The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-06-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what links firms bidding to run the Land Registry have to offshore tax havens.
Anna Soubry
A government consultation seeking views on options to move operations of Land Registry to the private sector closed on 26 May. Government is currently analysing the responses but no final decisions have been made. We have not received any bids.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-07-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that other countries follow up the commitments made at the Supporting Syria conference held in the UK in February 2016.
Rory Stewart
DFID has worked closely with the Foreign & Commonwealth Office and other departments, alongside the UN and Co-Hosts, to press countries to deliver on commitments they made at the Supporting Syria and the Region Conference. The Prime Minister and Co-Hosts wrote to Leaders of pledging countries in May, to encourage them to deliver on their pledges. Lobbying at senior level has also been carried out in bilateral meetings and at international meetings, such as the IMF and World Bank Spring Meetings and the World Humanitarian Summit. The UN General Assembly in September will provide an important opportunity to review progress further and press for more.
DFID has also set up a Post-London Conference Financial Tracking Mechanism. This will track and report on delivery of the financial commitments made at the Conference, and will be a key tool to hold countries to account for their pledges.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-09-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many racehorses (a) died and (b) were destroyed as a result of training injuries in Britain in (i) 2013, (ii) 2014 and (iii) 2015.
George Eustice
Neither the Government nor the British Horseracing Authority holds information on racehorse fatalities as a result of training injuries.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-09-14.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether it is his Department’s policy to reduce the overall civil service headcount in the current Parliament.
Ben Gummer
There is no central Cabinet Office policy to reduce the overall Civil Service headcount in the current Parliament. Workforce planning is primarily the responsibility of each department to determine based on their individual operational and policy requirements. Each department has their own spending agreements with HM Treasury for this Parliament and are responsible for ensuring they have the right workforce and capability in place to deliver their commitments.
Earlier this year, departments published their Single Departmental Plans, setting out the key programmes of work required to deliver the Government’s Manifesto commitments. Departments have been developing plans to ensure they have the workforce required to deliver their Single Departmental Plans.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-10-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make it her policy to restrict television advertising for unhealthy food on programming likely to be watched by children.
Matt Hancock
We recognise the importance of tackling childhood obesity, which is caused by a number of complex factors. The Childhood Obesity Plan for Action, published in August, considered a number of different policy responses to address this problem. Additional advertising restrictions were considered as part of this process, but current restrictions in the UK are amongst the toughest in the world and the plan focuses on those areas which experts tell us are most effective.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-10-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if his Department will examine the effect of the revaluation of business rates for self-owned rooftop solar power on the solar industry taking account of the draft list of rateable values, published by the Valuation Office Agency.
Mr Marcus Jones
Business rates are based on valuations from the Valuation Office Agency and we do not intervene in their independent assessments. We have proposed a £3.4 billion transitional relief scheme to ensure that no ratepayer is unfairly penalised by the 2017 revaluation.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2015-11-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what arrangements he plans to put in place to ensure that medicines for rare cancers can be appropriately evaluated after the Cancer Drugs Fund ends in March 2016.
George Freeman
The Government remains committed to the Cancer Drugs Fund and is working with NHS England and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence on the future arrangements for the Fund.
NHS England has advised that its plans for a public consultation on its proposals for the Fund are being finalised.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2015-11-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has had discussions with the car insurance sector regarding (a) the cost of premiums and (b) the variations in that cost around the UK.
Andrew Jones
The Department has held a number of meetings with the motor insurance industry on a range of topics. The cost of motor insurance is the responsibility of insurers based on the applicant’s risk. This includes factors such as the driver’s age, driving record, type of vehicle and where they live. Data from the ABI’s quarterly average private comprehensive tracker shows that the average premium in Quarter 3 2015 is 6.7% lower than in Quarter 3 2012.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2015-11-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will provide funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit beyond March 2016.
Rory Stewart
I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney, Gerald Jones, on 19 November 2015, PQ UIN16385.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2015-12-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when the Government plans to publish the outcome of its consultation on the review of the BBC’s Royal Charter which closed on 8 October 2015.
Mr Edward Vaizey
The government published a Summary of Responses to the BBC Charter Review consultation on 1 March 2016.