Asked by: Oliver Colvile (Conservative - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will offer assistance to New Zealand to manage the effects of the recent earthquakes in that country.
Answered by Rory Stewart
The UK has monitored the situation since the earthquake occurred and stood ready to offer assistance if required.
The UK will not be providing a response in the aftermath of the earthquake, as the Government of New Zealand have not requested international assistance.
Asked by: Oliver Colvile (Conservative - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what progress has been made on ensuring that all registered social housing association tenants have the right to buy their own homes since the conclusion of the pilot scheme.
Answered by Lord Barwell
We remain committed to the Voluntary Right to Buy for housing association tenants and the pilot scheme is informing the design of the main scheme. The Government is continuing to work closely with the National Housing Federation and the housing association sector on the implementation of the main scheme and will announce more details in due course.
Asked by: Oliver Colvile (Conservative - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which Ministry of Defence contractors have signed the community covenant.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
This information is not held in the format requested.
However, over 1,200 commercial organisations have signed the Armed Forces Covenant, pledging specific support for the Armed Forces Community.
Details of them can be viewed at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/armed-force-corporate-covenant-signed-pledges
Some of our major contractors who have signed the Covenant are:
Airbus
Amey
Atkins
Atos
Babcock
BAE Systems
Boeing
Capita
Carillion
Compass Group
Deloitte
EY
G4S
General Dynamics
Hewlett Packard
Interserve
KBR
KPMG
Leonardo
PwC
Rolls Royce
Serco
Sodexo
Thales
Asked by: Oliver Colvile (Conservative - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to maximise the potential benefits of the UK leaving the EU for businesses.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The UK remains the top destination in Europe for Foreign Direct Investment, unemployment is at its lowest level since 2005. It has a record number of private businesses, and we are going to build on these fundamental strengths to make a Britain that works for everyone; that remains the same outward-looking, globally-minded, big-thinking country it has always been.
Asked by: Oliver Colvile (Conservative - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure parity of treatment for people with physical and mental health issues when applying for benefits.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Shadow Secretary of State for Education
DWP is totally committed to delivering good quality services that are accessible to all customers. We offer services through face to face, telephone and a range of digital channels, ensuring that the needs of all customer groups are considered. All DWP digital services meet Government accessibility standards and have assisted digital plans in place to support customers that need help to apply for benefits online. A Ministerial Taskforce of disability organisations meets several times a year to advise and support DWP in making customer information and contact more accessible and understandable. We have recently amended the “how to claim” pages for all benefits on GOV.UK, to make it clearer how disabled customers can request information in alternative formats. DWP is also trialling Video Relay Service and Next Generation Text Services for Deaf and hard of hearing customers so they receive as good a service from telephony agents as non-disabled customers. Specialist services are available for relevant groups and training is given to colleagues to identify and support customers with mental health conditions and learning difficulties.
Asked by: Oliver Colvile (Conservative - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the potential economic benefits of tidal power lagoons will be considered in the development of the Government's new Industrial Strategy.
Answered by Nick Hurd
The independent review on Tidal Lagoons in the UK, headed by Charles Hendry will report towards the end of the year and will consider, among other things, whether and in what circumstances tidal lagoons could play a cost effective role in the energy mix.
Asked by: Oliver Colvile (Conservative - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government plans to include tidal power lagoons in the forthcoming industrial strategy.
Answered by Nick Hurd
The independent review on Tidal Lagoons in the UK, headed by Charles Hendry will report towards the end of the year and will consider, among other things, whether and in what circumstances tidal lagoons could play a cost effective role in the energy mix.
Asked by: Oliver Colvile (Conservative - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent progress his Department has made in the Army Recruiting Partnership Project; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Mike Penning
The Army's recruiting performance continues to get better, and the candidate's experience is improved through better communication processes, with improved processing and greater levels of candidate involvement. Inflow has increased year on year.
However, the delivery of the ICT has been further delayed, and approval has been requested for a revised Go-Live date of November 2017. Capita is working to deliver an earlier date of spring 2017 and I maintain a keen oversight of this issue.
Asked by: Oliver Colvile (Conservative - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his Department's policy is on the inclusion of a broad definition of permanent establishment in the UK-Malawi tax treaty.
Answered by Jane Ellison
As is usual in any negotiation, the text of a tax treaty remains confidential between the two governments during the negotiations. It is not therefore possible to comment on the contents of a treaty before it is signed.
The majority of the UK’s double taxation treaties are based on the OECD Model Double Taxation Convention. However, some developing countries prefer to follow the United Nations Model, whose provisions differ in some respects from the OECD Model, including in the “permanent establishment” article. Many of the UK’s treaties with developing countries contain at least some of these provisions. A treaty will be signed only when both governments are satisfied with its contents.
It has long been the UK’s policy to include robust anti-abuse provisions in its tax treaties to ensure that they operate as intended and in particular that residents of third countries cannot indirectly benefit from their provisions.
The text of the new treaty with Malawi was substantively agreed some time ago. However, in August 2016 Malawi raised some further points for consideration, which we will work together on. When that process is complete, and both countries are satisfied with contents of the new treaty, it will be signed and published. Parliament will scrutinise the revised agreement, as part of the affirmative Statutory Instruments procedures, before the treaty can enter into force.
Asked by: Oliver Colvile (Conservative - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his Department's policy is on the inclusion of anti-abuse clauses in the UK-Malawi tax treaty to prevent tax avoidance through treaty shopping.
Answered by Jane Ellison
As is usual in any negotiation, the text of a tax treaty remains confidential between the two governments during the negotiations. It is not therefore possible to comment on the contents of a treaty before it is signed.
The majority of the UK’s double taxation treaties are based on the OECD Model Double Taxation Convention. However, some developing countries prefer to follow the United Nations Model, whose provisions differ in some respects from the OECD Model, including in the “permanent establishment” article. Many of the UK’s treaties with developing countries contain at least some of these provisions. A treaty will be signed only when both governments are satisfied with its contents.
It has long been the UK’s policy to include robust anti-abuse provisions in its tax treaties to ensure that they operate as intended and in particular that residents of third countries cannot indirectly benefit from their provisions.
The text of the new treaty with Malawi was substantively agreed some time ago. However, in August 2016 Malawi raised some further points for consideration, which we will work together on. When that process is complete, and both countries are satisfied with contents of the new treaty, it will be signed and published. Parliament will scrutinise the revised agreement, as part of the affirmative Statutory Instruments procedures, before the treaty can enter into force.