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The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the Committee at the end of the Session. Statistics relating to Government Department's performance for the 2009-10 Parliamentary Session were previously provided to the Committee and are available on the Parliament website.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many and what proportion of questions for ordinary written answer received a substantive response within (a) 10, (b) 20, (c) 30 and (d) more than 30 sitting days in the 2010-12 Session to date. [85926]
Robert Neill: 78 of the 3,005 ordinary written questions (around 2.5% of the total) tabled to the Department between the 2010 general election and 31 October 2011 were not answered within 10 sitting days (including non-sitting Fridays) of the due date for answer. It would involve disproportionate cost to provide the further breakdown requested.
The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the committee at the end of the Session. Statistics relating to Government Department’s performance for the 2009-10 parliamentary Session were previously provided to the Committee and are available on the Parliament website.
Empty Property
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions he has had with local authorities regarding the use of empty public buildings prior to decisions to build new property being made. [76559]
Robert Neill: We have had no discussions with local authorities about the use of empty public buildings prior to decisions to build new property being made.
In July 2011, we published a draft new National Planning Policy Framework. This states that planning policies and decisions should enable the reuse of existing resources such as through the conversion of existing buildings. The 12-week consultation period on the draft framework closed on 17 October. We will now carefully consider all of the submissions that have been made and then publish the revised text.
Additionally we have been working with 11 pathfinders across the country to ensure better use of public sector assets.
http://www.communities.gov.uk/localgovernment/decentralisation/capitalassets/
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I also refer the hon. Member to my Department's press notice of 5 October 2011, a copy of which is in the Library of the House, which outlines the Government's plans to release disused public sector land and buildings to help build new homes, and outlines the new Community Right to Reclaim Land to help get disused public land back into use.
Government Procurement Card
Mr Marcus Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 7 September 2011, Official Report, column 647W, on the Government Procurement Card, which of the listed transactions for withdrawing cash were made by cards held by a member of a Ministerial private office; and what the name of each such Minister was. [81662]
Robert Neill: The following cash withdrawals were made by the Department's private offices from April 2006 to March 2010:
| £ | |
| (1) The transaction for £351.42 on 8 September 2006 was cancelled and immediately reimbursed. | |
Records of private office transactions are not held in a form which allows them to be readily ascribed to individual Ministers' offices.
Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Great Yarmouth, of 3 November 2011, Official Report, column 782W, on the Government Procurement Card, which of the transactions under the heading of (a) restaurants and bars and (b) leisure activities in the Government Procurement Card transaction data for (i) 2008-09 and (ii) 2009-10, were made using card held by the private office of (A) each Minister in his Department and (B) the permanent secretary; and what the name is of the associated Minister or permanent secretary in each case. [81675]
Robert Neill: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Burton (Andrew Griffiths) on 20 July 2011, Official Report, columns 1102-1106W.
The following transactions were made under the heading of 'restaurants and bars' and 'leisure activities' using a card held by the permanent secretary in 2008-09:
| Cardholder | Transaction date | Merchant | Town | Spend category | Transaction amount (£) |
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10 Jan 2012 : Column 54W
The following transactions were made under the heading of ‘restaurants and bars' and ‘leisure activities' using a card held by the permanent secretary's private office in 2008-09:
| Cardholder | Transaction date | Merchant | Town | Spend category | Transaction amount (£) |
The following transactions were made under the heading of 'restaurants and bars' and 'leisure activities' using a card held by the permanent secretary in 2009-10:
| Cardholder | Transaction date | Merchant | Town | Spend category | Transaction amount (£) |
The following transactions were made under the heading of 'restaurants and bars' and 'leisure activities' using a card held by the permanent secretary's private office in 2009-10:
| Cardholder | Transaction date | Merchant | Town | Spend category | Transaction amount (£) |
The Government Procurement Card spend categories depend on how the vendor classifies their business. The single transaction listed under 'leisure activities' relates to hotel accommodation.
Records are not held in the names of individual Ministers or permanent secretaries, other than the specific transactions listed above in the name of the then permanent secretary. It would involve disproportionate cost to provide the information requested in this form.
My Department is committed to greater transparency over the use of the Government Procurement Card than under the last Administration, and has strengthened the checks and balances to ensure protection of taxpayers money.
Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 10 October 2011, Official Report, column 13W, on the Government Procurement Card, which Ministers received hospitality funded from the public purse in each case. [82149]
Robert Neill:
For the events held at the Wolseley on 2 December 2008 and 5 June 2009, and the Boisdale on
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3 April 2008, I refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 24 October 2011,
Official Report,
column 62W.
The event held at the SHH Yong An Xianqiangfang in Shanghai on 4 November 2008 was attended by the hon. Member for Hartlepool (Mr Wright). I am informed that it was a roundtable organised by the British consulate in Shanghai, as part of the World Urban Forum.
The visit of the hon. Member for Hartlepool to China is recorded on the Cabinet Office website for overseas visits made by all Ministers in 2008-09, available at:
http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/media/226022/travel_ 2008_2009.pdf
No Ministers attended the other events.
High Street Review: Parking
Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the Portas Review, if he will ask local authorities to review their parking strategies. [87869]
Grant Shapps: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Bob Neill), to the hon. Member for Westminster North (Ms Buck), of 7 December 2011, Official Report, columns 342-43W.
