Tag: Matthew Offord

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.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2016-10-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 18 October 2016 to Questions 47748 and 47749, on terrorism: British nationals abroad, how many people have been charged with terrorism offences.

Mr Ben Wallace

Pursuant to my answer of the 18 October, 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 those charged whilst abroad, just as they do not for overseas returnees.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2015-11-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many L86A1-SA-80 light support weapons have been returned from the Middlesex North West London Army cadet force to his Department’s Donnington barracks since 2003.

Mr Philip Dunne

Since 2003 the Middlesex North West London Army Cadet Force have returned L86A1-SA-80 light support weapons to Ministry of Defence Donnington on one occasion. Four L86 A1-SA-80 weapons were returned in January 2011.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2016-01-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to page 3 of the HMG Strategy for Abolition of the Death Penalty 2010-2015, as revised in October 2011, what bilateral agreements his Department promotes between the Government and the government of Saudi Arabia on reducing the number of executions carried out as part of that government’s judicial process.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The British Government remains firmly opposed to the use of the death penalty in all circumstances and in every country, including Saudi Arabia. The death penalty undermines human dignity and there is no evidence that it works as a deterrent. We continue to remind the Saudi authorities of our views on the death penalty at every suitable opportunity.

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

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the abolition of higher-rate tax relief on pension contributions for higher-rate taxpayers.

Mr David Gauke

The Government held a consultation last year on the future of pensions tax relief. As the Chancellor announced at Autumn Statement, the Government will respond to this consultation at Budget.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2016-05-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of the potential use and effectiveness of unmanned aerial vehicle technology in supporting the UK’s international development agenda.

Mr Nick Hurd

It is in the interest of the UK taxpayer, as well as beneficiaries on the ground, ‎that the Department for International Development scrutinises the most cost-effective means of delivering aid, especially when responding to crises. In some cases technology can provide valuable advantages in terms of efficiency and cost effectiveness, as well as enabling the ability to respond rapidly to crises and assist those in the hardest to reach places.

The Department has recently commissioned a review of the potential of a number of Frontier Technologies including Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) technology, which will help us identify potential applications as well as risks.

There are a small number of examples of UAV technologies currently being trialled in DFID programmes. This includes a small-scale trial of UAV mapping to inform disaster preparedness, mitigation and response efforts in Nepal. There is also research being conducted in the natural and physical sciences arena, including on climate extremes which have an impact on vulnerable populations in developing countries.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2015-11-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the appropriateness of the use of amalgam in dental fillings.

Alistair Burt

Dental amalgam has been in use for over 150 years to restore teeth in millions of patients and, apart from rare instances of hypersensitivity, no adverse reactions have been identified. Alternative dental restorative materials are not so easily, quickly and reliably placed. Neither are they so durable. Due to improvements in oral health, the number of restorations is decreasing with the result that the safe management and disposal of dental amalgam is more easily achieved.

The World Health Organization report Future Use of Materials for Dental Restorations November 2009 concluded that dental amalgam remains a dental restorative material of choice in the absence of an ideal alternative. The Department concurs with the conclusions of the report which can be found at:

http://www.who.int/oral_health/publications/dental_material_2011.pdf

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2016-01-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to Appendix Four of the HMG Strategy for Abolition of the Death Penalty 2010-15, as revised in October 2011, how his Department ensures that the EU minimum standards referred to are met in countries which maintain use of the death penalty as part of their judicial process.

Mr David Lidington

We urge all states to introduce a moratorium on use of the death penalty. We urge those which continue to impose the death penalty to respect EU and UN standards; to reserve the death penalty for the most serious crimes, that is, for nothing less serious than murder; to ensure that proper process is followed including opportunities for appeal and clemency and not to execute those who committed crimes when under 18, pregnant women or people with learning difficulties. The Government makes representations when these standards are not respected and urges reform. We fund projects which aim to increase compliance with these standards and actively support the abolitionist work of the UN and the EU, including through adoption of moratoria.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much revenue he expects to accrue to the public purse from changes in the level of probate fees in each of the next five financial years.

Mr Shailesh Vara

The information requested is set out in the published Consultation Document which can be located at: https://consult.justice.gov.uk/digital-communications/fee-proposals-for-grants-of-probate.

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