First elected: 12th November 2009
Left House: 30th March 2015 (Defeated)
Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.
These initiatives were driven by William Bain, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.
William Bain has not been granted any Urgent Questions
William Bain has not been granted any Adjournment Debates
William Bain has not introduced any legislation before Parliament
William Bain has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting
I refer the Hon Member to the response to his written question UIN 212762 on 6 November 2014.
Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) and their local partners have strategic direction over £20 billion domestic and EU funding between now and 2020/21. Strengthening research, technological development and innovation is a key objective of the European funds, and LEPs can advance growth-oriented science and research projects for investment through the Local Growth Fund. The Government does not at this early stage of these programmes hold data on the amount spent by LEPs on science, research and development, or on international comparators.
Additionally we recently agreed a City Deal with Glasgow and the Clyde Valley that will see UK Government make significant investments in science and innovation. This includes £16 million to support a Stratified Medicine: Imaging Centre of Excellence at the new South Glasgow Hospital site, £1.2 million towards the establishment of MediCity Scotland, and £1.67 million towards a centre for Business Incubation and Development.
The purpose of Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) is to support disabled students in their higher education studies. Disabled students will continue to receive support through DSAs but students should expect more help through their institution in discharging its statutory responsibility.
The Interdepartmental Ministerial Group on Disability has been established to ensure disabled people are included in society and have opportunities to realise their aspirations, including a consideration of how disabled students can best be supported into work.
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills’ officials have met representatives of the British Assistive Technology Association (BATA) and other stakeholders to discuss the potential effect of changes to Disabled Students’ Allowances on the provision of assistive technology. The Written Ministerial Statement of 12 September 2014 confirms that we will continue funding for assistive technology.
The Government will continue to provide assistive technology for students under the Disabled Students’ Allowances.
Over the summer Ministers and Officials held discussions with a wide range of stakeholders and interested parties, including HEIs, NUS, UUK, disability groups, on the proposed changes. We continue to have discussions with many of these groups about the implementation of the changes announced on 12 September.
The Government takes the issue of prompt payment seriously and respects some of the differences which prevail in the construction industry. We are taking a number of steps, including promoting project bank accounts, through Government procurement. More widely, the Industrial Strategy for Construction committed to developing a construction supply chain payment charter, which was published on 22 April. The Charter sets out 11 “Fair Payment Commitments” including a commitment to reduce payment terms to a supply chain to 30 days from January 2018. The Leadership Council will encourage construction businesses from across the whole supply chain to comply with it.
After this matter was raised by the Hon. Member for Bradford South (Gerry Sutcliffe) at Prime Minister’s Questions on 28 June 2014, I, along with officials from the Insolvency Service, held a meeting with the Hon. Member for Bradford South, Mr Sutcliffe, on 17 July 2014. Mr Sutcliffe is head of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for this issue, and therefore representative of stakeholders’ views. At that meeting he handed over further information from the liquidators of two companies which operated the extended warranty schemes sold by Scottish Power, and we agreed that the Insolvency Service would review this information to ascertain whether or not further investigation was appropriate. It was explained to Mr Sutcliffe that any decision whether or not to commence an investigation using s447 Companies Act would be confidential and the Insolvency Service would not be in a position to confirm that decision or comment further.
It is not the policy of the Secretary of State to announce or comment on confidential enquiries conducted using powers contained in the Companies Acts.
However, the Secretary of State has recently received further information regarding the Extended Warranty schemes sold by Scottish Power between 1997 and 2001 from the liquidators of two companies involved in administering the schemes. Officials are currently reviewing this information together with the conclusions of an earlier investigation to determine what further action, if any, is appropriate.
The Secretary of State has recently received further information regarding the Extended Warranty schemes sold by Scottish Power between 1997 and 2001 from the liquidators of two companies involved in administering the schemes. Officials are currently reviewing this information together with the conclusions of an earlier investigation to determine what further action, if any, is appropriate, within the limits of his powers of investigation under the Companies Acts.