The Government expect to respond to the Portas Review in the spring.
Housing Benefit: Greater London
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what research his Department is undertaking on the effects of changes in housing benefit rules in London; and how many people he estimates have (a) moved and (b) been made homeless as a result of those changes. [88551]
Grant Shapps: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has commissioned an independent consortium of academics and research organisations to evaluate the effects of the recent local housing allowance changes. The Department for Communities and Local Government, along with the Scottish Government and Welsh Assembly Government, is working in close partnership with DWP on this and is contributing to the costs of the research.
Housing: Berkshire
Alok Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the effects of the introduction of the New Homes Bonus in (a) Berkshire, (b) Reading and (c) Reading West constituency. [87238]
Grant Shapps: On 1 December we announced provisional New Homes Bonus allocations for 2012-13. The Bonus is based on the number of additional homes and those brought back into use, with a premium for affordable homes. Reading Unitary Authority and West Berkshire Unitary Authority will receive £1,242,883 and £921,033 respectively.
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New Homes Bonus ensures that the benefits of growth are reaped by the communities where housing stock has increased. Local authorities and their communities are free to spend New Homes Bonus revenues according to local wishes.
Housing: Greater London
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many new dwellings for (a) shared ownership, (b) owner-occupation, (c) council tenancy and (d) housing association tenancy he estimates will be completed in each London borough in (i) 2011-12 and (ii) 2012-13. [88383]
Andrew Stunell: The Department does not forecast levels of future house building, and delivery will be determined by local housing plans.
London has been allocated 27% of the 80,000 new affordable homes through the new Affordable Homes Programme. In addition to existing commitments, these will be delivered over the years 2011-15.
Details about homes to be delivered and funded through the Affordable Homes Programme by local authority area are not yet available.
Housing: Sales
Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the proportion of houses bought in England by people resident outside the UK in the last year for which figures are available. [88512]
Andrew Stunell: Other than the figures given to the right hon. Member in response to his question of 6 December 2011, Official Report, columns 243-46W, the Department does not hold any data on houses bought in England by people resident outside of the UK.
Japan Tobacco International
Mr Hain: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether any (a) Ministers and (b) special advisers in his Department have received hospitality from Japan Tobacco International since May 2010. [87608]
Robert Neill: Information about hospitality received by Ministers and special advisers is published quarterly by Departments. Information for the period 13 May 2010 to 30 June 2011 can be accessed on departmental websites. Information for 1 July onwards will be published in due course.
Local Government Association: Finance
Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funding his Department provides to the Local Government Association; and for what purposes. [86986]
Robert Neill:
The Local Government Association is provided with improvement support funding of £116.75 million from the revenue support grant top-slice. The funding is used to support improvement which
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includes themes such as: tackling underperformance; identifying productivity gains; transforming the way services and the work force are organised; supporting councils to create strong local economies; improving councillors’ skills; and reviewing and challenging performance.
DCLG has also provided £1 million to enable the Local Government Association to perform its role as selector for Sustainable Communities Act 2007 cases.
The allocations for each year are set out in the following table.
| £ million | |||||
| Budget | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | 2013-14 | 2014-15 | Total |
The grant is for use on behalf of the local government sector as a whole, not just Local Government Association members.
Local Government Ombudsman
Nicky Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans he has to extend the remit of the Local Government Ombudsman to cover (a) parish and (b) town councils. [87879]
Robert Neill: As I informed the House in my response to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Winchester (Steve Brine) on 20 June 2011, Official Report, column 54W, we are open to representations on this matter, in particular in the context of our current consideration of a new and different role for ombudsmen with a focus on consumer choice as proposed in the Open Public Services White Paper.
Non-Domestic Rates
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he is taking to encourage local authorities to use the income from business rates to provide better support for small businesses and independent retailers. [88029]
Grant Shapps: The Government will respond to the Portas review in the spring. That notwithstanding, I would note that the Government's proposals to allow the local retention of business rates from April 2013 will provide further incentives for local authorities to work with local businesses to help create a positive climate to enable local growth. The Government have also doubled small business rate relief for two and half years, which will include the whole of the 2012-13 financial year.
Business rates in Wales are a devolved matter.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the use made by local authorities of their discretionary powers to give rate concessions to new local businesses. [88030]
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Grant Shapps: The Government will respond to the Portas review in the spring. That notwithstanding, I would note that the power to provide discounts is not yet available to local authorities. It will be from 1 April 2012. From that point authorities will be able to grant business rates discounts entirely as they see fit within the limits of the primary legislation and European rules on state aid.
Business rates in Wales are a devolved matter.
Non-Domestic Rates: Retail Trade
Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of business rates revenue was paid by companies in the retail sector in each of the last five years. [87934]
Robert Neill: This information is not held centrally.
Parking: Fees and Charges
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will give consideration to publishing a parking league table giving comparative information on the parking charges imposed by local authorities. [88028]
Grant Shapps: The Government expect to respond to the Portas review in the spring.
Parking: Urban Areas
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the effect of the imposition of car parking charges in town centre locations on the commercial viability of high streets. [88096]
Robert Neill: I refer the hon. Member to the answer of 7 December 2011, Official Report, columns 342-43W, which outlines my Department's stance on the issue of car parking charges and supporting local high streets.
