Tag: Richard Burgon

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burgon on 2016-03-23.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 29 February 2016 to Question 27454, on banks, what the (a) date of, (b) details of who attended and (c) organisations represented were at each meeting.

Harriett Baldwin

Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burgon on 2015-12-11.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to his Department’s announcement on Government shares in Lloyds Banking Group, published on 18 December 2014, whether he had set a target for the (a) number of shares to be sold and (b) price per share for Lloyds Banking Group at the time of that announcement.

Harriett Baldwin

In December 2014 the Chancellor launched a trading plan to sell the Government’s stake in Lloyds Banking Group, which has since been extended twice; in June and December 2015. The number of shares sold over the course of the trading plan is subject to an overall volume limit of up to but no more than 15% of the aggregate total trading volume in the LBG over the duration of the trading plan.

The final amount sold will depend on market conditions, among other factors. Shares will not be sold below the average price the previous government paid for them, which was 73.6p.

As outlined to the House at the time of the trading plan’s launch, a statement with further details will be laid before Parliament when the plan concludes.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burgon on 2016-03-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what process Tier 2 intra-company transfer visas for IT undergo when they reach her Department.

Mike Penning

The process for handling Tier 2 intra company transfer (ICT) visas for IT is the same as that for any other application under the Tier 2 intra company transfer arrangements. All applications are validated to ensure the correct fees have been paid, all mandatory questions have been answered on the forms, and applicants have submitted their biometric information. Checks are also undertaken on every application to assess any adverse immigration or security issues.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burgon on 2016-03-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance his Department provides to NHS England and clinical commissioning groups on the account they should take of future residential developments with regard to GP service provision.

George Freeman

Commissioning of general practitioner (GP) services is a responsibility of NHS England and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) with delegated authority. Currently around half of CCGs have delegated authority. As part of these arrangements, NHS England and CCGs are responsible for planning GP services to ensure they are appropriate for the local population. This should take into account a number of factors, including information about known future residential developments and implications for requirements for healthcare provision, including GP services. Based on this information, the commissioners should engage with the local planning authority to enable decisions to be made on the appropriate funding arrangements for the required health infrastructure resulting from the new development.

Departmental guidance on planning matters for National Health Service organisations is available in Part B of the Department publication Health Building Note 00-08 The efficient management of healthcare estates and facilities and Health Building Note 00-08 Addendum 2 – A guide to town planning for health organisations. These publications are available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-efficient-management-of-healthcare-estates-and-facilities-health-building-note-00-08

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burgon on 2015-12-17.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what remuneration is provider to the Chair of the Office for Tax Simplification.

Mr David Gauke

Angela Knight has been appointed as Chair of the Office of Tax Simplification, and will be paid £400 a day, in line with other public appointments.

In 2011, the Treasury Select Committee held a post-appointment hearing for the Chair and Tax Director of the Office of Tax Simplification, and has done so for appointments to other bodies. Angela Knight is appearing before the committee, in her role as the new Chair, on 12 January.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burgon on 2016-03-23.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish and place in the Library his correspondence on the (a) sale of Government’s Dividend Access Share and (b) proposed sale of Government shares in Royal Bank of Scotland since August 2015.

Harriett Baldwin

HM Government reached an agreement with RBS and the European Commission on 9 April 2014 to amend the terms of the Dividend Access Share (DAS). The full terms of this agreement can be found on the European Commission’s website:

http://europa.eu

The first sale of Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) shares was conducted in August 2015. The advice which the Chancellor received from a) the Governor of the Bank of England; b) N.M. Rothschild; c) HM Treasury; and d) UK Financial Investments (UKFI) is available on the Government’s website:

www.gov.uk.

The government has not undertaken any sale of RBS shares since August 2015.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burgon on 2016-03-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what statutory duty there is on individual general practitioners to provide notice of closure of a GP practice to NHS England or clinical commissioning group.

Alistair Burt

GP Contract regulations require a practice to give NHS England written notice of their intention to terminate their contract. Where the contract is with a partnership, the contract terminates six months from the date of the notice. In the case of a single handed practice, the contract terminates three months from the date of the notice.

There is no specific statutory duty on NHS England to notify patients of the closure of a practice however the National Health Service Act 2006 requires NHS England to ensure the provision of primary medical services throughout England.

However, NHS England take the closure of a practice very seriously and will look to engage with patients at the earliest opportunity.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burgon on 2015-12-17.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his policy is on whether the appointment of the chair of the Office of Tax Simplification should be subject to a pre-appointment hearing by the Treasury Select Committee.

Mr David Gauke

Angela Knight has been appointed as Chair of the Office of Tax Simplification, and will be paid £400 a day, in line with other public appointments.

In 2011, the Treasury Select Committee held a post-appointment hearing for the Chair and Tax Director of the Office of Tax Simplification, and has done so for appointments to other bodies. Angela Knight is appearing before the committee, in her role as the new Chair, on 12 January.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burgon on 2016-03-23.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of the initial disposal of Government shares in Royal Bank of Scotland in August 2015 on (a) the share price and (b) the proposed future sale of shares.

Harriett Baldwin

The first sale of Government shares in RBS was conducted in August 2015 and raised £2.1 billion for the taxpayer. This was an important first step in returning the bank to private ownership, which is the right thing to do for the taxpayer and for British businesses: it will promote financial stability, lead to a more competitive banking sector, and support the interests of the wider economy.

The government will conduct further sales of RBS shares subject to market conditions, and in doing so will maximise value for the taxpayer. The returns on the government’s interventions in RBS will be determined by the success of the whole of the selling programme, rather than the terms achieved on the first few disposals.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burgon on 2016-06-15.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of instituting a common standardised approach for calculation of risk weights in the capital requirements regulation for banks and building societies, including new entrant banks less than five years old.

Harriett Baldwin

The government is committed to increasing banking competition and meets with a wide range of institutions as part of the process of developing policy to help drive more competition.

We have already taken significant action to improve competition in banking. This includes:

• Delivering the Current Account Switch Service and midata so customers are able to compare personal current accounts and switch where they see a better deal – simply, quickly and reliably;

• Lowering barriers to entry and helping to establish the New Bank start-up Unit, making it quicker and easier for new banks to enter the market and compete effectively with the incumbents;

• Creating the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) as a single, stronger competition regulator, to promote competition and ensure markets work well for consumers, businesses and the wider economy.

The government is also taking action by working with the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and the Bank of England to introduce a more proportionate prudential regime for smaller banks and building societies. The exchange of letters between the Economic Secretary and Andrew Bailey published in November 2015 highlights this work.

In its retail banking market investigation, the CMA provisionally found that banks on the standardised approach are at a competitive disadvantage in the provision of lower LTV mortgages compared to banks using internal models. It also stated that the capital requirements regime has the potential to impact on competition in retail banking in a range of areas. The government, working with the PRA and Bank of England will take forward the issues identified by the CMA.