Tag: Parliamentary Question

Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-09-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make it his policy to continue to support Government investment in (a) new energy sources and (b) tidal energy.

Jesse Norman

Government investment in all forms of renewable energy continues to be predicated on achieving an energy mix that is secure, clean and affordable. Government will be announcing details of the next energy innovation programme and the Contracts for Difference (CfD) allocation round in due course.

01/01/2023
Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2016-10-24.

To ask the Attorney General, what recent steps the Crown Prosecution Service has taken to set out its approach to prosecuting hate crime.

Robert Buckland

We are committed to tackling hate crime in any form. The cross Government Hate Crime Action Plan, published in July 2016, focuses on reducing hate crime, increasing reporting and ensuring that all criminal justice partners and key stakeholders deliver the appropriate outcomes for victims.

01/01/2023
Ben Howlett – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Wales Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ben Howlett on 2015-11-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Government support for the tourism sector in Wales.

Alun Cairns

In July, the Government published its 5-point plan to ensure the benefits of tourism extend beyond London and across the UK. The Welsh economy continues to benefit from a thriving tourist industry, with recent figures showing the amount spent by overseas visitors increased by £34 million over the last year.

01/01/2023
Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-12-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment his Department has conducted of the adequacy of the level of financial support offered to small businesses that have been in operation for two years or less; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry

The Government recognises that new businesses can encounter difficulties in obtaining the finance they need to start-up or grow. However I am encouraged that net lending to smaller businesses has been recovering strongly since the end of 2014. The Bank of England has reported that credit conditions for SMEs seeking finance are improving and the SME Finance Monitor shows that 80% of SME loan and overdraft applications were successful in the 18 months to 2015 Q3, up from 68% in Q4 2013.

Latest figures show that net SME lending from banks participating in the Funding for Lending Scheme grew by £675m in the third quarter and the Bank of England recently announced that allowances earned by banks for increasing their net lending under the scheme will be available to draw down for a further two years. The government also continues to fund start-up loans, with more than 33,000 loans worth over £180 million issued so far and a target to deliver 75,000 loans by the end of the parliament.

I am also encouraged by our growing alternative finance sector, with the UK the leading fin tech centre of Europe.

A recent report from the Legatum Institute rated the UK as the best country in the EU in which to start a business and the government will continue to back our small businesses to start and grow.

01/01/2023
Tim Loughton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2016-01-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which children’s services departments have been visited by the Chief Social Worker for Children since her appointment.

Edward Timpson

The Department does not publish the diaries of staff members. Diaries often contain sensitive information and releasing them could impact both on the policy making process and the willingness of officials to meet with particular groups if this information were to be freely available.

Since her appointment, the Chief Social Worker for Children and Families, Isabelle Trowler, has visited the following local authorities: Bexley; Birmingham; Blackpool; Calderdale; Cambridgeshire; Camden; Central Bedfordshire; Cheshire West and Chester; Derbyshire; Doncaster; Enfield; East Sussex; Gloucestershire; Greenwich; Hackney; Hammersmith and Fulham; Haringey; Hull; Islington; Kensington and Chelsea; Kent; Kingston on Thames; Kirklees; Lancashire; Leeds; Liverpool; Manchester; North Lincolnshire; Northamptonshire; Portsmouth; Redcar and Cleveland; Richmond upon Thames; Rotherham; Sheffield; Slough; Solihull; Staffordshire; Tower Hamlets; Wandsworth; Westminster; Wigan; Wolverhampton; Worcestershire; and York.

As well as visiting local authorities, the Chief Social Worker meets with representatives of many children’s services departments.

01/01/2023
Julie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Leader of the House

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Cooper on 2016-02-08.

To ask the Leader of the House, when he plans to announce the date of the next State Opening of Parliament.

Chris Grayling

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 3 February 2016 to Question UIN 24624.

“

01/01/2023

Kevan Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2016-02-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Significant Occurrence Notifications the Director of General Defence Safety Authority has been notified of which involved other nations’ military aircraft operating in the (a) Scottish Flight Information Region/Upper Information Region and (b) London Flight Information Region/Upper Information Region in each year since 2010; and what the (i) type of foreign military aircraft and (ii) country of origin was in each of those occurrences.

Penny Mordaunt

Since 2010 there have been no Significant Occurrence Notifications (SONs) involving other nations’ military aircraft in the Scottish Flight Information Region/Upper Information Region. Four SONs have been raised relating to other nations’ aircraft operating in the London Flight Information Region/Upper Information Region since 2010, all of which were notified to Director General Defence Safety Authority. These are detailed below:

Date of SON issue/ Event occurrence	Aircraft Type	Country of Origin	Occurrence Type
7 January 2014	HH-60G Pave Hawk	USA	Crash
8 October 2014	F-15 Eagle	USA	Crash
13 October 2015	Sea King CH-124A Mk3	Canada	Maintenance accident
21 October 2015	F/A-18C Hornet	USA	Crash

01/01/2023

Paul Monaghan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2016-03-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the progress made at the recent UN peace talks in Geneva on Syria.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The latest phase of UN-facilitated peace talks on Syria came to a pause in Geneva on 24 March. UN Special Envoy, Staffan de Mistura intends to reconvene the parties after the Easter break. This latest phase continued in the “proximity talks” format rather than direct talks between the parties. During their discussions with the UN Special Envoy, the High Negotiations Committee of the Syrian Opposition presented their plans for political transition. Conversely, we understand that the Syrian regime did not engage on issues of substance during their discussions with the UN Special Envoy. At the conclusion of this round of talks, the UN produced a paper outlining its assessment of the “points of convergence” between the opposition and regime and has invited both sides to consider it before talks resume on or around 10 April.

01/01/2023
Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-05-04.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 18 April 2016 to Question 33610, how much funding the Government has allocated to (a) the Global Forum, (b) the World Bank, (c) the OECD and (d) each developing country to (i) improve the exchange of information to help tackle tax avoidance and (ii) improve tax capacity-building in each year since 2009-10.

Mr David Gauke

The UK government is committed to tackling tax avoidance at the global level and is supportive of using tax policy to help fund sustainable development. We support much of the work international organisations, such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the World Bank, undertake in the area of international tax.

The OECD Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) project reviewed the international tax rules to ensure profits are taxed where economic activities are performed. The UK government is committed to consistent and effective implementation of the OECD BEPS outputs. Since 2009-10, the UK government has contributed £339,580 in 2012-13 and £394,789 in 2015-16. In addition, the UK government supports and contributes to the work of the OECD’s Global Forum on addressing the risks to tax compliance posed by non-cooperative tax jurisdictions.

The UK government does not hold specific figures for the amount of official development assistance (ODA) spent on tax and development for the years since 2009-10.Until recently, it was not possible to disaggregate funding for tax reform and capacity building from wider public financial management programmes.

01/01/2023
Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne Main on 2016-06-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many meetings the team working on projects to improve Turkey’s prospects of joining the EU, based at the British Embassy in Ankara, have had with representatives of the Turkish government in the last 12 months.

Mr David Lidington

Staff in the projects team at the British Embassy in Ankara regularly meet their Turkish Government counterparts on a range of business, including promoting reform and democratisation towards European standards. The UK remains committed to supporting security and prosperity across Europe, where we will continue to have close relationships and mutual interests. In countries aspiring to join the EU, our bilateral focus will remain on strengthening stability, security, good governance and the economic fundamentals; and on building the resilience and capability to tackle global threats and challenges such as irregular migration and terrorism.

01/01/2023