Tag: Rob Marris

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

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of business energy taxation on productivity between (a) 2005 and 2010, (b) 2010 and 2015 and (c) 2015 and 2020.

Damian Hinds

‘Fixing the Foundations’, published in July 2015, sets out the government objective of encouraging long term investment in economic capital to boost the productivity of the UK economy. The efficient use of energy can increase the amount of economic output possible for a given level of energy supply, boosting business productivity. A recent HM Treasury consultation, ‘Reforming the Business Energy Efficiency Tax Landscape’ set out proposals to boost business productivity by minimising administrative burdens and addressing perverse incentives to encourage productive long term investment that supports a dynamic economy. The consultation closed on 9 November 2015 and the government will respond to the consultation in due course.

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 proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.

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 Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership 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 2016-06-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how frequently the funding caps on apprenticeship standards and frameworks will be reviewed.

Nick Boles

Provisional funding bands will be published in June 2016, and finalised in October 2016. The Institute for Apprenticeships will play a role in reviewing them once it is operational. The frequency of this will be agreed at that point.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rob Marris on 2016-10-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of the Government’s support for climate risk insurance as part of her preparations for the COP22 UN Climate Change Summit in Marrakesh, to be held in November 2016.

Rory Stewart

The UK is proud to be a global leader in disaster risk finance and insurance and we are committed to contributing to meeting the G7’s InsuResilience collective target (set out in the 2015 G7 Leaders Elmau declaration) of helping up to an additional 400 million people in the most vulnerable developing countries to gain access to climate risk insurance by 2020. The Department for International Development (DFID) leads the delivery of the Government’s plans to scale up the use of insurance and risk finance instruments in developing countries to enable:

• Increased resilience for millions of the most vulnerable people, through improved access to insurance cover,
• Faster, more efficient emergency response, with a larger proportion of losses in vulnerable developing countries to be covered by insurance systems, taking the strain off the overstretched humanitarian system,
• Stronger and more stable economic development in developing countries, by helping to reduce the costs and barriers to credit.

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.