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Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Gregory Campbell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Gregory Campbell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to ensure that as economic recovery takes hold proportionately more inward investment will be directed to areas beyond the South East.

    Michael Fallon

    UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) has overall responsibility within Government for the attraction and retention of foreign direct investment across the UK. UKTI works in partnership with each of the Local Enterprise Partnerships in England, and through representatives of each of the Devolved Administrations and London, to maximise the potential of the UK to attract inward investment. UKTI operates under the “UK First” principle, providing foreign investors with all the information and advice necessary to ensure that the UK is the preferred global location for their investment.

    UKTI is supporting cross-government efforts to rebalance the economy in line with the Government’s Industrial Strategy. For example, UKTI focuses on promoting the UK’s strengths in industry sectors, such as advanced manufacturing and food and drink, where the opportunities for the UK to compete for foreign direct investment projects are often in areas beyond the South East. In 2012/13, UKTI recorded a total of 1,599 inward investment projects won for the UK including 67 projects in Wales, 38 projects in Northern Ireland, 111 projects in Scotland, 759 projects in England (excluding London) and 584 projects in London.

  • Cathy Jamieson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Cathy Jamieson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cathy Jamieson on 2014-04-30.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of his Department’s withdrawal from the Debt Management Plan Protocol guidance group on the development of future non-statutory debt solutions.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Government is committed to improving standards in the debt management industry to deliver a better deal for consumers and greater transparency for creditors. The Debt Management Plan Protocol played a crucial role in meeting this objective, working in complement with the OFT regulatory framework, and paved the way for more robust regulation of the sector by the FCA.

    From 1 April, responsibility for regulating debt management firms, along with all other consumer credit firms, transferred from the Office of Fair Trading to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

    Consumers will be better protected under the new regime – the FCA will:

    · police the gateway to the market more thoroughly;

    · proactively identify risks to consumers;

    · focus its supervisory resources on areas most likely to cause consumer harm;

    · approve individuals in influential roles in firms;

    · operate a flexible and responsive regime;

    · use its wide enforcement toolkit;

    · and ensure consumers have access to redress.

    The FCA will thoroughly assess every debt management firm’s fitness to trade as part of the authorisation process – debt management firms will be amongst the first to require authorisation.

    The FCA has also introduced new requirements for debt management firms, including:

    · Prudential requirements: Debt management firms often hold consumers’ money – the FCA is requiring large debt management firms to hold capital to ensure that consumers don’t risk losing their money if things go wrong.

    · Guidance added that debt management firms should not allocate more than half the money received from customers in debt management plans to meeting their fees and charges.

    With the new FCA regulatory regime in place which will greatly improve consumer protection in the debt management market, the Government decided following discussions with a range of stakeholders that it was the right time to step away from an active role in the Protocol.

    The Government hopes that the stakeholders involved in the Protocol will continue to work together to help the FCA monitor the market and drive best practice in the sector.

  • Steve McCabe – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Steve McCabe – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, for what reason the empty home premium starts when a property first becomes empty rather than when a property is bought with the intention of renovating and occupying it.

    Stephen Williams

    The empty homes premium aims to reduce the total length of time for which properties are empty, not the length of time for which they are empty under a particular owner.

    Since the power came into effect on 1 April 2013, 239 councils in England have introduced the empty homes premium. The number of long-term empty homes fell by 38,009 between October 2012 and October 2013.

    Properties that are left empty due to the death of the occupier are exempt from council tax for up to six months after the granting of probate, or after letters of administration have been signed.

  • John Woodcock – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    John Woodcock – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Woodcock on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the number of additional catering staff needed in schools to deliver the extension of free school meals to all pupils in reception, year 1 and year 2 in September 2014.

    Mr David Laws

    This information is not held centrally.

    In his autumn statement, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced over £1 billion revenue funding for universal free school meals for pupils in reception, year 1 and year 2 between 2014 and 2016. This funding, which includes special provision of £22.5 million for small schools in 2014-15, will be used by schools to pay for the cost of producing school lunches for newly eligible pupils, including any additional staff required.

  • Pete Wishart – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Pete Wishart – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Pete Wishart on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the length of time was between the date of application by each pregnant woman in Scotland for section 4 support under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 and the date of receipt by the applicant of that support.

    James Brokenshire

    The information requested is not routinely collected and could only be provided
    by examining individual case records, which would result in disproportionate
    cost.

  • David Hanson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    David Hanson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Hanson on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been removed from the UK under the Dublin Convention in each year since 2010.

    James Brokenshire

    The information requested is shown in the following table:

    Year 2010 2011 2012 2013
    People Removed 1449 1308 970 1020

    Removals fell in 2011 and 2012 because we stopped transferring asylum
    applicants to Greece under the Dublin Regulation in 2010. This was because it
    was found conditions there amounted to a breach of Article 3 of ECHR. There
    then followed similar litigation around conditions in Italy, but we are still
    able to effect transfers there.

    NB: The figures quoted have been derived from management information and are
    therefore provisional and subject to change. This information has not been
    quality assured under National Statistics protocols.

  • Lucy Powell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lucy Powell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lucy Powell on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 10 April 2014, Official Report, column 411W, on families: advisory services, how many couples were eligible for the relationship support trial (a) overall and (b) in each pilot area; how many couples took part in each such trial area; and what the underspend in the project has been spent on.

    Mr Edward Timpson

    Information about this trial is available in the Evaluation report, which can be found at:

    www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/262849/DFE-_RR311.pdf

    The underspend on the allocated budget for the trial has been used to meet other priorities.

    “

  • Luciana Berger – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Luciana Berger – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much Public Health England has spent on the development and implementation of its Global Health Strategy since its inception.

    Jane Ellison

    Public Health England’s (PHE) Global Health Strategy is currently in development.

    Development of the strategy has been undertaken by PHE’s in-house global health and international teams. The following table shows PHE’s spend on the development of its Global Health Strategy:

    Expense

    Cost (£)

    Staff time attributed to strategy development *

    41,783.63

    Travel expenses

    348.05

    Off-site meeting in UK

    1,407.71

    Total **

    43,539.39

    Notes:

    *Staff time includes the contribution from a consultant in public health plus employer related costs. This excludes other staff contributions for which time allocation is not captured.

    **Excludes telephony costs and minor refreshments costs.

  • Gloria De Piero – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Gloria De Piero – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gloria De Piero on 2014-04-30.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate his Department has made of the level of unscrupulous money lending in (a) the UK, (b) East Midlands, (c) Nottinghamshire and (d) Ashfield in each of the last five years.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Government has not made an estimate about levels of unscrupulous money lending. The National Audit Office estimated that unaddressed detriment in the UK consumer credit market cost consumers £450m in 2011-12.

    The Government has fundamentally reformed regulation of the consumer credit market. The new, more robust Financial Conduct Authority regime will help to deliver the Government’s vision for a well functioning and sustainable consumer credit market which is able to meet consumers’ needs.

  • David Davis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    David Davis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Davis on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many directions under section 94 of the Telecommunications Act 1984 have been issued, amended or renewed in this Parliament.

    James Brokenshire

    Section 94 of the Telecommunications Act 1984 states that the Secretary of
    State may issue directions in the interests of national security and, as with
    the practice of previous Governments, we do not comment on security matters.