| (ii) 2009-10 | ||
| Posting date | Category | Amount (£) |
17 Oct 2011 : Column 707W
Revenue and Customs: Manpower
Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects the first 100 of the new anti-evasion and avoidance officers in HM Revenue and Customs to be in post. [72999]
Mr Gauke: The first 100 of the anti-evasion and avoidance officers are already in post and operational.
Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many of the proposed new anti-evasion and avoidance officers he expects to be redeployed from existing posts in HM Revenue and Customs. [73000]
Mr Gauke: There are currently no plans to use any external recruitment other than the annual recruitment of graduates. All of the new anti-evasion and avoidance officers will therefore be redeployed from elsewhere in HMRC or from other Government Departments.
Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost to HM Revenue and Customs of employing the proposed new anti-evasion and avoidance officers. [73001]
17 Oct 2011 : Column 708W
Mr Gauke: These new posts are part of the reinvestment of £917 million over four years, announced in the 2010 spending review. This will see a redeployment of 2,250 staff this year. The annual costs of all the staff being redeployed and recruited in 2011-12 will be about £101 million.
Shipping: Carbon Emissions
Gavin Shuker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his negotiating position is for the G20 Finance Ministers October 2011 meeting on proposals for an international levy on shipping to cut carbon emissions and raise climate change finance. [74669]
Miss Chloe Smith: The UK Government believe a global emissions trading system would be the best way of reducing international shipping emissions effectively and efficiently and has submitted a proposal on such a system to the International Maritime Organization. The UK has also committed to spend £2.9 billion of international climate finance over the spending review period.
Social Lending
Mr Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what support his Department plans to provide for social lending through credit unions and community-based initiatives in each of the next four financial years. [73247]
Mr Hoban: The Government announced in July the establishment of Big Society Capital, the new operating name for the "Big Society Bank". This will play a critical role in accelerating the growth of social investment in the UK by investing in social finance intermediaries, including community development finance institutions (CDFIs). This initiative is being funded by dormant accounts as well as by a £200 million investment from the four main UK banks under Project Merlin.
Since 2006 the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has been investing in the capacity of credit unions and other community providers to offer access to savings, banking, budgeting and affordable credit services. Credit unions and other community providers are well placed to serve people who traditionally find it difficult use mainstream financial services. The service offers a real alternative to licensed high cost home credit and other lenders, and to illegal loan sharks.
Subject to the findings of a feasibility study, DWP has proposed a new modernisation and expansion fund of up to £73 million over the next four years to support credit unions that are ready and willing to make the changes required to expand their services to many more people at sustainable operating costs.
Stocks and Shares
Mr Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment his Department has made of the effect on speculative activity of introducing higher capital requirements for financial institutions engaged in proprietary trading in derivatives. [73135]
17 Oct 2011 : Column 709W
Mr Hoban: A package of reforms designed to strengthen the safety of trading book activities were agreed by the Basel committee in July 2009. These reforms will increase the amount of capital that banks are required to hold against their trading book by two to three times and will significantly enhance the prudential safety of trading activities. These reforms will be implemented in the EU though the capital requirements directive 3, which will come into force by the end of 2011.
Tax Allowances
Graeme Morrice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) employers and (b) employees have access to accurate and up-to-date information on types of tax relief available. [74032]
Mr Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) provides comprehensive help and guidance to employers and employees on its website which is regularly reviewed and updated:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/index.htm
Reliefs available to individuals and employees are also detailed in the self-assessment tax return and accompanying guidance notes.
Tax Allowances: Commuters
Graeme Morrice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential use of incentives in the tax system to encourage employees to use more environmentally friendly means of transport to travel to and from their place of work. [74033]
Miss Chloe Smith: A range of incentives are in place to encourage more environmentally friendly means of travel, such as the Cycle to Work scheme and employer-subsidised local bus services. Electric vehicles are not subject to fuel duty and are exempt from vehicle excise duty (VED) and company car tax (CCT). Fuel duty, VED and CCT also support the take-up of fuel efficient vehicles.
Tax Avoidance: Internet
Priti Patel: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many incidents of illegal avoidance of tax, VAT and import duty in relation to the selling of products through online (a) businesses and (b) auction sites have been recorded in each of the last five years; and for which countries of origin. [73425]
Mr Gauke: The information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Tax Evasion
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) individuals and (b) organisations have been (i) investigated by HM Revenue and Customs for tax evasion and (ii) prosecuted for such offences since May 2010. [74040]
17 Oct 2011 : Column 710W
Mr Gauke: HMRC does not hesitate to pursue a prosecution; however, cost-effective civil settlement procedures are used in the majority of evasion cases. This represents excellent value for the Exchequer, as all undeclared tax is repaid and they also pay a penalty which can be up to 100% of the tax evaded. Every year HMRC collects millions of pounds of evaded tax using these well-established methods.
A disaggregated breakdown of HMRC's interventions between individuals and organisations is available only at a disproportionate cost.
Details of the number of cases prosecuted for income tax, corporation tax, VAT and excise evasion are:
1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011: 385
1 April 2011 to 31 August 2011: 123.
Tax Yields: Environment Protection
Damian Hinds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the proportion of tax revenue which will come from green taxes in each of the next four years resulting from measures introduced (a) since and (b) before May 2010. [73445]
Miss Chloe Smith: The Government are currently finalising their definition of environmental taxes. This will establish a baseline against which the Government's commitment to increase the proportion of revenue from environmental taxes can be measured:
The estimated total percentage of revenue raised by environment taxes, as a proportion of all taxes in the March 2010 Budget was forecast as being 0.4%. The previous Government defined, the following as environmental taxes: landfill tax, aggregates levy, climate change levy and the EU Emissions Trading Scheme.
