The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison Thewliss on 2016-10-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of Part 10 of the Gambling Act 2005.
Tracey Crouch
The Government continues to keep under review all aspects of the Gambling Act 2005. The Triennial Review of Stakes and Prizes is due to be published shortly, and will consider stakes and prizes of all gaming machines.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Brown on 2015-11-02.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress his Department has made in tackling international tax avoidance.
Mr David Gauke
The Government is committed to countering tax avoidance to ensure all tax payers pay their fair share. The UK has been at the forefront of international efforts to tackle corporate tax avoidance through the OECD Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) project, which had the objective of ensuring profits are taxed where economic activities are performed.
The first phase of the BEPS project was delivered in 2014, and the UK was the first adopter of the 2014 recommendations, by legislating for the internationally agreed country-by-country reporting template; and consulting on implementing the OECD agreed rules to deal with hybrid mismatch arrangements.
In line with the objectives of the BEPS project, the Government also introduced the Diverted Profits Tax to target contrived arrangements used by large multinational companies to divert profits away from the UK.
The final BEPS project reports were published on 5 October 2015. The UK will give full consideration to the outputs of the BEPS project and will engage with the OECD’s work on developing a framework for monitoring implementation.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-11-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what consultations he has had with the chief ministers of the UK Overseas Territories on the Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR); if he will take steps to ensure that the security interests and requirements of the Overseas Territories are adequately addressed in the SDSR; and if he will make a statement.
Michael Fallon
The Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) consulted widely with external stakeholders and internal staff. As reflected in chapter four of the SDSR, the Government takes seriously its responsibility to support communities in the Overseas Territories and their right to safety, security and determination. My hon. Friend, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office responsible for the Overseas Territories (James Duddridge), has written to the Chief Ministers to inform them of the SDSR’s outcome and he looks forward to discussing the conclusions further at the Joint Ministerial Council on 1 and 2 December.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-01-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 17 December 2015 to Question 20054, what funding was allocated to the Winter Weather Repair Fund in 2014-15.
Andrew Jones
In 2014/15, the Government provided £950 million to local highway authorities for highways maintenance, including £168 million to specifically tackle potholes across the country.
In March 2014, the Government provided an additional £183.5 million to help repair local highway infrastructure damaged by the winter floods of 2013/14. This funding was spent by local highway authorities in 2014/15.
Overall, between 2010 to 2015, local highways maintenance funding was 27% or £1billion higher than under the previous Labour administration.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Brendan O’Hara on 2016-01-29.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether there is a shortfall in the number of Ministry of Defence Police Officers; and what provision there is for tasking such officers beyond their contracted hours of work.
Mark Lancaster
The Ministry of Defence Police (MDP) currently has a number of vacancies within the Force. Where there is a shortfall in numbers at an MDP station the use of overtime working may be authorised in order to cover essential duties. Volunteers to work additional hours are sought in the first instance, but officers may be directed to work additional hours if insufficient volunteers are available.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Norman Lamb on 2016-02-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to paragraph 2 of Delivering the Forward View: NHS Planning Guidance, published in December 2015, how much of the £8.4 billion real terms increase in NHS funding by 2020-21 is allocated to mental health; whether that figure includes funding for children and young people’s mental health announced before the 2015 General Election; and under which of his Department’s budget headings that funding has been allocated.
Alistair Burt
Regarding the £8.4 billion real terms increase in funding, NHS England (NHSE) does not stipulate a specific spend level for commissioning bodies, this is to be determined by national policy directives like parity of esteem and specific local needs based assessment. At a commissioning stream level, NHSE has set a principal commitment to achieving mental health parity of esteem. Through its assurance process NHSE will hold individual commissioners to account for increasing spend on mental health in line with their increase in allocations, taking account of the additional mental health funding that has been received.
The difference between the 2015/16 funding for children’s and young people’s mental health in NHSE baseline and subsequent increase in funding over the five-year period from 2016-17 to 2020-21 is included in the £8.4 billion growth in the Mandate.
The Department allocates funding to NHS England as set out in the government’s mandate to NHSE and accompanying financial directions. The mandate to NHSE for 2016-17 and accompanying directions are both available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-mandate-2016-to-2017
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Carolyn Harris on 2016-03-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he will publish further information on his plans for increasing the autonomy of prison governors.
Andrew Selous
We will announce our plans for reform prisons in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Durkan on 2016-04-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how his Department observes the Sea Empress ruling in its observation of the Pilotage Act 1987; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Robert Goodwill
Under the Pilotage Act 1987, it is Competent Harbour Authority’s duty to keep under review what pilotage services are needed for safe navigation and to provide those services accordingly, for which a proper assessment of the interests of safety is relevant as spelt out in the Sea Empress case.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-05-24.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they intend to take to protect the Golan Heights from further Israeli settlement expansion, discriminatory policies against the native Syrian population, and the extraction of natural resources from the area.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The Government regards the Golan Heights – along with East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza – as Occupied Territory. We continue to call on Israel, as the Occupying Power, to uphold its obligations under international law in the Occupied Territories, including abiding by UN Security Council Resolution 497 (1981). We have been clear that Israel must comply with its obligations under international law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2016-07-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many abortions (a) overall and (b) where Downs syndrome had been identified were carried out at each (i) NHS hospital, (ii) clinic and (iii) surgery in Lancashire in 2016.
Nicola Blackwood
Data for 2016 is not yet available.