Asked by: Gerry Sutcliffe (Labour - Bradford South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 4 November 2014 to Question 210574, if he will place in the Library details of training provided to Colombian armed forces by the British military.
Answered by Mark Francois
The UK has an on-going programme of counter-narcotics assistance for Colombia.
With regard to your first question I will write to the hon. Member shortly.
Asked by: Gerry Sutcliffe (Labour - Bradford South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will meet the Parliamentary Friends of Colombia to discuss the training provided to the Colombian armed forces by British military personnel.
Answered by Mark Francois
The UK has an on-going programme of counter-narcotics assistance for Colombia.
With regard to your first question I will write to the hon. Member shortly.
Asked by: Gerry Sutcliffe (Labour - Bradford South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many times his Department has introduced special tax arrangements to support a major sporting event since May 2010.
Answered by David Gauke
The Government has supported a wide range of sporting events held in the UK, including by providing specific tax exemptions for overseas sportspersons competing in the following events:
Champions League final (2011)
Olympic & Paralympic games (2012)
London Anniversary Games (2013)
Champions League final (2013)
Glasgow Commonwealth Games (2014)
Glasgow Athletics Grand Prix (2014)
Asked by: Gerry Sutcliffe (Labour - Bradford South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what tax and National Insurance incentives there are for employers who participate in programmes and initiatives related to the physical wellbeing of their employees.
Answered by David Gauke
There are a number of reliefs within the tax and National Insurance system for employers who support the physical wellbeing of their employees. For example, a number of benefits in kind that are related to health and wellbeing are exempted from employer National Insurance; these include eye tests, health screening, and medical check-ups.
At Autumn Statement 2013, this government also announced the introduction of a new income tax and National Insurance contributions exemption for employer funding of recommended medical treatments.
Asked by: Gerry Sutcliffe (Labour - Bradford South)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the availability of front-of-house staff within the Courts Service to assist with the completion of official documents.
Answered by Shailesh Vara
Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service administrative staff provide help to courts and tribunals users directly at court buildings and hearing centres. Help is also provided by staff at call centres and through guidance provided on-line. While HMCTS staff cannot provide any legal advice, they are able to provide general help on procedure, including, where appropriate, guidance on the completion of court documents. Depending on the circumstances staff will also signpost users to appropriate advice agencies for this purpose. Through its budgeting and workforce planning processes HMCTS endeavours to ensure all activities are resourced to meet the demands of the service.
Where a party appears unrepresented in the Magistrates’ Court, the Legal Adviser has a general duty to assist and this includes providing assistance with the completion of court forms.
Asked by: Gerry Sutcliffe (Labour - Bradford South)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will take steps to simplify the form EX160 for application for fee remission.
Answered by Shailesh Vara
In July 2014 HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) launched a revised fee remission application form and guidance which removed some requirements based on user feedback.
HMCTS is now developing further reforms to the fee remission process which significantly simplifies the application form and guidance, removing the need for applicants to provide supporting documents in most cases. HMCTS expects these reforms to be in place for users by September 2015.
Asked by: Gerry Sutcliffe (Labour - Bradford South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, on which occasions his Department has received representations on the introduction of special tax arrangements to support a major sporting event since May 2010.
Answered by David Gauke
The Government receives representations on a wide range of issues. Providing tax exemptions are often a requirement of the bidding process.
Asked by: Gerry Sutcliffe (Labour - Bradford South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect on consumer indebtedness of decisions by banks to (a) charge consumers to receive information about their accounts online and (b) encourage consumers to receive information online.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government takes the firm view that consumers must be able to easily access clear and transparent information about their accounts. The major current account providers have previously committed to make fees and charges clearer on customers’ monthly statements, and provide an annual statement of charges for each customer.
The Government is continuing to drive forward a wide-reaching and ambitious programme of reforms to make the banking sector more competitive, including enabling innovation in the use of bank data so that customers are able to use online information more effectively. This includes initiatives like the Midata current account tool, which will help customers switch to the best current account for them.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is also currently reviewing cost-cutting initiatives that affect a significant number of customers, including the withdrawal of paper statements.
Asked by: Gerry Sutcliffe (Labour - Bradford South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on what terms and conditions the contract of the Chief of Defence Materiel has been extended.
Answered by Philip Dunne
I am pleased to confirm that the Chief of Defence Materiel’s contract has been extended for a further year on the existing terms and conditions. He will therefore have served a total of five years in post, in line with existing guidelines for senior civil servants of his rank.
As a member of the Defence Board, details of Mr Gray’s salary and bonus payments are published annually in the Department’s accounts.
Asked by: Gerry Sutcliffe (Labour - Bradford South)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effect on consumers of decisions by utility companies to introduce charges for receiving information and bills in paper format.
Answered by Jo Swinson
Charges for a paper bill must reflect only the additional costs actually incurred by the business concerned for providing this service. Consumers who believe they have been overcharged should consult the Citizens’ Advice Consumer Helpline on 03454 04 05 06 (www.adviceguide.org.uk).
In many instances, consumers could re-negotiate or find an alternative provider to obtain better value for money overall. Especially for financially or otherwise vulnerable customers, paper bills will not always be the best choice - but any consumer can obtain information from Citizens’ Advice on how to find the best tariff for their needs.