The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Byrne on 2014-04-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 9 April 2014, Official Report, column 291W, on Royal Mail, for what reasons the underwriters’ discretionary fee has not been paid.
Michael Fallon
No decision has been made on the payment of this discretionary payment.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charlotte Leslie on 2014-04-25.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will estimate how much Government departments have spent on filtering tap water for drinking in each of the last four years.
Mr Nick Hurd
The information requested is not held centrally. However, as part of this Government’s commitment to reducing waste and driving down costs, we are challenging departments on the need to make savings from facilities management.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Leslie on 2014-04-25.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take steps to improve support for small and medium-sized enterprises which are in need of short-term assistance and flexibility through improved partnership working between the HM Revenue and Custom’s (HMRC) simplified import VAT accounting duty deferment team and the HMRC debt management and time-to-pay teams; and if he will make a statement.
Mr David Gauke
The Simplified Import VAT Accounting (SIVA) scheme is a trade facilitation measure that reduces compliance costs for legitimate traders through the removal of the requirement to provide a guarantee to secure import VAT paid through the duty deferment scheme.
The risk to the tax revenue by traders operating SIVA is potentially very large as the period between the tax due being deferred and being collected by HMRC may result in a failure to pay. The setting of the SIVA approval criteria has to strike a balance between ensuring the trade receive the maximum benefit from the scheme, while at the same time protecting the revenue.
Businesses have to demonstrate on-going compliance with the SIVA requirements. The SIVA team monitor this through internal systems, including any outstanding debts or Time-to Pay agreements requested. When they identify a business experiencing difficulties, they advise them of the potential impact on their SIVA approval. Warning letters are issued by the team to businesses who fail to comply and only if there is evidence of continued non-compliance is the approval removed.
The current procedures provide an appropriate balance between trade faciliation and protection of the revenue.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Katy Clark on 2014-04-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to give the Advertising Standards Agency the power to fine advertisers for serious breaches of the UK Code of Broadcast Advertising.
Mr Edward Vaizey
Ofcom already has the power to fine advertisers for serious breaches of the UK Code of Broadcast Advertising. The ASA is responsible for administering the Code of Broadcast Advertising, but is able to refer broadcasters to Ofcom for further action, including imposing fines, if needed. There are no plans to change this system.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2014-04-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 4 February 2014, Official Report, column 191W, on special educational needs, when the pilots will launch and finish; and when the findings of such pilots will be published.
Mr Edward Timpson
The Department for Education, in consultation with the Ministry of Justice and others, will in the near future be developing proposals for the review of redress and complaint arrangements for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities, of which these pilots will form a part. We estimate that the pilots will begin in the spring of 2015 as the first appeals about the new Education, Health and Care plans begin to be heard and that the pilots will last for two years as they build up the evidence on which to base any recommendations. The Secretary of State for Education and the Lord Chancellor must lay a report on the outcome of the review before Parliament within three years of the any of the provisions of Part 3 of the Children and Families Act 2014 coming into force in September 2014. Interim findings from the pilots could be published before the final report on the review.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Elliott on 2014-04-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2014, Official Report, column 533W, on wind power, what proportion of the anticipated generating capacity of onshore wind projects at appeal stage in the planning system on 1 October 2013 related to applications subsequently recovered by him.
Kris Hopkins
As I have said in my earlier answer, my Department does not centrally hold details of the generation capacity of wind turbine appeals.
As at the 1 October 2013, there were 255 onshore wind farm appeals, of which 32 were or have subsequently been recovered.
I can confirm that 17 onshore wind farm appeals were recovered in 2013. This amounts to 6% of the number of onshore wind farm appeals received (280) during that period.
|
2013 |
Appeals Received |
Appeals Recovered |
|
Jan |
23 |
4 |
|
Feb |
37 |
1 |
|
Mar |
28 |
2 |
|
Apr |
19 |
1 |
|
May |
25 |
1 |
|
Jun |
27 |
1 |
|
Jul |
19 |
2 |
|
Aug |
26 |
|
|
Sept |
24 |
1 |
|
Oct |
14 |
3 |
|
Nov |
17 |
1 |
|
Dec |
21 |
|
|
Total |
280 |
17 |
I also refer the hon. Member to the written statement of 9 April 2014, Official Report, Column 12-13WS, which explains the background to the recovery of these planning appeals.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Stevenson on 2014-04-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the Rural Development Programme for Forestry will announce its amount of funding and how it is to be used.
George Eustice
We announced on 19 December 2013 that we will be investing over £3.5 billion in rural development schemes up to 2020, of which over £3 billion will be spent on improving the environment.
Our responses to the consultation on implementing the new Common Agricultural Policy in England published on 19 December 2013 and 26 February 2014 provide further information on how rural development funding will be used. These are available at:
www.gov.uk/government/consultations/common-agricultural-policy-reform-implementation-in-england
We also announced on 9 January 2014 that as part of the new Rural Development Programme we intend to offer tree planting grants in 2015 in advance of new environmental land management agreements coming into effect in January 2016.
The new Rural Development Programme that we will submit to the European Commission shortly will confirm the amount of spending on forestry measures.
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alun Cairns on 2014-05-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of EU proposals to remove the right for network operators to block 18-plus content.
Mr Edward Vaizey
We are aware that there some concerns that the European Parliament’s amendments to the draft Connected Continent regulation may restrict ISPs ability to block illegal content or to filter adult content at the request of customers. The UK Government supports the aims of the Connect Continent package, but let me clear that we will not agree to any proposals that restrict the ability of parents to protect their children from inappropriate content on line. We are confident that this was not the intention of the European Parliament and we are working with EU Member States, the European Commission and the European Parliament to deliver a final package that promotes an open, safe and secure internet.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Elliott on 2014-05-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effect of contracts for difference auctioning on the quality of solar farms.
Gregory Barker
The eligibility criteria for solar farms under contracts for difference are set out in the Allocation Regulations. Any solar farm must meet these criteria in order to be able to apply for a CfD.
In April 2014 the Government published the Solar PV Strategy [1], which sets out that DECC will continue to work with industry, to promote industry best-practice for the development of solar farms.
[1]
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2014-05-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether any increase in remuneration of senior managers in the Highways Agency will have to be agreed by him when the Agency is transformed into a government-owned company.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The Government intends to transform the Highways Agency into a government-owned company, as confirmed in the response to consultation published on 30th April. In accordance with TUPE principles, we expect the pay and terms of employment of all staff to remain unchanged once transferred except for the necessary technical amendments to reflect the change to company status.
Staff management arrangements for the company following transition, including pay and reward, are still being worked through within government. We aim to establish appropriate conditions to allow the company to fulfil its functions efficiently and effectively, whilst keeping costs down for the taxpayer. This will reflect the Government’s pay policy, as well as support the delivery of a substantially increased investment programme.
There is no intention to encourage or create opportunities for legal tax reduction schemes as part of Highways Agency transformation.