Simon Kirby: HM Treasury does not record the number of passes issued by year. 8,499 passes are currently valid for the shared Government offices Great George Street building.
Simon Kirby: Civil Servants have the ability to work flexibly across government sites where there is a business need to do so. The issuing of all passes is controlled by the local Departmental Security teams. Information on the number of people holding security passes for other government departments which could grant access to the Government Offices Great George Street premises is not centrally recorded.
Simon Kirby: The core Treasury procurement spend on management consultancy services for each year since 2010 is shown below: 2015-16 2014-15 2013-14 2012-13 2011-12 2010-11 £5.75m £0.56m £0.49m £0.88m £0.13m £1.19m Cross-government costing projects account for the increase in spend in the year 2015-16.
Simon Kirby: NS&I reviews the Premium Bonds prize structure regularly to ensure that it provides fair value to both customers and taxpayers. In February 2017, NS&I announced a reduction to the Premium Bond prize fund rate from 1.25% to 1.15%. This change will take effect on 1 May. As part of this change, NS&I has sought to maintain a similar overall number of prizes by reducing the number of prizes in...
Simon Kirby: The Government is committed to increasing competition in banking. Although it is a commercial decision for banks to set their own lending criteria when lending to private landlords, to rent to those in receipt of housing benefit, the UK has a competitive mortgage market capable of serving a range of different business models.
Simon Kirby: I reassure the hon. Gentleman that the Treasury and the Department for Exiting the European Union are working closely on that issue. As we exit the EU, we will look to negotiate the best deal possible so that we can continue to work together to maintain justice and security both in the UK and across Europe.
Simon Kirby: If only we could do that; we do not have the ability to do so. What I can say is that in March 2017 we published the draft money laundering regulations and announced plans for a new watchdog to ensure supervisors and law enforcement work together more effectively. Since 2010, law enforcement have seized £1.4 billion in illegal funds.
Simon Kirby: We are of course a founding member of the Financial Action Task Force, which sets international standards for anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing. After exiting the EU, the UK will continue to lead in FATF and around the world.
Simon Kirby: Would you mind, Mr Speaker, if I started by sending my congratulations to Brighton & Hove Albion on their promotion to the premier league? They are an important part of the south-east economy. At the autumn statement, we allocated £351 million to the south-east from the local growth fund, and the south-east will also benefit from more than £21 million from the coastal communities fund.
Simon Kirby: I am fully aware of the problems on the A27 and their impact on the A259 in my constituency, and I look forward to doing all I can to work with my hon. Friend to reach a solution.
Simon Kirby: In addition to the earlier answer to Question 4, in Scotland and Wales the Government are investing almost £1.3 billion in city deals for Glasgow, Aberdeen, Inverness, Cardiff and Swansea, and we are discussing further deals for Edinburgh, Stirling, the Tay cities and north Wales.
Simon Kirby: What I can guarantee is that it is about time the Scottish National party started delivering for the people of Scotland. The level of growth in Scotland is a quarter of that across the UK.
Simon Kirby: I absolutely agree that it would be an ideal place to be in the first stream.
Simon Kirby: The Government are focused on delivering the existing deal. If the SNP Government want to do something in addition to that, it is within their power to do so.
Simon Kirby: The UK has spearheaded improvements in the transparency of beneficial ownership information. Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs is already building a register of trusts with tax consequences, which will improve transparency and assist law enforcement agencies.
Simon Kirby: We will carefully consider the commission’s proposals for a broader register. If those proposals go forward, the Government will consult on what the register should look like after the negotiations have concluded.
Simon Kirby: As someone who also represents a coastal community, I am pleased to say that coastal areas will benefit from nearly £40 million of investment through the latest round of the coastal communities fund, and that we will do all we can to get the very best possible deal.
Simon Kirby: The total cost of producing UK coinage is provided annually in the Treasury Annual reports and Accounts. However, the cost of producing individual denominations of UK coins is commercially sensitive information. The government is satisfied that the new £1 coin represents value for money and delivers significant improvements in security. The use of nickel-brass in the material composition...
Simon Kirby: A competitive and transparent financial services sector is vital to ensuring that the UK economy delivers for consumers and businesses. The Government has not yet made an assessment of the effect of pricing structures used by foreign currency providers on competition for consumers or UK small businesses which trade overseas but, as with all policy areas, keeps transparency of foreign exchange...
Simon Kirby: In its response to the Independent Review of the Money Advice Service (March 2015), the coalition government agreed to review the legal framework for debt administration, and to consider the impacts of additional statutory protections for consumers. As I said in Parliament on 29 March, the government is looking carefully at a breathing space scheme for England and Wales, and fully supports...