Damian Hinds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of tax revenue came from green taxes in each year since 1997. [73453]
Miss Chloe Smith: The Government are currently finalising their definition of environmental taxes. This will establish a baseline against which the Government's commitment to increase the proportion of revenue from environmental taxes can be measured.
The previous Government included the following taxes as environmental taxes: landfill tax, climate change levy, aggregates levy and EU Emissions Trading Scheme. The information requested is set out in the following table:
|
|
Environmental taxes as percentage of total tax revenues |
17 Oct 2011 : Column 711W
Taxation: Accountability
Graeme Morrice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on steps to increase global tax transparency. [74031]
Mr Gauke: Recent discussions of global tax transparency have taken place in the context of G20 meetings. The UK supports G20 work on promoting the Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information, which is carrying out a rigorous programme of peer reviews to encourage all countries to meet international standards of tax transparency.
Taxation: Carers
Gordon Banks: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what changes affecting kinship carers he has made to the tax system since 6 April 2011. [74533]
Mr Gauke: No changes specific to kinship carers have been made to the tax system since 6 April 2011. However, extra-statutory simplified tax arrangements previously available to certain carers ended on 5 April 2011 after the Government introduced qualifying care relief. This new relief extended foster care relief to certain other carers, including those providing kinship care under specified social care schemes, who share their homes and daily family life with an adult or child placed with them.
Taxation: Environment Protection
Dr Whitehead: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received from the European Commission on the carbon price floor. [73806]
Miss Chloe Smith: The Treasury has not received any representations from the European Commission about the carbon price floor.
The Government continue to engage with the European Commission on a wide range of issues including as part of our overall policy development related to the electricity market reform proposals.
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the likely combined revenue to the Exchequer from the carbon price floor and the EU Emissions Trading System up to 2015-16. [74160]
Miss Chloe Smith: Budget 2011 set out the estimated revenue from the carbon price floor and the EU Emissions Trading System up to 2015-16. The combined revenue is estimated to be £2,740 million in 2013-14; £3,170 million in 2014-15; and £3,610 million in 2015-16.
Taxation: Football
Mr Foster: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the sum owed to the Exchequer by football clubs in the Premier League and Football League (a) at the end of each of the previous five tax years and (b) on the most recent date for which figures are available. [72970]
17 Oct 2011 : Column 712W
Mr Gauke: The Government do not hold data prior to the year ended March 2009. Neither do we collate these data at the exact year end. We have provided the March figures for each of the past three years.
| £ | |||
|
|
Premier League | Football League | Total |
These totals only include PAYE/NIC and VAT and are only a snapshot, valid only on the date taken and, as with any snapshot, the amounts are likely to have been significantly different if taken on a different day as liabilities can become due and payments can be made on a daily basis.
Mr Foster: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the monetary value of tax receipts from income tax received from professional footballers in each of the last 10 financial years. [72985]
Mr Gauke: The information requested is not available specifically for association football players.
Third Sector
Mr Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much direct funding his Department provided to each civil society organisation it funded in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13, (d) 2013-14 and (e) 2014-15; and if he will make a statement. [74814]
Miss Chloe Smith: The Treasury does not directly fund any civil society organisations.
VAT
Pauline Latham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what impact assessment his Department undertook on the likely effect on the express and mail industries of the reduction of low value consignment relief for goods from the Channel Islands and third countries; and if he will publish any such impact assessment. [73230]
Mr Gauke: A tax information and impact assessment was published alongside the 2011 Finance Bill last spring. Officials maintain a regular dialogue with both Royal Mail and the fast parcel industry about the impact of possible future changes to LVCR on their businesses and their views will be taken into account in deciding how to prevent LVCR being exploited.
Robert Halfon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate he has made of the administrative cost to businesses of charging and claiming back VAT between VAT-registered firms. [73961]
Mr Gauke: HMRC has made no assessment of the administrative costs that businesses specifically incur in charging and claiming VAT between VAT-registered businesses.
17 Oct 2011 : Column 713W
VAT: Exemptions
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consideration he has given to extending exemptions from VAT. [74039]
Mr Gauke: All taxes, including VAT and the scope of its exemptions, are kept under review.
VAT: Housing Improvement
Bill Esterson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will assess the (a) likely effect on the availability of housing and (b) the number of jobs which would be created by reducing the rate of VAT on renovation and refurbishment of property to 5% over (i) one year, (ii) five years and (iii) 10 years; [74622]
(2) what assessment he has made of the likely effects of a reduction in the rate of VAT applied to property renovation and refurbishment on the amount of VAT collected in the (a) first, (b) fifth and (c) 10th year following such a reduction. [74765]
Mr Gauke: The Exchequer cost, in the absence of behavioural change, of reducing the rate of VAT applied to residential property renovation and refurbishment is estimated at (a) £2.2 billion in the first year, (b) £2.4 billion in the fifth year and (c) £2.9 billion in the 10th year.
The cost of the relief would have to be met from additional taxation elsewhere, which would lead to job losses that would offset any job gains in the building sector, or through additional borrowing, which would risk increasing interest rates. Higher interest rates would have an adverse impact on families and small businesses, including businesses in the building sector.
