Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Gloria De Piero – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Gloria De Piero – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gloria De Piero on 2016-03-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people who have stopped smoking cigarettes because they have switched to e-cigarettes in each of the last three years.

    Jane Ellison

    Prescriptions for e-cigarettes will be charged like any other medication and normal exemption arrangements will apply including for those on low incomes.

    In August 2015 Public Health England published a report that outlined evidence that e-cigarettes can help people quit smoking. Data from local stop smoking services shows that 2/3 of smokers are successful in their quit attempts when combining e-cigarettes with behavioural support. Data from Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) suggests in 2015 there were 2.6 million e-cigarette users of which nearly 2 out of 5 no longer smoked tobacco products. This data is available at ASH ‘Use of electronic cigarettes (vapourisers) among adults in Great Britain’, 2015.

    http://www.ash.org.uk/files/documents/ASH_891.pdf

    “

  • Baroness Nye – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Baroness Nye – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Nye on 2016-03-23.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many level 3 Craft, Creative Arts and Design (9.2) vocational qualifications were completed in each year since 2011 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland combined.

    Lord Nash

    As there is no formal definition of what constitutes “Craft, Creative Arts and Design”, it has not been possible to provide the information that is requested.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-04-28.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 26 April 2016 to Question 34460, how many concerns have been captured centrally under the HM Revenue and Customs Whistleblowing and Raising a Concern Policy in the last five years; and how those concerns have been categorised for management of other purposes by his Department.

    Mr David Gauke

    HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has a Whistleblowing and Raising a concern policy. Since April 2014 concerns raised under this policy have been captured centrally. Prior to this date, details were only held locally.

    According to records held centrally by HMRC, for the period 1st April 2014 to 31st March 2015, 78 cases were logged under the Whistleblowing and Raising a Concern Policy, of which:

    • 52 were defined as whistleblowers;

    • 20 were defined as wrongdoing (but not whistleblowing);

    • 2 were defined as grievance; and

    • 4 could not be categorised.

      From 1st April 2015 to date, HMRC has received a further 91 cases, of which 18 have been defined as whistleblowers. The 18 cases were categorised as per wrongdoing type, namely:

      Payroll and Expenses 3

      Conditions of service 11

      Revenue & Benefits 3

      Assets, IT & Comms 1

  • Gordon Marsden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Gordon Marsden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2016-06-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the operational readiness of the Student Loans Company to administer postgraduate loan applications between June and October 2016.

    Joseph Johnson

    The Student Loans Company will open for applications for the new master’s loan for postgraduate study from the end of June 2016 and the Department has been working closely with the company to ensure its systems and operational staff are ready to manage the loan’s administration.

  • Karl McCartney – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Karl McCartney – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl McCartney on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department has taken to prepare for the UK to leave the EU since 23 June 2016; and what further such steps his Department plans to take in the remainder of 2016.

    Mike Penning

    The Department for Exiting the EU has responsibility for overseeing preparations for the withdrawal of the UK from the EU and conducting these withdrawal negotiations in support of the Prime Minister. In doing this, it is working very closely with other Government departments, including the Ministry of Defence, and a wide range of other interested parties.

  • Rosie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Rosie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rosie Cooper on 2016-10-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, by what process interested parties in Skelmersdale may express an interest in obtaining the 3G floodlit 11-a-side football pitch at the former Glenburn Sports College site to ensure continued community access to the facility.

    Edward Timpson

    Ownership of the site of the former Glenburn Sports College is currently under review in the Department. The site was originally owned by Lancashire County Council, and was then transferred to the Glenburn Education Trust when the school became a foundation school.

    However, when the school closed earlier this year, the governing body was required under the law to apply for a Secretary of State determination as to the future of the site. No application was made, and in the absence of a determination, the Department is considering a representation from the local authority that the land should revert to them.

    Any parties wishing to express an interest in facilities on the site should approach Lancashire County Council in the first instance, though any plans for future use will be for the eventual agreed holder of the site to take forward. The land will continue to be protected under legislation against disposal without the consent of the Secretary of State. As part of considering whether to grant consent, the Secretary of State will consider if the land can be redeployed for education.

  • Kerry McCarthy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Kerry McCarthy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much (a) her Department and (b) each of its arm’s length bodies has spent on staff redundancies in each of the last five years.

    George Eustice

    The cost of compulsory redundancies is set out in Defra’s Annual Report and Accounts. These are published annually on GOV.UK and links are provided below.

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/defras-annual-report-and-accounts-2014-to-2015

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/defras-annual-report-and-accounts-2013-to-2014

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/defra-annual-report-and-accounts-2012-to-2013

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/annual-report-and-accounts-2011-to-2012–6

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/annual-report-and-accounts-2010-11

    “

  • Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-12-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to raise awareness amongst solicitors of the risks of their clients being targeted in scams by people purporting to operate in the name of their solicitor requesting transfer of funds; and what estimate he has made of the number of such scams that took place in the last three years.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), as an independent regulator, is well aware of the risks identified by the honourable member. It regularly issues scam alerts and in July this year published a paper outlining key risks. This paper will be updated again next spring. The SRA has advised that in 2014 it issued 183 scam alerts.

  • Andrew Percy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Andrew Percy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2016-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many defibrillators are provided in each building her Department manages.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The number of defibrillators held in buildings managed by the Department is as follows:

    Building

    No. of defibrillators

    3 Whitehall Place, London, SW1A 2AW

    1

    55 Whitehall, London, SW1A 2EW

    1

    Atholl House, 86-88 Guild Street, Aberdeen, AB11 6AR

    1

  • Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick on 2016-02-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they plan to take to clarify the tax rules relating to fines imposed on banks.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    Fines imposed as a punishment by regulators are non-deductible for UK Corporation Tax purposes, while compensation expenditure arising from trading activity is in principle deductible.

    However, the government took steps in Finance Act (No2) 2015 to make compensation associated with bank misconduct and mis-selling non-deductible and offset the deductibility of administrative costs associated with this compensation through a taxable receipt. This action is forecast by the OBR to increase banks’ tax payments by around £1bn over the next 5 years.