Tag: Philip Davies

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2015-11-19.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what comparative assessment he has made of the costs of HM Revenue and Customs locating its regional hub in (a) Leeds and (b) Bradford.

Mr David Gauke

On 12 November, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) announced the next stage of its ten-year modernisation programme. As part of that, the department demonstrated its long-term commitment to Yorkshire and the Humber by setting out that it would establish a Regional Centre in Leeds.

A number of factors were considered by HMRC when deciding where to locate its new Regional Centres. In addition to cost, it considered local and national transport links, the local labour market, supply of future workforce and the retention of current staff and skills.

HMRC modelled the impact of locating the Regional Centre for Yorkshire and the Humber in both Bradford and Leeds. For both scenarios, it took into account the potential loss of jobs for staff expected to be outside of reasonable daily travel (defined as approximately 1 hour from home to work, though dependent on individual circumstances).

HMRC first shared its transformation plans with its employees 18 months ago. Since then has held more than 2,000 events across the UK, setting out how and why it is changing. The department is committed to continuing to support all of its employees who are affected by these changes.

Staff in Yorkshire attended a number of face-to-face events, providing feedback on the potential location of the regional centre. They will also have the opportunity to discuss their personal circumstances in one-to-one meetings with their manager.

This transformation programme will ultimately enable HMRC to deliver better public services at lower cost to the taxpayer. It will generate estate savings of £100 million a year by 2025.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2015-12-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of offenders of each offence type pleaded guilty to an offence during (a) the latest period for which information is available after 13 April 2015 and (b) the equivalent period of time before 13 April 2015 in (i) Magistrates Courts and (ii) Crown Courts.

Mike Penning

The proportion of defendants who were tried at the Crown Court and who pleaded guilty, by offence group, in England and Wales in 2014 can be viewed in the table.

Centrally held information does not include the plea of defendants proceeded against and handled entirely within the magistrates’ courts. This is held on individual court records, which could only be examined at disproportionate cost.

Final data for defendants tried at the Crown Court is only available up to the end of 2014.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-01-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of intermediaries were used for (a) witnesses, (b) victims and (c) defendants in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Mike Penning

In 2015, 7% of initial requests from the police and Crown Prosecution Service for a Registered Intermediary were related to witnesses (who were not victims in the case) and 93% to victims. We do not have a figure for how many of these victims then gave evidence as a witness. Information on intermediaries for defendants and the use of non-registered intermediaries is not held centrally.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-02-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many staff in her Department and non-departmental public bodies receive (a) home to work travel allowance, (b) a car allowance and (c) subsidised health insurance.

Andrea Leadsom

There are no staff in core DECC in receipt of a home to work travel allowance, a car allowance or subsidised health insurance.

There are no staff in DECC’s Arms Length Bodies (ALBs) in receipt of a home to work travel allowance or subsidised health insurance.

Across DECC’s ALBs, 87 people are in receipt of a car allowance.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-02-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether she has made an assessment of the potential effect on UK GDP of the National Grid using its demand side balancing reserve powers; and if she will make a statement.

Andrea Leadsom

Demand Side Balancing Response (DSBR) is part of National Grid’s Contingency Balancing Reserve. Under the DSBR, firms bid for contracts to reduce their demand from the grid when instructed by National Grid in return for an agreed utilisation fee.

DECC has not made an assessment of the impact of DSBR on GDP; DSBR is small (133 MW in 15/16), runs infrequently and is entirely voluntary.

Since the service commenced in winter 14/15, National Grid has only instructed on one occasion, instructing a total of 42.9MW, for which participants were paid a pre-contracted utilisation fee.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-03-03.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 26 February 2016 to Question 26827, what the job titles are of those people in receipt of subsidised health insurance.

Harriett Baldwin

The individuals are Commercial Specialists, who transferred into HM Treasury from Partnerships UK under a TUPE arrangement.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-03-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 9 March 2016 to Question 29595, what the reasons were for refusal of the Tier 2 (Minister of Religion) Visas.

James Brokenshire

The Home Office does not hold this information in the format requested. It could only be obtained at disproportionate cost, through the interrogation of individual case records.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-04-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what improvements have been made by the ACRO Criminal Records Office on access to overseas convictions of UK nationals convicted abroad.

James Brokenshire

The UK’s participation in the European Criminal Records Information System (ECRIS) since 2012 means that EU Member States are now obligated to notify the UK each time a UK national is convicted of a criminal offence in another state.

In the last two years, the UK has agreed twelve bilateral agreements with countries outside the EU to improve the exchange of criminal records information (Jamaica, UAE, Anguilla, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Montserrat, Turks and Caicos, Antigua and Barbuda, Ghana, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, and St Kitts and Nevis). The UK also receives conviction information on UK nationals with countries on an ad-hoc basis via Interpol.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office also notifies the ACRO Criminal Records Office when a UK national is subject to criminal proceedings overseas for a serious offence and seeks consular assistance. ACRO have also gained access to the OTRCIS system (Overseas Territory Regional Crime Intelligence System) so that they can now access convictions of British passport holders living in the British Overseas Territories).

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-05-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people on the dangerous persons database are (a) missing and (b) wanted; and for what offence or reason those people are on that database.

Karen Bradley

The Home Office does not hold this data. Statistical information from the ViSOR dangerous persons database is owned by the police, and the Home Office does not have access to this information.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-05-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what options are available to a magistrates’ court when an unrepresented serving prisoner refuses to leave their prison cell to face new either-way offence charges.

Mr Shailesh Vara

Where a magistrates’ court is dealing with a new offence which is triable either-way, and the defendant is an unrepresented serving prisoner who does not attend either in person or through a live link, the court will need to adjourn the case. This will enable either the defendant to attend, or the Crown Prosecution Service to consider alternative procedural routes.