VAT: Tourism
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect on the tourism industry of the increase in the rate of VAT. [73177]
Mr Gauke: No specific assessment has been made of the economic impact of the VAT rate increase on the tourism industry. The impact assessment published with the Budget in June 2010 provides information on the compliance costs to business overall of the VAT rate increase, but not at sector level.
Working Tax Credit
Mr Hanson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what methodology he used to calculate the estimated savings to the public purse which he expects to arise from changes to the working tax credit; and if he will place in the Library a copy of these calculations. [73014]
Mr Gauke: The methodology used to calculate savings to the Exchequer from changes to tax credits at Budget 2010 and spending review 2010 can be found in the accompanying policy costings documents: “Budget 2010 policy costings” is available at:
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/junebudget_costings.pdf
17 Oct 2011 : Column 714W
“Spending Review 2010 policy costings” is available at:
http://cdn.hm-treasury.gov.uk/sr2010_policycostings.pdf
Written Questions: Government Responses
Chris Leslie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to answer Question (a) 68073, (b) 68074 and (c) 68075, tabled on 19 July 2011 for answer on 5 September 2011. [74718]
Miss Chloe Smith: The Treasury has replied to the hon. Member's questions.
Deputy Prime Minister
Electoral Register
Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the effects of his legislative proposals on the number of people on the electoral register; and if he will make a statement. [74974]
Mr Harper: The Government are funding research to understand the current state of the electoral register which will help us to better understand the way in which the move to individual registration will have an impact.
The Government will do everything they can to maintain the completeness of the electoral register. This includes phasing in the move to Individual Registration over two years so that people on the register who do not apply under the new system do not lose their vote at the 2015 General Election. Every eligible elector will be asked in 2014 to register under the new system: this will include personal invites to people on the register, inquiries to households where no one is registered or people have moved, reminder letters and face-to-face doorstep canvassers. There will also be a publicity campaign run by the Electoral Commission and we are testing data matching to identify people missing from the register and looking at how we can increase the choices people have over how to register, including greater use of online registration.
Electoral Registration
Graeme Morrice: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the evidential basis is for his proposals on future requirements for people to co-operate with electoral registration officers compiling a register of electors. [74151]
Mr Harper: It is currently not compulsory to be registered to vote and this will not change under the Government’s individual electoral registration (IER) proposals. It is an offence at present for anyone not to provide information when required to do so by an electoral registration officer (ERO), for example, in response to the household canvass form. The Government propose to retain this offence under the new system, however, it is not proposed to create a new offence for an individual failing to respond to an invitation to register. We believe that the act of registering is one of personal responsibility, and as such there should be no compulsion for an individual to make an application to register to vote.
17 Oct 2011 : Column 715W
Jack Dromey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether any (a) Ministers, (b) officials and (c) special advisers in his office use private e-mail accounts for the conduct of Government business. [73216]
The Deputy Prime Minister: I and the officials and special advisers in my office conduct Government business in accordance with the Ministerial Code, the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers and the Civil Service Code.
Hillsborough Disaster
Steve Rotheram: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what discussions he has had with the Prime Minister since his appointment on the unredacted release of the Hillsborough Cabinet minutes. [74300]
The Deputy Prime Minister: The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department and I agree on the need to provide full transparency about the Hillsborough disaster through full public disclosure. All the Cabinet Office papers have been shared with the Hillsborough Independent Panel and the Government are happy for all the papers to be released as soon as the panel so decides, in consultation with the families. The Prime Minister, Home Secretary and I expect them to be shared with the Hillsborough families first and then with the wider public.
House of Lords: Elections
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what timetable he expects to set is for the introduction of elections to the House of Lords; and if he will make a statement. [74294]
Mr Harper: A Joint Committee of both Houses is undertaking pre-legislative scrutiny of the Government's draft House of Lords Reform Bill and it is due to report by 29 February 2012. A Government Bill will be introduced in the next session of Parliament. The Government hope that the first elections to the reformed House of Lords will take place on 7 May 2015.
Prisoners: Voting
Mr Hollobone: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which categories of prisoners he expects to be enfranchised. [73965]
Mr Harper: The European Court of Human Rights has granted an extension to the deadline for implementing prisoner voting rights that was set in the Greens and MT judgment against the UK.
This is because the court is considering an Italian prisoner voting rights case—Scoppola v. Italy.
It is right to consider the final Scoppola judgment and the wider legal context before setting out next steps on prisoner voting.
The Government will express their views on the principles raised in that case, and we will be arguing that it is for Parliament to decide the way forward on this issue.
17 Oct 2011 : Column 716W
Cabinet Office
Big Lottery Fund: Manpower
Mr Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many members of staff worked for the Big Lottery Fund in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; how many will work for the fund in each of the next three years; and if he will make a statement. [74769]
Mr Hurd: The number of staff that worked for the Big Lottery Fund during 2010-11 and 2011-12 are set out in the following table:
|
|
Number of staff (FTE) |
| (1) Figures for this year are an estimate based on the year to date. | |
The figures exclude non-executives as well as those employed by the national lottery promotions unit. The Big Lottery Fund does not hold staff figures for future years.
Big Society Capital
Mr Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what representations he received on the Big Society Bank in each month since June 2010; and if he will make a statement. [74801]
Mr Hurd: I have received numerous representations in relation to the Big Society Bank since June 2010 including correspondence, meetings and parliamentary business. Ministers are actively engaging with civil society organisations across England through a programme of regional events, as well as working closely with the devolved Administrations to develop policy on the Big Society Bank.
