Tag: Parliamentary Question

Kevan Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2016-02-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Significant Occurrence Notifications the Director of General Defence Safety Authority has been notified of which involved other nations’ military aircraft operating in the (a) Scottish Flight Information Region/Upper Information Region and (b) London Flight Information Region/Upper Information Region in each year since 2010; and what the (i) type of foreign military aircraft and (ii) country of origin was in each of those occurrences.

Penny Mordaunt

Since 2010 there have been no Significant Occurrence Notifications (SONs) involving other nations’ military aircraft in the Scottish Flight Information Region/Upper Information Region. Four SONs have been raised relating to other nations’ aircraft operating in the London Flight Information Region/Upper Information Region since 2010, all of which were notified to Director General Defence Safety Authority. These are detailed below:

Date of SON issue/ Event occurrence	Aircraft Type	Country of Origin	Occurrence Type
7 January 2014	HH-60G Pave Hawk	USA	Crash
8 October 2014	F-15 Eagle	USA	Crash
13 October 2015	Sea King CH-124A Mk3	Canada	Maintenance accident
21 October 2015	F/A-18C Hornet	USA	Crash

01/01/2023

Paul Monaghan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2016-03-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the progress made at the recent UN peace talks in Geneva on Syria.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The latest phase of UN-facilitated peace talks on Syria came to a pause in Geneva on 24 March. UN Special Envoy, Staffan de Mistura intends to reconvene the parties after the Easter break. This latest phase continued in the “proximity talks” format rather than direct talks between the parties. During their discussions with the UN Special Envoy, the High Negotiations Committee of the Syrian Opposition presented their plans for political transition. Conversely, we understand that the Syrian regime did not engage on issues of substance during their discussions with the UN Special Envoy. At the conclusion of this round of talks, the UN produced a paper outlining its assessment of the “points of convergence” between the opposition and regime and has invited both sides to consider it before talks resume on or around 10 April.

01/01/2023
Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-05-04.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 18 April 2016 to Question 33610, how much funding the Government has allocated to (a) the Global Forum, (b) the World Bank, (c) the OECD and (d) each developing country to (i) improve the exchange of information to help tackle tax avoidance and (ii) improve tax capacity-building in each year since 2009-10.

Mr David Gauke

The UK government is committed to tackling tax avoidance at the global level and is supportive of using tax policy to help fund sustainable development. We support much of the work international organisations, such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the World Bank, undertake in the area of international tax.

The OECD Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) project reviewed the international tax rules to ensure profits are taxed where economic activities are performed. The UK government is committed to consistent and effective implementation of the OECD BEPS outputs. Since 2009-10, the UK government has contributed £339,580 in 2012-13 and £394,789 in 2015-16. In addition, the UK government supports and contributes to the work of the OECD’s Global Forum on addressing the risks to tax compliance posed by non-cooperative tax jurisdictions.

The UK government does not hold specific figures for the amount of official development assistance (ODA) spent on tax and development for the years since 2009-10.Until recently, it was not possible to disaggregate funding for tax reform and capacity building from wider public financial management programmes.

01/01/2023
Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne Main on 2016-06-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many meetings the team working on projects to improve Turkey’s prospects of joining the EU, based at the British Embassy in Ankara, have had with representatives of the Turkish government in the last 12 months.

Mr David Lidington

Staff in the projects team at the British Embassy in Ankara regularly meet their Turkish Government counterparts on a range of business, including promoting reform and democratisation towards European standards. The UK remains committed to supporting security and prosperity across Europe, where we will continue to have close relationships and mutual interests. In countries aspiring to join the EU, our bilateral focus will remain on strengthening stability, security, good governance and the economic fundamentals; and on building the resilience and capability to tackle global threats and challenges such as irregular migration and terrorism.

01/01/2023
Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-09-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, on what trade deals his Department has begun the negotiation process; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Hands

The Prime Minister has established the Department for International Trade to promote British trade across the world, and to ensure the UK takes advantage of all the opportunities open to us. We are actively engaging with a broad range of international partners to discuss our trading relationships. Earlier this week my rt hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade met with the Australian Minister for Trade and Investment and the Prime Minister had a number of productive discussions with partners at the G20 summit in Hangzhou. We will continue this engagement to best promote British trade, and to ensure that Britain becomes the global leader in free trade.

01/01/2023
Jeremy Lefroy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeremy Lefroy on 2016-10-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether it is his Department’s policy that all submarines being constructed for the Royal Navy meet shock standard BR3021 as a minimum in respect of hydroplane bolts.

Harriett Baldwin

Hydroplane bolts are externally located equipment, whereas the BR Standard referred to, albeit superseded, sets standards for internal equipment. The Department is satisfied that appropriate standards are met for this equipment in accordance with our existing guidance.

01/01/2023
Lord Ramsbotham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ramsbotham on 2015-11-09.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect to publish the Shaw review into the welfare of vulnerable persons in immigration detention.

Lord Bates

On 9 February, the Home Secretary announced an independent review into the policies and operating procedures that have an impact on detainee welfare. Stephen Shaw CBE, the former Prisons and Probation Ombudsman for England and Wales, has completed the review and has recently submitted his report. His findings are being carefully considered. The report will be published by laying it before Parliament, alongside the Government’s response to the recommendations. We want to ensure that this is before the Immigration Bill completes its passage through Parliament.

01/01/2023
Rebecca Long Bailey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rebecca Long Bailey on 2015-12-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what modelling his Department has done to estimate the potential effect on household income for tax credit claimant families who are migrated to universal credit before 2020; and if he will place that modelling in the Library.

Priti Patel

The government is committed to moving the UK from a high tax, high welfare, low wage society to a lower tax, lower welfare, higher wage society. This remains the case, and Universal Credit (UC) is delivering this.

UC is fundamentally different from the current legacy benefit system and supports people into work and encourages them to earn more.

Therefore there is no meaningful way of comparing an unreformed Tax Credit system with UC. The Government has committed to transitional arrangements as we reform the benefits and Tax Credit system. Those transferred by DWP from tax credits to UC will receive Transitional Protection. In addition, estimates of entitlements under UC of the sort requested will vary depending on assumptions on the level of earnings.

01/01/2023
Antoinette Sandbach – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Antoinette Sandbach on 2016-01-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to encourage the grocery code adjudicator to investigate milk prices paid by Meadow Foods.

George Eustice

The GCA is responsible for enforcing the Groceries Supply Code of Practice and was formed by the Groceries Code Adjudicator Act 2013. The Code governs the commercial relationships between the ten largest UK supermarkets and their direct suppliers, and reflects the findings of the Competition Commission’s market investigation into the supermarket sector conducted between 2006 and 2008. The Code does not cover the relationship between milk processors, such as Meadow Foods, and its farmers.

I have written to Meadow Foods to ask how it manages its relationship with farmers and to encourage it to sign up to the dairy industry code of best practice on contractual arrangements.

01/01/2023
Gavin Shuker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Shuker on 2016-02-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the value is of awards made to each route from the Regional Air Connectivity Fund.

Mr Robert Goodwill

In December 2015 Government announced that 11 new air routes would be supported with start-up aid funding through the Regional Air Connectivity Fund for three financial years. The amount of funding provided to support individual routes will be paid in arrears and will be determined once routes begin operations and will depend on factors such as the number of passengers carried.

01/01/2023