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30 Mar 2009 : Column 912W—continued
Equality Bill 2008-09
Mrs. May: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality which organisations she has met to discuss the Equality Bill since 3 December 2008. [265142]
Maria Eagle: I, the Minister for Women and Equality, Vera Baird QC MP, Baroness Royall and officials have met with representatives from the third sector, business, unions and most stakeholder groups with an interest in the Equality Bill.
Females: Patients
Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality if she will discuss with the Secretary of State for Health measures to ensure that women patients are not discriminated against in the provision of NHS services. [265713]
Maria Eagle: The Minister for Women and Equality and the Government Equalities Office are in regular contact with the Department of Health, and work closely together on issues affecting women in the provision of public services. The Department of Health also supports the NHS in meeting its legal duty to promote gender equality.
Treasury
Banks: Finance
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Financial Services Authority first informed his Department of potential problems arising from the over exposure of British banks to the house lending market. [259864]
Ian Pearson: As the memorandum of understanding between HM Treasury, the Bank of England and the FSA sets out, the tripartite authorities have regular meetings and discussions to work together towards the common objective of financial stability in the UK.
Gordon Banks: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 9 March 2009, Official Report, column 100W, on banks, what progress has been made in liaison between his Department, UK Financial Investments (UKFI) and the boards of banks of which UKFI is a major shareholder on pension arrangements for directors of these banks. [265729]
Ian Pearson [holding answer 23 March 2009]: The Treasury and UK Financial Investments Ltd. (UKFI) continue to liaise with the board of the banks of which they are major shareholders on remuneration policy. This includes work to ensure that remuneration policies are in line with the Government's principles on remuneration, including no rewards for failure. Directors' remuneration arrangements—including pensions arrangements as appropriate—are disclosed in the banks' annual report and accounts.
Simon Hughes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment his Department has made of investments in (a) oil sands and shale oil, (b) conventional oil projects, (c) gas projects and (d) coal-fired power stations by those UK financial institutions that are now majority owned by the Government. [265833]
Ian Pearson [holding answer 23 March 2009]: The Government's investments are managed on a commercial basis by UK Financial Investments Ltd. (UKFI), a company which is wholly owned by the Government. Its overarching objectives are to protect and create value for the taxpayer as a shareholder, with due regard to financial stability and acting in a way that promotes competition.
Banks: Regulation
John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with (a) Lloyds TSB and (b) RBS on (i) the volume of their assets held in each (A) UK dependent territory, (B) UK overseas territory and (iii) Crown dependency; and what information his Department holds on the names of the subsidiaries of each bank registered in each (1) UK dependent territory, (2) UK overseas territory and (3) Crown dependency. [261834]
Ian Pearson: Information on subsidiaries is reported by banks in their annual financial statements under international reporting standards.
Banks: Tax Avoidance
Colin Burgon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many of the financial institutions and their subsidiary companies which are (a) wholly and (b) partly in public ownership have reported tax avoidance schemes to HM Revenue and Customs in each of the last three years; how many schemes each such institution has reported; what discussions he has had on the matter with (i) UK Financial Investments and (ii) the institutions concerned; and if he will make a statement. [264336]
Ian Pearson [holding answer 18 March 2009]: HM Revenue and Customs does not release information about the number of disclosures by individual companies for reasons of confidentiality.
Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings 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.
Business: Government Assistance
Mr. Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which initiatives introduced by his Department since November 2008 to assist (a) small and medium-sized enterprises and (b) individuals (i) have been implemented and (ii) remain to be implemented; on what date each of those implemented commenced; and if he will make a statement. [266967]
Mr. Timms: In the 2008 pre-Budget report HM Treasury introduced a number of measures to assist small and medium-sized enterprises and individuals. These have either been implemented or will come into effect as planned in April 2009.
Business: Standards
Justine Greening: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will direct the Financial Services Authority to publish a list of firms that did not meet its December 2008 deadline for the treating customers fairly scheme. [266579]
Ian Pearson: The matter raised in this question is the responsibility of the Financial Services Authority, whose day-to-day operations are independent from Government control and influence. I have asked the FSA to write to the hon. Member.
Child Trust Fund: EU Nationals
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what conditions of eligibility for the child trust fund apply to migrant workers from EU accession states. [262723]
Ian Pearson: Children of migrant workers from EU accession states are eligible for a child trust fund account if:
they were born on or after 1 September 2002;
have been or are resident in the UK on or after 6 April 2005, while not being subject to immigration controls; and
have been or are in a child benefit award on or after 6 April 2005, the date the child trust fund scheme was launched.
Departmental Art Works
Mr. Vara: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which works of art from the Government art collection each Minister in his Department has selected for display in a private office. [259430]
Angela Eagle: The information requested has been deposited in the Library of the House.
Departmental Buildings
Grant Shapps: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was spent by (a) his Department and (b) its agencies on (i) furniture and (ii) renovation and decoration for departmental buildings in each of the last five years. [265407]
Angela Eagle: Details of spending on furniture and fittings for the Treasury Group is shown in the tangible fixed assets note to the annual resource accounts. Copies of the resource accounts are available from
For information on the renovation and decoration of departmental buildings, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 20 January 2009, Official Report, column 1292W, to the hon. Member for Ilford, North (Mr. Scott).
