Tag: Rob Marris

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rob Marris on 2015-11-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the contribution of the provision of free childcare to UK productivity in (a) 2005-2010, (b) 2010-2015 and (c) 2015-2020.

Priti Patel

DWP have made no assessment of the provision of free childcare on productivity itself. However, several reports, including the DWP working paper A Survey of Childcare and Work Decisions among Families with Children, identify childcare costs as one of the main barriers to returning to work after the birth of a child. ONS data show women with young children have lower employment rates than men, and the Resolution Foundation reports that mothers who are employed are more likely to have part time and low-paid jobs due to childcare responsibilities. Provision of free childcare should support mothers to combine high-skilled and full time work with raising children.

Also, evidence from the IFS report The Economic Effects of Pre-school Education and Quality suggests that children who have attended pre-school earn more over their working lives on average than children who have had little or no pre-schooling.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rob Marris on 2016-02-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, which British Overseas Territories will be included within the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement.

Anna Soubry

Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) made between the EU and other countries do not automatically apply to Overseas Territories. However, the UK does work to ensure that the impact of FTAs on Overseas Territories is assessed and taken into account during negotiations.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rob Marris on 2016-04-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answers of 25 February 2016 to Questions 27493 and 27494, and with reference to Article 29 of the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods, what the evidential basis is for the Government’s conclusion that the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement does not automatically apply to British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.

Anna Soubry

The Government’s position, set out in the answers to Questions 27493 and 27494, is based on the wording of the treaties (Article 52 of the Treaty on European Union, Article 355 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and the 1972 Treaty of Accession of Denmark, Ireland and the UK to the European Economic Community) and the longstanding practice of the UK.

Article 29 of the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods is not relevant to the status of British Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. Article 29 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties provides that “Unless a different intention appears from the treaty or is otherwise established, a treaty is binding upon each party in respect of its entire territory.” The British Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies are not part of the UK, and the UK has consistently adopted the position that treaties made by the UK do not extend to British Overseas Territories or the Crown Dependencies, unless this is done expressly. The first expression of this position was set out in the “Bevin Despatch” (Foreign Office Circular 118, 16 October 1950).

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rob Marris on 2016-06-14.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Answer of 18 January 2016 to Question 20373, what criteria he has used to assess the level of competitiveness in the motor insurance market.

Harriett Baldwin

The Government is committed to ensuring that insurance markets operate on the basis of fair and open competition.

The Government has established the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to promote competition for the benefit of consumers and investigates any issues that may arise in this respect, including in insurance markets.

In 2014, the CMA investigated the competitiveness of the UK private motor insurance. It found evidence that there was strong price competition for motor insurance sold via price comparison websites (PCWs), which are responsible for over half of insurers’ new motor insurance business, and that PCWs had increased competition between private motor insurance providers overall.

Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) data on “net combined ratios” of motor insurers provides further indication that there is strong competition in the private motor insurance market.

The Department for Business, Innovation & Skills also found that the private motor insurance has high switching rates compared to other markets, providing another indicator of strong competition.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rob Marris on 2015-12-14.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when HM Revenue and Customs plans to respond to the letter to that body from the hon. Member for Wolverhampton South West of 22 October 2015 on Working Tax Credit overpayment, case reference ZA1151.

Damian Hinds

HM Revenue and Customs have no record of receiving a letter from the Hon Member dated 22 October regarding Working Tax Credit overpayments. However, if the Hon Member writes to me directly, I will ensure it gets a swift response.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rob Marris on 2016-02-23.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when his Department plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Wolverhampton South West dated 11 January 2016 on the Connaught Income Fund, reference ZA2351.

Harriett Baldwin

I have replied to the hon. Member.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rob Marris on 2016-04-29.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 1 February 2016 to Question 24317, when HM Revenue and Customs plans to publish its Business Plan for 2016-17.

Mr David Gauke

HM Revenue and Customs published its Single Departmental Plan 2015 to 2020 on 19th February 2016, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hmrc-single-departmental-plan-2015-to-2020

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rob Marris on 2016-06-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, by what date his Department plans to respond to the email from the hon. Member for Wolverhampton South West of 9 June 2016, reference ZA4209, on delayed correspondence received by NHS Improvement.

Ben Gummer

NHS Improvement replied to the email of 13 May that it received from the hon. Member on 28 June 2016.

In April 2016 NHS Improvement brought together Monitor, NHS Trust Development Authority, NHS England’s Patient Safety team, the National Reporting and Learning System, NHS England’s Advancing Change team and its Intensive Support Teams.

NHS Improvement advise that they are strengthening their regional presence and refining their processes, including how they respond to queries. Their aim is to respond to letters and other correspondence from hon. Members within the Whitehall standard of 18 working days.

The Department has no record of having received an email from the hon. Member on 9 June 2016.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rob Marris on 2015-12-14.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when HM Revenue and Customs plans to respond to the letter to that body from the hon. Member for Wolverhampton South West of 21 October 2015 on Tax credit application, our case reference ZA1147.

Damian Hinds

HMRC replied to the hon. Member’s letter on 16 December 2015.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rob Marris on 2016-02-23.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when his Department plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Wolverhampton South West dated 11 January 2016 on the Connaught Income Fund, reference ZA2351.

Harriett Baldwin

I have replied to the hon. Member.