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1464125

registered interest
date	18/05/2022
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Passports: Applications
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many passport applications are (a) outstanding and (b) remain unprocessed for more than ten weeks.
tabling member constituency	North Thanet
tabling member printed	Sir Roger Gale
uin	4446
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/06/2022 answer text <p>Since April 2021, people have been advised to allow up to ten weeks when applying for their British passport as more than 5 million people delayed applying due to the pandemic. 98.6% of all passport applications are dealt well within 10 weeks and we are processing around 250,000 per week,</p><p> </p><p>A British passport cannot be issued until all checks are satisfactorily completed to ensure the applicant is entitled to hold one. If further information is required to enable an application to be progressed, then it will take longer.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 08/06/2022 08:00:47 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster previous answer version 2235 answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	87 label Biography information for Sir Roger Gale

1464126

registered interest
date	18/05/2022
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Passports: Applications
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the backlog of outstanding passport applications.
tabling member constituency	North Thanet
tabling member printed	Sir Roger Gale
uin	4447
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/05/2022 answer text <p>Ahead of unrestricted international travel returning, HM Passport Office prepared extensively to serve an unprecedented number of customers, with 9.5 million British passport applications forecasted throughout 2022.</p><p>These preparations have ensured that passport applications can be processed in higher numbers than ever before. Across March and April 2022, HM Passport Office completed the processing of approximately two million applications.</p><p>Ministers continue to meet regularly with officials to monitor performance, and to explore further options that will help to ensure that people receive their passports in good time.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 24/05/2022 09:20:27 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster previous answer version 2234 answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	87 label Biography information for Sir Roger Gale

1287109

registered interest
date	19/02/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Powers of Attorney
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent estimate his Department has made of the average length of time taken to process an application for a Power of Attorney.
tabling member constituency	North Thanet
tabling member printed	Sir Roger Gale
uin	154682
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/03/2021 answer text <p>As of 23/2/2021 the average time taken to process and dispatch a lasting power of attorney (LPA) was 57 days against the target of 40 days. The target includes a statutory four week waiting period. As a comparison, the October average came in at 61 days. The 40-day target was achieved in 2019/20.</p><p>The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) has seen an increase in the time taken to process an LPA since COVID-19 began impacting the workplace.</p><p>LPAs are paper documents that require a physical staff presence in an office to process and register. The number of staff available to attend the office to carry out the physical activities is significantly reduced due to COVID-19 and the need to maintain a COVID secure office through social distancing. Measures were introduced to focus on enabling as much remote working as possible and increasing the number of staff hours available in the office through overtime payments and weekend working.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk question first answered 01/03/2021 15:47:02 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
tabling member	87 label Biography information for Sir Roger Gale

1243003

registered interest
date	13/10/2020
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	UK Trade with EU
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether GB issued EORI numbers will be valid in Europe after 31 December 2020.
tabling member constituency	North Thanet
tabling member printed	Sir Roger Gale
uin	102652
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/10/2020 answer text <p>After 31 December 2020 when the transition period ends, GB prefixed EORI numbers will no longer be valid in Europe.</p><p>Businesses exporting goods from, or importing goods into, the UK will need an EORI number from the UK in order to submit a customs declaration to UK customs.</p><p>UK businesses which currently trade with non-EU countries will already have an EORI number. If this number starts with “GB” then it was issued by the UK and will continue to be valid for the purposes of submitting customs declarations in the UK from January 2021.</p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman question first answered 16/10/2020 13:13:46 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
tabling member	87 label Biography information for Sir Roger Gale

1237969

registered interest
date	25/09/2020
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	UK Trade with EU
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans for the Smart Freight facility to be (a) trialled and (b) operational.
tabling member constituency	North Thanet
tabling member printed	Sir Roger Gale
uin	95585
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/10/2020 answer text <p>Further to my answer given to <a href="https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2020-09-21/92705" target="_blank">PQ92705</a> on 2 October 2020, the ‘Check an HGV is ready to cross the border’ service will be the mechanism for issuing Kent Access Permits. Government will soon publish its response to the consultation exercise regarding necessary legislative changes.</p> answering member constituency Portsmouth North answering member printed Penny Mordaunt grouped question UIN 95586 question first answered 07/10/2020 16:59:13 answering member 4017 label Biography information for Penny Mordaunt
tabling member	87 label Biography information for Sir Roger Gale

1216889

registered interest
date	22/06/2020
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Cats and Dogs: Smuggling
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will increase the sentences for the illegal importation of dogs and cats to include provision for a significant custodial sentence upon conviction.
tabling member constituency	North Thanet
tabling member printed	Sir Roger Gale
uin	63202
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/06/2020 answer text <p>Defra takes the issue of puppy smuggling and other illegal importation of pets seriously. It is an abhorrent trade which causes suffering to puppies and puts the health of pets and people in the UK at risk. We have legislation in place to ensure those guilty of offences are duly punished.</p><p> </p><p>We are listening to the concerns of stakeholders around future requirements and the Government is developing a range of options to strengthen our efforts to tackle puppy smuggling, taking into consideration the recommendations of stakeholders such as Dogs Trust. The end of the Transition Period may open up new opportunities for managing our own pet travel arrangements. As part of our wider work in this area, we have conducted a renewed rabies risk assessment and have commissioned assessments to understand the risks posed by tapeworms, as well as ticks and tick-borne disease. The results of these will be used to inform our future policy options.</p><p> </p><p>Regarding specific sentencing options, the end of the Transition Period will again present new opportunities. We want to ensure that there are robust controls on disease and animal welfare whilst allowing pet owners to continue to be able to travel to and from the EU with the minimum of disruption.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis grouped question UIN 63200 63201 question first answered 29/06/2020 15:28:38 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	87 label Biography information for Sir Roger Gale