The liquidators have also notified other regulators who may have an interest in this matter and who will be considering their own courses of action.
It should be noted that any decision whether or not to commence an investigation using s447 Companies Act 1986 is confidential and the existence or otherwise of such an investigation will not be announced or commented on.
The Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill will make provision for the implementation of a central registry of company beneficial ownership information. The legislation will set out the obligations and sanctions that will apply to companies and others to ensure that the central registry contains information on the ultimate owners and controllers of UK companies.
Neither Ministers in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills nor officials have discussed the Royal Mail flotation with any of these investors.
Five national organisations and every Electoral Registration Officer in Great Britain are sharing £4.2 million funding aimed at maximising the rate of voter registration, as part of the transition to Individual Electoral Registration.
These organisations have received funding to find new ways of reaching a range of under registered groups such as private renters and encouraging them to register to vote. Electoral Registration Officers have been asked to concentrate on areas of under registration which have historically included private renters,
On-line registration will make it more convenient to register, which will help mobile sections of the population.
Maintained by Royal Mail and is subject to uncertainties (e.g. funds can hold their shares through a range of nominees/custodians).
Based on the Bloomberg register dated 23rd April, we estimate that more than half of the pilot fishing investors allocated shares remain invested and that they hold shares equal to more than 50% of their combined allocations.
Given that the timings of sales and purchases are not available on a fund by fund basis, the Department does not know, and has not made any estimate, of any profits made by these investors (other than Lazard Asset Management whose representative told the Public Accounts Committee on 30 April the level of profit it made on the sale of Royal Mail shares for its clients).
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to the oral question from the Hon. Member for Islington North (Jeremy Corbyn) earlier today.
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
Central Government pays over 80% of undisputed invoices within 5 days. Public Sector authorities are required to pay within 30 days upon receipt of a correct invoice and we encourage suppliers to report issues of late payment to Cabinet Office's Mystery Shopper service.
We are currently implementing Lord Young’s recommendations to ensure that contracting authorities will have a clause in all new contracts mandating payment within 30 days of an undisputed invoice all the way down the supply chain.
The Cabinet Office will be issuing guidance to contracting authorities on this new legislation, including standard contract clauses that can be used in all new contracts.
This Government has transformed central government procurement to make it more accessible to small and medium sized businesses. We are in the process of implementing Lord Young's recommendations to create an SME-friendly ‘single market' in wider public procurement, and we will go even further through reforms in the forthcoming Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill.
The recent audit of charges and benefits in legacy pension schemes was undertaken by an Independent Project Board, on which the Department for Work and Pensions was represented. The data collected as part of the legacy audit which was shared with members of the Independent Project Board was aggregated and anonymised. We do not therefore hold provider or scheme specific information.
Officials from our Embassy in Khartoum have made representations to the Government of Sudan about the detention of Dr. Amin Mekki Medani, Farouk Abu Eissa and Farah Ibrahim Mohamed al-Agar. Additionally, we issued a statement with our Troika partners (the United States and Norway) on 23 December calling for their immediate release.
We are aware that organs removed from executed prisoners are used for human transplantation purposes in China. Chinese law requires that prisoners give prior consent for their organs to be used in this way.
In March 2012, the Chinese government announced plans to phase out the use of organs from executed prisoners for transplant and to create a national organ donation system. We continue to encourage China to make further progress in this respect, including by sharing best practice.
We most recently raised allegations of forced organ removal and the treatment of detainees in China at the UK China Human Rights Dialogue in May 2014. We also highlight our concerns publicly in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy (www.hrdreport.fco.gov.uk).
