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Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Menzies Campbell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    Menzies Campbell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Menzies Campbell on 2015-02-11.

    To ask the Attorney General, whether he has issued a direction under 4(b) of the Protocol Between the Attorney General and the Prosecuting Departments to the Serious Fraud Office on a case under investigation by that office in the last four months; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Robert Buckland

    It would not be appropriate to give a running commentary on SFO investigations. I am aware of the provisions within paragraph 4(b)4 of the Protocol, which state that if any such direction were to be made then I would make a report to Parliament, so far as was compatible with national security.

  • Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-02-11.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with (a) the Crown Prosecution Service, (b) the Attorney General, (c) HM Revenue and Customs and (d) the Financial Conduct Authority on the use by UK residents of the provisions of the European Savings Directive to avoid paying UK tax by opening anonymous bank accounts in jurisdictions abroad since 1 January 2015.

    Mr David Gauke

    The European Savings Directive has been in force since 2005. It is a mechanism for achieving tax compliance through either disclosure of investment income data to the tax jurisdiction of the individual concerned or (in limited circumstances) applying withholding tax at source as an alternative to information disclosure.

  • Ian Lavery – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Ian Lavery – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Lavery on 2015-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether any employees of Rio Tinto plc has been seconded to his Department in the last five years.

    Amber Rudd

    No employees of Rio Tinto plc have been seconded to the Department of Energy & Climate Change in the last five years.

  • Luciana Berger – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Luciana Berger – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2015-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 16 December 2014 to Question 218412, how much was spent on NHS smoking cessation services in 2013-14.

    Jane Ellison

    As 5% of local authorities (LAs) did not provide a full dataset for 2013-14, a national full year figure was not produced. The total spend for the year which excludes the 5% of LAs is £79.7 million. This total is not directly comparable with previous years’ spend.

    Data for those LAs which made a return can be found on tab 4.7 “People successfully quit, total expenditure and cost per quitter, by Region, Strategic Health Authority and Primary Care Trust, April 2012 to March 2013” of the data sheet “Statistics on NHS Stop Smoking Services, England – April 2013 to March 2014” which can be accessed here:

    www.hscic.gov.uk/searchcatalogue?productid=15174&returnid=3945

    All published data for stop smoking services is available from the Health and Social Care Information Centre website:

    www.hscic.gov.uk/lifestyles

    “

  • John Baron – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    John Baron – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Baron on 2015-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when there have been discussions since 12 January 2015 between members of the Chemotherapy Clinical Reference Group and clinicians on the breast cancer drugs that are to be removed on 12 March 2015 from the Cancer Drugs Fund list; and what the content of those discussions was.

    George Freeman

    Ministers have regular discussions with NHS England on a range of issues, including the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF).

    NHS England has advised that the Chemotherapy Clinical Reference Group (CRG) met on 9 February 2015 when a paper summarising the outcome of the recent CDF panel was discussed. The CRG membership is made up predominately of clinical members including two breast cancer oncologists.

  • Tom Watson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Tom Watson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2015-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what research her Department has undertaken on access of civilian victims of drone strikes in Afghanistan to civilian compensation schemes administered by troop contributing nations.

    Justine Greening

    Access to civilian compensation schemes is a Ministry of Defence lead. There is a system in place for handling all claims for compensation brought against the Ministry of Defence by Afghan civilians.

  • Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect of the withdrawal of the Youth Contract Wage Incentive Scheme on youth unemployment; and if he will make a statement.

    Esther McVey

    The wage incentive was always intended to be a time limited measure. It was designed to support employers during the recession. It has provided nearly 100,000 job opportunities for young people. The economy is recovering; the UK has witnessed the largest annual drop in youth unemployment since records began.

    Our focus now is to make sure young people have the skills they need to take up these vacancies. The reinvestment of money from the wage incentive scheme into other areas has enabled us to continue to drive down youth unemployment with the most recent figures showing youth unemployment down 188,000 in the last year and by nearly 200,000 since 2010. During 2014 youth unemployment recorded its largest annual fall on record and long-term youth unemployment has also fallen by more than 50,000 in the last year.

    Since the wage incentive was introduced, take up by employers has been lower than expected. Employers found it less attractive than other elements of the scheme. DWP listened to businesses and responded to their needs, as such we reinvested money into those groups who are hardest to help to:

    · Provide additional advisor time for young people in areas of high youth unemployment and for disadvantaged 18-19 year old NEETs;

    · Provide additional funding for BIS to support young people further away from the labour market by providing education and training activities intended to lead initially to traineeships or equivalent provision and subsequently employment.

    · Support the 16-17 NEET pilots and BIS 18-21 Work Skills pilots

    · Provide additional funding for City Deals;

    · Extend the New Enterprise Allowance scheme to December 2014 and provide funding for BIS for start up loans

  • Roberta Blackman-Woods – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Roberta Blackman-Woods – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roberta Blackman-Woods on 2015-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much funding was awarded by the (a) Arts and Humanities Research Council, (b) Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, (c) Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, (d) Economic and Social Research Council, (e) Medical Research Council, (f) Natural Environment Research Council and (g) Science and Technology Facilities Council to each university in the UK in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12, (iii) 2012-13, (iv) 2013-14 and (v) 2014-15.

    Greg Clark

    This information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

  • Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-02-10.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish the names of individuals with whom HM Revenue and Customs has reached an out of court agreement to settle cases of tax evasion that came to light as a result of information from HSBC’s Swiss branch; and what the amount of tax evaded was in each case.

    Mr David Gauke

    HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) can only name taxpayers in specific instances. The rules governing HMRC’s entitlement to publish details of deliberate defaulters are set out in Section 94 Finance Act 2009.

  • Helen Jones – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Helen Jones – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2015-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he plans to lay regulations before the House to make the provision of smoke alarms in private rented property compulsory; and if he will make a statement.

    Brandon Lewis

    The Department of Communities and Local Government published a discussion document in 2014, which invited views on regulating for the installation of smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. We will publish our response along with a summary of the views shortly.