Asked by: Gerald Howarth (Conservative - Aldershot)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to ensure that staff in the new counter-avoidance directorate of HM Revenue and Customs have received adequate training to deal with challenges to accelerated payment notices.
Answered by David Gauke
With regards to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) staff training on Accelerated Payments Notices, I would refer the hon. member to the answer I gave to a written question on 26 February 2015 (HC Deb, 26 February 2015, cW).
The number of HMRC officials currently engaged in dealing with Accelerated Payments Notices is 270Full Time Equivalents.
With regards to HMRC’s plans to report the progress on Accelerated Payments, I would refer the hon. member to my answer of 10 February (HC Deb, 10 February 2015, cW)
Asked by: Gerald Howarth (Conservative - Aldershot)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many convictions for illegal money lending resulted from prosecutions brought by the Illegal Money Lending Units of (a) England, (b) Scotland and (c) Wales in (i) 2012, (ii) 2013 and (iii) 2014.
Answered by Jo Swinson
The National Trading Standards Board (NTSB) and Trading Standards Scotland (TSS) have been responsible for tackling Illegal Money Lending since April 2012. They collect and report information on their work to the Department by financial year.
Convictions for Illegal Money Lending since April 2012:
Team | 2012/13 | 2013/14 | 2014/15 (to 4/3/2015) |
England | 34 | 55 | 36 |
Wales | 2 | 2 | 5 |
Scotland | 1 | 0 | 3 |
Asked by: Gerald Howarth (Conservative - Aldershot)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate he has made of the median net income of (a) online short term lending customers, (b) credit card holders and (c) an average UK citizen in full-time work.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Information is not available for points a or b, as the ONS do not publish earnings data split by use of financial services. The most recent ONS publication of the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) indicates that median gross weekly earnings for full-time employees were £518 in April 2014.
Asked by: Gerald Howarth (Conservative - Aldershot)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Impact Assessment for the Standardised Packaging of Tobacco Products Regulations 2015, which derives key valuables in its cost benefit analysis from the work of Pechey et al, what account he has taken of the statements in that article that it relies on best guess estimates and that its authors have an economic or personal stake in the issue.
Answered by Jane Ellison
The Impact Assessment makes clear how this research was used on page 53. It also considers the uncertainty associated with the estimates in the “Sensitivity and Risk” analysis on page 69.
The published research paper includes a section on competing interests. The authors state that they have no connections to the tobacco industry, nor any financial or non-financial competing interests that relate to the area of this study.
A copy of the research paper is attached.
The Impact Assessment can be found at:
Asked by: Gerald Howarth (Conservative - Aldershot)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will delay implementation of standardised tobacco packaging until data on its effects on smoking prevalence in Australia is available.
Answered by Jane Ellison
The draft regulations laid in Parliament on 23 February have a coming-into-force date of May 2016.
Certain parts of the Standardised Packaging of Tobacco Products Regulations implement the European Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) and are therefore required to be brought into force in May 2016. For those regulations that introduce further requirements, it is clear that there are benefits for business if the requirements of the TPD and standardised packaging requirements are implemented at the same time.
Australian Government figures, from the National Drug Strategy Household Survey, show that smoking prevalence is at an all-time low since the implementation of standardised packaging. This change is likely to be attributable to cumulative effects of a range of policies, including standardised packaging.
Asked by: Gerald Howarth (Conservative - Aldershot)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the non-financial regulatory constraints are on research on the potential of insects as a sustainable source of livestock feed; and what steps her Department is taking to encourage such research.
Answered by Dan Rogerson
Research on the potential use of insects in livestock feed is permitted under the provisions of the EU Animal by-Products Regulations 1069/2009 which require registration of operators by competent authorities under conditions which control risks to public and animal health. The Food and Environmental Research Agency of Defra is currently leading research on the use of insects as a protein source for livestock in the UK.
Asked by: Gerald Howarth (Conservative - Aldershot)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will ensure that the change in definition of ambulance in Government Amendment 43 of the House of Lords Committee stage of the Deregulation Bill will continue to permit private ambulance and medical providers to operate (a) conventional ambulances and (b) fast response cars and motorbikes under blue lights.
Answered by Oliver Letwin
The relevant clause now contained in the Deregulation Bill is not intended to have any effect on the existing legal status of ambulances, including those used by the private or voluntary sector. Conventional ambulances may continue to use blue lights and be exempt from certain road traffic provisions when responding to emergencies. The amendments in the Bill continue to allow vehicles dispatched by the NHS ambulance services (including vehicles that private ambulance and medical providers operate), that are not ambulances, by allowing them to use blue lights and extending the road traffic exemptions to them.
Asked by: Gerald Howarth (Conservative - Aldershot)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance she has given to Ofsted on (a) respecting the religious ethos of faith schools and the legal framewirk governing them, (b) exemptions for faith schools under the Equality Act 2010 and (c) the requirements of the law governing assemblies and religious education.
Answered by Edward Timpson
It is for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Schools to determine what advice or guidance inspectors need to inspect particular matters, drawing on relevant guidance that has been issued to schools by the Department for Education and on statutory requirements.
Asked by: Gerald Howarth (Conservative - Aldershot)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance she has given to Ofsted about age-appropriate questioning of pupils regarding sexuality and transsexualism during inspections.
Answered by David Laws
No guidance has been given by the Department for Education on this matter as the issuing of guidance to Ofsted inspectors is a matter for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw.
Asked by: Gerald Howarth (Conservative - Aldershot)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will investigate reports by parents of pupils at Grindon Hall Christian School and Durham Free School that complaints to Ofsted about age-inappropriate and religiously hostile questioning of their children by inspectors were not investigated.
Answered by David Laws
Any complaints about the conduct of Ofsted inspectors are a matter for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector. I understand that Ofsted is investigating matters raised by the schools and by some parents and will respond to these in due course.