Tag: Jim Cunningham

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-09-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many meetings he has had with (a) Israeli and (b) Palestinian officials in the last year; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

In the last year, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), has held three meetings with Israel officials and two meetings with Palestinian officials. He also visited Israel and the OPTs in July 2015. I have also held numerous meetings with Israeli and Palestinian officials, and visited the region last October.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-01-14.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of government financial support to business through grants and tax forgone.

Mr David Gauke

The Government offers a wide range of financial support to business through different grants and tax reliefs. For example the Regional Growth Fund has so far committed £2.6 billion of support to over 400 awards which are expected to deliver £16 billion of private sector investment and 573,000 jobs.

Overall Government grants and reliefs serve to support UK businesses to invest and grow, generating jobs and economic growth. Business investment has grown 26% since early 2010, there are more people in work now than ever before, and the IMF have forecast the UK as having the fastest growing economy in the G7 in 2014.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2014-07-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will publish a list of all free schools that are planned to open in September 2014 that still have places available before they reach their planned admission number; and how many places at each such school are currently available.

Mr Edward Timpson

Information about the number of children on roll in free schools will be collected during the January school census and published in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-09-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent representations he has received from charities and patients’ groups on the future of the Cancer Drugs Fund; and if he will make a statement.

George Freeman

The Department has received a number of representations on this issue from a wide range of interested parties including hon. Members, noble Lords, patient representative groups and charities, the pharmaceutical industry and healthcare professionals.

This Government is committed to continuing to invest in the Cancer Drugs Fund which has helped over 72,000 people in England to receive the life-extending cancer drugs that would not otherwise have been routinely available to them.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-01-14.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the cost to the Exchequer of tax relief to businesses since 2010.

Mr David Gauke

Tax reliefs are administered by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) as part of the tax system. HMRC publishes estimated costs of the principal tax expenditure and structural reliefs. The latest estimates are published on the HMRC website:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tax-expenditures-and-ready-reckoners

There are some tax reliefs which businesses can claim where estimates are not yet included in the published estimates above. These reliefs include:

Patent Box: Estimates on the cost of this relief are available within Budget 2013 documentation: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/221895/budget2013_policy_costings.pdf

Theatre Productions Tax Relief: Estimates on the cost of this relief are available within Budget 2014 documentation:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/295067/PU1638_policy_costings_bud_2014_with_correction_slip.pdf

Children’s TV Tax Relief: Estimates on the cost of this relief are available within Autumn Statement documentation: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/384071/AS2014_policy_costings_final.pdf

Oil and Gas Field allowances: The ring fence tax regime for oil and gas does include a number of field allowances, which reduce the tax burden on specific challenging field types, ensuring otherwise economic developments are not uncommercial. Companies continue to pay Ring Fence Corporation Tax (which is higher than the main CT rate) even where income is covered by the field allowance

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2014-07-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which free school projects pre-approved to open in September 2014 have since been (a) cancelled or withdrawn and (b) delayed; and what the pre-opening expenditure was for each such project.

Mr Edward Timpson

Since 2011, 174 new free schools have opened across the country and around a further 80 are on course to open in September 2014. While free school proposers will have a preferred date for opening their school, the Department for Education does not approve projects to open in any specific year.

The projects aiming to open in September 2014 or beyond that have been withdrawn are:

1. Inspirar Academy

2. Marco Polo Academy

3. Oasis Community School Walthamstow

4. On Track Chiltern

5. Phoenix Free School of Oldham

6. The Advance School

7. Transforming Lives for Good

No project was specifically approved to open in September 2014.

Once the costs are finalised, the Department publishes the pre-opening expenditure for each free school project on the Departmental website.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2014-06-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the value of London Midland’s rolling stock maintenance contract with Siemens after the direct award of the franchise for the period September 2015 to June 2017.

Stephen Hammond

Negotiations for the direct award of the West Midlands franchise are yet to commence and the Department has not made any estimate on the value of London Midland’s contract with Angel Trains. It should be noted that the value of rolling stock contracts are a commercial matter between the operator and the rolling stock owner.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2014-06-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government plans to bring forward legislative proposals to change (a) the classification of external communications for the purposes of interception and (b) other aspects of UK surveillance law.

James Brokenshire

External Communication is defined within the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) 2000 and the statutory Interception of Communications Code of Practice which was approved by Parliament and came into force on 1 July 2002. The Government has no present plans to amend the definition of external communication.