Tag: Matthew Offord

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2016-10-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the number of UK nationals who have travelled overseas to engage in terrorist activity.

Mr Ben Wallace

The Government takes the threat posed by UK nationals who travel overseas to engage in terrorist activity extremely seriously. We are particularly concerned about those who travel to Syria and Iraq to fight; around 850 linked individuals have travelled to engage in the conflict since it began, and just under half of those have returned.

People seeking to travel to engage in terrorist activity should be in no doubt we will take the strongest possible action to protect our national security.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2015-11-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the airport security at Hurghada and Safaga airports in Egypt.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Government’s first priority is the safety and security of British citizens. We keep aviation security arrangements under close review and we will act where we need to, as we have done in the case of Sharm el-Sheikh. It would be inappropriate to comment in detail on security arrangements.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2015-11-30.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when he plans for the UK to ratify the 1945 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict.

Mr Edward Vaizey

The Government remains committed to bringing forward legislation to ratify the Hague Convention and accede to its two Protocols at the first opportunity.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2016-02-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans his Department has to sell unused property from the prison estate; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Selous

On 9 November 2015, the Chancellor and Secretary of State announced their intention to build nine new prisons with physical conditions to improve rehabilitation, thereby enabling prisoners to turn away from a life of crime. We will close ageing and ineffective prisons which do not support the aims of a redesigned estate.

No decisions have yet been made on which prisons will be closed, beyond those already announced for closure. The Ministry of Justice will seek to maximise best value for the taxpayer when disposing of any surplus property.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2016-04-27.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to discourage the commemoration of acts of violence against Israeli civilians in the Palestinian Authority.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We have urged the leadership of both the Palestinian and Israeli authorities to avoid doing anything to encourage violence or any steps which will make it more difficult to achieve a peaceful negotiated solution to the conflict. Our Consul General in Jerusalem regularly raises such concerns with the Palestinian leadership, including with President Abbas at their last meeting in March. We continue to support Palestinian calls to reinstate the Tripartite Committee on Incitement as the appropriate channel to deal with allegations of Palestinian or Israeli incitement.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2016-10-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been charged with terrorism offences committed overseas on their return to the UK in each of the last three years.

Mr Ben Wallace

The Government takes the threat posed by UK nationals who travel overseas to engage in terrorist activity extremely seriously. We are particularly concerned about those who travel to Syria and Iraq to fight. People seeking to travel to engage in terrorist activity should be in no doubt we will take the strongest possible action to protect our national security.

The number of individuals suspected of involvement in acts of terrorism or criminal matters who are arrested and then formally charged is recorded and collated in the Home Office Quarterly Statistical Bulletin which was last published on 22 September 2016. These statistics do not disaggregate arrests, charges and convictions relating exclusively to overseas returnees.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2015-11-09.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the illegal trade of cigarettes in Northern Ireland.

Damian Hinds

Estimates of the volume and total revenue losses associated with the tobacco illicit market are published in ‘Tobacco Tax Gap Estimates 2014 to 2015’.

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tobacco-tax-gap-estimates

These estimates cannot be broken down on a regional basis.

The methodology for producing the estimates are provided in the ‘Measuring Tax Gaps 2015 edition: Methodological Annex’.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/469973/HMRC-Measuring-tax-gaps-2015-methodological-annex.pdf

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2015-12-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to amend the Highways Act 1835 to allow the use of hoverboards and segways.

Andrew Jones

To maintain the UK’s position as a world-leading location to test, develop, and use connected and automated vehicle (CAV) technologies, the Department for Transport is planning a wider review of domestic regulations by Summer 2017.

The Highways Act 1835 will form part of the review, which is at an early stage. No decisions have yet been taken as to which regulatory changes will be necessary to support CAV technologies, or if the review will cover other forms of transport such as Segways or so-called ‘hoverboards’. People are already free to use Segways and ‘hoverboards’ on private land.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2016-03-02.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to simplify the taxation regime.

Mr David Gauke

The Government is committed to simplifying the tax system, and so is taking forward legislation to put the Office of Tax Simplification (OTS) on a permanent, statutory footing, with an expanded role and capacity.

The OTS has recently published reviews on small company taxation and the closer alignment of income tax and National Insurance contributions. The Government will consider the OTS’s recommendations carefully.

The topics of future OTS reviews will be announced in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2016-04-27.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that the employment rights of staff members seconded to or working within international organisations are protected.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The Foreign and Commonwealth (FCO) supports outward secondments that develop the skills and experience of our staff. Our staff are encouraged to take up opportunities where the work is in line with the FCO’s strategic priorities.

The terms and conditions of employees working for international organisations are set by the organisation they work for during the secondment. The host organisation also takes responsibility for ensuring the duty of care to our secondees is properly discharged and that their working conditions are satisfactory. This would include having proper grievance procedures in place. The FCO takes this into account when agreeing to a secondment, and individual volunteers are expected to satisfy themselves that they are aware of any differences between the two organisations terms and conditions before agreeing any contract. Secondees remain our employees during their secondments and continue to enjoy the protection of their employment rights with the FCO.