Progress on the Big Society Bank is published on the Cabinet Office website:
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/content/big-society-capital
Mr Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many representations he has received on Big Society Capital in each month since June 2010; and if he will make a statement. [75102]
Mr Hurd: As Minster for Civil Society, I have received numerous representations in relation to the Big Society Capital since June 2010 including correspondence, meetings and parliamentary business.
Ministers are actively engaging with civil society organisations across England through a programme of regional events, as well as working closely with the devolved Administrations to develop policy on the Big Society Capital.
Mr Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will publish the (a) business plan and (b) accounts and (c) minutes of each board meeting of Big Society Capital since its establishment; and if he will make a statement. [75103]
Mr Hurd: Big Society Capital is a private company and so it is not for Government to publish its business plan, accounts and board minutes.
17 Oct 2011 : Column 717W
The outline proposal for Big Society Capital submitted by Sir Ronald Cohen and Nick O'Donohoe, and endorsed by Cabinet Office Ministers, states that transparency will be one of Big Society Capital's guiding principles, and commits to clear reporting of its financial results and social impact of its investments.
The Government publish progress on establishing the Big Society Bank on the Cabinet Office website:
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/content/big-society-capital
Charitable Donations: Business
Mr Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the level of charitable giving (a) in total, (b) by UK-owned businesses and (c) by businesses based in the UK in each of the last three years. [74771]
Mr Hurd: The Cabinet Office collated existing evidence on levels of giving which was published in the Giving Green Paper in December last year. Figures from the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) and the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) estimated that in 2009-10, 28.4 million adults (56%) donated to charity in a typical month accounting for £10.6 billion of total annual charitable donations. This represented a rise of over £400 million from its 2008-09 level of £10.2 billion.
The Cabinet Office does not produce any estimates for donations by UK-owned businesses. Official estimates available from HMRC only account for a subset of total donations through gift aid and covenants.
In 2009, the total value of worldwide community investment including cash, time, and in-kind donations of the largest 300 UK corporate donors was £1.9 billion—the highest figure reported to date.
Charities
Mr Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many investigations into the activities of UK registered charities were launched by the Charity Commission in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [75455]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Charity Commission. I have asked the Commission's chief executive to reply.
Letter from Sam Younger, dated 17 October 2011:
I have been asked to respond to your written Parliamentary Question on how many investigations into the activities of UK registered charities were launched by the Charity Commission in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement [75455].
When concerns are reported to us, we assess them against our published risk and proportionality framework and decide on the most appropriate action to take. When serious concerns are reported, we may open an investigation or, in the most serious cases, a statutory inquiry under s. 8 of the Charities Act 2006.
The number of investigations opened in each year is as follows:
|
|
Number |
17 Oct 2011 : Column 718W
The number of statutory inquiries opened in each year is as follows:
|
|
Number |
I hope this information is helpful.
Mr Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many investigations into the activities of UK registered charities the Charity Commission has planned for as part of its budgetary process in (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13, (c) 2013-14 and (d) 2014-15; and if he will make a statement. [75456]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Charity Commission. I have asked the Commission's chief executive to reply.
Letter from Sam Younger, dated 17 October 2011:
I have been asked to respond to your written Parliamentary Question on how many investigations into the activities of UK registered charities the Charity Commission has planned for as part of its budgetary process in (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13, (c) 2013-14 and (d) 2014-15; and if he will make a statement [75456].
The Charity Commission does not set quotas or have numerical limits for how many investigations it carries out, or for its other work related to investigations. All cases of concerns are, and will continue to be, examined against our risk framework to determine the most appropriate and proportionate course of action, which may in some cases include an investigation.
I hope this information is helpful.
Mr Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many charities that were investigated by the Charity Commission closed voluntarily or were shut down (a) within 12 months and (b) within six months of the investigation completing in each year since 2007-08; and if he will make a statement. [75457]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Charity Commission. I have asked the commission's chief executive to reply.
Letter from Sam Younger, dated 17 October 2011:
I have been asked to respond to your written Parliamentary Question on how many charities that were investigated by the Charity Commission closed voluntarily or were shut down (a) within 12 months and (b) within six months of the investigation completing in each year since 2007-08; and if he will make a statement [75457].
We do not monitor these statistics. Where we know that a charity has wound up or been taken off the Register of Charities, we will refer to this in our inquiry reports.
I hope this information is helpful.
Mr Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many public benefit assessments the Charity Commission undertook in (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2010-11; how many it expects to undertake in each year of the comprehensive spending review period; and if he will make a statement. [75459]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Charity Commission. I have asked the Commission's Head of Corporate Services to reply.
17 Oct 2011 : Column 719W
Letter from Sam Younger, dated 17 October 2011:
I have been asked to respond to your written Parliamentary Question on how many public benefit assessments the Charity Commission undertook in (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2010-11; how many it expects to undertake in each year of the Comprehensive Spending Review period; and if he will make a statement [75459].
The Commission carried out 12 public benefit assessments in 2009/10 and 8 assessments in 2010/11. No further public benefit assessments are planned.
I hope this information is helpful.
Charity Commission
Mr Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the priorities were of the Charity Commission in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement. [75107]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Charity Commission, have asked the Commission's Head of Corporate Services to reply.
