Tag: Paul Monaghan

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ban third party sales of dogs and puppies while allowing an exemption for registered and approved rehoming charities.

George Eustice

We are currently reviewing the regulations that control the breeding and sale of dogs following a recent Defra public consultation on the licensing by local authorities of animal establishments. Whilst there are no proposals to ban the sales of dogs by third parties, there are proposals to tighten up the standards of welfare that apply to such activities. We published the summary of responses to the consultation on 15 September and shall announce the outcome in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2015-11-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to relax immigration rules on the reunification of families and allow members of a refugee’s extended family to join them in the UK.

James Brokenshire

Our refugee family reunion policy allows immediate family members of a person in the UK with refugee leave or humanitarian protection status – that is a spouse or partner and children under the age of 18, who formed part of the family unit before the sponsor fled their country of origin – to reunite with them in the UK.

We have no plans to widen these criteria, which are fully compliant with our international obligations and enable thousands of people each year to be reunited with their families in the UK.

We are also making a significant contribution to support refugees and their families in other ways. The UK has contributed over £1 billion in humanitarian aid in response to the Syrian crisis and we intend to resettle 20,000 Syrian refugees displaced to neighbouring countries over the lifetime of this Parliament.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2015-11-27.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what correspondence the Government has had with the Royal Bank of Scotland on implementation of the Access to Banking Protocol and the (a) closure of branches and (b) reduction of banking services in the Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross constituency.

Harriett Baldwin

The Government welcomed the industry-wide Access to Banking protocol announced in March 2015. From the first of May this year, each participating bank has committed to carry out a number of steps if it is closing a branch. This includes establishing the impact of a branch closure before it takes place; finding suitable alternative provision; and putting in place suitable alternative measures before a branch is closed.

There is a commitment to review the operation of the protocol after one year. In August, the Minister for Small Business, Industry and Enterprise and I wrote to the Chief Executive of the British Bankers’ Association and requested an update on progress towards the appointment of an independent reviewer. A copy of the letter was also sent to the Chief Executives of the banks that are signatories to the Access to Banking protocol.

Banks and building societies need to balance customer interests, market competition, and other commercial factors when considering their strategy.

Decisions on the opening and closing of individual bank branches are taken by the management of each bank on a commercial basis without intervention from Government.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2016-02-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what progress has been made on preparations for the EU referendum.

Mr David Lidington

Secondary legislation required for the referendum is making good progress. The Conduct Regulations, which set out the detailed framework of how the poll will be administered, have been debated in both Houses of Parliament. The date of the referendum must be agreed by Parliament in another statutory instrument which was laid before Parliament in draft on 22 February.

On 23 February the Electoral Commission published its "assessment of readiness" which endorsed the Government’s approach and noted that "arrangements for delivery of a well-run referendum on the UK’s membership of the European Union are well advanced".

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2016-03-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many applications for consent have required environment impact assessment by the Marine Management Organisation since 2010.

George Eustice

The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) database was established in April 2011 and accurate data for marine licence applications determined by the MMO are limited to post 1 April 2011. However, I can confirm that since April 2011:

• 50 fully determined marine licence applications have required an appropriate assessment;
• 151 fully determined marine licence applications have required an environmental impact assessment;
• 44 marine licence applications have been refused; and,
• 3,849 fully determined marine licence applications have been approved, including 1,848 variations to an existing marine licence.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2016-05-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential effect on farmers in (a) Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross and (b) Scotland of the UK leaving the EU.

George Eustice

At the February European Council, the Government negotiated a new settlement, giving the United Kingdom a special status in a reformed European Union. The Government’s position is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2016-05-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what the total gross expenditure on the London Power Tunnels Project is to date.

Andrea Leadsom

National Grid has said that as of 1 May 2016 total gross expenditure on the programme of works on the London Power Tunnels Project is approximately £780m.

Ofgem is responsible for regulating National Grid to ensure that the work they do represents value for money for consumers.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what progress the international coalition is making in its work to defeat Daesh.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

​As recent progress in Qayyarah in Iraq and Manbij in Syria demonstrates, our strategy of supporting local forces, including with airstrikes is working. The Coalition assesses that Daesh has been driven out of around half the territory it once occupied in Iraq and over 20 per cent in Syria. Thousands of people have been freed from Daesh’s rule and many of those who have escaped have now been able to return to their homes. The next major challenges are driving Daesh out of Raqqa and Mosul.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2015-10-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he expects the Coastal Communities Fund to reopen for a further round of funding.

Mr Marcus Jones

Details of future funding arrangements for the Coastal Communities Fund are currently being considered as part of the 2015 Spending Review. An announcement about the timing of future funding rounds is expected after the Autumn Statement.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2015-09-16.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the Cayman Islands government’s progress towards implementing a central register of beneficial ownership; and what steps he is taking to ensure that that government publishes a timetable for that implementation by November 2015.

Mr David Gauke

The international standards on anti-money laundering and counter terrorist financing, including transparency of legal persons, are set by the Financial Action Task Force. The British Virgin Islands and the Cayman Islands are members of the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force and are subject to mutual evaluations of their AML/CTF regime through this body.

At the December 2014 Joint Ministerial Council, the UK and the Overseas Territories committed to continue to work together in raising international standards to tackle money laundering, tax evasion, illicit finance and corruption, leading by example given the importance of our financial centres to the international financial system. In March, the Minister for the Overseas Territories and I wrote to the Premiers of the BVI and Cayman Islands asking them to set out plans and a timetable for the implementation of central registers of company beneficial ownership, or similarly effective systems, by the November Joint Ministerial Council.

Any system should meet the following three criteria: UK and domestic law enforcement and tax authorities must be able to access company beneficial ownership information without restriction, subject to relevant safeguards; these competent authorities should be able to quickly identify all companies that a particular beneficial owner has a stake in, without needing to submit multiple and repeated requests; and companies or their beneficial owners must not be alerted to the fact that an investigation is under way.

The UK Government continues to engage actively with the BVI and Cayman Islands to emphasize the importance of this agenda and to offer any technical support that might be required.