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155413

registered interest
date	11/11/2014
answering body	HM Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Taxation: Treaties
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the scope of the Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement on automatic exchange of taxpayer information recently signed in Berlin; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Foyle
tabling member printed	Mark Durkan
uin	214326
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/11/2014 answer text <p>The Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement (MCAA) signed in Berlin is the instrument which will give effect to exchange under the new global standard of automatic tax information exchange by its signatories. At the signing event in Berlin 51 countries and jurisdictions signed the MCAA and we expect the other countries committed to implementation to do so shortly.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Implementation of the global standard will lead to step change in the international communities’ ability to tackle offshore tax evasion.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Witham answering member printed Priti Patel question first answered 17/11/2014 16:47:53 answering member 4066 label Biography information for Priti Patel
tabling member	1594 label Biography information for Mark Durkan

155415

registered interest
date	11/11/2014
answering body	HM Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Taxation: Developing Countries
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how he plans to respond to the OECD's proposals on involvement of low income countries in development of the automatic exchange of tax payer information.
tabling member constituency	Foyle
tabling member printed	Mark Durkan
uin	214411
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/11/2014 answer text <p>As made clear during our G8 Presidency, we are committed to helping developing countries benefit from increased tax transparency including the new global standard of automatic exchange of information. Since G20 Finance Ministers welcomed the Global Forum’s Roadmap in September, my officials and their counterparts in DfID and HMRC have engaged in discussions with a number of developing countries on the possibility of piloting implementation of the new global standard. These discussions are ongoing.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency South West Hertfordshire answering member printed Mr David Gauke grouped question UIN 214410 question first answered 24/11/2014 13:53:20 answering member 1529 label Biography information for Mr David Gauke
tabling member	1594 label Biography information for Mark Durkan

155416

registered interest
date	11/11/2014
answering body	HM Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Tax Avoidance: Multinational Companies
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his policy is on the Base Erosion and Profit Sharing process; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Foyle
tabling member printed	Mark Durkan
uin	214412
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/11/2014 answer text <p>The UK is at the forefront of multilateral action through the G20 and OECD to tackle the issue of tax avoidance by multinational enterprise. The UK used its Presidency of the G8 to successfully build international support for this work.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Work is well underway at the OECD, in the form of the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) project. The first phase of the BEPS project is now complete, with participants reaching agreement on seven reports which have been produced by the OECD and endorsed by G20 Finance Ministers at their Summit in Cairns 20-21 September.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Of these outputs, this government has already taken domestic action towards implementation. In September 2014 the UK announced it would be the first of 44 countries to formally commit to implementing the newly agreed BEPS output of a country-by-country reporting template.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Subsequently, in October 2014 the UK announced its commitment to publish a consultation on the BEPs project’s 2014 output to neutralise hybrid mismatches - a tax avoidance technique used by multinationals to exploit differences between countries’ tax rules to avoid paying tax in either country, or to obtain more tax relief against profits than they are entitled to.</p><p> </p><p>The BEPS project is due to finish by December 2015. In order to achieve success by creating effective recommendations for the remaining Actions, in line with the Action Plan, the collaboration and momentum of the process must continue.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>As set out in the publication at Budget 14, one of the key principles underpinning the UK’s approach to the BEPS project is that the solutions should be consistent with the Government’s wish to promote UK growth and competitiveness.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Whilst the project will not be completed until the end of 2015, if we can achieve our goals, we will succeed in fundamentally changing the international tax landscape, and shift the balance of the rules in favour of tax authorities, enabling us to clamp down on those who refuse to play by the rules.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency South West Hertfordshire answering member printed Mr David Gauke question first answered 24/11/2014 16:54:10 answering member 1529 label Biography information for Mr David Gauke
tabling member	1594 label Biography information for Mark Durkan

155417

registered interest
date	11/11/2014
answering body	HM Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Taxation: Developing Countries
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the G20's 2013 St Petersburg Declaration, what plans he has for a spillover analysis of the effects of UK tax rules on developing countries.
tabling member constituency	Foyle
tabling member printed	Mark Durkan
uin	214389
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/11/2014 answer text <p>The St Petersburg Declaration refers to Action 11 of the G20-OECD Base Erosion and Profit Shifting project, which is developing an economic analysis to determine the scale and impact of aggressive tax planning by multinationals, including on the spillover effects into other countries. The UK supports this work.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency South West Hertfordshire answering member printed Mr David Gauke question first answered 20/11/2014 17:23:11 answering member 1529 label Biography information for Mr David Gauke
tabling member	1594 label Biography information for Mark Durkan

155418

registered interest
date	11/11/2014
answering body	HM Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Taxation: Developing Countries
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will pilot a scheme on automatic information exchange with a developing country.
tabling member constituency	Foyle
tabling member printed	Mark Durkan
uin	214410
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/11/2014 answer text <p>As made clear during our G8 Presidency, we are committed to helping developing countries benefit from increased tax transparency including the new global standard of automatic exchange of information. Since G20 Finance Ministers welcomed the Global Forum’s Roadmap in September, my officials and their counterparts in DfID and HMRC have engaged in discussions with a number of developing countries on the possibility of piloting implementation of the new global standard. These discussions are ongoing.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency South West Hertfordshire answering member printed Mr David Gauke grouped question UIN 214411 question first answered 24/11/2014 13:53:20 answering member 1529 label Biography information for Mr David Gauke
tabling member	1594 label Biography information for Mark Durkan