Letter from Nick Allaway, dated 14 October 2011:
I have been asked to respond to your written Parliamentary Question on what the priorities were of the Charity Commission in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12 [75107].
Our priorities for 2010-11 were set out in our strategic plan for 2008-11. During this period, we were committed to achieving the following strategic priorities:
continuing our commitment to modern, risk-based regulation;
delivering organisational change and valuing our people;
independent, objective decision-making and leadership;
driving the accountability of charities to the public;
delivering faster, more efficient services to our customers; and
completing the implementation of the Charities Act 2006.
Delivering against these has enabled the Commission to achieve the five statutory objectives set out in the Charities Act 2006.
Following a reduction to our budget of 33% in real terms in the last spending review, the Commission has embarked on a fundamental review of our activities. We are currently in the process of finalising a strategic plan to cover the period 2012-15, which will be made publicly available in due course.
I hope this information is helpful.
Charity Commission: Manpower
Mr Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many full-time equivalent staff the Charity Commission employed in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; how many employees he expects the Commission to employ in each of the next three years; and if he will make a statement. [75108]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Charity Commission. I have asked the Commission's head of corporate services to reply.
Letter from Nick Allaway, dated 14 October 2011:
I have been asked to respond to your written Parliamentary Question on how many full-time equivalent staff the Charity Commission employed In (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and how many employees he expects the Commission to employ in each of the next three years [75108].
The number of full time equivalent (FTE) staff employed by the Charity Commission in 2010/11 was 404 staff (as at 31 March 2011). For the current year, 2011/12, it is expected that the Commission will employ 343 FTE staff by 31 March 2012.
17 Oct 2011 : Column 720W
For the remaining three years of the current spending review period the FTE staff numbers at the Charity Commission are planned to be:
|
|
Staff |
I hope this information is helpful.
Mr Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many staff the Charity Commission employed to investigate complaints against UK registered charities in each year since 2007-08; how many it expects to employ in each year of the comprehensive spending review period; and if he will make a statement. [75458]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Charity Commission. I have asked the Commission's chief executive to reply.
Letter from Sam Younger, dated 17 October 2011:
I have been asked to respond to your written Parliamentary Question on how many staff the Charity Commission employed to investigate complaints against UK registered charities in each year since 2007-08; how many it expects to employ in each year of the Comprehensive Spending Review period; and if he will make a statement [75458].
Since 2007, our investigations work was contained in our Compliance area in three Compliance Investigation teams. There were between 30 and 35 people in total in those teams with FTE each year as follows: 2007/08 31; 2008/09 34.2; 2009/10 32.4; and 2010/11 29.6.
In future, we will not be organising our work and structures in the same way therefore it is not possible to make a direct comparison on staffing figures. The Investigations and Enforcement area will carry out the Commission's investigations and is expected to have around 30 staff, although not all of these will be conducting investigations.
In addition, some of the work previously carried out as formal investigations will still be conducted, and the regulatory issues dealt with, in four Operations Units, one in each of our offices. In total there are 52 people in these teams. They will also be carrying out permissions and consents cases as well as other regulatory work.
I hope this information is helpful.
Civil Service: Trade Unions
Guto Bebb: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office when he expects to announce a consultation on ending the practice of civil servants working full-time on trade union activities. [73851]
Mr Maude: We are immediately reviewing trade union facility time across the civil service. Once the review is complete, we will start the consultation with trade unions.
Communities First Fund
Mr Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much funding the Community First Fund was allocated in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; how much it will receive in each of the next three years; and if he will make a statement. [74788]
17 Oct 2011 : Column 721W
Mr Hurd: The Community First programme has a budget of up to £80 million, to be spent between April 2011 and March 2015. A breakdown of annual funding is provided as follows:
| £ million | ||
|
|
Community First Funding | Endowment Match Challenge |
Further information on the allocation of funds to individual wards can be found on the Community Development Foundation's website:
http://www.cdf.org.uk/web/guest/community-first
Communities First Fund: Oxfordshire
Tony Baldry: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office for what reasons (a) Grimsbury, (b) Neithrop and (c) Ruscote ward within Cherwell district council does not qualify for Community First funding. [74725]
Mr Hurd: The aim of the Community First programme is to encourage more social action in neighbourhoods with significant deprivation and low social capital. It aims to encourage people to help others and themselves to improve the quality of life locally.
The eligible wards for Community First were selected using the Indices of Multiple Deprivation, cross-cut with significant jobseeker’s allowance (JSA) claimant increases at top tier local authority level. In Oxfordshire, the eligible wards are Blackbird Leys and Rose Hill, and Iffley. They will both receive £33,910 of match funding over four years.
Departmental Billing
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proportion of invoices from suppliers to (a) his Department and (b) 10 Downing street his Department paid within 10 days of receipt in July and August 2010. [74395]
Mr Maude: 10 Downing street is an integral part of the Cabinet Office and this answer covers the Department as a whole.
The percentage of invoices from suppliers paid within 10 days of receipt in July and August 2010 are shown in the following table.
|
|
Percentage |
17 Oct 2011 : Column 722W
Departmental Buildings
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what (a) building and (b) refurbishment projects in respect of (i) the Cabinet Office, (ii) 10 Downing street and (iii) the office of the Deputy Prime Minister his Department plans in (A) 2011-12 and (B) 2012-13; and what the cost of each such project will be. [74394]
Mr Maude: 10 Downing street and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister are an integral part of the Cabinet Office.