The Government will also be responding in spring 2012 to the Mary Portas review, which made a number of policy recommendations on this topic.
Planning Permission
Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will list the local planning authorities that have made submissions to his Department's consultation on the draft National Planning Policy Framework. [87672]
Greg Clark: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave her on 1 December 2011, Official Report, column 1029W.
Planning Permission: Rural Areas
Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment his Department has made of whether there should be a separate definition of the sustainability of development in rural areas in the National Planning Policy Framework. [87671]
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Greg Clark: Policies in the draft National Planning Policy Framework were developed taking into account both rural and urban areas. Before finalising the document we will also take into account the issues raised as a result of the consultation exercise.
Planning: Property
Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he proposes that the formal consultation on the review of the Use Classes Order will begin. [88530]
Robert Neill: We are considering the thoughts and ideas received in response to our Issues Paper on how change of use should be handled in the planning system. Its purpose was to stimulate debate and was part of a wider call for evidence on this subject which also included discussions with key partners and other Government Departments. We are now reflecting on the issues on which we may wish to consult in the future.
Planning: Urban Areas
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will ensure that the revised National Planning Policy Framework will contain a presumption in favour of town centre development. [88027]
Greg Clark: We remain committed to the town centre first approach set out in current policy, which we have included in the draft National Planning Policy Framework. Local authorities should recognise town centres as the heart of their communities and the draft Framework makes clear that they should pursue policies to support their viability and vitality. The consultation on the draft Framework has closed now and we are considering all the responses.
Renewable Energy
Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment his Department has made of the likely impact upon neighbourhood plans of the Government's commitment to ensure that renewable sources will generate 15 per cent. of the UK's energy by 2020. [87670]
Greg Clark: The Localism Act 2011 gives communities new powers to plan for the future of their areas through neighbourhood planning. These are powerful new opportunities for communities to shape the development of their local areas.
It is for communities to decide whether they wish to use neighbourhood development plans or orders to deliver energy from renewable sources, provided the plans or orders meet the basic conditions set out in the Localism Act.
Our proposals strike the right balance by ensuring that neighbourhood planning proposals are in general conformity with strategic planning policies, while giving communities the flexibility to determine those issues that are rightly dealt with at community level.
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Retail Trade: Empty Property
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what his policy is on tackling empty shops; and if he will consider introducing empty shop management orders; [88031]
(2) what consideration he has given to imposing a duty on local authorities to produce a public register of high street landlords; [88032]
(3) what his policy is on the recommendation by the Portas review that empty shop management orders be introduced; [88033]
(4) what steps his Department has taken to discourage landlords from leaving shopping units vacant; [88034]
(5) what assessment he has made of the contribution of a clean urban environment to the commercial viability of high streets. [88101]
Grant Shapps: The Government commissioned Mary Portas to do an independent review of the future of the high street. She has identified many issues for Government, business and local authorities to consider. These include empty shop management orders, the introduction of a public register of high street landlords, disincentives to prevent landlords from leaving shop units vacant, and the contribution a clean urban environment can make to the commercial viability of high streets.
The Government will consider these and other recommendations of the review carefully and respond in detail in spring 2012.
Right-to-Buy Scheme
Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he plans to introduce an exception from the right-to-buy scheme in cases where it is demonstrable that (a) sales would create a negative net present value in the Housing Revenue Account Business Plan and (b) the units are required to meet housing need within the locality. [87706]
Grant Shapps: We have announced our intention to reinvigorate the right-to-buy scheme by significantly increasing discounts.
In our consultation paper "Reinvigorating Right to Buy and one for one replacement" published on 22 December 2011, we propose that the council may deduct, from its right-to-buy receipts, an amount sufficient to cover the housing debt supportable from the income on additional right-to-buy sales. The aim is that the Housing Revenue Account receives a capital receipt equivalent to the amount of debt that the property could support under the self-financing methodology. This is to ensure the continued viability of the council's landlord business by compensating for the lost value of the property.
Our proposals for calculating the amount of housing debt that should be cleared are set out in Annex C of the consultation paper.
Every additional home sold under right-to-buy will be replaced with a new home for affordable rent.
We have no plans to extend the range of exemptions from the right to buy.
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Mr Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 12 December 2011, Official Report, column 486W, on right-to-buy scheme, from which budget he proposes funding will be made available to meet the difference between the income raised from the 50 per cent. discounted sale of social housing and the cost of the land and construction of a one for one replacement dwelling. [87856]
Grant Shapps: The receipts only have to meet part of the cost of a replacement property. Social landlords generally meet the costs of new homes from borrowing against the future rental income from letting the home, a contribution from their own resources, including land, and grant funding from the Government. In the Right to Buy replacement scheme, receipts from sales will substitute for grant funding.
Alok Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homes in Reading were sold under the right to buy scheme in each of the last 20 years. [87313]
Grant Shapps: The number of sales of local authority stock under the Right to Buy scheme in each year are given in live table 648 on the Department's website at:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstatisticsby/socialhousingsales/livetables/
Housing associations may also sell their stock through Preserved Right to Buy where the tenant is eligible under this scheme. Data on Preserved Right to Buy is collected by the Tenant Services Authority in their Regulatory and Statistical Return but this does not separately identify Preserved Right to Buy sales at local authority level.
