The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bob Blackman on 2016-06-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Answers of 27 April 2016 to Questions 34797 and 34798, what assessment he has made of the implications for the UK’s role in Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations of UK funding being used by UN-funded non-governmental organisations to commemorate Palestinian terrorists.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
We have made no such assessment.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2016-09-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many staff at what civil service grades his Department employs.
Greg Hands
Following her appointment on 13 July 2016 the Prime Minister established the Department for International Trade (DIT). The DIT aggregates UK Trade and Investment (UKTI), UK Export and Finance (UKEF), Trade Policy Units from the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS), as well as some new hires.
Until such time as a transfer of functions order establishes the Secretary of State as a corporation sole, DIT remains a unified Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) department for accounting purposes.
As DIT is currently being formed, the number staff the Department employs is being finalised while employee transfers and recruitment are taking place.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Bone on 2016-10-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will extend the Help to Buy scheme to shared ownership housing association tenants.
Gavin Barwell
The Government has recently launched the new Help to Buy: Shared Ownership scheme which enables people to purchase an initial 25% to 75% of a new home and pay rent on the remainder with the option to purchase more later. It is open to those with a household income below £80,000 in England or £90,000 in London. The Government has no plans to combine this with Help to Buy: Equity Loan.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-11-09.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they are making to the government of Turkey about the arrests of the senior editors of Nokta, and of journalists from Bugun and Milliyet.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We continue to monitor these specific cases and regularly underline the importance of freedom of expression and all fundamental freedoms as part of our broader dialogue with the Turkish government. We welcomed the EU Commission’s Annual Progress Report on Turkey, released on 10 November, which highlighted the need for further reforms from Turkey in these areas. Freedom of expression must be respected and all media outlets must be allowed to report freely without intimidation.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-12-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the level of the National Minimum Wage for people aged (a) 16 to 17 years, (b) 18 to 20 years and (c) 21 to 24 years in each year until 2020.
Nick Boles
The Government has not made an estimate of the National Minimum Wage (NMW) rates for these age groups for each year until 2020.
The Government asks the Low Pay Commission to make NMW rate recommendations each year based on maximising the wages of the low paid without damaging employment opportunities. The Low Pay Commission will recommend the October 2016 NMW rates and indicative rates for 2017 by the end of February 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-01-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what discussions she has had with her counterpart in the Northern Ireland Executive on implementing the conclusions of the COP21 climate conference in Paris.
Andrea Leadsom
My rt hon Friend, the Secretary of State regularly engages her colleagues in the Devolved Administrations on UK energy and climate change policies and supported the attendance of Ministers from each Devolved Administration at the UN Conference of Parties in Paris last year as part of the UK delegation, including the Northern Ireland minister for the environment, Mark Durkan.
The Agreement reached in Paris is an historic step forward, committing almost 200 countries to action to which they will be held to account for the first time ever.
In line with the obligations under the Climate Change Act 2008, the Government is committed to tackling climate change in line with our carbon budgets.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-02-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 4 February 2016 to Question 24416, what steps the Government is taking to prevent the downturn from further affecting the national maritime skills base.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The Maritime Growth Study chaired by Lord Mountevans and published on 7 September 2015 identified areas that would help the UK to compete successfully within a global market. These included Government and industry carrying out an assessment of the requirement for seafarers in the UK. Work on this has already commenced alongside an extension of the apprenticeship programme.
The Government remains committed to the training of seafarers and has a number of policies to grow the UK’s maritime skills base, in particular through the £15m Support for Maritime Training (SMarT) fund. A review of the SMarT programme will start shortly and will take into account the impact of the low oil price on the North Sea fields.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl McCartney on 2016-02-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of diplomatic and economic relations between China and the UK.
Mr Hugo Swire
Our relationship with China is stronger than ever. Last year’s State Visit by President Xi delivered £40bn in commercial deals, benefiting the UK economy, and establishing a new partnership to work together on global challenges. This global partnership is already delivering results, with the launch of a new visa agreement to boost tourism and business during the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond’s) visit to Beijing in January. The Foreign Secretary has also intensified co-operation with China on the Syria crisis. The Chancellor of the Exchequer and First Secretary of State, my right Hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne’s) visit to China last week was a further opportunity to strengthen economic co-operation bilaterally and through the G20, and encourage China to open up further to foreign investment and address over-capacity. The Government has a relationship with China which maximises the opportunities for the UK and allows frank discussion of difficult issues, such as human rights
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2016-03-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what scientific testing Spirit Healthcare’s Empower type 2 diabetes education programme underwent for the outcomes it produces.
Jane Ellison
The information requested is not held centrally.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-05-04.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many accountancy (a) practitioners and (b) firms are supervised by (i) HM Revenue and Customs and (ii) each of the other accountancy bodies; and how many such practitioners and firms have been (A) investigated for suspected money laundering and (B) struck off as a result of such investigations.
Mr David Gauke
There are 15 supervisors of the accountancy service provider (ASP) sector in the United Kingdom, including HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).
13,131 ASPs are registered with HMRC for anti-money laundering supervision. The professional accountancy bodies listed in Schedule 3 to the Money Laundering Regulations 2007 between them supervise 32,069 firms and individuals. Whilst the statistics vary between bodies as to the number of individuals supervised compared to firms, 18,872 of the 32,069 have been identified as individuals.
HMRC does not record statistics for its investigations in a way that enables figures relating to ASPs to be separately identified. HMRC does not hold data about practitioners and firms investigated or struck off by other supervisory bodies.