I raised concerns about the proposed NGO bill with South Sudan Foreign Minister Dr Barnaba Benjamin during a meeting in New York on 25 September. I have since written to Dr Benjamin to reinforce those concerns and provide more detail. The British Embassy in Juba has also made a number of representations to the South Sudanese authorities on this issue over the past year. In September, I met a wide selection of British NGOs operating in South Sudan, to discuss, amongst other topics, their concern about the possible impact of the NGO bill.
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is not a prosecuting authority. Where cases do proceed to the criminal courts the prosecution is carried out by the relevant independent prosecuting authority. This is the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in England and Wales, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) in Scotland, and the Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland (PPSNI). Prosecutions for criminal offences are only instigated against individuals, not companies.
This Government has invested over £917million over this Parliament which has seen the volume of mass market evasion prosecutions implemented as a result of HMRC Criminal Investigations increase fivefold.
The table below shows all prosecutions arising from HMRC criminal investigations including those for money laundering, other prohibitions and restrictions and other non-fiscal offences.
| Year | Total number of persons prosecuted as a result of HMRC Criminal Investigations |
| 2010-11 | 420 |
| 2011-12 | 545 |
| 2012-13 | 770 |
| 2013-14 | 915 |
The following table excludes cases prosecuted for money laundering, other prohibitions and restrictions and other non-fiscal offences as included in the table above and shows prosecutions for tax evasion offences only.
| Year | Total number of persons prosecuted for tax evasion as result of HMRC Criminal Investigations |
| 2010-11 | 372 |
| 2011-12 | 501 |
| 2012-13 | 739 |
| 2013-14 | 880 |
HMRC is not able to supply a time series of full year prosecution decisions and convictions resulting from their criminal investigations for years up to 2009–10. Complete, comparable data is only available from 2010–11 onwards.
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) allocates resources in a flexible manner, so that it maximises performance.
Information on the structure and organisation of HM Revenue and Customs is available at
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrcs-annual-report-and-accounts
The Government carried out a formal consultation, starting in September 2013, on the Capital Requirements Directive's tax transparency proposals for financial institutions which require country-by-country reporting. The records of the consultation are publicly available.
The provisional award Child and Working Tax Credits statistics for December 2013, split by geography, are available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/266640/1312_Geog_sent.xls
Table 2 breaks down Tax Credit claimants by Region and Table 4 by constituency. Those in receipt of WTC are presented within the ‘WTC and CTC' and ‘With no children' columns.
Figures for the current financial year are not yet available, but HMRC are due to publish the next provisional tax credits national statistics for April 2014 on 25 April.
Forecasts of tax credit claimant numbers are not available.
Official statistics on Universal Credit were published on 19 March and can be found at:
DWP announced plans for the next stage of implementation on 5 December, and these were set out in a written ministerial statement (WMS). The WMS can be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/universal-credit-progress
Statistics on numbers in receipt of other benefits are available here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/benefit-expenditure-and-caseload-tables-2014
Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery.
Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at:
Details of officials' meetings with external organisations are not held centrally and it would entail disproportionate cost to collate this information.
The information requested by the Honourable Member is not centrally recorded and as such could only be answered with data collated through a disproportionately expensive manual search of individual case files.
The information requested by the Honourable Member is not centrally recorded and as such could only be answered with data collated through a disproportionately expensive manual search of individual case files.
The Ministry of Defence does not hold comprehensive information centrally on contracts awarded to the shipyards on the Clyde and in Rosyth since 1997. While records of contracts awarded to BAE Systems and Babcock (the owners of Scotstoun, Govan and Rosyth) are available, these cover a wide range of equipment, services and locations and may not all be related to the shipyards. Any analysis would therefore only present a partial picture of the total value of contracts awarded to the shipyards.
I have not made a recent assessment of the effect of the creation of the Backbench Business Committee on the work of the House, but the Government response to the Procedure Committee review, published in February 2013, agreed that the Backbench Business Committee had been 'widely welcomed as a successful and effective innovation'.
I have regular discussions with ministerial colleagues about legislation before the House, including Private Members' Bills.