1188169

registered interest
date	20/04/2020
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Off-payroll Working
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of IR35 tax reforms on rates of employment amongst contractors.
tabling member constituency	North Thanet
tabling member printed	Sir Roger Gale
uin	37376
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/04/2020 answer text <p>The off-payroll working rules are designed to ensure that someone working like an employee, but through a company, pays similar levels of tax to other employees. It is fair that individuals who work in a similar way should pay broadly the same amount of tax. The rules do not apply to the self-employed or stop anyone working through their own company.</p><p> </p><p>In January 2020, the Government launched a review into the implementation of the reform of the rules. The Government is aware that some organisations are considering whether PSCs are the best way to engage contractors who are working like employees. Businesses reported that where individuals had been moved onto payroll, this was a result of a review of the structure of their workforce.</p><p> </p><p>However, the Government has not seen any evidence that this indicates an overall change in demand for the services and skills that contractors offer, but will continue to monitor impacts on the labour market. For contractors who would prefer to continue to use a PSC, many organisations will still choose to engage contractors in this way, where this suits their business model.</p><p> </p><p>Independent research on the impacts of the reform in the public sector has suggested that it did not reduce market flexibility or affect the use of contingent labour.</p><p> </p><p>At Budget 2018, the independent OBR did not judge the forthcoming reform to have any specific macroeconomic impacts. This was reiterated in the Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) published in July 2019, which sets out HMRC’s assessment of the impact of the reform to the off-payroll working rules. The TIIN can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rules-for-off-payroll-working-from-april-2020/rules-for-off-payroll-working-from-april-2020" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rules-for-off-payroll-working-from-april-2020/rules-for-off-payroll-working-from-april-2020</a>.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman grouped question UIN 37377 question first answered 27/04/2020 08:00:55 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
tabling member	87 label Biography information for Sir Roger Gale

1188170

registered interest
date	20/04/2020
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Off-payroll Working
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of IR35 tax reforms on (a) the economy and (b) flexibility in the workforce.
tabling member constituency	North Thanet
tabling member printed	Sir Roger Gale
uin	37377
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/04/2020 answer text <p>The off-payroll working rules are designed to ensure that someone working like an employee, but through a company, pays similar levels of tax to other employees. It is fair that individuals who work in a similar way should pay broadly the same amount of tax. The rules do not apply to the self-employed or stop anyone working through their own company.</p><p> </p><p>In January 2020, the Government launched a review into the implementation of the reform of the rules. The Government is aware that some organisations are considering whether PSCs are the best way to engage contractors who are working like employees. Businesses reported that where individuals had been moved onto payroll, this was a result of a review of the structure of their workforce.</p><p> </p><p>However, the Government has not seen any evidence that this indicates an overall change in demand for the services and skills that contractors offer, but will continue to monitor impacts on the labour market. For contractors who would prefer to continue to use a PSC, many organisations will still choose to engage contractors in this way, where this suits their business model.</p><p> </p><p>Independent research on the impacts of the reform in the public sector has suggested that it did not reduce market flexibility or affect the use of contingent labour.</p><p> </p><p>At Budget 2018, the independent OBR did not judge the forthcoming reform to have any specific macroeconomic impacts. This was reiterated in the Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) published in July 2019, which sets out HMRC’s assessment of the impact of the reform to the off-payroll working rules. The TIIN can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rules-for-off-payroll-working-from-april-2020/rules-for-off-payroll-working-from-april-2020" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rules-for-off-payroll-working-from-april-2020/rules-for-off-payroll-working-from-april-2020</a>.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman grouped question UIN 37376 question first answered 27/04/2020 08:00:55 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
tabling member	87 label Biography information for Sir Roger Gale

1188171

registered interest
date	20/04/2020
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	Migrant Workers
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the number of UK nationals working as contractors who have been replaced by specialists from overseas in the latest period for which figures are available.
tabling member constituency	North Thanet
tabling member printed	Sir Roger Gale
uin	37378
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/04/2020 answer text <p>The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.</p> answering member constituency Norwich North answering member printed Chloe Smith question first answered 24/04/2020 13:37:30 answering member 1609 label Biography information for Chloe Smith attachment 1 file name PQ37378.pdf title UKSA Response
tabling member	87 label Biography information for Sir Roger Gale

1188769

registered interest
date	20/04/2020
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	USA: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reciprocal arrangements the Government has made with the US Administration to extend the length of visas for UK and US citizens currently in either country whose visas are due to expire and who are unable to return home because of the covid-19 pandemic.
tabling member constituency	North Thanet
tabling member printed	Sir Roger Gale
uin	37380
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/04/2020 answer text <p>The UK is in regular contact at the highest levels with our US partners on our joint response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, including discussions on how to enable travelling nationals to return home where necessary. It is up to individual countries how they manage their response to the virus, including immigration policy.</p><p>British travellers currently in the USA will be allowed to leave to return home. British travellers who entered the USA on an Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) visa and are concerned that their period of admission is about to expire are able to apply for Satisfactory Departure from the US Customs and Border Protection. This discretionary authority permits US Citizenship and Immigration Services and US Customs and Border Protection to extend an ESTA admission for a period not to exceed 30 days.</p><p>Most US citizens in the UK can stay for up to 6 months without a visa. If US citizen's visa is expiring and they cannot leave the UK at present because of travel restrictions or self-isolation related to COVID-19, they are able to request an extension from the Home Office's Coronavirus Immigration Team (CIT) and their visa will be extended to 31 May 2020.</p> answering member constituency Aldridge-Brownhills answering member printed Wendy Morton question first answered 27/04/2020 07:53:17 answering member 4358 label Biography information for Wendy Morton
tabling member	87 label Biography information for Sir Roger Gale