147584

registered interest
date	10/11/2014
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Passports: India
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average processing time is for first-time UK child passport applications submitted via the British High Commission in New Delhi, India.
tabling member constituency	Foyle
tabling member printed	Mark Durkan
uin	214090
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/11/2014 answer text <p>All passport applications from persons resident in India are submitted via one of the visa application centres in India. The .gov.uk website sets out the expected turnaround times for applications from individual countries. These are provided as a guide so that the applicant is aware of the minimum period they may expect their application to take once it has been received by HM Passport Office in the UK. Applications from India are expected to take a minimum of 16 weeks. The time taken to process an individual case varies depending on the circumstances of the case, whether HM Passport Office needs to ask for further information or documents, or whether the photographs which accompany the application are rejected.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Old Bexley and Sidcup answering member printed James Brokenshire question first answered 17/11/2014 10:08:51 answering member 1530 label Biography information for James Brokenshire
tabling member	1594 label Biography information for Mark Durkan

100898

registered interest
date	24/10/2014
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Developing Countries: Disease Control
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the value of the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership as a mechanism for co-ordinating research into (a) a new tuberculosis vaccine and (b) paediatric formulations for antiretroviral treatment.
tabling member constituency	Foyle
tabling member printed	Mark Durkan
uin	211854
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/10/2014 answer text <p>The European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) provides an effective coordination mechanism for clinical research. Member States provide funding which is matched by the European Commission, and funding is also provided from third parties (e.g. philanthropic foundations and the private sector). .</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>EDCTP has played an important role in research into a new tuberculosis (TB) vaccine, by increasing the amount of TB vaccine trial activity in countries with a high burden of TB. This includes capacity building and developing sustainable infrastructures which will facilitate TB vaccine trials in the future, as new products emerge. EDTCP has also helped to improve paediatric formulations of antiretroviral treatment (ART). The findings from EDCTP-funded research were used by WHO to develop treatment guidelines for children. This resulted in the first fixed-dose combination antiretroviral drug being made available for a large number of HIV-infected children.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency New Forest West answering member printed Mr Desmond Swayne question first answered 29/10/2014 17:49:17 answering member 55 label Biography information for Sir Desmond Swayne
tabling member	1594 label Biography information for Mark Durkan

100899

registered interest
date	24/10/2014
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Developing Countries: Disease Control
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the UK has taken as Chair of the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) General Assembly to encourage other member states of EDCTP to increase their contributions to and investment in the partnership.
tabling member constituency	Foyle
tabling member printed	Mark Durkan
uin	211855
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/10/2014 answer text <p>In 2013, the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) member state partners agreed to commit Euros 125million to the second phase of the EDCTP programme. Members also agreed to commit up to a further Euros 1.5billion of in-kind contributions, such as support for infrastructure and staff time. This was a significant increase in contributions and investment from the first phase of the programme.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Progress made by EDCTP members towards meeting these commitments will be published in the business plan. Progress will be monitored by the European Commission and by the General Assembly, which is currently chaired by the UK.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency New Forest West answering member printed Mr Desmond Swayne question first answered 29/10/2014 17:50:30 answering member 55 label Biography information for Sir Desmond Swayne
tabling member	1594 label Biography information for Mark Durkan

100902

registered interest
date	24/10/2014
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Developing Countries: Disease Control
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the value of the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership as a mechanism for co-ordinating research into global health goods.
tabling member constituency	Foyle
tabling member printed	Mark Durkan
uin	211856
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/10/2014 answer text <p>The European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) provides an effective coordination mechanism for clinical research, making effective use of available funding, and coordinating technical and research expertise from a variety of countries and sectors over a ten year period. This long-term coordination is important, given the nature of the research the EDCTP supports.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The European Commission undertakes impact assessments of EDCTP, in line with the requirements of the European Parliament and European Council. The UK has used these assessments for the ongoing process of review of spend and to judge the value and impact of the programme.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency New Forest West answering member printed Mr Desmond Swayne question first answered 29/10/2014 17:51:13 answering member 55 label Biography information for Sir Desmond Swayne
tabling member	1594 label Biography information for Mark Durkan

92006

registered interest
date	26/09/2014
answering body	Department of Health
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health
answering dept sort name	Health
hansard heading	Bone Marrow Register
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to inform young people aged 16 and over about joining the bone marrow donor register.
tabling member constituency	Foyle
tabling member printed	Mark Durkan
uin	209340
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/10/2014 answer text <p>NHS Blood and Transport (NHSBT) manages the British Bone Marrow Registry (BBMR), the NHS Cord Blood Bank and provides specialist services related to the provision of stem cells which can turn into blood cells for the treatment of blood cancers and is responsible for raising awareness of these issues.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>NHSBT recruits stem cell donors to the BBMR exclusively from the pool of active blood donors (aged 17 years and above), however those wishing to join at age 16, can do so through Anthony Nolan.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>All registered stem cell donors are in the United Kingdom's aligned register. Anthony Nolan manages this single UK bone marrow register, which is known as the 'Anthony Nolan &amp; NHS Stem Cell Registry', and is aligned with the NHS BBMR and the Welsh Bone Marrow Donor Registry.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>NHSBT has programmes in place to support education about donation and transplantation for children and young adults including Give and Let Live, a national education programme aimed at promoting awareness of bone marrow, blood, tissue, cord blood and organ donation amongst 14-16 year old pupils.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Within the UK strategy ‘Taking Organ Transplantation to 2020’ (published in July 2013 and available at www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/to2020/), the UK Government Health Departments have agreed to explore with Education Departments the possibility of incorporating donation and transplantation into schools’ curricula.</p><p> </p><p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Battersea answering member printed Jane Ellison question first answered 20/10/2014 17:43:15 answering member 3918 label Biography information for Jane Ellison
tabling member	1594 label Biography information for Mark Durkan