Temporary Accommodation
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the median cost was of providing temporary accommodation to homeless households in each bedroom size unit, in each region, in each of the last five years. [87683]
Grant Shapps [holding answer 20 December 2011]: The Department does not collect the requested information.
Treasury
Air Passenger Duty
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much airport passenger tax was collected at each airport in each of the last three years. [88174]
Miss Chloe Smith:
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not collect information on air passenger duty (APD) revenues by each airport in the UK. For each destination band under APD, the numbers of
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chargeable passengers and the revenue declared are published on a monthly basis on HMRCs UK Trade Info website at:
www.uktradeinfo.com/index.cfm?task=bulletins
Banks: China
Mr Spellar: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the answer of 10 January 2006, Official Report, column 524W, on banking system (China), if he will provide an updated assessment of the stability of the banking system in China. [87948]
Mr Hoban: HM Treasury continually monitors the stability of financial systems around the world and their effects on the UK economy. The outlook for UK economy was set out in the autumn statement. On 14 November 2011, the IMF published the findings from its first detailed assessment of China's financial sector, as part of its Financial Sector Assessment programme (carried out every five years on systemically important financial systems). It concluded that “China has made remarkable progress in its transition toward a more commercially-orientated and financially-sound system”, while highlighting the key short-term risks facing the sector and the build-up of longer-term vulnerabilities. Full details can be found here:
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/cat/longres.cfm?sk=25350.0
As part of the UK-China Economic and Financial Dialogue (EFD), we have significantly increased our technical and policy collaboration with China on financial sector reform issues, as highlighted in paragraphs 4 to 15 of the policy outcomes paper from the 2011 EFD:
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/int_ukchina_pop.htm
Get Britain Building Investment Fund
Ed Balls: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what he has made of (a) the level of take-up and (b) the effectiveness of the Get Britain Building investment fund. [87640]
Danny Alexander [holding answer 20 December 2011]: The Government published a prospectus for the Get Britain Building fund on 22 December. Expressions of interest are requested by 27 January 2012. Our analysis suggests there are 133,000 stalled sites in England, of which, 90,000 units have not started and are classified as on hold or shelved.
Business: Loans
Rachel Reeves: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how he plans to monitor whether the cheaper funding received by the banks under the National Loan Guarantee Scheme is passed through to smaller businesses. [87799]
Mr Hoban: The Government will put in place rigorous monitoring and audit processes to ensure that banks pass on the benefit of cheaper funding to smaller businesses.
Rachel Reeves:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects that businesses will start to
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receive investment through his Business Finance Partnership. [87800]
Mr Hoban: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 19 December 2011, Official Report, column 976W.
The Government intend to commit their first funding through the Business Finance Partnership in spring 2012, but the month in which the first loans will be made to businesses by these funds will depend upon the length of time taken for fund managers to confirm private sector co-investment, and to identify suitable lending opportunities.
Rachel Reeves: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects that businesses will start to receive loans supported by his National Loan Guarantee Scheme. [87801]
Mr Hoban: The National Loan Guarantee Scheme is expected to be up and running early this year.
Rachel Reeves: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the (a) net and (b) gross change in bank lending to (i) all businesses and (ii) small and medium-sized enterprises arising from his credit easing policy in each month of 2012. [87802]
Mr Hoban: The National Loan Guarantee Scheme will improve the flow of credit to smaller businesses by reducing the cost of borrowing. The Business Finance Partnership is initially expected to make at least £2 billion of finance available for mid-sized businesses.
Carbon Sequestration: Finance
Rachel Reeves: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the status is of the £1 billion allocated for the carbon capture and storage programme in 2016-17; and if he will make a statement. [87962]
Miss Chloe Smith: The Government remain committed to making £1 billion available for carbon capture and storage (CCS). The Department of Energy and Climate Change is in the process of designing a competition for a CCS programme; the outcome of this will determine the allocation of that budget.
Charitable Trusts
Mr Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to amend the use of the fit and proper persons test for charity trustees used by HM Revenue and Customs. [88443]
Miss Chloe Smith: There are no plans to amend the fit and proper persons test for charity trustees.
Child Benefit
Chris Leslie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to publish draft legislation to implement his proposed changes for higher rate taxpayer households in receipt of child benefit. [88566]
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Miss Chloe Smith: The legislative timetable for implementation of proposed changes for higher rate taxpayer households in receipt of child benefit will be announced in due course.
Combined Heat and Power: Feed-in Tariffs
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions (a) he and (b) his officials have had with the Department for Energy and Climate Change on support for micro combined heat and power through the feed-in tariff. [83666]
Miss Chloe Smith: Treasury Ministers and officials meet with a wide range of other Ministers and officials from other Government Departments as part of the usual policy making process. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will meet representatives of the heating and hot water industries to discuss micro combined heat and power and the feed-in tariff. [83667]
Miss Chloe Smith: Treasury Ministers receive numerous requests to meet with representatives from industry and consider them on a case-by-case basis. The Department of Energy and Climate Change is the Government Department responsible for the Feed-in Tariff programme.
