invest NI.

Mr David Gauke

Treasury Ministers have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery.

Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ivan Lewis on 2014-06-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the variation in average unit retail price of petrol and diesel in Northern Ireland and in the rest of the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon

No formal assessment has been made of the reasons for the variation in average unit retail prices of petrol and diesel in Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.

Retail fuel prices are determined by the demand and supply fundamentals in local areas. Prices will reflect the underlying cost of crude oil, the process to refine it and transport it so that it is available for consumption at the pump.

Variations in prices are determined by changes in supply and demand factors both for crude oil and for individual products.

On 5 September 2012, the OFT launched a call for information (CFI) to investigate claims that the UK petrol and diesel sectors are not working well. In their January 2013 report they concluded that:

“Overall, on the basis of the evidence collected, it appears that competition in the UK road fuels sector is working relatively effectively”.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ivan Lewis on 2014-07-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what services Healthcare UK offers to organisations based in the devolved regions.

Matthew Hancock

As a constituent part of UK Trade and Investment, Healthcare UK has responsibility for the provision of support and assistance to new and existing healthcare exporters of goods and services across the UK and for promoting the UK and all its constituent parts to foreign investors.

The devolved administrations are responsible for devising and implementing additional programmes to meet the particular needs of companies based in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales and for promoting Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales to foreign investors.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ivan Lewis on 2014-06-24.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 23 June 2014, Official Report, column 36W, on minimum wage: Northern Ireland, whether HM Revenue and Customs’ national minimum wage enforcement team have any staff located in Northern Ireland outside the city of Belfast.

Mr David Gauke

The Government takes the enforcement of national minimum wage (NMW) very seriously and HMRC enforce the NMW legislation on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). It does that by investigating all complaints made about employers suspected of not paying the minimum wage, in addition, carrying out targeted enforcement where it identifies a high risk of non-payment of NMW across the whole of the UK.

The National Minimum Wage team in Northern Ireland contains six full-time and two-part-time staff with all using Belfast as a base location.

However, as I explained in my previous response, HMRC deploys resources to risk, so work relating to a specific geographical area may not always be undertaken by the NMW team based in that area. In addition, the NMW Dynamic Response Team (DRT) provides a multi-agency response to emerging risks, high profile casework and compliance initiatives across the UK.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ivan Lewis on 2014-07-15.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the direct financial benefit of the abolition of air passenger duty bands C and D to airports in Northern Ireland.

Priti Patel

The abolition of Air Passenger Duty bands C and D cuts up to £52 per passenger off the cost of a journey originating in Northern Ireland, including connecting flights.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ivan Lewis on 2014-06-24.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 23 June 2014, Official Report, column 36W, on minimum wage: Northern Ireland, how many people are employed (a) full-time and (b) part-time in the HM Revenue and Customs national minimum wage enforcement team based in Belfast.

Mr David Gauke

The Government takes the enforcement of national minimum wage (NMW) very seriously and HMRC enforce the NMW legislation on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). It does that by investigating all complaints made about employers suspected of not paying the minimum wage, in addition, carrying out targeted enforcement where it identifies a high risk of non-payment of NMW across the whole of the UK.

The National Minimum Wage team in Northern Ireland contains six full-time and two-part-time staff with all using Belfast as a base location.

However, as I explained in my previous response, HMRC deploys resources to risk, so work relating to a specific geographical area may not always be undertaken by the NMW team based in that area. In addition, the NMW Dynamic Response Team (DRT) provides a multi-agency response to emerging risks, high profile casework and compliance initiatives across the UK.