Tag: Thangam Debbonaire

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2015-11-10.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps the Government is taking to support international efforts to improve tax transparency and accountability.

Mr David Gauke

A major focus of the UK’s G8 Presidency was tax transparency and combatting offshore tax evasion. As part of this the UK promoted the development of a new global standard for reciprocal automatic exchange of financial account information in order to effectively tackle the global problem of tax evasion. Due in large part to the UK’s leadership, over 90 countries and jurisdictions have now committed to the new global standard – known as the Common Reporting Standard (CRS) – and will begin automatically exchanging information under the standard by 2017 or 2018. The receipt of large amounts of information on offshore accounts under the CRS will mark a step change in HMRC’s ability to crack down on tax evasion.

During our G8 Presidency, we also drove forward the international work on country-by-country reporting (CBCR), calling on the OECD to develop a template for CBCR reporting as part of the OECD Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) project. The OECD template is aimed at providing tax authorities with information on the global allocation of profits and taxes paid and accrued by multinationals, as well as indicators of economic activity in each country. The UK was one of the first countries to commit to implementing the OECD template for CBCR with legislation in the Finance Act 2015.

The final package of measures developed under the BEPS project was published by the OECD on 5 October 2015, and endorsed by G20 Finance Ministers at their meeting on 8 October and the G20 Leaders at their summit on 15-16 November. The UK welcomes the outcomes of the BEPS project and will give full consideration to the OECD’s recommendations.

In addition, the UK has actively supported the revision of the Directive on Administrative Cooperation, to ensure the effective exchange of information about cross-border tax rulings between EU Member States. This directive was agreed in October 2015, and will come into force from 1^st of January 2017.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2016-01-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 19 November 2015 to Question 16005, on malnutrition, how the Government plans to measure progress on its commitment to nutrition for 50 million people by 2020.

Mr Nick Hurd

The approach to measuring the commitment to improve the nutrition of 50 million people by 2020 is currently being finalised as part of the DFID aid review. Full details of the methodology for measuring these results will be published once this is completed.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2016-03-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the compatibility with international law of NATO ships operating in the Aegean Sea returning migrants to Turkey.

Mr David Lidington

The purpose of this NATO activity is to provide monitoring, surveillance, and reconnaissance (MSR) of the Aegean migration routes to cue Turkish and Greek coastguards and Frontex (the EU’s border management agency) to intercept the migrant boats and disrupt the business model of illegal migration

If UK vessels encounter migrants in distress at sea, they will be rescued in accordance with international obligations and arrangements made for them to be returned to land. The choice of destination will be guided by international law and consideration for the safety of the migrants

The UK will act at all times in accordance with its obligations under domestic and international law. Turkey has agreed that rescued migrants who have travelled from Turkey can be returned to Turkey. We are co-ordinating our approach with our NATO Allies as well as with Frontex.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2016-04-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people who applied for UK citizenship applied for an exemption from the written life in the UK test between June 2014 and June 2016; and how many such applications were refused.

James Brokenshire

The Secretary of State may waive the Knowledge of Language and Life in the UK requirement for British citizenship on the basis of a person’s age, physical or mental condition.

A person will normally be exempted from this requirement if they provide evidence from an appropriate medical practitioner that their condition is so severe that it prevents them from being able to learn English or prepare for or sit an English test or the Life in the UK test. Each application is considered on its own merits.

Information cannot be obtained from UKVI data systems to show how many exemption requests were made and granted. This information could only be obtained from looking at individual records at disproportionate cost.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2016-05-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance she has provided for her officials on the identification, screening and processing of people potentially entitled to make an application for family reunion under the Dublin III Regulation.

James Brokenshire

The UK is working with other EU Member States to ensure that the process for applications for family reunion under the Dublin III Regulation is running effectively and efficiently. We have seconded experts to certain other EU countries to assist with this. They are working in accordance with guidance and processes issued by the European Asylum Support Office and the relevant governmental authority.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2016-07-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 26 May 2016 to Question 37452, if she will commission detailed monitoring of the effect of local authority funding reductions on local authority museum and gallery (a) opening hours, (b) staffing, (c) specific activities and (d) closures.

Karen Bradley

Arts Council England is gathering data on the effects of changes to local authority funding.

This Department is also undertaking a Museums Review of the whole museums sector, as announced in the recent Culture White Paper. The Review will be looking at a range of challenges facing the sector and will include museums in receipt of funding from local authorities as well as those which are independent from public funding.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2016-07-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, by which date she expects to have resettled 3,000 at risk child asylum-seekers and their families from the Middle East and North Africa to the UK.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Government has committed to resettling to the UK up to 3,000 individuals under a scheme designed to protect vulnerable children in the Middle East and North Africa over the lifetime of this Parliament. There will be a review of the scheme at the two year mark.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what steps the Government plans to take to protect the property ownership rights of UK citizens who own property in the EU after the UK has left the EU who (a) use the property primarily to rent out to others for holidays, (b) are the sole users, for holiday purposes and (c) are the sole users, and live there permanently.

Mr Robin Walker

At every step of these negotiations we will work to ensure the best possible outcome for the British people, including those living in other EU countries or who own property in the EU. It is already the case that all Member States are bound by Article 1 of Protocol 1 to the European Convention on Human Rights which obliges them to respect property rights.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2015-11-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps her Department has taken to assess the impact of hydraulic fracturing in (a) national parks and (b) other environmentally sensitive areas.

Andrea Leadsom

The Government issued guidance on its planning policy on unconventional hydrocarbon development in National Parks, the Broads, AONBs and World Heritage Sites in July 2014, which clearly sets out the high level of protection accorded to these areas in respect to development.1

In addition, in July 2015 the Government laid draft regulations that define protected areas in which hydraulic fracturing will be prohibited. These regulations ensure that the process of high volume hydraulic fracturing cannot take place at depths above 1200 metres in National Parks, the Broads, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, World Heritage Sites and areas that are most vulnerable to groundwater pollution.2

We have also separately committed to ensuring that fracking cannot be conducted from wells that are drilled in the UK’s most valuable areas and are minded to apply these in Sites of Special Scientific Interest, Ramsar and Natura 2000 sites, as well as the areas covered by the draft Protected Areas regulations.3

[1]http://planningguidance.communities.gov.uk/blog/guidance/minerals/planning-for-hydrocarbon-extraction/determining-the-planning-application/

2]https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-defines-protected-areas-for-shale-developments

[3]https://www.gov.uk/guidance/oil-and-gas-licensing-rounds#surface-development-restrictions

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2016-01-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department plans to close HM Prison Bristol.

Andrew Selous

On 9 November 2015, the Chancellor and Secretary of State announced their intention to build a prison estate which allows prisoners to be rehabilitated, thereby enabling them to turn away from a life of crime. This will involve building nine new prisons and closing old and inefficient prisons.

No decisions have yet been made on which prisons will be closed.