Company Liquidations
Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to ensure that HM Revenue and Customs has the flexibility to delay demands for payment to prevent businesses going into liquidation. [88689]
Mr Gauke: HMRC is committed to adopting a sympathetic approach to businesses that have genuine short term difficulties in paying the tax they owe. HMRC does not take winding up action lightly and if there is a prospect of imminent payment HMRC will work closely with the customer to facilitate payment to the Exchequer. This process is made easier if taxpayers experiencing temporary difficulties in meeting their tax obligations contact HMRC early.
Debit Cards: Fees and Charges
Graeme Morrice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to publish the Government's response to the Office of Fair Trading's recommendations on debit card surcharges; and if he will make a statement. [87452]
Mr Hoban: The Government announced on 23 December 2011 that they will take action to tackle excessive card surcharges that are opaque, misleading and prevent consumers getting a good deal. The Government will consult on draft legislation in early 2012.
I have written to the director general of the Office of Fair Trading setting out the details. A copy of my letter has been deposited in the Library of the House.
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Debt Recovery
Mr Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many times his Department has used the services of debt recovery companies since May 2010; which companies were used; and if he will make a statement. [88362]
Miss Chloe Smith: Since May 2010 the Treasury has not used the services of any debt recovery companies.
Redundancy Pay
Jon Trickett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much redundancy pay was paid to civil servants in his Department in each month between September and November 2011. [87991]
Miss Chloe Smith: The Treasury did not incur any spending on compulsory redundancies during the period in question. However, the Treasury is in the process of managing a small number of voluntary exits from the organisation in line with the Civil Service Compensation scheme.
Spending was incurred on voluntary exits amounting to £198,000 during the period comprising £24,000 in September, £101,000 in October and £73,000 in November.
Risk Assessment
Mr Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what risk registers are held by the public bodies for which his Department is responsible; and if he will make a statement. [85712]
Miss Chloe Smith: In line with good planning and risk management, UK Financial Investments Ltd and the Office for Budget Responsibility maintain risk registers.
Departmental Temporary Employment
Jon Trickett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many temporary staff have been recruited to his Department between September and November 2011. [87992]
Miss Chloe Smith: HM Treasury recruited 13 temporary staff (five fixed term appointments; eight agency staff) between 1 September and 30 November 2011.
Devolution: Finance
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what Barnett consequential funding will be made available to each devolved Administration as a result of the allocation of funding to assist troubled families. [88173]
Danny Alexander: This measure is being funded from within existing resources. There are consequently no additional Barnett consequentials.
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Excise Duties: Fuels
Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had on the introduction of a fuel duty rebate in rural areas of Wales. [88019]
Danny Alexander: Treasury Ministers routinely discuss a range of issues with colleagues and stakeholders. I refer the hon. Member to the answer the Economic Secretary to the Treasury gave to the hon. Member for Skipton and Ripon (Julian Smith) on 5 December 2011, Official Report, column 69W.
Excise Duties: Tobacco
Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he has taken to tackle the illicit trade in non-UK duty paid cigarettes. [87751]
Miss Chloe Smith: The Government are committed to tackling the illicit trade in non-UK duty paid cigarettes and in April 2011 published a comprehensive new strategy for HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and the UK Border Agency (UKBA): “Tackling Tobacco Smuggling—building on our success”. It is available online at:
www.hmrc.gov.uk/news/tackling-tobacco.htm
This is a risk-based, intelligence-led strategy which is applied across the UK, including in Leicestershire and the east midlands. Domestically, HMRC works in collaboration with other enforcement agencies to maximise impact using the full range of powers and sanctions available, and to develop and apply joined-up approaches to localised problems of illicit activity.
Housing Revenue Accounts: Wales
Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received from the Welsh Government on retaining within Wales the moneys accrued under the Housing Revenue Account Subsidy Scheme since May 2011. [88021]
Danny Alexander: Treasury and Welsh Government Ministers meet from time to time to discuss matters of common interest including the Housing Revenue Account Subsidy Scheme.
Income Tax
Mr Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the average personal income tax (a) burden and (b) rate on the top (i) 1 per cent. and (ii) 10 per cent. of income earners in each year between 1985 and 2010; and if he will make a statement. [86445]
Mr Gauke: Estimates of total income tax liabilities, total income assessable for tax and so average rates of tax for the top 1% and 10% of taxpayers by total income in the period 1999-2000 to 2010-11 are provided in the following table.
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| Table 1. Income tax liabilities and average tax rate for top 10% and top 1% of taxpayers, 1999- 20 00 to 2010-11 | ||||||
| Top 10% | Top 1% | |||||
| Taxpayers | Income tax (£ billion) | Total income (£ billion) | Average rate (percentage) | Income tax (£ billion) | Total income (£ billion) | Average rate (percentage) |
These estimates are based on successive Survey of Personal Incomes (SPI) datasets up to 2007-08. Estimates for 2008-09 onwards are based on the 2007-08 SPI projected using OBR's Budget 2011 economic and fiscal assumptions.
