Tag: Nigel Dodds

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2015-11-03.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in devolved administrations on the merger of income tax and national insurance.

Mr David Gauke

The Scotland Bill introduces significant new powers for the Scottish Government to set income tax rates and thresholds. As recommended by the Smith Commission, National Insurance remains a UK wide contributory system.

The Government is committed to simplifying the tax system. We have asked the Office of Tax Simplification (OTS) to look at alignment of income tax and National Insurance. The terms of reference for the OTS review can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/ots-review-of-income-tax-and-national-insurance-tor. The focus is on looking to simplifying the underlying rules in the way the two charges operate which remain a reserved matter.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2015-11-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions the Government has had with the Irish government on the control of foreign nationals entering the Irish Republic who seek to enter the UK from that country.

James Brokenshire

Home Office Ministers and Officials have regular contact with their Irish counterparts; there is excellent government and operational level co-operation. In particular, we are working together to further align our respective border and visa policy processes in order to strengthen the external CTA border.

Immigration Enforcement and Border Force conduct intelligence-led operations to identify and take action against individuals who are seeking to or have entered the UK from the Republic of Ireland without the necessary leave.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2015-12-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many visits Ministers have made to the Northern Ireland Office in Brussels since 2010.

Mrs Theresa Villiers

I have made one visit to the Northern Ireland Executive office in Brussels.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2016-06-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what recent representations she has received on the extension of the Warm Home Discount Scheme to Northern Ireland.

Andrea Leadsom

During the recent public consultation on the Warm Home Discount Scheme, there were six responses asking for the scheme to be extended to Northern Ireland.

We will publish the response to the consultation as soon as we can.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2016-09-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the prospects of talks on North Korea under the Six Party talks format.

Alok Sharma

The UK is not a member of the Six Party talks, but we maintain a close dialogue with all participants, including the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). Through our bilateral engagement with DPRK we have made clear to the regime that their nuclear and ballistic missile programmes are in violation of United Nations Security Council Resolutions and that the DPRK should return to credible and authentic multilateral talks on denuclearisation. We assess that the resumption of Six Party talks is unlikely given the current situation and only if the DPRK agrees to discuss denuclearisation.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2015-11-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what recent assessment she has made of the performance of the Warm Homes Discount Scheme.

Andrea Leadsom

The Warm Home Discount Scheme helps over 2 million low income and vulnerable households each year and has provided a total of £1.1bn of direct assistance since the scheme began. A detailed review of the Warm Home Discount scheme is due to be completed later this year. The report of this review will be published the New Year.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2015-12-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what discussions she has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on the Paris climate change conference.

Andrea Leadsom

My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change has been engaging with her counterpart in Northern Ireland to discuss the UK’s objectives for COP21; and is intending to meet with the Minister of Environment for Northern Ireland in Paris.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2015-12-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many officials in her Department have been seconded from outside Northern Ireland in each year since 2010.

Mrs Theresa Villiers

Since 2010, my Department has had two seconded staff from outside Northern Ireland, one from 2010-2011 and one from 2013-2015. Additionally, the Northern Ireland Office also has 13 staff on loan from other Government departments.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2016-06-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how much has been contributed by energy suppliers towards the rebate on electricity bills under the Warm Home Discount Scheme in each year since 2010.

Andrea Leadsom

From 2011 to 2015, energy suppliers spent a total of £868m on electricity bill rebates under the Core and Broader Group elements of the Warm Home Discount. The annual breakdown is set out below.

Scheme year	Total contribution on rebates
Scheme year 1 ( 2011/2012)	£112.3m
Scheme Year 2 (2012/2013)	£198.1m
Scheme Year 3 (2013/2014)	£248.66m
Scheme Year 4 (2014/2015)	£309.3m

We expect that at least £286m has been spent by suppliers on direct rebates in 2015/16.

From 2011 to 2015, households have also received other assistance through the Warm Home Discount to the value of £264m.

Government announced in the Spending Review in November 2015 that the Warm Home Discount scheme would be extended to 2020/21 at current levels of £320m per year, rising with inflation, to help households who are at risk of fuel poverty with their energy bills.

Further details can be found in Ofgem’s annual reports at:

https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications-and-updates/warm-home-discount-annual-report-scheme-year-4.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2016-09-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the NATO Secretary General on North Korea’s nuclear tests in 2016.

Alok Sharma

The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson) has not discussed this issue directly with the NATO Secretary General. At the NATO Warsaw Summit in July 2016, Heads of Government called on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) to immediately cease its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes in a complete, verifiable, and irreversible manner. The Secretary General issued a statement on 9 September condemning the DPRK’s fifth nuclear test and called on it to fully respect its international obligations and commitments, including UN Security Council Resolutions.