| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
16 Mar 2009 : Column 854W—continued
Western Sahara: Politics and Government
Ms Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which state the Government recognise as the administering power in Western Sahara. [260958]
Bill Rammell: Morocco exercises ‘de facto' administrative control over part of the territory, but the UK regards the status of the territory as undetermined pending a negotiated outcome providing for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara. The UK continues to support UN-led efforts currently underway to resolve the ongoing dispute.
Treasury
Banks: Finance
Mr. Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what conditions his Department has put on banks receiving money from his Department; what discussions he has had with banks since January 2009 on this issue; what response was received from each bank; which banks have sought financial assistance from his Department; and if he will make a statement. [259048]
Ian Pearson: As part of its investment, the Government have agreed a range of conditions with banks accessing the recapitalisation scheme. For more detail, I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by the Chancellor on 13 October 2008, Official Report, columns 540-41.
Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings and discussions with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with
previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings and discussions.
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which (a) executive and (b) non-executive board members at each bank which has received support from the public purse in the last two years were in post prior to the provision of that support; and what remuneration each received in the last year for which information is available. [262736]
Ian Pearson: Published information on this topic would be set out in the bank's audited annual reports.
Mr. Neil Turner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Government plans to prevent further off-shoring of financial services by those banks in which the Government has a large stake. [263270]
Ian Pearson: These are commercial matters for the boards of each bank.
Banks: Pensions
Gordon Banks: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what arrangements his Department put in place to examine the pension arrangements in place for directors of banks for which public funding has been provided at the time of provision of that funding. [260908]
Ian Pearson [holding answer 5 March 2009]: As part of their investment, the Government have agreed a range of conditions with banks accessing the recapitalisation scheme, including restrictions on bonuses for senior executives—both for 2008 when the Government expect no cash bonuses to be paid to board members, and for remuneration policy going forward, where incentive schemes will be reviewed and linked to long-term value creation, taking account of risk, and restricting the potential for "rewards for failure".
UKFI has been set up to manage the Treasury's shareholdings in recapitalised banks. UKFI has a role in scrutinising the non-lending recapitalisation conditions, including on remuneration policy, to protect the interest of the taxpayer as a shareholder.
Additionally, banks participating in the Government's Asset Protection Scheme (APS) will have to develop a sustainable long-term remuneration policy. This means reviewing policies and implementing new policies consistent with the FSA's code of remuneration practice announced on 26 February.
Northern Rock and Bradford & Bingley have their own conditions on remuneration—these are set out in their respective Shareholder Relationship Framework documents.
Banks: Regulation
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Leeds, East of 9 February 2009, Official Report, columns 1618-19W, on banks: finance, if he will publish on his Department's website a copy of each of the placing and open offer agreements referred to in the answer. [257343]
Ian Pearson: The placing and open offer agreements for the recapitalisation of RBS, HBOS and Lloyds, which were deposited in the Libraries of both Houses of Parliament on 18 November 2008, and were also posted on the Treasury's website on 20 February 2009.
Banks: Risk Management
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment has been made by the Financial Services Authority of the effectiveness of risk management in banks which are in receipt of public money. [256983]
Ian Pearson: These assessments are matters for the Financial Services Authority.
Banks: USA
Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with the US administration on the eligibility of UK banks with US subsidiaries for assistance under the troubled assets relief programme and its successor schemes. [261625]
Ian Pearson: Treasury Ministers and officials have discussions with a wide variety of organisations and international partners. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such discussions.
CCLA Investment Management
Mark Pritchard: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether deposits by registered charities, churches and local authorities, whose funds are managed by CCLA Investment Management Ltd, are (a) guaranteed and (b) underwritten by the Government. [263128]
Ian Pearson: Protection for retail deposits is provided by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), an independent body, established under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. The extent to which the FSCS is able to provide protection to churches and registered charities both in general and in this specific case depends on a range of factors including whether the person or organisation whose funds are managed is an eligible claimant under FSCS rules, the nature of the regulated activities carried on by the firm were it to be in default and the amount and nature of the claim that is made.
Churches and registered charities may be eligible claimants depending on the nature of the organisation and its size. Local authorities are not eligible to claim compensation under the rules of the FSCS.
The FSCS rules are made by the FSA (and can be found on its website www.fsa.gov.uk). Guidance may also be found on the FSCS website at:
Christmas
Mr. Rob Wilson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether it is his Department's policy to offer staff (a) additional leave entitlement for Christmas shopping and (b) Christmas bonus payments. [262800]
Angela Eagle: It is not HM Treasury policy to offer staff additional leave entitlement for Christmas shopping or Christmas bonus payments.
Currencies
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many local currencies, other than the Lewes pound, are circulating in the UK; what assessment he has made of their effect on local economies; and if he will make a statement. [263406]
Ian Pearson: No assessment has been made by the Treasury on local voucher schemes, such as the one currently being operated in Lewes.
Departmental Internet
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield of 28 January 2009, Official Report, columns 584-85W, on the departmental internet, how many hits each of the websites maintained by his Department received in each of the last 12 months. [262833]
Angela Eagle: Statistics that we hold for each website maintained by the Department, in each of the last 12 months are as follows:
| Unique visitors | |||||||
| 2008 | |||||||
| Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | |
| Oct | Nov | Dec | Jan | Feb | Total | |
| (1). Statistics available only from October 2008. (2) Monthly breakdowns unavailable. | ||||||
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |