Tag: Parliamentary Question

Lord Berkeley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Berkeley on 2016-05-04.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 4 May (HL7877), why they have not specified as part of their sustainability policy for HS2 the use of sustainable aggregates in the design of structures.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

The HS2 Sustainability Policy states that we will ‘source and make efficient use of sustainable materials.’ This includes the use of sustainable aggregates but is a purposely high-level statement intended to cover all types of sustainable materials. The detailed specifications for the sourcing and use of all materials, including aggregates, will be developed through the design process in line with the Sustainability Policy.

January 1, 2023
Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-06-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average lateness in minutes was in reporting period two of (a) 2015-16 and (b) 2016-17 of services on the (i) Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern franchise, (ii) the Gatwick Express, (iii) Southern Mainline and Coast, (iv) Southern Metro and (v) Thameslink.

Claire Perry

Govia Thameslink Railway do not report average lateness to the Department.

However, on 28 June, the Office of Rail and Road published statistics on ‘Network Rail Outputs and Indicators’ for 2015/16 Quarter 4 which include data on average lateness by region and train operator. The information can be found on their website: http://orr.gov.uk/statistics/published-stats/statistical-releases

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January 1, 2023

Gareth Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Johnson on 2016-09-05.

To ask the Attorney General, what plans he has to extend the scope of the unduly lenient sentence scheme.

Jeremy Wright

The Government has committed to extending the scope of the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme and is carefully considering its approach.

The number of offenders who have had their sentence increased under the unduly lenient sentence scheme in each of the last five years is set out below.

Year	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015
Offenders who have had their sentence increased by the Court of Appeal	95	62	61	106	102

Some cases attract multiple referrals from various sources and we do not record how many referrals each case has received. The total number of cases where requests were received by the Attorney General’s Office for sentences to be reviewed in each of the last five years is set out below.

Year	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015
Total number of referrals received by the Attorney General’s Office for sentences to be reviewed under the scheme	377	435	498	674	713

The number of sentences referred to the Court of Appeal under the unduly lenient sentence scheme that were (a) increased and (b) kept the same in each of the last five years is set out below.

Year	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015
Total number of sentences referred to the Court of Appeal	117	82	70	122	136
Total number of sentences that were increased	95	62	61	106	102
Total number of sentences that remained unchanged	22	20	9	16	34

The number of referrals under the unduly lenient sentence scheme that have been rejected due to falling outside the remit of the scheme in each of the last five years is set out below.

Year	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015
Number of referrals that have been rejected due to the offence falling outside the remit of the scheme	62	75	131	194	228
Number of referrals received out of time	3	12	9	10	16

January 1, 2023

Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-10-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 10 October 2016 to Question 46239, what options for loan repayment are made available to people who contact his Department on returning to the UK.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

British nationals to whom we have issued an emergency loan are able to discuss with FCO staff a repayment plan that is convenient to them. They can pay as much (minimum payment of £5) and as frequently as they wish. They can pay by telephone, using a credit or debit card – we accept most cards which are linked to a British bank; electronic bank transfer; personal cheque; Postal Order; or online.

We explain to the individual that their outstanding debt will be subject to a surcharge of 10% if it is not cleared within six months, and that they will not have their passport returned, or be able to apply for a new one, until their debt is repaid in full.

January 1, 2023
Daniel Zeichner – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2015-11-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the trends in the number of bus reliability public inquiries held by the traffic commissioners since 2010.

Andrew Jones

No assessment has been made of the trends in the number of public inquiries held by the Traffic Commissioners into bus punctuality since 2010.

January 1, 2023
Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-12-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that police officers are aware of the outcome of prosecutions in which they have been involved.

Mike Penning

Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service, through its IT systems, passes data onto the police national computer so that records of convictions and sentences can be maintained by the police.

January 1, 2023
Christina Rees – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christina Rees on 2016-01-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, for what reasons the Government took the decision to close the Manufacturing Advisory Service.

Anna Soubry

As part of the Spending Review settlement, we decided to wind down the national delivery of the Business Growth Service (BGS) including the Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS).

The BGS used substantial taxpayer resources, £85 million a year, which was distributed through a network of contractors and subcontractors. When it did eventually reach businesses, businesses would have to provide half the cost of advice themselves, despite the substantial taxpayer funding being provided.

The Spending Review protected our economic security by taking the difficult decisions to live within our means and bring down our debt. The most important way we can help manufacturers is to continue to secure a strong, growing economy.

Where we do use taxpayers money, we have targeted it where it will help businesses the most.

We have extended the doubling of Small Business Rate Relief by another year, meaning 405,000 small businesses will pay no rates at all while another 200,000 small businesses will pay reduced rates. Next year we’ll be extending the Employment Allowance from £2,000 to £3,000, meaning thousands of small businesses will pay no jobs tax.

We’re providing further funding to Growth Hubs to help businesses at the local level and away from Whitehall.

We continue supporting our world leading research-led and advanced manufacturing sectors such as life sciences, defence, aerospace, automotive and chemicals to grow, export, and attract and retain inward investment. We are supporting industry with an extra £1 billion in aerospace and automotive R&D and investing £6.9 billion in the UK’s research infrastructure.

January 1, 2023
Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-02-22.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what meetings (a) he and (b) Ministers of his Department have had with (i) arms manufacturers, (ii) tobacco manufacturers and (iii) representatives of the Israeli embassy since the period covered in the Cabinet Office’s most recent ministerial gifts, hospitality, travel and meetings data release.

Harriett Baldwin

Departments publish details of Ministers meetings’ with external organisations routinely on Gov.uk.

Details of meetings held during the period October – December 2015 will be published in due course.

January 1, 2023
Kelvin Hopkins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kelvin Hopkins on 2016-03-16.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Supreme Court’s judgment in UBS AG & Anor v Revenue and Customs [2016] UKSC 13 (9 March 2016), what steps his Department has taken against Deloitte for designing and marketing the tax avoidance scheme rejected by the court.

Mr David Gauke

It is not possible for HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to provide details of any action taken in connection with these organisations.

In the March 2015 Budget, the Government challenged the accountancy and tax professional bodies to improve how they deal with their members who promote tax avoidance schemes.

The professional bodies have responded positively to this challenge and are working with HMRC to agree a new standard to which their members will need to adhere.

January 1, 2023
Douglas Carswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2016-03-23.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what advice he has received from the Office for Budget Responsibility on the effect on the economy in the event of the UK leaving the EU.

Mr David Gauke

A vote to leave the EU is identified as an economic risk in the OBR’s March 2016 Economic and Fiscal Outlook, which states that it “could usher in an extended period of uncertainty regarding the precise terms of the UK’s future relationship with the EU. This could have negative implications for activity via business and consumer confidence and might result in greater volatility in financial and other asset markets”.

January 1, 2023