Tag: Parliamentary Question

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

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2016-02-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make ithis policy to assess the potential merits of the pledge by the Austrian government set out in the report by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, A Pledge to Fill the Legal Gap, published in February 2015 for the work of the UN Open Ended Working Group on multilateral disarmament negotiations.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The UK is committed to creating the conditions for a world without nuclear weapons in accordance with the goals of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, in a way that promotes international stability, and is based on the principle of undiminished security for all. The Austrian pledge to stigmatise, prohibit and eliminate nuclear weapons runs counter to the step-by-step disarmament process; and it does not take into account the current global security and stability challenges. The UN Disarmament machinery and the Non-Proliferation Treaty provide the right framework for working towards a world without nuclear weapons.

01/01/2023
Dawn Butler – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dawn Butler on 2016-03-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what plans he has to bring forward legislative proposals to further regulate the use of fireworks.

Anna Soubry

I am aware of recent concerns about the use of fireworks in some parts of the country. However, I believe that the majority of people enjoy fireworks sensibly, responsibly and in accordance with the current restrictions on their use and I therefore have no immediate plans to review the legislation already in place.

01/01/2023
Valerie Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Valerie Vaz on 2016-04-27.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the privatisation of the Land Registry on the effectiveness of its service.

Sajid Javid

I am pleased to say we are consulting on this very issue at the moment.

We want to accelerate the transformation and digitisation of the Land Registry, improving the service it offers.

However, we would only proceed with any change if we were convinced it would provide a continued appropriate level of service.

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

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2016-06-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which hon. Members were notified about (a) discussions between his Department and Govia Thameslink Railway on changes to that company’s rail franchises and (b) changes agreed with that company to those franchises.

Claire Perry

We do not normally notify hon. Members with regard to contract change(s) to Franchise Agreements, as this is business as usual for the Department.

The Remedial Plan prepared in response to the notice issued by the Department for Transport under Section 55 of the Railways Act on 7th July 2015 was published online on the 26 May at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/525767/govia-thameslink-remedial-plan.pdf.

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01/01/2023
Lisa Cameron – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lisa Cameron on 2016-09-02.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to assess the effect of the UK’s tax treaties with developing countries on tax revenue in those countries.

Jane Ellison

By governing the taxation of cross-border income flows in a predictable manner and eliminating double taxation and excessive taxation, tax treaties promote international trade and investment, leading to sustainable tax revenues, which are vital in financing for development. However, as my predecessor and Rt Hon Friend the Member for South West Hertfordshire has stated in response to similar questions, given the long timescales, complex and shifting interactions with domestic law, large and unpredictable behavioural effects and the lack of a sensible comparator, it is not possible to produce meaningful estimates of the revenue effects of double taxation agreements, and successive Governments have never attempted it.

01/01/2023
Grant Shapps – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grant Shapps on 2016-10-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Turkish counterparts on what estimate the government of Turkey has made of when it expects Turkey to join the EU.

Sir Alan Duncan

As and when Turkey meets the requirements for accession in full, it will be for Turkey and EU members at the time to decide on membership. The UK will continue to support countries committed to the accession process in meeting the necessary requirements.

01/01/2023
Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-10-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2015 to Question 12790, whether the licence obligation on Telefonica to provide indoor 4G coverage to 98 per cent of UK premises by 2017 includes coverage in tunnels.

Mr Edward Vaizey

The licence obligation on Telefonica to provide indoor 4G coverage to 98% of the UK population by 2017 does not include coverage in tunnels.The Government recognises that dropped calls and intermittent access to the internet are frustrations felt by many rail passengers. The Government is working with the rail and telecommunications industries to reach a collective understanding of the technical and commercial challenges and the potential solution to this problem.

01/01/2023
Holly Lynch – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Holly Lynch on 2015-11-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the (a) implications for his policies and (b) reasons for the finding of the Civil Service People Survey 2015 that Driver and Vehicle Standard Agency staff rated leadership and management the lowest in the civil service.

Andrew Jones

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) acknowledges that its 2015 Civil Service People Survey results are disappointing, and it is determined to improve its leadership and management of change. This is no easy task for an organisation of 4,500 people working across more than 500 sites. It has begun implementing actions to improve staff engagement, including creating forums for specific groups of staff to contribute to change, and Directorate and team meetings focussing specifically on staff engagement. It is also sending out its corporate senior leaders to talk to, and more importantly, to listen to its public-facing operational staff.

01/01/2023
Seema Malhotra – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Seema Malhotra on 2015-12-16.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the effects on the economy of the level of (a) consumer borrowing and (b) personal loans.

Harriett Baldwin

Household debt as a proportion of income has fallen to 144% in Q2 2015, from a peak of 168% in Q1 2008. To avoid repeating the mistakes of the past we have created the independent Financial Policy Committee (FPC) within the Bank of England to ensure emerging risks and vulnerabilities across the financial system as a whole are identified, monitored and effectively addressed.

01/01/2023

Angela Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angela Smith on 2016-01-27.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times project licence applications were referred to an independent assessor in each year since 2012.

Mr John Hayes

The Harm-Benefit Analysis (HBA) is undertaken, on behalf of the Secretary of State, by the Animals in Science Regulation Unit inspectors, all of whom are veterinary or medically qualified and trained in assessing research proposals. The HBA is the process of considering a research proposal to make a judgement whether the likely harms that the animals will experience are justified by the likely benefits. Under section 18 of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, inspectors advise the Secretary of State who decides whether and on what terms a project licence should be granted.

The number of project licences which were recommended for grant by the Animals in Science Regulation Unit inspectors between 2012 and 2015 are shown in table 1, column (c).

The Secretary of State has not rejected any of the recommendations for granting project licences made by the Animals in Science Regulation Unit inspectors between 2012 and 2015.

The Home Office does not keep records of applications that have been rejected or withdrawn at the concept or drafting stage [24507]. The Home Office does not keep records of which applications were withdrawn as a result of advice from the Animals in Science Regulation Unit inspectors.

The Home Office refers project licence applications to both the Animals in Science Committee and external independent assessors for critical review. The number of project licences referred to both is given in Table 1 columns (a) and (b) respectively for the years 2012-15.

Year	(a) Project licence applications referred to the Animals in Science Committee[1]	(b) Project licence applications referred to independent assessors	(c) Project licences granted
2012	9	4	626
2013	3	0	604
2014	4	1	474
2015	3	0	577

[1] Prior to 2013 the independent advisory body was entitled the ‘Animals Procedures Committee’

01/01/2023