These estimates are consistent with statistics published in Table 2.4 shares of total income tax liability:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/income_tax/menu.htm#liabilities
Published estimates of shares of total income tax liabilities for the top 1% and 10% of taxpayers by total income in the period 1990-91 to 2010-11 are provided in the following table. Corresponding estimates of total income and average rates of tax for these groups prior to 1999-2000 were not published and are not available.
| Table 2. Shares of total income tax liability | |||
| Share of total income tax | |||
| Taxpayers | Top 10 % | Top 1 % | Total income tax (£ billion) |
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Estimates prior to 1999-2000 and further analyses of taxpayers, taxpayer incomes and tax liabilities in this period are available in “Inland Revenue Statistics, 1992 and 2000”.
Income Tax: Overpayments
Mr Burley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on how many occasions HM Revenue and Customs has received overpayments of income tax paid by PAYE in each of the last five years. [87631]
Mr Gauke: The information requested is unavailable. However, HMRC publishes all details of any income tax overpayments (including those collected via PAYE) in its annual accounts. Details are found at:
www.hmrc.gov.uk
Inland Revenue: Gifts and Endowments
Mr Gray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer from what date Inland Revenue required its employees to register all hospitality and gifts received. [87475]
Mr Gauke: The requirement for staff to make entries in a hospitality and gifts register has existed in the Inland Revenue, and subsequently in the merged Department of HM Revenue and Customs, for a period in excess of 10 years. The original date of introduction is unknown.
Non-domestic Rates: Appeals
Mr Umunna: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many business rates appeals have been (a) received and (b) cleared by the Valuation Office Agency in each (i) region and (ii) local authority in each month in 2010-11. [87851]
Mr Gauke: The number of proposals (a) received and (b) cleared by the Valuation Office Agency in each (i) region and (ii) administrative area in each month for 2010-2011 financial year are shown in two sets of four tables placed in the Library.
Personal Savings
Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the rate of growth in the amount of savings held by UK nationals in each financial year since 2007-08. [88787]
Mr Hoban: The Wealth and Assets Survey provides an estimate of aggregate financial household wealth, including savings, surveyed in the period 2006-08.
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/was/wealth-in-great-britain/main-results-from-the-wealth-and-assets-survey-2006-2008/index.html
The next release of this data, based on the period 2008-10, is due this year and will provide an estimate of the change in aggregate financial wealth between 2006-08 and 2008-10.
The Family Resources Survey collects data annually, and provides data regarding the savings and investments of households in each year since 1998. This resource can be used to estimate how the value
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and distribution of household savings has changed over time. These releases can be found here:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/frs/
Public Expenditure: Housing
Ms Ritchie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the Barnett consequentials for the Housing Plan for England are. [82710]
Danny Alexander: The Barnett consequentials arising from the housing package are set out in the following table:
| £ million | |||
| 2012-13 | 2013-14 | 2014-15 | |
Public Sector: Pensions
Mr Raab: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 9 November 2011, Official Report, column 340W, on public sector: pensions, whether it is possible to quantify in cash terms the additional cost to the public purse arising from the increase in accrual rates for public sector pensions announced on 2 November 2011. [81720]
Danny Alexander [holding answer 23 November 2011]: Reforms to public service pensions will save the taxpayer tens of billions of pounds over the next few decades and significantly improve the long-term fiscal sustainability of this country. The Office for Budget Responsibility will provide a forecast of the savings in its next Fiscal Sustainability Report.
Jessica Morden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average public sector pension is in Wales. [84299]
Danny Alexander [holding answer 1 December 2011]: The Independent Public Service Pensions Commission found that the median public service pension in payment to retired public servants is £5,600 a year, and the mean £7,800 a year. More detailed information is available from the Departments responsible for the individual schemes.
Revenue and Customs: Contracts
Graeme Morrice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much each company awarded a contract for handling calls on tax credits in the HM Revenue and Customs contact centres in Bathgate and Lillyhall will receive in payment. [87381]
Mr Gauke:
The contracts with the third party suppliers, which have yet to be signed, will run for a maximum of 12 months. There are contract review points at the six and nine-month stages when a decision will be made as to whether to continue to the next break point in the contract. The value of each supplier contract will depend on a number of variables. It is
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therefore difficult to provide an indication, at this stage, as to the worth of each contract.
Graeme Morrice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer to what taxpayer information staff employed by the private companies who have been awarded the contracts in the HM Revenue and Customs contact centres at Bathgate and Lillyhall will have access; and what steps his Department has taken to ensure that data security procedures are adhered to. [87382]
Mr Gauke: Advisers handling customer calls to HMRC helplines will normally have access to a range of information held by HMRC. This information is needed to handle the customer's reason for calling and to complete any necessary follow up action.
The integrity and confidentiality of customer information is, as ever, an absolute priority. HMRC will do nothing that compromises the Department's data security standards.
The third-party suppliers will be acting on behalf of HMRC and will be bound by exactly the same legal obligations. They will also be subject to the same penalties and sanctions regarding unlawful disclosure as HMRC and its directly employed staff. Additionally, HMRC will also, as it does for all third-party suppliers, include strict and robust data protection requirements within the contract. Staff recruited for this work will be subject to the same checks as are carried out in respect of staff recruited to HMRC.
