Tag: Tom Elliott

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Elliott on 2016-01-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the potential benefits of changing Innovate UK funding from grants to loans.

Joseph Johnson

Innovation is a driver of productivity and the UK ranks among the best in the world in various indices. The Government is focussed on creating the best conditions for innovative businesses to flourish and is taking steps to ensure a range of finance options is available.

We are exploring the range of financial instruments available in a number of countries and will be conducting market research in the UK to better understand the needs of innovative businesses.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Elliott on 2016-03-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent progress has been made on the Government’s application to the EU Solidarity Fund to help flood affected areas.

James Wharton

The Government submitted an initial UK application to the EU Solidarity Fund on Friday 26 February and we continue to refine our cost estimations.

At the date the application was made, the Government had not been approached on this matter by the Northern Ireland Executive.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Elliott on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what BT’s commercial investment was in broadband roll-out in Northern Ireland; and how that money was invested.

Matt Hancock

BDUK do not hold information on BT’s commercial investment in broadband roll-out in Northern Ireland.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Elliott on 2015-10-28.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what tax revenue was lost as a result of tobacco smuggling in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years.

Damian Hinds

Estimates of revenue losses associated with the tobacco illicit market are published in ‘Tobacco Tax Gap estimates: 2014-15’. The combined figures for Cigarettes and Hand Rolling Tobacco are available in table 1.1

These estimates cannot be disaggregated by country within the UK.

The methodology for producing the estimates are provided in the ‘Methodological Annex for Measuring Tax Gaps 2015’.

Both documents can be accessed via the following page on the HMRC website:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/measuring-tax-gaps

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Elliott on 2016-01-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of the Army Reserve in made up by Northern Irish soldiers.

Mr Julian Brazier

The information is not held in the format requested as an individual’s nationality is recorded as British rather than Northern Irish.

There are around 1,870 Army Reserve personnel stationed in Northern Ireland, and this makes up 6.7% of the 28,050 total trained and untrained personnel in the Army Reserve population.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Elliott on 2016-03-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what discussions he had with the Northern Ireland Executive on the Government’s recent application to the EU Solidarity Fund to help flood affected areas.

James Wharton

The Government submitted an initial UK application to the EU Solidarity Fund on Friday 26 February and we continue to refine our cost estimations.

At the date the application was made, the Government had not been approached on this matter by the Northern Ireland Executive.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Elliott on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate she has made of the proportion of households in Northern Ireland with access to superfast broadband.

Matt Hancock

At the end of Phase 1 (March 2016) 82% of premises in Northern Ireland had access to superfast broadband. This will increase to just under 87% following Phase 2 (December 2017). The Northern Ireland Broadband Improvement Project team is taking forward a contract change request to extend coverage further with £1.7 million of gainshare funding that has been returned by the supplier as a result of higher than expected take-up. There will be further gainshare funding over the seven year term of the contract which will become available to support further additional coverage. Furthermore, the UK Government is committed to a new broadband Universal Service Obligation, so every premise in the country will have access to broadband at a minimum speed, and our ambition is that this is 10Mbps.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Elliott on 2015-10-28.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps HM Revenue and Customs are taking to stop illegal fuel laundering and smuggling in Northern Ireland.

Damian Hinds

The government is committed to reducing revenue loss due to fuel duty fraud in Northern Ireland. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has a comprehensive anti-fraud strategy in place that has helped drive down the estimated illicit market for diesel in Northern Ireland (NI) from 26% to 8% since its launch in 2002. Autumn Statement 2013 also announced the expansion of HMRC Road Fuel Testing Unit and Criminal Investigation capacity in NI and GB.

The fight against fraud will be further enhanced by the new rebated fuel marker introduced in April 2015, which makes it much harder to launder marked fuel and sell it at a profit.

HMRC also works closely with the Revenue Commissioners in the Republic of Ireland to fight fuel fraud on a wide range of fronts. This multi-agency approach includes regular exchange of information and joint operational activity. Ireland have also introduce the same new marker as the UK.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Elliott on 2016-02-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what research her Department has conducted or commissioned on the effect of the early closure of the Northern Ireland Renewables Obligation to new onshore wind projects in Northern Ireland.

Andrea Leadsom

With certain limited exceptions, Energy Policy is devolved to Northern Ireland. Closure of the Northern Ireland Renewables Obligation is therefore a matter for the Northern Ireland Executive.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Elliott on 2016-04-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to widen access to education in developing countries.

Mr Nick Hurd

Improving access to education and the quality of learning for all children – especially those who are most disadvantaged – is a priority for the Department. The UK supported 11 million children in school between 2010 and 2015. We have again committed to support 11 million children in the poorest countries gain a decent education by 2020. Having children in school and learning enhances economic growth and contributes to better governance, peace and democracy.