Tag: Viscount Waverley

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Viscount Waverley on 2016-04-14.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in the event of the UK leaving the EU, UK citizens living in EU member states would continue to be treated as all other UK citizens in the event of their death, in particular regarding their domicile status and death duties on their estates.

Lord O’Neill of Gatley

Domicile in the UK is an English common law concept which is distinct from citizenship and nationality. It is not dependent on EU law nor on the UK’s membership of the EU.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Viscount Waverley on 2016-06-27.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures they and the Bank of England will be taking to protect and promote (1) the City of London, and (2) Edinburgh, as financial centres until negotiations to exit the EU are completed.

Lord O’Neill of Gatley

The Chancellor has met with financial institutions this week to discuss the impact of the United Kingdom’s decision to leave the European Union.

Britain’s economy and financial system are fundamentally strong. Action by the government and the Bank of England over the last six years has substantially strengthened the resilience of the financial system, and the authorities have all the necessary tools in place to protect financial stability.

The UK is a leading global financial centre serving not just Britain or Europe, but the entire world. It has natural strengths such as a central time zone and the English language, together with an unrivalled pool of firms and investors, supported by world leading legal and professional services. Major banks from across the globe have bases in the UK, and the UK has the fourth highest share of cross-border banking. It is also fast establishing itself as a global hub for renminbi, rupee, Islamic finance, green finance and FinTech business.

Formal negotiations with the EU will not begin until the UK triggers Article 50. In the meantime, and during the negotiations that will follow, there will be no change to people’s rights to travel and work, and to the way our goods and services are traded, or to the way our economy and financial system is regulated.

The government is committed to deepening relationships with new and established trade partners. Earlier this week the Chancellor laid out plans to build a highly competitive economy by targeting a corporation tax rate of less than 15%, focusing on a new push for investment from China, ensuring support for bank lending, redoubling efforts to invest in the Northern Powerhouse and maintaining the UK’s fiscal credibility.

The government will also maintain an open and constructive dialogue with the UK financial services industry, including through the Financial Services Trade and Investment Board, which is tasked with boosting and promoting the UK’s financial services competitiveness position and supporting jobs. Government and industry collaboration will continue to play a central role in delivering a global, sustainable, innovative and competitive UK financial services industry that continues to go from strength to strength.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Viscount Waverley on 2016-04-14.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government why UK citizens who have been resident in other EU member states for more than 15 years who pay taxes and social security in the UK and are treated as domiciled in the UK have been excluded from voting in the referendum on 23 June.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The franchise for the EU referendum is based on the current UK Parliamentary franchise and includes British citizens who have lived overseas for fewer than 15 years and were registered to vote before they left the UK. This means that many overseas voters will be able to participate in the referendum and we are supporting the Electoral Commission in their efforts to encourage as many as possible to register to vote. The Government intends to introduce legislation to scrap the 15 year rule as a permanent change to the Parliamentary franchise in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Viscount Waverley on 2016-06-27.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the sharing of policing and security information between the UK and other EU member states is continuing in the light of the result of the EU referendum; and whether it will continue during negotiations on the UK’s exit from the EU.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

The UK remains a member of the EU and is subject to EU legislation. The UK and EU Member States continue to share policing and security information, including via Europol.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Viscount Waverley on 2016-04-21.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Department for International Development overspent their budget in the last financial year, and if so, for what reason.

Baroness Verma

In 2014-15, the most recent year for which audited accounts are available, the Department for International Development did not overspend its budget.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Viscount Waverley on 2016-06-27.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what legal advice they have received about whether the result of the EU referendum is legally binding.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The Prime Minister, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), has been clear in his statement on 27 June 2016. The British people have voted to leave the European Union, and that the decision must be respected.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Viscount Waverley on 2016-04-21.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much funding the Department for International Development transferred to the EU over and above their fixed aid related contribution.

Baroness Verma

The UK makes fixed ODA contributions to the EU budget and the European Development Fund (EDF) each year. In addition to this funding, where DFID doesn’t have the expertise or resources to deliver a major programme itself, it will work locally with partners who can do this including the EU.

As set out in DFID’s 2015 Statistics on International Development publication, in addition to these fixed ODA contributions, DFID provided £20,378,000 to the EU in 2014 for two infrastructure programmes in Africa. These are both helping to promote trade within Africa and boost local economies, building markets that Britain can trade with which is firmly in our national interest.

In both cases the EU is the best partner with the necessary capacity and technical expertise to carry out these large infrastructure programmes. Details of all such bilateral programmes are published on devtracker.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Viscount Waverley on 2016-06-27.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the result of the EU referendum, whether British companies can still tender freely and on equal terms for active public procurement opportunities in other EU member states; and whether they will be able to do so (1) after Article 50 is invoked, and (2) up until negotiations for the UK’s withdrawal from the EU are concluded.

Lord Bridges of Headley

The current public procurement rules will continue to apply until the UK has left the EU following the successful conclusion of exit negotiations.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Viscount Waverley on 2016-04-21.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what mechanisms the Department for International Development has in place to monitor the quality and real developmental impact of their aid programmes.

Baroness Verma

DFID has rigorous programme and financial management procedures and systems in place. This government has significantly strengthened these procedures and systems, placing a strong emphasis on ensuring programmes are high quality and deliver value for money and real development impact. Each DFID project is rigorously appraised before approval to establish value for money. During implementation, projects are measured against a robust monitoring framework through mandatory annual reviews to ensure they remain cost effective and are delivering expected outputs, outcomes and development impact. The results of these annual reviews are scored by the managing team and are then monitored through regular management information reports to management and Ministers. We take decisions to exit underperforming programmes and redirect resources into those that deliver poverty reduction and value for money for taxpayers.

DFID is also committed to generating high quality evidence through independent evaluations which look in detail at the impact that our interventions are having and what lessons can be learnt for the future. In addition the Independent Commission for Aid Impact assesses the effectiveness of DFID’s programming.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Viscount Waverley on 2016-06-27.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the result of the EU referendum, whether companies from other EU member states can still tender freely and on equal terms for active public procurement opportunities in the UK; and whether they will be able to do so (1) after Article 50 is invoked, and (2) up until negotiations for the UK’s withdrawal from the EU are concluded.

Lord Bridges of Headley

The current public procurement rules will continue to apply until the UK has left the EU following the successful conclusion of exit negotiations.