Revenue and Customs: Redundancy Pay
Stephen Barclay: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many special severance payments HM Revenue and Customs has made in each of the last three years; and what estimate he has made of the monetary value of such payments for each of those years. [88190]
Mr Gauke: HMRC has made no special severance payments during the last three years. Anyone who has left HMRC with a severance package during the last three years has done so under the terms of the Civil Service Compensation Scheme (CSCS) as part of an exit scheme which has been approved by the Cabinet Office. The severance package received by those individuals has been in line with their entitlement under the CSCS.
Stamp Duties
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what steps he is taking to reduce the legal avoidance of stamp duty on property sales through company structures; [88329]
(2) what recent estimate his Department has made of the cost to the Exchequer of the legal avoidance of stamp duty on property sales through company structures; [88330]
(3) what representations he has received from the property sales industry on the legal avoidance of stamp duty on property sales through company structures. [88331]
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Miss Chloe Smith: Stamp duty applies to transfers of stock and marketable securities via a stock transfer form.
There is no liable person for stamp duty and no statutory compulsion to present a document for stamping. So it is not appropriate to refer to “avoidance” in this context.
However, stamp duty land tax (SDLT) is charged on a land transaction. SDLT is payable by the purchaser in the usual way when a company acquires or disposes of property. As companies may own or sell property for a variety of different reasons it is not possible to make a reliable estimate of the kind requested.
The Treasury receives representations on all aspects of SDLT, including avoidance. These representations come from a wide range of individuals and organisations.
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what advice his Department provides to (a) small business estate agents and (b) other small businesses considering promoting the legal avoidance of stamp duty on property sales through company structures. [88564]
Miss Chloe Smith: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) publishes a series of guides, known as “Spotlights”
www.hmrc.gov.uk/avoidance/spotlights.htm
which provide a consumer protection message aimed at deterring people from entering into tax avoidance. Spotlights No. 6, published in June 2010, makes it clear that where HMRC finds property sale arrangements that have been artificially structured to avoid paying the correct amount of stamp duty land tax (SDLT), these will be actively challenged, including through the courts where appropriate.
Trading Funds
Mr Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to further regulate the sale of exchange- traded funds, including synthetic traded funds, to retail investors; and if he will make a statement. [88523]
Mr Hoban: Exchange-traded funds are regulated by the Undertakings for Collective Investments in Transferable Securities (UCITS) directives. UCITS provides a harmonised EU regulatory framework for collective investment schemes designed to ensure these products are appropriate for retail investors.
The Government are aware of the recent developments in the exchange-traded funds industry and the concerns around the suitability of some of these products for retail investors. The Government believe that it is important for the UCITS brand that products sold under the UCITS directive are suitable for retail investors. We are working closely with the Financial Services Authority and Bank of England to analyse the risks associated with these products and consider what regulatory responses may be necessary.
Universal Credit
Stephen Timms:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether legislative change is required to
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enable HM Revenue and Customs to share real-time PAYE information with the Department for Work and Pensions for the calculation of universal credit; and if he will make a statement. [88185]
Mr Gauke: The legislative changes required to enable HM Revenue and Customs to share real time PAYE information with the Department for Work and Pensions are contained within the Welfare Reform Bill which has passed the House of Lords Committee stage and is now in the middle of the Lords Report stage.
VAT: Overpayments
Mr Hanson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will review arrangements for the refunding of overpayments of VAT paid by individuals to companies which have subsequently gone into liquidation. [88646]
Mr Gauke: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given on 22 November 2011, Official Report, column 233W. There are no plans for a review.
Working Tax Credit
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many couples with children receive working tax credit in respect of employment of between 16 and 24 hours per week in each parliamentary constituency; [88172]
(2) how many children live in households in receipt of working tax credit including a couple working 16 hours and 24 hours per week in each parliamentary constituency; and what estimate he has made of the total amount of working tax credit (a) paid to such couples in working tax credit in (i) 2010 and (ii) 2011 and (b) which will be paid to such couples in 2012. [88178]
Mr Gauke: The requested information as of December 2011 has been deposited in the Library of the House. Total amount of working tax credit paid is not available at the constituency level.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Adam Werritty
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Islington North (Jeremy Corbyn) of 31 October 2011, Official Report, column 374W, on Adam Werritty, how many meetings in his official capacity Mr Matthew Gould has attended at which Mr Adam Werritty was present since the commencement of Mr Gould's employment at his Department in 1993. [87577]
Mr Lidington:
The Department does not hold information listing all meetings held by officials. However, based on diary records in this case, we are aware of Mr Matthew Gould attending four meetings in his official capacity (8 September 2009, 16 June 2010, 1 September 2010, and 27 September 2010) at which Mr Adam Werritty was present. In addition to this, though they were not meetings, Mr Gould also attended the Herzliya conference in February 2011 and, as listed
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in the Cabinet Office report on the allegations against my right hon. Friend the Member for North Somerset (Dr Fox) of 18 September 2011, attended a dinner on 6 February 2011. Mr Werritty was present at these events.
Algeria: Christianity
Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Algerian authorities on the religious freedom of Christians in that country. [87877]
Alistair Burt: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), discussed the importance of reform with the Algerian authorities during his visit in October.
We are aware that the Algerian authorities have closed some places of worship which have not been registered, including those of Christian groups, since new regulations governing religion in Algeria came into effect in May 2007. I discussed the situation with a delegation of Algerian Christians when I met them on 26 October.
