Asked by: Guto Bebb (Independent - Aberconwy)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the number of workers using the Construction Industry Scheme; and whether there has been a significant variation in such numbers during the last year.
Answered by David Gauke
The latest assessment of the number of workers using the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) is 1,006,000 subcontractors. No assessment has been made of variation in numbers in the last year.
Asked by: Guto Bebb (Independent - Aberconwy)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to Chapter 2.147 of the Autumn Statement 2014 (a) who is handling the review on umbrella companies, (b) who is being consulted and (c) what progress has been made with the consultation to date.
Answered by David Gauke
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and HM Treasury are handling the review on the use of overarching contracts of employment by employment intermediaries, including umbrella companies, in the temporary labour market. Officials have met with over 70 interested organisations from a number of sectors. The discussion paper closes on 10 February 2015.
Asked by: Guto Bebb (Independent - Aberconwy)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress his Department is making on preventing companies from deducting both employer and employee National Insurance contributions from their employees' pay packets.
Answered by David Gauke
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and HM Treasury are handling the review on the use of overarching contracts of employment by employment intermediaries, including umbrella companies, in the temporary labour market. Officials have met with over 70 interested organisations from a number of sectors. The discussion paper closes on 10 February 2015.
Asked by: Guto Bebb (Independent - Aberconwy)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to stop agencies using umbrella companies to manage the payroll function of companies within the construction industry.
Answered by David Gauke
Umbrella companies have been a part of the UK labour market for many years and, when operated responsibly, provide a useful conduit through which payments, including tax, can be made. As such, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) are not taking steps to stop agencies using umbrella companies to manage the payroll function of companies within the construction industry.
However the Government is concerned at the growing use of overarching contracts of employment by employment intermediaries such as umbrella companies, which allow some temporary workers to benefit from tax relief for home-to-work travel expenses that is not generally available to other workers. The government published a discussion document on 16 December 2014 inviting representations from interested parties to inform potential future action
Asked by: Guto Bebb (Independent - Aberconwy)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Lebanese counterpart following the terror attacks by the al-Nusra Front in Tripoli.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
I discussed the issue of Lebanese security and stability with the Prime Minister and Speaker for Parliament when I visited the country in December. I made clear that the UK will continue to support Lebanon’s efforts to achieve peace and stability. We have allocated almost £20m to strengthening Lebanon’s borders and have been providing the Lebanese Armed Forces with practical equipment and training since 2012.
Our Ambassador to Lebanon condemned the terror attacks by the al-Nusra Front in Tripoli. He has since discussed the incident with senior members of the Lebanese Government, including the Prime Minister and Interior Minister, and affirmed the UK’s commitment to supporting Lebanon in the fight against terrorism.
Asked by: Guto Bebb (Independent - Aberconwy)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Turkish counterpart regarding the reported relocation of Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal to Turkey; and what steps he is taking to ensure that terrorist groups are not aided by a NATO member country.
Answered by David Lidington
We have had no discussions with the Turkish government regarding Khaled Meshaal's reported relocation to Turkey. We are aware of reports that Turkey maintains a dialogue with Hamas. We will, however, continue to call on Turkey and those in the region with influence over Hamas to press them to end armed violence and support reconciliation and peace talks with Israel.
We maintain a regular dialogue at all levels with the Turkish government on a range of terrorism threats. Turkey is a valued foreign policy and security partner to the UK.
Asked by: Guto Bebb (Independent - Aberconwy)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the recent call by the Chief of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran for increased uranium enrichment.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
We are aware of these statements. Under the Joint Plan of Action, which has been extended until the end of June 2015, Iran committed to significant restrictions on its nuclear programme, including not to enrich beyond 5%. These measures are aimed at addressing our proliferation concerns. We remain committed to negotiating a comprehensive agreement, under which Iran would need to agree to further restrictions on its programme.
Asked by: Guto Bebb (Independent - Aberconwy)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Palestinian Authority about the steps it can take to ensure the unhindered operation of the Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
Officials from our Consulate-General in Jerusalem have had regular discussions with the Palestinian Authority (PA), in particular Prime Minister Hamdallah, about the Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism (GRM). As a donor contributing to the establishment of the mechanism, we have been urging the PA to ensure the mechanism works effectively, in order to expedite reconstruction in Gaza. Our embassy in Tel Aviv also discusses the operation of the GRM regularly with the Israeli authorities.
Asked by: Guto Bebb (Independent - Aberconwy)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the stability of the Fatah-Hamas Unity government in the Palestinian Authority.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
Since its formation, the Palestinian interim technocratic government has faced considerable challenges threatening its stability – including the conflict in Gaza over the summer, ongoing internal Palestinian political tensions, the challenge of extending Palestinian Authority (PA) control over Gaza, and reconstructing Gaza. The government remains fragile and has a huge task in front of it in reuniting Gaza and the West Bank.
The UK welcomed the formation of the interim technocratic government in June, and has strongly supported government efforts to reconstruct Gaza and re-establish PA authority there.
Asked by: Guto Bebb (Independent - Aberconwy)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what requirements there are on members of the Committee on Safety of Medicines to declare relevant interests.
Answered by Dan Poulter
The Commission of Human Medicines superseded the Committee on Safety of Medicines from 30 October 2005.
The Chair and all members are required to make a full declaration of interests on appointment and annually in line with the Code of Practice. Both the code and declarations are published each year in the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 Advisory Bodies Annual Report.
Before and at each meeting members are reminded to declare any interest they might have in the agenda items. Declarations and the type of interest are recorded in the minutes.