Tag: Lord Lucas

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lucas on 2016-01-28.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of who now owns the National Gallery database of images, and of the arrangements in place to protect the database of the National Gallery from being exploited to the prejudice of that institution.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

The National Gallery operates at Arm’s length from DCMS, and as such has responsibility for its own image licensing arrangements. Ownership of the National Gallery database of images rests with, and has always rested with, the Gallery itself. The arrangements between the National Gallery and Corbis in relation to the licensing of National Gallery images came to an end on 31 August 2008. When the arrangements terminated all National Gallery images were returned to the Gallery.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lucas on 2016-02-22.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that Southern Rail does not close ticket offices until it installs ticket machines that make it possible for customers to buy the best-value ticket combinations.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) which operates Southern services is developing proposals to improve the passenger experience at stations. This will include changes to the way staff work at stations and how tickets are retailed and incorporates a plan to install additional ticket vending machines.

Where the changes involve changes to ticket office opening hours there is an industry process which GTR must follow, starting with their public consultation which commenced on 22 February. We recognise that passengers can feel very strongly about ticket office opening hours and we expect GTR to take on board the views of stakeholders before taking the proposal forward.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lucas on 2016-03-03.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 3 March (HL6266), whether they consider that the changes to the opening hours of ticketing offices proposed by Govia Thameslink Railway can be described as proposals to improve the passenger experience at stations” in the light of proposals for reduced ticket office hours and the continuation of ticket machines; and whether they consider that the introduction of smaller seats and the removal of tea trolleys will also “improve the passenger service”.”

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) were awarded the franchise on the basis that they would make improvements to the passenger experience both on trains and at stations. Further to my written answer on 3 March, GTR are consulting on proposed changes to ticket office opening hours at some stations. As part of these proposals, GTR plan to introduce the role of ’Station Host’ who will be on duty for times in excess of the current ticket office opening hours. The Station Hosts will be there to provide customer assistance including help with ticket purchases and information provision.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lucas on 2016-03-03.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 3 March (HL6266), what improvements Govia Thameslink Railway have implemented since the commencement of their franchise.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) have implemented numerous improvements since the commencement of their franchise. These include, but are not limited to:

• Extension of smart ticketing functionality meaning that ‘the Key’ smartcard is now available at an additional 80 stations, taking the total number of stations to 220;
• Oyster PAYG and CPAY has been extended to Gatwick Airport station;
• An increase in overnight services serving Luton Airport Parkway station;
• An increased number of Rail Enforcement Officers, with an additional 19 officers;
• An increase in customer information screens;
• A single source of customer information across website, app and stations;
• Access to radio microphones for all platform staff to improve information provision at stations;
• First to last staffing at an additional 25 Great Northern and Thameslink stations;
• Ordered new trains comprising 150 vehicles for the Great Northern Moorgate route to replace rolling stock from the 1970s;
• Services on the Moorgate branch in the evenings and at weekends;
• iPads for customer facing staff to improve information provision;
• 24 hour Twitter team;

In addition, the following key improvements are on course to be delivered by Govia Thameslink Railway in the coming months:

• Introduction of a new fleet of trains for the Gatwick Express – the first of which went into passenger service on 29 Feb;
• New state of the art Class 700 trains will start to be introduced across the GTR network from the spring;
• WiFi at 104 stations.

More details on the committed obligations and improvements GTR are contracted to deliver can be found in the Franchise Agreement which is available at the government website.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lucas on 2016-05-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the reported decision by the BBC to discontinue the BBC Food website, and other services that digitally repurpose content that the BBC has already paid for, is in accordance with its vision of the future of the BBC.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

Decisions in relation to the BBC’s online content are a matter for the BBC which is editorially independent of the Government.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lucas on 2015-11-03.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of recent reports about VAT fraud by online traders operating from abroad, what action they are taking to reduce the extent of such tax evasion, and whether that action will be completed before Christmas in order to protect UK businesses.

Lord O’Neill of Gatley

HM Revenue and Customs is actively targeting operational and intelligence activity, as well as a range of other options, to tackle this issue.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lucas on 2016-06-06.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they intend to take about the reported proposal by Dean Trust to educate children with special educational needs and disability who have been admitted to one of its schools at another of its schools six miles away.

Lord Nash

Local authorities are responsible for drawing up Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) and are responsible for making sure the special educational provision set out in them is delivered, including admission to the named school. Once named in a final EHCP, a school is obliged to admit the child or young person. Should a school fail to meet this duty the Department can direct them to do so.

We are aware of concerns raised by parents and others about The Dean Trust’s proposal that pupils due for admission in September 2016 who have an EHCP which names Ashton on Mersey School should be educated at Broadoak School. We are determined to support the parties to satisfactorily resolve the situation regarding the currently affected pupils as well as in the longer term, and ensuring that the legal rights of families are enforced. For that reason officials will be meeting with the authority and trust on 20 June. Our priority is ensuring that the transition from primary to secondary school for pupils is as smooth as possible.

We are also determined to ensure that all schools are mindful of their responsibilities towards their pupils and act in accordance with the Children and Families Act 2014 and the statutory Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Code of Practice in ensuring the best possible outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs. All schools should also act in line with their responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010, which in part 6 states that the responsible body of a school must not discriminate against a child or young person: in the arrangements it makes for deciding who is offered admission; the terms on which admission is offered; nor, by not admitting.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lucas on 2015-11-03.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of recent reports about VAT fraud by online traders operating from abroad, what is their estimate of the impact of such tax evasion on (1) the public purse, and (2) UK businesses.

Lord O’Neill of Gatley

Any UK VAT losses arising from online traders operating from abroad are already included within the published UK Tax Gap.

The estimate of the VAT Gap published in “Measuring Tax Gaps 2015 edition” on 22 October 2015 is £13.1 billion. Overall, the UK Tax Gap was 6.4 per cent in 2013-14,down from 6.6 per cent in 2012-13. As part of that, the VAT Gap is calculated as 11.1 per cent in 2013-14, a reduction from 11.9 per cent in 2012-13.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lucas on 2015-11-03.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of recent reports about VAT fraud by online traders operating from abroad, what discussions they have had in the last three months with (1) Amazon, and (2) eBay, about the extent of such tax evasion on their online marketplaces.

Lord O’Neill of Gatley

HM Revenue and Customs is in regular contact with the largest businesses through its dedicated “Customer Relationship Manager” model.Details of discussions with individual taxpayers cannot be disclosed due to taxpayer confidentiality.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lucas on 2015-11-03.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of recent reports about VAT fraud by online traders operating from abroad, whether they plan to require HM Revenue and Customs to work closely with the Chartered Trading Standards Institute in tackling such tax evasion, in particular through Amazon’s and eBay’s online marketplaces.

Lord O’Neill of Gatley

HM Revenue and Customs is actively targeting operational and intelligence activity to tackle this problem. This involves working closely with a number of external bodies, including Trading Standards.