Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Paul Flynn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    Paul Flynn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2016-03-01.

    To ask the Attorney General, what criteria he uses when deciding whether to make public legal advice made available to Government; and on what occasions such legal advice has been made public since May 2015.

    Jeremy Wright

    It is a longstanding constitutional convention, set out in the Cabinet Manual and the Ministerial Code, that the fact that the Law Officers have advised or have not advised, and the content of their advice, must not be disclosed without their authority. The convention exists for fundamental constitutional reasons and to promote the public interest in the Rule of Law. Whether the Law Officers have advised and the content of that advice is part of the collective Cabinet decision-making process. The convention reflects the public interest in collective Cabinet responsibility. It also reflects the fact that Law Officers’ advice is confidential legal advice and, as with all professional legal advice, it is subject to legal professional privilege. In addition, it acknowledges the feature of Law Officers’ advice which sets it apart from other legal advice, namely that it is sought in relation to issues of particular complexity, sensitivity and constitutional importance. It is a matter of constitutional importance that the provision of advice in these circumstances should be protected in the public interest.

    A decision to disclose would require an exceptional countervailing public interest. No such case has arisen since May 2015.

  • Derek Twigg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Derek Twigg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Derek Twigg on 2016-03-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many GPs retired in Halton constituency in the last 12 months; and how many GPs in that constituency have given notice of their intention to retire in 2016.

    Alistair Burt

    This information is not collected centrally. However, this information is available from the Halton Clinical Commissioning Group.

  • Adam Afriyie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Adam Afriyie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Afriyie on 2016-05-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he has taken to support (a) peer-to-peer lending and (b) challenger banks.

    Anna Soubry

    Access to finance on flexible, competitive terms is essential for growing businesses. Challenger banks and alternative finance providers have an important role to play in widening choice and promoting competition.

    Government is bringing into effect provisions in the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 which will require the largest banks – where they decline lending requests from small business customers – to offer those customers the opportunity for their details to be referred to a government-designated funding platform. These platforms will be brought into operation later this year and will allow SMEs to match their requirements with offers from peer-to-peer platforms and challenger banks.

    During the last 12 months, the British Business Bank has supported 3,301 businesses through the peer-to-peer platforms Funding Circle, RateSetter and Zopa. The British Business Bank also supports the growth of challenger banks by providing wholesale funds alongside private sector investors.

  • Richard Burgon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Richard Burgon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burgon on 2016-06-15.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what correspondence he has had with (a) the Competition and Markets Authority, (b) the Prudential Regulation Authority and (c) new entrant banks about the internal ratings-based approach and the standardised approach for risk weights in capital requirements regulation; and if he will place a copy of that correspondence in the Library.

    Harriett Baldwin

    The government is committed to increasing banking competition and meets with a wide range of institutions as part of the process of developing policy to help drive more competition.

    We have already taken significant action to improve competition in banking. This includes:

    • Delivering the Current Account Switch Service and midata so customers are able to compare personal current accounts and switch where they see a better deal – simply, quickly and reliably;

    • Lowering barriers to entry and helping to establish the New Bank start-up Unit, making it quicker and easier for new banks to enter the market and compete effectively with the incumbents;

    • Creating the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) as a single, stronger competition regulator, to promote competition and ensure markets work well for consumers, businesses and the wider economy.

    The government is also taking action by working with the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and the Bank of England to introduce a more proportionate prudential regime for smaller banks and building societies. The exchange of letters between the Economic Secretary and Andrew Bailey published in November 2015 highlights this work.

    In its retail banking market investigation, the CMA provisionally found that banks on the standardised approach are at a competitive disadvantage in the provision of lower LTV mortgages compared to banks using internal models. It also stated that the capital requirements regime has the potential to impact on competition in retail banking in a range of areas. The government, working with the PRA and Bank of England will take forward the issues identified by the CMA.

  • Tom Watson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Tom Watson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2016-09-12.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much his Department has spent on ministerial red boxes in the last 12 months.

    Ben Gummer

    The Cabinet Office has not spent any money on ministerial red boxes in the last 12 months.

  • Nicholas Soames – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Nicholas Soames – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-10-19.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much income tax was paid by UK resident non-domiciled people in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and what proportion of the total income tax receipt those amounts were.

    Jane Ellison

    The information requested is set out below :

    Tax Year

    Number of Non-Domiciled Individuals

    Number of UK Resident Non-Domiciled Individuals

    Income Tax Paid by UK Resident Non-Domiciled Individuals (£bn)

    Proportion of Total UK Income Tax (%) paid by UK Resident Non-Domiciled Individuals

    2010/11

    115,100

    80,900

    6.09

    4%

    2011/12

    113,200

    80,200

    6.20

    4%

    2012/13

    116,600

    81,700

    6.29

    4%

    2013/14

    118,200

    83,000

    6.56

    4%

    2014/15

    118,100

    83,400

    6.44

    4%

  • Danny Kinahan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Danny Kinahan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Danny Kinahan on 2015-11-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions she has had with (a) the Northern Ireland Executive’s Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment and (b) her counterpart in the Republic of Ireland on steps to ensure the proposed North-South electricity interconnector is delivered.

    Mr Ben Wallace

    Non-nuclear energy policy is a devolved matter in Northern Ireland and the responsibility of Northern Ireland Executive Ministers.

  • Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2015-12-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they are making to the government of India about transit issues to Nepal.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    I refer the noble Lord to the oral answer I gave to the Earl of Sandwich on 27 October 2015, Official Report, Column 1088.

    Further to that response, the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), raised the situation in Nepal with the Indian Minister of External Affairs, General V K Singh on 5 November, and again with Indian Foreign Secretary Dr S Jaishankar on 12 November.

    As Nepal’s largest bilateral donor and, in the year of the 200th anniversary of relations with Nepal, the UK is concerned about the current situation. Along with the rest of the international community we are very keen to see a final political settlement in Nepal and an end to the fuel supply problems, which are holding back Nepal’s recovery from April’s tragic earthquake and having a serious humanitarian impact. We remain in close contact with the Indian and Nepali governments.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions he has had with the Home Secretary on amending immigration rules to support the curry industry.

    Anna Soubry

    My Rt hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills has regular discussions with the Home Secretary on a wide variety of issues.

  • Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-02-04.

    To ask the Prime Minister, whether it is Government policy to promote multiculturalism in the UK.

    Mr David Cameron

    We have been very clear: we are proud that Britain is one of the most successful multi ethnic, multi faith democracies in the world. The Government is clear that people have full freedom here to choose and practice their faith. It is right though to challenge the view held by some that we should encourage communities to develop separately and effectively live in a segregated way. The Government is committed to boosting integration in some of our most isolated communities, and to proudly promoting the British values that we all share.