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Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • James Duddridge – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    James Duddridge – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by James Duddridge on 2014-05-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on the arrest of Mario Masuku in Swaziland.

    Mark Simmonds

    We are concerned by the arrests of Mario Masuku and Maxwell Dlamini at a Workers’ Event in Swaziland on 1 May. They have been charged under the Sedition and Subversive Activities and Suppression of Terrorism Acts and continue to be held in custody pending trial proceedings. We are also concerned by the situation of Thulani Maseko, a lawyer, and Bheki Makhubu, a journalist, who remain in custody in Swaziland following their re-arrest on 9 April 2014. We encourage the Swazi Government to respect the rights to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly in Swaziland, as set out in the Swazi Constitution, and their international human rights obligations.

  • Lord Maginnis of Drumglass – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Lord Maginnis of Drumglass – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Maginnis of Drumglass on 2014-05-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Baroness Randerson on 26 March (WA 124) and 3 April (WA 226), and by Lord Bates on 6 May (WA 410–11), in the light of the scope of Lady Justice Hallett’s inquiry into on the runs, what role they envisage for the Northern Ireland Office, the Northern Ireland Civil Service and the Police Service of Northern Ireland in that inquiry.

    Baroness Randerson

    As noted in earlier written answers, the inquiry will have full access to files held by the Government; government officials who are requested to appear will be expected to do so. The inquiry may also interview key individuals from the Northern Ireland Civil Service, the police and any others where those individuals are willing. The Northern Ireland Office is providing appropriate support to the inquiry team, as its’ sponsoring department.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Roger Godsiff – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2014-05-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much the UK plans to give to the Global Partnership for Education at its next funding round.

    Lynne Featherstone

    The UK is by far the largest donor to Global Partnership for Education (GPE) and the largest bilateral donor to basic education. We are currently considering the level of future UK support to GPE based on their case for investment and the results to be delivered under their new funding model.

  • Diana Johnson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Diana Johnson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2014-05-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the number of air rifles in the UK.

    Norman Baker

    Only air rifles which have a discharge velocity of 12ft lbs are held on a
    firearms certificate.

    The police National Firearms Licensing Management System (NFLMS) shows that as
    of 12 May, 11,852 such air rifles were held on certificate in England and
    Wales.

    Low-powered air rifles (those below 12ft lbs discharge velocity) are not
    licensed in England and Wales. It is therefore not possible to provide an
    estimate of the number of air rifles which fall into this classification.

  • Angie Bray – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Angie Bray – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angie Bray on 2014-05-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 30 April 2014, Official Report, column 717W, on human trafficking: victim support schemes, how many of those referred were (a) men and (b) women; what steps are taken to ensure that after victims leave the shelter into which they have been placed by the Salvation Army they are not re-trafficked and do not contact their former traffickers; and if she will make a statement.

    Karen Bradley

    The requested information on the gender of potential victims and the regions in
    which they were found (answer 30 April 2014 refers) was not withheld and is
    provided in a table below.

    The victim care contract does not require support providers to maintain any
    form of formal contact with victims after the recovery and reflection period.
    All support providers work with victims throughout their support period to help
    them move on from the service. Through the National Referral Mechanism review
    and the re-tender of the adult victims care contract, we are looking at what
    more we can do to help victims recover and reintegrate effectively.

    The table below contains the requested details of the 126 referrals in February
    2014.

  • Charlie Elphicke – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Charlie Elphicke – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charlie Elphicke on 2014-05-07.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps the Government is taking to tackle aggressive tax avoidance.

    Mr David Gauke

    Since 2010 the Government has introduced wide ranging reforms to tackle aggressive tax avoidance, including the General Anti-Abuse Rule in 2013 and numerous changes to tax law to close individual loopholes. Budget 2014 announced further measures to target the activities of high-risk promoters and to change the economics of avoidance through requiring taxpayers to pay disputed tax in advance up front.

    The Government is also reinvesting over £1 billion in HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) over this Parliament to increase the level of compliance activity, including tackling aggressive tax avoidance. HMRC brought in £700 million in 2012-13 alone through its work to tackle marketed avoidance schemes. HMRC also litigates cases where necessary and is very successful in doing so, winning around 80% of avoidance cases taxpayers choose to take to court. Many more taxpayers settle before reaching court.

    The UK has also been taking a leading role in the work of the G20 and OECD to address base erosion and profit shifting by multinational companies. At the Budget we published a paper which sets out our priorities for the ongoing work with G20 and OECD partners, taking forward the 15 point Action Plan to counter Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS). This includes proposals for new international rules to address cross-border business structures or finance transactions and enhanced disclosure rules to help tackle tax avoidance in an international context.

  • Mike Hancock – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    Mike Hancock – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Hancock on 2014-05-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what comparative assessment he has made of superfast broadband coverage in (a) Hampshire and (b) other counties in the UK.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    Ofcom monitors the availability of broadband in the UK, including superfast broadband availability, and publishes comparative data on its web site, which can be found at http://maps.ofcom.org.uk/broadband/ . Ofcom’s 2013 report provides the following comparative data on the availability of superfast broadband in Hampshire compared with the UK average.

    Local Authority

    Superfast broadband availability

    City of Portsmouth

    96.4%

    City of Southampton

    91.7%

    Hampshire County

    78.3%

    United Kingdom

    73%

    The full Ofcom data table can be found at http://d2a9983j4okwzn.cloudfront.net/downloads/ofcom-uk-broadband-speed-data-2013.csv

    “

  • Nigel Dodds – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission

    Nigel Dodds – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2014-05-07.

    To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission, what consultation there has been with charities in Northern Ireland on the Electoral Commission’s guidance on the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Act 2014.

    Mr Gary Streeter

    The Electoral Commission informs me that since Royal Assent to the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Act 2014 it has held four roundtable discussions across the UK, and has used an online survey to listen carefully to the needs of campaigners and explain its plans for guidance. One round table event was held in Northern Ireland and was hosted by the Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action (NICVA). 24 organisations were invited to attend; 11 organisations – including umbrella bodies – were represented.

    The Electoral Commission is also providing a series of campaigner updates, giving information on what the Act will mean for charities and other campaigners. These updates are available on the Commission’s website and have also been promoted by the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland.

    The Commission will publish its full guidance on the new rules, which will include joint guidance with the charity regulators, in the summer. This will ensure that campaigners have guidance available to them in advance of the regulated period which begins on 19 September 2014. Meanwhile, the Commission will continue to offer charities and others bespoke advice as usual, both before and after the guidance is published and the regulated period begins.

  • Karen Buck – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Karen Buck – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karen Buck on 2014-05-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he expects to reply to Question 191523, on homeless households, tabled by the hon. Member for Westminster North on 11 March 2014.

    Kris Hopkins

    Question 191523 has been answered today.

  • Annette Brooke – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Annette Brooke – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Annette Brooke on 2014-05-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to improve access to social care assessments for people with ME or chronic fatigue syndrome.

    Norman Lamb

    The Care Bill will require local authorities to provide information and advice on how to access care and support in their area including assessments.

    The Bill will place local authorities under a duty to assess any adult who appears to have needs for care and support, whatever their level of need. The assessment will look at the person’s needs and outcomes they want to achieve, and the person must be involved throughout the process. Authorities will have to ensure that anyone who is undertaking an assessment is appropriately trained to do so, and that where the assessor is not experienced in the condition of the person they are assessing, they must consult someone who is.

    These measures will ensure that the person needing care has an effective assessment carried out by an appropriately trained assessor.