Asked by: Richard Burden (Labour - Birmingham, Northfield)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to update the section on enforcement on behalf of seafarers in section 3.9 of his Department's Policy on HM Revenue and Customs' enforcement, prosecutions and naming employers who break national minimum wage law, published in July 2016.
Answered by Margot James
In collaboration with the Department for Transport and maritime stakeholders, we have been developing more detailed guidance on minimum wage law with respect to seafarers, which will be published in due course.
Asked by: Richard Burden (Labour - Birmingham, Northfield)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what representations he has received from the car industry on the proposals to increase taxation on company car drivers contained in the HM Revenue and Customs consultation on salary sacrifice for the provision of benefits in kind.
Answered by Nick Hurd
The Government is in close contact with the automotive sector on a range of issues, however we do not provide a running commentary on our discussions with individual companies.
Ministerial meetings with external organisations are published quarterly on the Gov.uk website at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/bis-quarterly-publications-april-to-june-2012
Asked by: Richard Burden (Labour - Birmingham, Northfield)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to respond to the recommendations by the Low Pay Commission made in the National Minimum Wage: Low Pay Commission Report, Spring 2016, published in March 2016.
Answered by Margot James
The Government published its response accepting all the Low Pay Commission’s rate recommendations on 14 March 2016.
The Government is considering the Low Pay Commission’s non-rate recommendations. On the recommendation relating to a formal public protocol to handle third party whistleblowing on breaches of the National Minimum Wage, a trial is underway involving Citizens Advice Bureaux acting as a third party on behalf of complainants. The trial will be evaluated before a decision is taken on any wider roll-out.
Asked by: Richard Burden (Labour - Birmingham, Northfield)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Birmingham, Northfield of 14 September 2016 on smart meters and associated health concerns.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The Department does not have a record of receiving this letter from the Honourable Member. My noble Friend the Minister of State for Energy and Intellectual Property, who is responsible for the roll-out of smart meters, would be pleased to provide a response to him upon receipt of a copy of the correspondence.
Asked by: Richard Burden (Labour - Birmingham, Northfield)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the effect on the (a) demand for UK manufactured cars and (b) car industry of the proposals relating to the taxation on company cars contained in the HM Revenue and Customs consultation on salary sacrifice for the provision of benefits in kind.
Answered by Nick Hurd
My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State has regular discussions with ministerial colleagues on a number of issues. As alluded to in the question, tax policy is the responsibility of my rt. hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer and Ministers at Her Majesty’s Treasury.
Asked by: Richard Burden (Labour - Birmingham, Northfield)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many (a) investigations and (b) prosecutions overseen by Trading Standards have related to (i) the mis-selling of vehicles and (ii) the tampering of mileage on vehicles in each of the last five years.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
The Department does not hold the information requested. National Trading Standards issues annual reports setting out annual data but it is not broken down into the categories requested.
Asked by: Richard Burden (Labour - Birmingham, Northfield)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what information her Department holds on the number and severity of incidents involving trains carrying nuclear material on the rail network.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom
Details of safety events involving the transport of nuclear material both by rail and on the strategic road network can be found in the following report:
Events reported to Nuclear Safety Regulator 2001-2015:
http://news.onr.org.uk/2016/02/events-reported-to-nuclear-safety-regulator-2001-15/
Asked by: Richard Burden (Labour - Birmingham, Northfield)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what information her Department holds on the number and severity of incidents involving vehicles transporting nuclear material on the strategic road network.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom
Details of safety events involving the transport of nuclear material both by rail and on the strategic road network can be found in the following report:
Events reported to Nuclear Safety Regulator 2001-2015:
http://news.onr.org.uk/2016/02/events-reported-to-nuclear-safety-regulator-2001-15/
Asked by: Richard Burden (Labour - Birmingham, Northfield)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what representations his Department has (a) received and (b) made on guidance on volume controls of mobile phones and other devices using headphones.
Answered by Anna Soubry
The Department has received no representations nor made any guidance regarding the volume controls of mobile phones and other devices using headphones.
Asked by: Richard Burden (Labour - Birmingham, Northfield)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to improve national minimum wage enforcement in the shipping industry.
Answered by Nick Boles
The application of the National Minimum Wage (NMW) for seafarers continues to be considered by the cross-Government working group which is reviewing the implementation of the Equality Act 2010 (Work on Ships and Hovercraft) Regulations 2011.
The Government is working with key stakeholders through this working group to agree and finalise revised guidance on the NMW for seafarers which will be published in spring 2016.
The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone who is entitled to receive the NMW does so, and we have committed to increasing the enforcement budget again this year in order to secure that aim. HM Revenue and Customs will investigate all NMW complaints from workers.