The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-02-11.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 11 February 2016 to Question 26056, when the Data Steering Group last met; who attended that meeting; and if he will publish the (a) minutes of that meeting and (b) programme of work of that group.
Matthew Hancock
This information is in the public domain and available at www.gov.uk.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Marlesford on 2016-03-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many valid British passports are currently held, and how many of those passport holders also hold passports of another state.
Lord Bates
There are 49 million valid UK passports in circulation. Records are not held centrally of persons holding both a UK passport and foreign passport.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2016-04-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the introduction of measures for country-by-country reporting of profits for UK-listed companies.
Mr Desmond Swayne
DFID Ministers and officials have regular discussions with other Government Departments on a wide range of issues relating to international development, including tax.
The UK supports efforts to improve tax transparency. We initiated international work on country-by-country (CbC) reporting during our G8 Presidency in 2013, calling on the OECD to develop a framework for CbC reporting to tax authorities as part of the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) project. This important initiative will enhance transparency between business and tax authorities, including those of developing countries.
The UK leads international efforts to help developing countries tackle tax evasion and avoidance. DFID funds the Global Forum and the World Bank to provide technical assistance to improve exchange of tax information in developing countries which will allow tax authorities to gain access to information such as country-by-country reports. We also support the OECD in helping developing countries tackle multinational practices such as transfer pricing and have provided HMRC tax auditors to Tax Inspectors Without Borders, which puts expert tax auditors in the field working on complex multinational audit cases.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-05-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to encourage other donors to fund Education For All: the fund for education in emergencies at its launch at the World Humanitarian Summit.
Mr Nick Hurd
The UK has played a leading role in the development of the Education Cannot Wait fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises, which was launched at the World Humanitarian Summit on 23rd May. The UK has committed to provide £30 million in support over two years to the new fund as a founding donor, which was announced by the International Development Secretary at the fund’s launch. The UK is working closely with UNICEF and other partners to encourage a broad funding base to Education Cannot Wait, including funding from non-traditional donors, private sector and philanthropic organisations. An example is UK technical support to the fund’s case for investment and other key communication and outreach products, to raise awareness of the fund with others.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by William Cash on 2016-07-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department plans to create a new independent system operator to remove any potential conflict of interest between National Grid and its electricity balancing and management responsibilities.
Jesse Norman
There is a case for greater independence for the system operator to promote more competition and flexibility in our electricity system. We are working alongside National Grid and Ofgem to this end, so that the electricity system continues to be operated in the best interest of consumers.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Pugh on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of staff on the payroll of her Department who work in Westminster are (a) British nationals and (b) nationals of another country.
George Eustice
All Government Departments are bound by legal requirements concerning the right to work in the UK and, in addition, the Civil Service Nationality Rules. Evidence of nationality is checked at the point of recruitment into the Civil Service as part of wider pre-employment checks, but there is no requirement on departments to retain this information beyond the point at which it has served its purpose.
More broadly, the Government will be consulting in due course on how we work with business to ensure that workers in this country have the skills that they need to get a job. But there are no proposals to publish lists of the number or proportion of foreign workers.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-11-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what financial support his Department has provided to the National Suicide Prevention Alliance in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.
Alistair Burt
The Department has provided the following financial support for the National Suicide Prevention Alliance since its establishment in 2012:
|
Year |
Funding |
|
2013/14 |
£60,000 |
|
2014/15 |
£60,000 |
|
2015/16 |
£60,000 |
|
Total |
£180,000 |
Source: Department of Health
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Reed on 2015-12-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department has taken in response to the recommendations and key findings of the National Audit Office’s report, Financial sustainability by local authorities 2014, published in November 2014; and what work his Department has carried out on improving its understanding of the financial stability of local authorities.
Mr Marcus Jones
The National Audit Office report, Financial Sustainability of Local Authorities made four key recommendations.
In line with my rt. hon. Friend, the Secretary of State’s (Greg Clark) statement to the House on 17 December, Official Report, Columns 1722-1724, we have noted the criticism of the Public Accounts Committee and the DCLG select committee about previous inclusions of the existing Better Care Fund and the Public Health Grant in councils’ spending power. So we will follow their advice, and henceforth report only resources over which councils have discretion.
In relation to transformation projects, the overall local government finance system sets the conditions to achieve value for money through strong pressure to improve outcomes, whilst delivering services more efficiently
We have learnt from previous spending reviews. In preparation for the Spending Review 2015 officials had early and extensive engagement with all departments that rely on local government to deliver services. This enabled the department to build up a clear picture of whether local authorities core funding was sufficient to deliver their statutory services.
The Department monitors the financial stability of local authorities as part of its oversight of local government expenditure. Officials use the detailed data returns that provided by local authorities throughout the year and they gather intelligence through routine interactions with local authorities, representative bodies and other departments. This helps them to anticipate and act on potential problems.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Davis on 2016-01-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his Written Statement of 20 July 2015, HCWS 149, if he will make it his policy to publish the (a) numbers, (b) units and (c) dates of embedded service of UK personnel embedded in other nations’ armed forces on a monthly basis.
Michael Fallon
I refer my right hon. Friend to my Written Ministerial Statement of 17 December 2015 (Official Report, column WS431).
For operational security reasons we will not routinely identify units, location or dates.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2016-02-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what account his Department has taken of (a) new nuclear developments and (b) tidal lagoon projects in West Cumbria in devolving its Northern Powerhouse agenda.
James Wharton
Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership has identified nuclear and energy excellence as a key priority contributing significant growth opportunities for the Cumbria economy. Discussions with Cumbria about their Devolution deal proposals are progressing well. I am pleased they have strong ambitions to drive growth across the Cumbria area by improving the delivery of skills, infrastructure, environmental sustainability and business support.