Departmental Manpower
Greg Clark: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many members of the Prime Minister's (a) Strategy Unit and (b) Delivery Unit have a desk allocated in each other Government department. [266629]
Yvette Cooper: PMDU has one desk allocated for the Head of Unit in Number 10 and none anywhere else.
PMSU (which is part of the Cabinet Office) has three people using desks at DCSF (full time) and two people using desks part time at Home Office (one person four days per week and another 2.5 days per week). PMSU has no desks allocated to them anywhere else.
Departmental Property
Grant Shapps: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what properties (a) his Department and (b) its agencies have sold in each of the last five years; and how many have been sold for housing developments. [265119]
Angela Eagle: For details of properties disposed of by HM Treasury prior to 2007-08, I refer to the answer given to the hon. Member by my right hon. Friend the former Financial Secretary (John Healey) on 5 June 2007, Official Report, column 465W. The Treasury disposed of one property in 2007-08. None of the Treasury disposals were for housing developments. Treasury agencies disposed of one property in 2005-06, in Stanmore, Middlesex, which was for a housing development.
EU Budget
Mr. Gray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the UK's net contribution to the EU budget has been in each year since 1994. [266742]
Ian Pearson: Details of the United Kingdom's net contribution to the EC budget can be found in HM Treasury's annual European Community Finances White Paper. Table 3, page 51 of the 2008 White Paper (Cm 7462) of 10 September 2008, which is available in the House Library and also on the following website:
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk./documents/international_ issues/eu_information/int_eu_statefraud.cfm
contains these data in respect of years 2002 to 2007, with an estimate for 2008. Data for earlier years can be found in the equivalent table of previous editions of the White Paper.
Members: Correspondence
Steve Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Northavon of 3 December 2008 on behalf of Mr. P Deegan of Bradley Stoke, on annuities. [267257]
Ian Pearson: I have replied to the hon. Member.
Steve Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Northavon of 8 December 2008 on behalf of Mrs. J Gray of Wick, on winter fuel allowance for disabled children. [267259]
Mr. Timms: There was no trace of receipt of the letter of 8 December. A copy has been requested and received and a reply should be sent shortly.
Andrew Selous: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to reply to the letter of 1 December 2008 from the hon. Member for South West Bedfordshire regarding his constituent, Mr. Brumwell. [267707]
Ian Pearson: A reply has been sent to the hon. Member.
Private Finance Initiative
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 3 March 2009, Official Report, columns 47-48WS, on Government infrastructure investment, what rate of return on capital he is prepared to permit in private finance initiative projects supported by 100 per cent. senior debt lending by his Department. [263541]
Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 26 March 2009, Official Report, column 632W.
Public Expenditure
Mr. Hague: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total amount of additional funds transferred to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office under the Overseas Price Mechanism was in each financial year since 1997. [266925]
Yvette Cooper: The relevant changes to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's RDEL were set out in successive Supplementary Estimates.
Tax Allowances: Redundancy Pay
Mr. Walker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will increase the £30,000 tax free limit for redundancy payments. [267852]
Mr. Timms: As with all taxes, the threshold at which tax is paid on redundancy payments is kept under review.
TNT: Taxation
Mr. Weir: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations the Government received from TNT in respect of the UK tax regime between 1997 and 2003. [267527]
Mr. Timms: Treasury Ministers and officials receive representations from 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 representations.
Olympics
Olympic Games 2012: Gun Sports
Mr. Malins: To ask the Minister for the Olympics if she will place in the Library the further report on the Olympic shooting venue commissioned by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) and the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games for submission to the International Olympic Committee; what estimate the ODA have made of the merits of holding the Olympic shooting events at (a) Bisley, (b) Barking, (c) Woolwich and (d) elsewhere; and what the cost to the public purse of the report was. [267704]
Tessa Jowell: The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) undertook detailed feasibility work on the location of the London 2012 shooting venue and presented their findings to the Olympic Board at its meeting on 19 March.
For continuing reasons of commercial sensitivity and so as not to prejudice the ODA’s and the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games’ discussions and negotiations on contracts they have not awarded for temporary venues, I am unable to place a copy of the ODA’s detailed feasibility work in the Library of the House at this time.
The cost of the feasibility work was undertaken by ODA staff as part of their core business activity.
Culture, Media and Sport
Departmental Energy
Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps have been taken by (a) his Department and (b) its agency to improve the thermal efficiency of their buildings in the last 12 months. [266754]
Barbara Follett: No steps have been taken by the Department in the last 12 months. However during the refurbishment of its Cockspur street building in 2007-08 the Department took the opportunity to upgrade its lighting facilities, to install new boilers, chillers, air handling and fan coil units.
When carrying out building refurbishments over the past 12 months, The Royal Parks has taken the opportunity to install or upgrade secondary glazing, install modern and more efficient heating systems and boilers, introduce thermostatic controls to radiators, and, where possible, lay floor insulation.
There has been one new build in the Royal Parks in the past twelve months, which was designed in accordance with the Building Regulations Part L.
Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent progress his Department has made towards the target of increasing its energy efficiency per square metre of its Estate by 15 per cent. by 2010, relative to 1999-2000 levels; and if he will make a statement. [266884]
Barbara Follett: The Department has implemented a series of measures to ensure progress against the target of increasing its energy efficiency. We have already met and exceeded the target by 12 per cent.
The target is managed and tracked through our ISO14001 accredited Environmental Management System.
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