The Cabinet Office is undertaking building and refurbishment projects and details of costs can be found at the Cabinet Office transparency website.
http://data.gov.uk/dataset/financial-transactions-data-co
There are no current plans for any project work during 2012-13.
Consultants
David Simpson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what procedures his Department uses when engaging external consultants. [73096]
Mr Maude: The use of external resources (including consultants) is subject to the scrutiny of the Cabinet Office Approvals Board, which is chaired by myself. Approved engagements are made in line with the Department's procurement policy.
Representations: Policy
Mr Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what representations he has received on (a) the Big Society Bank, (b) the Work programme and (c) volunteering in each month since June 2011; and if he will make a statement. [75097]
Mr Hurd: As Minister for Civil Society, I have received numerous representations in relation to Big Society Capital, volunteering and the Work programme (which is being taken forward by the Department for Work and Pensions) since June 2011, including correspondence, meetings and parliamentary business.
Official Hospitality
Ian Austin: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much his Department spent on hospitality for events hosted by each Minister in his Department in each of the last 12 months. [73670]
Mr Maude: For the period October 2010 to September 2011, Cabinet Office Ministers spent £768 on hospitality for ministerial events, excluding de minimus expenditure for teas and coffee.
Pensions
Mr Spellar: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the (a) retirement age, (b) payment on retirement and (c) other terms are of the pension provided to the Cabinet Secretary. [74807]
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Mr Maude: The information requested can be found in the Remuneration Report contained in the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts 2010-11 [HC 999].
Procurement
Julian Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what progress his Department has made in eliminating pre-qualification questionnaires for procurements with a value of under £100,000. [73843]
Mr Maude: 15 out of 17 Departments have confirmed that they have eliminated the use of pre-qualification questionnaires for procurements below £100,000. Work is under way with the two remaining Departments, which have additional security requirements to consider, to implement necessary changes to their pre qualification processes.
The Cabinet office is monitoring compliance with Departments.
Mike Weatherley: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether he plans to consult on procurement policy action note 3/11, issued on 31 January 2011. [74548]
Mr Maude: There are no plans to formally consult on procurement policy action note 3/11. In February, the UK Government Open Standards Survey included an opportunity to provide feedback on the criteria to define an open standard, which was included in action note 3/11. Cabinet Office is considering this feedback and has been informally consulting with industry bodies and suppliers on revisions to the definition and the action note. Updated guidance on the specification of open standards in Government IT procurement will be published shortly.
Mr Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many contracts his Department has awarded directly to third sector organisations in each month since May 2010; what the value was of such contracts; and if he will make a statement. [75110]
Mr Hurd: The information requested is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Contracts awarded by the Cabinet Office are now publicly available on Contracts finder at:
www.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk
Departmental Public Expenditure
David Simpson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much his Department spent on new furnishings in the last year. [73117]
Mr Maude: The Cabinet Office has incurred expenditure of this nature during the last financial year, primarily in relation to the 70 Whitehall refurbishment project. However, this expenditure is not identified separately on the Department's financial systems and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
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Jack Dromey: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether any (a) Ministers, (b) officials and (c) special advisers in his Department use private e-mail accounts for the conduct of Government business. [73220]
Mr Maude: The Ministerial Code, the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers, and the Civil Service Code set out how Ministers, officials and special advisers should conduct Government business.
Hillsborough Disaster
Steve Rotheram: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what discussions he has had with the Prime Minister on the unredacted release of the Hillsborough Cabinet minutes since his appointment. [74297]
Mr Maude: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department on 13 October 2011, Official Report, column 506W.
Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority
Sir John Stanley: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to his answer of 16 June 2011, Official Report, column 943W, on Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA), for what reasons the Government does not wish to bring IPSA within the ambit of the Parliamentary Commissioner Act 1967. [73654]
Mr Maude: The Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration was primarily set up to deal with complaints by members of the public, therefore the Government believe that the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) should not be brought within the ombudsman’s remit. Any Member who is dissatisfied with the way in which the IPSA has determined a claim may refer the matter to the statutory compliance officer.
Jobseeker's Allowance
Lindsay Roy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people in (a) Glenrothes, (b) Fife, (c) Scotland and (d) each region in England were claiming jobseeker's allowance in the latest period for which figures are available. [74760]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
L etter from Stephen Penneck, dated October 2011:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many people in (a) Glenrothes, (b) Fife, (c) Scotland and (d) each region in England were claiming Jobseeker's allowance in the latest period for which figure were available. (74760)
Table 1 shows the number of persons claiming Jobseeker's Allowance for the requested areas for September 2011, which is the latest period for which figures are available.
17 Oct 2011 : Column 725W
National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
| Table 1: Number of persons resident in (a) Glenrothes, (b) Fife, (c) Scotland and (d) each region in England claiming jobseeker’s allowance, September 2011 | |
| Not seasonally adjusted | |
|
|
Number |
| Source: Jobcentre Plus administrative system | |
Office for Civil Society: Finance
Mr Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the budget of the Office for Civil Society was for (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; what budget he has set for each of the next three years; and if he will make a statement. [74793]
Mr Hurd: The Office for Civil Society budget is published annually in the Main Estimates and updated in the Supplementary Estimates, available at:
www.hm-treasury.gov.uk
Future budgets have been published in the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts 2010-11, available at:
www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Office for Civil Society: Manpower
Mr Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many staff were working for the Office for Civil Society in each month since 1 May 2010; how many he expects to be employed in each of the next three years; and if he will make a statement. [74792]
Mr Hurd: The Office for Civil Society is part of the Efficiency and Reform Group which is staffed from a flexible resource pool. This allows staff to be deployed flexibly as priorities change and, as such, we do not keep monthly figures for projects within ERG. At the end of 2010-11, the Office for Civil Society had an agreed headcount of up to 115 and in 2011-12, 86 assignments have been agreed. Projections for future years will be based on the annual business planning cycle.
