The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Mc Nally on 2016-02-29.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 30 November 2015 to Question 17357, when in 2016 he plans to introduce the new reporting requirement to report on payment practices and performance.
Anna Soubry
The reporting requirement will come into force later this year. Further information on timings will be published in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Debbie Abrahams on 2016-03-24.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 2.59 of the Summer Budget 2015, if he will make an assessment of the potential effect of restricting finance cost relief for landlords on the ability of private individuals who operate buy-to-let businesses with large private buy-to-let companies.
Harriett Baldwin
An individual’s property income is subject to a separate set of tax rules to those of a private company.
Once the changes are fully in place by 2020-21, all individuals will get finance cost relief at the basic rate of income tax, 20%. Incorporated businesses will continue to receive relief at the corporate tax rate which is currently 20% and due to fall to 17% in 2020.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2016-04-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure British citizens employed on international marine vessels are not arrested for entering the territorial waters of a country with incorrect paperwork for arms held on the ship to combat pirates.
James Duddridge
It is the responsibility of employers and employees to ensure that they hold the correct paperwork for any arms held. The Department for Transport’s advice to UK flagged vessels employing Private Maritime Security Companies (PMSC) on board their ships is that the PMSC has, amongst other things: access to legal advice, given the imprecise position of armed guards under various national jurisdictions and international law; and an understanding of port State and coastal State laws and requirements with respect to the possession, carriage, and movement of firearms, ammunition and other security related equipment (such as body armour).
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills trade controls in the private armed sector apply to UK companies operating in the UK, and to UK nationals working for non UK companies. The use of the Open Government Trade Control License Maritime Anti-Piracy ensures that companies operating in the sector do so in adherence to industry standards and international law.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Murray on 2016-06-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on (a) businesses and (b) local communities in Scotland of the decision to allow the closure of Post Office branches in Scotland and their replacement by franchises.
George Freeman
Post Office Limited runs and operates its directly managed Crown post offices. Changes to its network and proposals to franchise of some of its Crown branches are the operational responsibility of the Post Office. The Post Office’s proposals for franchising some of its Crown branches are part of its work to ensure its branch network is sustainable in the long term and ensure that Post Office services remain on our high streets across the country. The change from a Crown to a franchise branch has been undertaken successfully in many locations across the UK and helps sustain Post Office services in these locations, and each change is subject to local consultation.
Over 97% of the UK’s post office network is run on a franchise or agency basis.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Winnick on 2016-09-06.
To ask the Leader of the House, when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Walsall North, dated 8 August 2016, on the renewal and restoration of the Commons building; and what the reason is for no reply having yet been sent.
Mr David Lidington
I regret that the hon. Member’s letter of 8 August was never received. I have now received a copy of the letter and responded on 7 September.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-10-17.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the number of refugees from Syria who are Palestinian in origin.
Lord Bates
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) estimates that 110,000 Palestinian refugees have fled Syria since the onset of the conflict; 42,000 Palestinian refugees from Syria are estimated to be in Lebanon and 17,000 in Jordan, with the remainder in Egypt, Turkey and Europe.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne Main on 2015-11-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the outcome was of his Department’s visit to Um-il-Hiran and Ateer; whether he plans to visit that region; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
Officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and our Embassy in Tel Aviv visited three Bedouin communities in the Negev, including Um al Hiran, on 5 August. This visit, arranged through the Negev Coexistence Forum for Civil Equality (NCF), deepened our understanding of the constant risk of demolition faced by both recognised and unrecognised Bedouin villages; the restrictions on construction in even Government-planned Bedouin towns; and the unequal provision of services to communities of different ethnicities in the Negev. We remain concerned about this situation and will continue to work with partner countries, to address the inequalities.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Cooper on 2015-12-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether people over the initial postgraduate loan age cap of 30 will be able to apply and receive a postgraduate loan of up to £10,000 for the 2016-17 academic year.
Joseph Johnson
The Government is committed to enhancing its support for postgraduate study and wants more people to have the opportunity to build on their academic success through access to a higher level qualification.
The new Postgraduate Loans for Master’s study are intended to be available for eligible students studying in academic year 2016/17.
The Government announced on 25 November that the new Postgraduate Loan for Master’s study will be available to individuals up to age 60. Further information is available via the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/postgraduate-study-student-loans-and-other-support
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-01-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether there will be discussion of long-term support for the countries bordering Syria at the Syria Donors Conference 2016.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
We and our co-hosts (Germany, Norway, Kuwait and the United Nations) are inviting leaders from countries around the world, NGOs and civil society to come together next month to raise significant new funding to meet the needs of all those affected by the Syria crisis within the country itself and by supporting neighbouring countries. The conference will identify long term funding solutions for Syria and the region, covering 2016 and subsequent years. It will address the longer term needs of all those affected by the crisis, inside and outside Syria, by identifying ways to create jobs and provide education, offering all those that have been forced to flee their homes greater hope for the future. The conference will also pave the way for a broader discussion about how the international community responds to protracted crises, in advance of the UK, UN and World Bank High-Level Forum on Forced Displacement in Protracted Crises later in 2016 and the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul in May.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Black of Brentwood on 2016-02-03.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Neville-Rolfe on 23 July 2015 (HL1549), when they expect to publish proposals regarding the repeal of section 73 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 in the light of the consultation on the balance of payments between television platforms and public service broadcasters, and what is the reason for the delay in publication.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe
The Government intends to publish its response to the Balance of Payments consultation in the coming months.