Tag: Philip Davies

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-03-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will make an assessment of the potential costs and benefits of introducing an import tax on coal and gas imported from outside the EU; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry

The UK is part of the EU Single market which has a common EU tariff policy which applies to all imports. Import tariffs are set by the EU. The UK has no legal ability to set its own import tariffs.

EU tariffs rates form part of our World Trade Organisation (WTO) commitments and apply to all WTO member countries. Under WTO rules increases to EU tariffs above the level committed to, or ‘bound’ rate, require us to give compensation to affected countries (in the form of lower tariffs on other products). Any potential benefit of an import tariff increase may therefore harm another UK sector.

The latest version of the EU tariff was published in Official Journal to the EU L285 on 30 October 2015 (Council implementing Regulation EU No 1101/2014 amending Annex I to Council Regulation (EEC|) No 2658/87 on the tariff and statistical nomenclature and on the Common Customs Tariff). Chapter 27 covers the import of fuel including coal and gas. The import of coal has a 0% import duty and the import of gas ranges from 0% to 8% depending on the type and usage.

WTO rules, do however allow countries to impose import tariffs when goods are being “dumped” e.g. sold on our market at below manufacturing cost price. If there is evidence that imports of coal and gas are being dumped the European Commission could propose imposing anti-dumping duties.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of offenders in cases flagged as involving domestic violence were (a) remanded in custody and (b) released on court bail by offence in the last year for which information is available.

Mike Penning

The information requested is not held centrally, and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what research his Department has conducted on the health benefits and risks of male circumcision.

George Freeman

The Department has not conducted or commissioned any specific research on the health effects of male circumcision.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-05-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people of each ethnicity were sent to prison in each of the last five years.

Andrew Selous

The number of offenders sentenced to immediate custody in England and Wales at Crown Courts, by ethnicity, from 2011 to 2015, can be found in the sentencing data tool contained in the annual Criminal Justice Statistics publication, linked below.

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2015

It is not possible to present a representative picture of ethnicity at magistrates’ courts because data on ethnicity at magistrates’ courts is not recorded for all offences.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-07-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what additional financial assistance is available to students whose maintenance loans do not fully cover the costs of accommodation; and what estimate she has made of the proportion of students who are so affected.

Joseph Johnson

The Government’s policy is that maintenance support is provided to cover a range of student expenditure, and is only a contribution to students’ costs. Maintenance support is linked to parental income, to ensure that students from lower income backgrounds receive the highest rates of loan, and for new students beginning study this academic year, maintenance support has increased by up to 10.3% on the previous year.

In addition to their maintenance support, students may be eligible for financial assistance from their university. In 2016/17, £745 million is expected to be spent by universities on measures to support the access and success of students from disadvantaged backgrounds, including through bursaries and fee waivers. Such assistance is over and above the other sources of income students may have such as their families or from paid work.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-09-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effect on the self-esteem of female police officers of having to wear a uniform.

Brandon Lewis

Decisions on uniform requirements for different roles within their force are for Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs).

The police remain operationally independent and it is for Chief Constables and PCCs locally to decide how to best equip their staff.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much coal the UK carbon fibre industry has used per annum in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Jesse Norman

(a) The table below gives the amount of coal used for non-power generating purposes:

	UK coal demand for non-electricity generating purposes(1) (thousand tonnes)
2006	10,156
2007	10,158
2008	10,577
2009	9,037
2010	9,827
2011	9,658
2012	9,141
2013	10,139
2014	10,021
2015	8,174

(1) Includes coal used for heat generation, coke manufacture, blast furnaces, patent fuel manufacture, energy used in coal extraction and final consumption by industry, transport, domestic and other users.

Source: Digest of UK Energy Statistics (DUKES) table 2.4 available at

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/solid-fuels-and-derived-gases-chapter-2-digest-of-united-kingdom-energy-statistics-dukes

(b) BEIS does not hold data at that level. BEIS cannot disaggregate coal used by the carbon fibre industry from coal used by all industries.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2015-11-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which regulations her Department introduced as a result of EU legislation in (a) 2013, (b) 2014 and (c) 2015 to date; which regulations her Department expects to implement as a result of EU legislation in (i) 2016 and (ii) 2017; and what estimate she has made of the cost of each such regulation to the (A) public purse and (B) private sector.

George Eustice

I refer the hon. Member to the reply previously given by my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Minister for Small Business, Industry and Enterprise, Miss Anna Soubry, on 11 November 2015, PQ 15037.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2015-11-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what representations his Department received from Action on Smoking and Health about its grant application for the 2015-16 financial year since receipt of that application.

Jane Ellison

It is normal practice for Departmental officials to discuss grant applications with the applicant. The application process is iterative to ensure the final objectives are in line with Departmental aims.

We have received additional information from Action on Smoking and Health about its grant application for the 2015-16 financial year since receipt of that application, as part of this process.

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

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what consultation HM Revenue and Customs conducted with its staff based in Yorkshire prior to its decision to locate its regional hub in Leeds.

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.