Official Gifts
Mr Sanders:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will bring forward proposals to prevent former ministers from accepting gifts, donations, or
17 Oct 2011 : Column 726W
offers of consultancy or employment from any company associated with healthcare provision for a period of five years after they have ceased to hold ministerial office. [74274]
Mr Maude: The Ministerial Code sets out the requirements on former Ministers after leaving office.
Public Sector: Mutual Societies
Mr Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) how many new public service mutuals have been created (a) in total and (b) in each region in each month since June 2010; and if he will make a statement; [74802]
(2) what estimate he has made of the number of new members of public service mutuals (a) in each region and (b) in total in each month since June 2010. [74805]
Mr Hurd: As part of the Government's commitment to support the innovation and entrepreneurialism of front-line staff, the Government launched Mutual Pathfinders to be led by public sector staff who wanted to take control of their own services. They are trailblazers for the rest of the public sector helping Government understand, by learning from the front line, what type of support and structures will best enable the development of employee-led mutuals on an ongoing basis. Twenty-one Pathfinders have been announced.
Twelve Pathfinders were announced in August 2010, one in November 2010 and a further eight in February 2011.
Ten Pathfinders are based in London, five in the north-west, two in the East Midlands, one in South-West England, and two in the East of England. The final Pathfinder is a nationwide organisation.
A further organisation, which forms part of the Department for Education's Social Work Practice Pilots, is also participating in the scheme, although it is not formally a Mutual Pathfinder. This organisation is based in the West Midlands and was already in operation at the time that the first Pathfinders were announced.
The Cabinet Office does not hold information on every new public service mutual that has been created across the country, as these are decisions which are taken by a wide variety of public sector employees and public sector bodies, including local authorities.
The Cabinet Office will launch the Mutuals Information Service and Mutual Support Programme in autumn 2011. These services will give the Government greater oversight of mutuals and their development.
Public Sector: Trade Unions
Mr Offord: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps he is taking to reduce the cost to the public purse of full-time trade union officials employed by public bodies. [74178]
Mr Maude: We are immediately reviewing trade union facility time across the civil service. Once the review is complete, we will start the consultation with the trade unions.
17 Oct 2011 : Column 727W
Social Security Benefits
Mr Laws: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many long-term recipients of jobseeker's allowance moved off benefits in each month from January 2006 to September 2011; and if he will make a statement. [75249]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated October 2011:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many long-term recipients of jobseeker's allowance moved off benefit in each month from January 2006 to September 2011; and if he will make a statement. (75249)
Table 1 shows the number of people who had flowed off Jobseeker's Allowance after claiming for over 12 months, resident in the UK, in each month from January 2006 to September 2011.
National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at
http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
| Table 1: Number of people (1) who flowed off jobseeker's allowance after claiming for more than 12 months. | |
|
|
Number |
17 Oct 2011 : Column 728W
| (1) The flow figures are collected for four or five-week periods between count dates; the figures are then standardised to a 4 1/3 week month. Source: Jobcentre Plus Administrative System | |
Third Sector
Mr Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office from which organisations he received responses to his Department's consultation paper on Modernising Commissioning in December 2010 and January 2011; and if he will make a statement. [74770]
Mr Hurd: The Cabinet Office received 181 written responses to the Modernising Commissioning Green Paper, as listed. They represented a broad range of voluntary sector organisations, including front line and umbrella organisations, as well as local authorities and academic institutions.
17 Oct 2011 : Column 729W
In total, approximately 400 organisations responded through a mixture of written responses and consultation events. These feed into the Open Public Services White Paper.
3SC
A4E
Acceptcare
Acevo
Action for Advocacy
Action for Children
Addiction Dependency Solutions
Advice UK
Age UK
Anthony Collis Solicitors
APSE
Arts Council
Association of Charitable Foundation
Barnado’s
Bassac
Bath and North East Somerset Council
Becksley Voluntary Service Council
Big Society Network
Birmingham County Council
Bournemouth CVS
Bradford CVS
Brighton and Hove City Council
Bristol City Council
British Heart Foundation
BTCV
Burnley Pendle and Rossingdale CVS
Camden Community Empowerment Network
Caritas Social Action Network
Charities Aid
Charity Finance Directors Group
Charity Tax Group
Cheshire and Warrington Change Up
Chester le street and District Council for Voluntary service and Volunteer Bureau
Children England
Churches Legislation Advisory Service
CIPFA
Citizens Advice Bureau
Citizens Advice UK
City of Bradford Metropolitan district Council
Clinks
Commissioning Support Programme
Community Barnet
Community Matters
Community Transport Association UK
Consortium
Co-Operatives UK
Cornwall Council
COVER
Crisis
Cross Government Commissioning Learning and Development Group
Cruse Bereavement Care
CVI
Disability Lib
Durham County Council
17 Oct 2011 : Column 730W
East Sussex County Council
ECDP
Essex County Council
Faith Based Regeneration Network
Fellows Associates
Foundation Trust Network
Fusion 21
Gateshead Council
Gateshead Voluntary Organisation Council
GIRES
GMCVO
Green Space
Guide Dogs UK
Hampshire County Council
Haringey Council
Havco Haringey
Helix Arts
Herefordshire and Worcestershire Earth Heritage Trust
Herefordshire Public Services
HM Partnerships
Home Group
Home Start UK
Impetus
IPPR
Isle of Wight Council
Kent County Council
Lancashire County Council
Learning Together Cheshire and Warrington
Leeds City Council
Legal Services Commission
Leonard Cheshire Disability
Lesbian and Gay Foundation
LGIE
Liverpool Charity and Voluntary Services
Liverpool John Moores University
Local Government Group
London South Bank University
London Voluntary Service Council
London Wildlife Trust
MOTIVCIC
Naaps
Nacro
National Children’s Bureau
National Centre for Independent Living
National Youth Advocacy Service
NAVCA
NCVO
Ncvys
Nesta
Newcastle City Council
Newcastle CVS
North East Social Enterprise Partnership
North West BME Voluntary and Community Sector Network
Northampton Borough Council
Northamptonshire County Council
One East Midlands
Ormiston
Parents and Children Together
Participatory Budgeting Unit
17 Oct 2011 : Column 731W
Phoenix Futures
Pre-School Learning Alliance
RAISE
RAWM
Realliance
Refuge
Registry Trust Limited
rnid
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
Rural Action East
Social Development Agency
Social Enterprise Coalition
Social Enterprise Works
Social Firms UK
Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council
South East Rural Community Councils
Southwark Habitat for Humanity
Sporta
St Edmundsbury Council
St Giles Trust
St Mungos
Staffordshire County Council
Stockon on Tees Borough Council
Stonewall
Suffolk County Council
Surrey County Council
SUSTAIN
Sutton Centre for the Voluntary Sector
SWAN Network
Swanswell
Tees Valley County Council
The Adsetts Partnership
The Brunswick Centre
The Business Services Association
The Camden Society
The Capability Company
The Guild
The Media Trust
The National Care Forum
The Social Investment Business
The South West Forum
The Stroke Association
The Survivor Trust
The Zebra Collective
Timebank
TUC
Turning Point
UK Council of Deafness
Unison
Unlimited Potential
Vassall Centre
Victims Support
Voluntary Action North Lincolnshire
Voluntary Action Oldham
Voluntary Action Sheffield
Voluntary and Community Action Wirral
Voluntary sector chief officers group Stoke on Trent
Voluntary Sector North West
VONNE
17 Oct 2011 : Column 732W
Wales Council for Voluntary Action
Westminster City Council
Wildlife Trust
Women’s Aid
Women’s Resource Centre
Workwise
WRVS
Yorkshire and Humber Forum
Young Lancashire.
Mr Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what plans he has to make it easier to establish a charity, social enterprise or voluntary organisation; and if he will make a statement. [74803]
Mr Hurd: The Government are keen to make it easier to run a voluntary group, charity or social enterprise. For example the recently released Unshackling Good Neighbours report by Lord Hodgson has put forward a raft of recommendations to address the level of bureaucracy that civil society organisations and volunteers face. The £30 million Community First programme aims to encourage more social action in neighbourhoods with significant deprivation and low social capital. It will look to help start more neighbourhood groups and revitalise existing groups and be a catalyst for community action. In July we launched the £30 million Transforming Local Infrastructure programme which aims to transform the support provided to frontline civil society organisations by mainly supporting local infrastructure and volunteering infrastructure organisations to rationalise and transform.
We are also working on a completely new legal structure for charities—the first incorporated legal structure designed specifically with the needs of charities in mind. Called Charitable Incorporated Organisation, it will contribute to the Government's aim of making it easier to set up and run a charity, voluntary group or social enterprise.
Mr Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps he plans to take to make it easier for civil society organisations to work with the Government; and if he will make a statement. [74804]
Mr Hurd: The Government are committed to making it easier for civil society organisations to do business with the state. For example the recently announced Open Public Services White Paper sets out our intention to make it easier for charities and social enterprises to compete for public sector contracts by opening up public services. Our approach will be guided by applying five key principles:
Choice—Wherever possible we will increase choice.
Decentralisation—Power should be decentralised to the lowest appropriate level.
Diversity—Public services should be open to a range of providers.
Fairness—We will ensure fair access to public services.
Accountability—Public services should be accountable to users and taxpayers.
There is also the £10 million Investment and Contract Readiness Fund to transform the support provided to frontline civil society organisations to help them develop the skills and infrastructure to win more capital investment and public service contracts. At the same time the Department for Communities and Local Government published the Best Value Guidance recently. The guidance
17 Oct 2011 : Column 733W
makes it clear that councils should consider overall value—including social value—when considering service provision. This guidance sets out our desire that public agencies and civil society collaborate more in the running of public services.
Mr Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much direct funding his Department provided to each civil society organisation it funded in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13, (d) 2013-14 and (e) 2014-15; and if he will make a statement. [74840]
Mr Hurd: A list of direct grant funding awards to civil society organisations in 2010-11 is provided below (not including funds passed to arm's length bodies to distribute as grant funding on behalf of the Cabinet Office).
Information for funding for 2011-12 onwards can only be provided at the end of each financial year as funding awards are finalised throughout the year.
17 Oct 2011 : Column 734W