Show Search Form

Search Results

registered interest	true false
date	exactly: or between: and
answering body
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
legislature	pref label
question text
tabling member constituency
tabling member printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member constituency answering member printed grouped question UIN question first answered answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

101531

registered interest
date	29/10/2014
answering body	HM Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Tax Avoidance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts about measures to reduce tax avoidance; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Kemptown
tabling member printed	Simon Kirby
uin	212452
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/11/2014 answer text <p>The UK is at the forefront of multilateral action through the G8, G20, European Union and OECD to tackle this issue of corporate tax avoidance. 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 now underway at the OECD, in the form of the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) project. The BEPS project is the most comprehensive reform of the international tax rules with the aim of ensuring that multinational enterprises pay their fair share of tax, in the jurisdictions where their economic activity is located. The project has 44 participant countries, 21 of which are within the EU.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>At the UK’s Lough Erne summit in June 2013 the G8 leaders confirmed their support for the ongoing G20/OECD work.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>At their September 2013 summit in St Petersburg, the G20 Leaders fully endorsed the ambitious and comprehensive BEPS Action Plan set out over 2014 and 2015.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>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.</p><p> </p><p>The G8 called on the OECD to develop a common template for multinationals to report profit and tax information to tax authorities to help assess risks. This work was included in the BEPS Action Plan (action 13) and was one of seven outputs achieved in 2014.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Subsequently, the UK announced that 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>Discussions are ongoing in G20 Finance Minister’s and ECOFIN meetings to ensure that the momentum of the BEPS project is maintained, so that the project is completed successfully and on time.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Further to the BEPS project, international work with G20 and EU counterparts is ongoing with the Automatic Exchange of Information policy.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The UK put tax transparency at the heart of its presidency of the G8, calling for the creation of a new global standard on automatic tax information exchange to tackle offshore tax evasion. The new global standard was developed by the OECD and agreed in July 2014. At the March European Council leaders committed to implement the standard in the EU through agreement of the amended Administrative Co-operation Directive, which they aim to agree by the end of the year.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In total 92 countries and have now committed to implement the new global standard, with the first information exchanged no later than 2018. This includes all EU Member States, all of the UK’s Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories with a financial centre and the majority of the world’s financial centres. Of these countries and jurisdictions, 51 have already signed an international agreement to implement the standard.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency South West Hertfordshire answering member printed Mr David Gauke grouped question UIN 212453 question first answered 05/11/2014 17:58:27 answering member 1529 label Biography information for Mr David Gauke
tabling member	3929 label Biography information for Simon Kirby

101532

registered interest
date	29/10/2014
answering body	HM Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Tax Avoidance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with his G7 counterparts about measures to reduce tax avoidance; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Kemptown
tabling member printed	Simon Kirby
uin	212453
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/11/2014 answer text <p>The UK is at the forefront of multilateral action through the G8, G20, European Union and OECD to tackle this issue of corporate tax avoidance. 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 now underway at the OECD, in the form of the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) project. The BEPS project is the most comprehensive reform of the international tax rules with the aim of ensuring that multinational enterprises pay their fair share of tax, in the jurisdictions where their economic activity is located. The project has 44 participant countries, 21 of which are within the EU.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>At the UK’s Lough Erne summit in June 2013 the G8 leaders confirmed their support for the ongoing G20/OECD work.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>At their September 2013 summit in St Petersburg, the G20 Leaders fully endorsed the ambitious and comprehensive BEPS Action Plan set out over 2014 and 2015.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>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.</p><p> </p><p>The G8 called on the OECD to develop a common template for multinationals to report profit and tax information to tax authorities to help assess risks. This work was included in the BEPS Action Plan (action 13) and was one of seven outputs achieved in 2014.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Subsequently, the UK announced that 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>Discussions are ongoing in G20 Finance Minister’s and ECOFIN meetings to ensure that the momentum of the BEPS project is maintained, so that the project is completed successfully and on time.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Further to the BEPS project, international work with G20 and EU counterparts is ongoing with the Automatic Exchange of Information policy.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The UK put tax transparency at the heart of its presidency of the G8, calling for the creation of a new global standard on automatic tax information exchange to tackle offshore tax evasion. The new global standard was developed by the OECD and agreed in July 2014. At the March European Council leaders committed to implement the standard in the EU through agreement of the amended Administrative Co-operation Directive, which they aim to agree by the end of the year.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In total 92 countries and have now committed to implement the new global standard, with the first information exchanged no later than 2018. This includes all EU Member States, all of the UK’s Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories with a financial centre and the majority of the world’s financial centres. Of these countries and jurisdictions, 51 have already signed an international agreement to implement the standard.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency South West Hertfordshire answering member printed Mr David Gauke grouped question UIN 212452 question first answered 05/11/2014 17:58:27 answering member 1529 label Biography information for Mr David Gauke
tabling member	3929 label Biography information for Simon Kirby

101558

registered interest
date	29/10/2014
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Montenegro
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his NATO counterparts about offering a Membership Action Plan for Montenegro; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Kemptown
tabling member printed	Simon Kirby
uin	212391
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/11/2014 answer text <p>The first cycle of Montenegro’s Membership Action Plan was initiated in 2009.</p><p>The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), together with his counterparts from NATO Allies, met NATO’s aspiring members, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Macedonia and Montenegro, on 4 September 2014 during the NATO Summit in Wales to discuss their progress towards joining the Alliance. The Allies welcomed the significant progress made by Montenegro in its reforms and looked to Montenegro to continue its efforts to address the remaining challenges, particularly with respect to the rule of law and completing security sector reform.</p><p>At the Summit, NATO Foreign Ministers agreed to commence ‘intensified and focused talks’ with Montenegro before reassessing their progress no later than December 2015. As a part of this process NATO’s Military Committee visited Montenegro on 27-28 October 2014.</p><p>The United Kingdom strongly supports NATO’s Open Door policy on enlargement and welcomes the membership aspirations of all the countries currently seeking to join the Alliance.</p> answering member constituency Aylesbury answering member printed Mr David Lidington question first answered 05/11/2014 14:52:20 answering member 15 label Biography information for Sir David Lidington
tabling member	3929 label Biography information for Simon Kirby

101559

registered interest
date	29/10/2014
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Macedonia
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Macedonian counterpart about the possibility of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia joining NATO; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Kemptown
tabling member printed	Simon Kirby
uin	212392
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/11/2014 answer text The first cycle of Macedonia’s Membership Action Plan was initiated in 1999 and in 2008 the Allies agreed that an invitation to join NATO would be extended as soon as a mutually acceptable solution to the issue over its name has been reached with Greece within the framework established by the UN. This condition has not yet been fulfilled. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) together with his counterparts from NATO Allies, met NATO’s aspiring members, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Macedonia and Montenegro, on 4 September 2014 during the NATO Summit in Wales to discuss their progress towards joining the Alliance. At the Summit, the Allies reaffirmed their continued support for Macedonia’s eventual membership and encouraged them to meet the established conditions on which their next steps towards NATO depend. The United Kingdom strongly supports NATO’s Open Door policy on enlargement and welcomes the membership aspirations of all the countries currently seeking to join the Alliance. answering member constituency Aylesbury answering member printed Mr David Lidington question first answered 05/11/2014 14:49:38 answering member 15 label Biography information for Sir David Lidington
tabling member	3929 label Biography information for Simon Kirby

101561

registered interest
date	29/10/2014
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Georgia
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with NATO counterparts about offering a Membership Action Plan for Georgia; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Kemptown
tabling member printed	Simon Kirby
uin	212462
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/11/2014 answer text <p>The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge, (Mr Hammond) together with his counterparts from NATO Allies, met NATO’s aspiring members, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Macedonia and Montenegro, on 4 September 2014 during the NATO Summit in Wales to discuss their progress towards joining the Alliance.</p><p>At the Summit, NATO Foreign Ministers agreed to provide Georgia with a ‘substantial package’ of support and engagement measures in recognition of the reform progress it has made.</p><p>Georgia was awarded an Annual National Programme, which is the tool used by MAP countries, in 2008. It continues to reflect Georgia’s strong and productive relationship with NATO and their commitment to the reform process.</p><p>The United Kingdom strongly supports NATO’s Open Door policy on enlargement and welcomes the membership aspirations of all the countries currently seeking to join the Alliance.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Aylesbury answering member printed Mr David Lidington question first answered 05/11/2014 15:01:29 answering member 15 label Biography information for Sir David Lidington
tabling member	3929 label Biography information for Simon Kirby

101640

registered interest
date	29/10/2014
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Bosnia and Herzegovina
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his NATO counterparts on the possibility of offering a Membership Action Plan for Bosnia and Herzegovina; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Kemptown
tabling member printed	Simon Kirby
uin	212442
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/11/2014 answer text <p>Bosnia and Herzegovina was invited to initiate their first cycle of a Membership Action Plan in 2010 on the condition that they register their immovable defence property. This condition has not yet been fulfilled.</p><p>The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), together with his counterparts from NATO Allies, met NATO’s aspiring members, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Macedonia and Montenegro, on 4 September 2014 during the NATO Summit in Wales to discuss their progress towards joining the Alliance.</p><p>At the Summit, the Allies reaffirmed their continued support for Bosnia and Herzegovina’s eventual membership and encouraged them to meet the established conditions on which their next steps towards NATO depend.</p><p>The United Kingdom strongly supports NATO’s Open Door policy on enlargement and welcomes the membership aspirations of all the countries currently seeking to join the Alliance.</p> answering member constituency Aylesbury answering member printed Mr David Lidington question first answered 05/11/2014 15:05:55 answering member 15 label Biography information for Sir David Lidington
tabling member	3929 label Biography information for Simon Kirby

101641

registered interest
date	29/10/2014
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Macedonia
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his NATO counterparts on the possibility of offering a Membership Action Plan for the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Kemptown
tabling member printed	Simon Kirby
uin	212443
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/11/2014 answer text <p>The first cycle of Macedonia’s Membership Action Plan was initiated in 1999 and in 2008 the Allies agreed that an invitation to join NATO would be extended as soon as a mutually acceptable solution to the issue over its name has been reached with Greece within the framework established by the UN. This condition has not yet been fulfilled.</p><p>The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commomwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), together with his counterparts from NATO Allies, met NATO’s aspiring members, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Macedonia and Montenegro, on 4 September 2014 during the NATO Summit in Wales to discuss their progress towards joining the Alliance.</p><p>At the Summit, the Allies reaffirmed their continued support for Macedonia’s eventual membership and encouraged them to meet the established conditions on which their next steps towards NATO depend.</p><p>The United Kingdom strongly supports NATO’s Open Door policy on enlargement and welcomes the membership aspirations of all the countries currently seeking to join the Alliance.</p> answering member constituency Aylesbury answering member printed Mr David Lidington question first answered 05/11/2014 15:03:12 answering member 15 label Biography information for Sir David Lidington
tabling member	3929 label Biography information for Simon Kirby

101307

registered interest
date	28/10/2014
answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept id	26
answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
hansard heading	Social Enterprises: South East
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many social enterprises there were in (a) Brighton and Hove, (b) East Sussex and (c) the South East in the most recent period for which figures are available.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Kemptown
tabling member printed	Simon Kirby
uin	212201
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/11/2014 answer text <p>The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) does not produce statistics giving geographical breakdowns of the number of social enterprises. National level estimates are produced using the Small Business Survey, which does not have a sufficiently large sample to provide sub-national estimates. BIS estimates there are 280,000 social enterprises in the UK.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 05/11/2014 12:54:28 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
tabling member	3929 label Biography information for Simon Kirby

101364

registered interest
date	28/10/2014
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Youth Custody: Education
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to provide children in custody with better education; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Kemptown
tabling member printed	Simon Kirby
uin	212207
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/11/2014 answer text <p /> <p>We are putting education at the heart of youth custody. We intend to open a Secure College pathfinder in Leicestershire in 2017, to give young people the skills, qualifications and self-discipline needed to turn their back on crime and become productive members of society.</p><p> </p><p>Secure Colleges will have strong educational leadership, with a head teacher or principal at the centre of the leadership team. They will put learning, vocational training and life skills at the core of a regime which educates and rehabilitates young offenders.</p><p> </p><p>At present young people in Youth Offending Institutions (YOIs) receive only 12 hours of education per week on average, which is insufficient. A competition is underway for new contracts which will more than double the number of hours young people in YOIs spend in education each week. There will be a focus on providing an equivalent quality of education to that offered outside custody. Providers will be challenged to deliver a broad and engaging curriculum reflecting the needs, abilities and ambitions of young people in YOIs, including an emphasis on core skills, vocational training and employment skills. Providers will also deliver a dedicated outreach service for any young people unable to attend classroom education. The Provider teams will be led by a head teacher or principal overseeing delivery of education. This person will also be a member of the senior management team of the establishment. The new service is due to commence in spring 2015 with a requirement that each YOI achieves a ‘Good’ Ofsted rating by Spring 2016.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 04/11/2014 17:23:35 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	3929 label Biography information for Simon Kirby

101389

registered interest
date	28/10/2014
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	South Ossetia
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to promote dialogue between the Georgian government and South Ossetia; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Kemptown
tabling member printed	Simon Kirby
uin	212200
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/11/2014 answer text The UK continues to encourage all parties to the conflicts in Georgia, including Russia, to work constructively towards a long-term settlement. We hold frequent discussions with the Georgian government encouraging them to engage with the breakaway regions and with international processes including the Geneva International Talks, the only forum at present where all parties to the conflict meet. We also engage with the EU and other international partners to explore how dialogue between Georgia and its breakaway regions could be promoted. The UK-Georgia Dialogue in London in late November will provide a further opportunity to discuss Georgia’s approach to Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The UK plays a leading role in funding projects aimed at improving engagement and dialogue across the conflict divide. For the 2014/15 financial year, the UK is funding over £1.2 million of projects in Georgia from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Ministry of Defence, and Department for International Development Conflict Pool focused on this issue. answering member constituency Aylesbury answering member printed Mr David Lidington question first answered 04/11/2014 15:13:39 answering member 15 label Biography information for Sir David Lidington
tabling member	3929 label Biography information for Simon Kirby