The British Government raises the issue of human rights, including freedom of religion and belief, with the Government of Algeria through a variety of mechanisms, including the EU-Algeria Association Agreement, which came into force in September 2005. Following a recent visit by Mr Stefan Füle, European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy, the EU and the Algerian Government have increased dialogue on these issues, by establishing a sub-committee on political dialogue, security and human rights. Freedom of religion, including for Christian groups, was discussed at the first meeting which was held in October.
Algeria: Religious Freedom
Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Algerian government on Ordinance 06-03 on freedom of religious expression in that country. [87883]
Alistair Burt: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), visited Algeria in October 2011 where he discussed the importance of reform measures, including freedom of expression.
We are aware that the Algerian authorities have closed some places of worship which have not been registered, including those of Christian groups, since new regulations governing religion in Algeria came into effect in May 2007. I discussed the situation with a delegation of Algerian Christians when I met them on 26 October.
The British Government raises the issue of human rights, including freedom of religion and belief, with the Government of Algeria through a variety of mechanisms, including the EU-Algeria Association Agreement. The EU and the Algerian Government have increased dialogue on these issues by establishing a sub-committee on
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political dialogue, security and human rights. Freedom of religion, including for Christian groups, was discussed at the first meeting which was held in October.
Arms Trade
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs who will lead the UK negotiating delegation (a) in preparation for and (b) at the next UN Preparatory Committee for the International Arms Trade Treaty in February 2012. [88036]
Alistair Burt: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is the lead Government Department on an arms trade treaty, with the head of the FCO's Counter Proliferation Department acting as the head of the UK delegation.
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what (a) bilateral and (b) multilateral meetings (i) he and (ii) his officials have had with their international counterparts to discuss the agreement of a robust arms trade treaty in preparation for the final Preparatory Committee in February 2012. [88048]
Alistair Burt: Securing a robust and effective arms trade treaty (ATT) is a priority for the Government. Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials regularly raise the treaty with their international counterparts, both bilaterally and multilaterally, to highlight the importance of an ATT and to understand the positions of other states.
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to ensure a transparent reporting mechanism and effective monitoring and verification procedures are part of any agreement on the arms trade treaty. [88053]
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to ensure a transparent reporting mechanism and effective monitoring and verification procedures are part of any agreement on the arms trade treaty. [88054]
Alistair Burt: The Government's commitment to transparent export controls is demonstrated through the publication of the UK's annual report on strategic export controls. The UK continues to argue for effective transparency mechanisms within an arms trade treaty, both on the treaty's application and its implementation, and regularly raises the issue in its meetings with other states and during the UN negotiations.
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what contribution his Department is making to developing policy on the inclusion of import, export, re-export, transit, transhipment, brokering activities and the gifting, loan or lease of arms within the terms of the arms trade treaty. [88057]
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Alistair Burt: The UK supports an arms trade treaty (ATT) with a broad scope that covers a range of activities and transfers. The cross-Whitehall team on ATT has held a number of technical meetings on different aspects of the treaty, including how different types of transfer and activity could be dealt with by an ATT, and these meetings will continue as we approach the UN conference in July 2012.
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many of his Department's officials at each grade are working on the arms trade treaty negotiations; whether there has been any change in the personnel leading on this matter; and whether he expects any further changes to be made before July 2012. [88062]
Alistair Burt: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) Counter Proliferation Department lead on the negotiation of an arms trade treaty (ATT) and are supported by many other departments and posts across the FCO's extensive network. The FCO does not keep records on the different grades of officials working on the issue. The head of the FCO's Counter Proliferation Department leads the UK delegation on ATT.
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has asked the National Security Council to discuss the arms trade treaty. [88611]
Alistair Burt: The National Security Council has not discussed an arms trade treaty (ATT). The UK has a cross-Whitehall team, with representatives from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Ministry of Defence, Department for International Development and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, working on ATT, with additional expertise supplied by other Government Departments as required.
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what contribution his Department has made to policy development on including small arms, light weapons and ammunition within the terms of the arms trade treaty. [88621]
Alistair Burt: The UK supports a comprehensive scope for an arms trade treaty (ATT), including small arms and light weapons and ammunition. The cross-Whitehall team on ATT has held a number of technical meetings on different aspects of the treaty, including on the treaty's scope, and these meetings will continue as we approach the UN conference in July 2012.
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department provides (a) training and (b) detailed briefings on the arms trade treaty to all staff working in overseas posts; and what steps he is taking to ensure that the treaty is raised in all relevant bi-lateral meetings. [88623]
Alistair Burt: The UK maintains a leading global position on an arms trade treaty (ATT), and regularly provides updates and briefing on the treaty to overseas posts and senior officials. ATT is regularly raised in bilateral and multilateral meetings with states, and this outreach will intensify as we approach the crucial negotiating conference in July 2012.
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Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions (a) he has had and (b) his officials have had with their EU counterparts on the EU position on the arms trade treaty. [88624]
Alistair Burt: The EU is strongly supportive of efforts to secure a robust and effective arms trade treaty (ATT). The EU and its member states regularly co-ordinate activity in support of the treaty at a dedicated EU ATT sub-group, attached to the COARM working group, and in EU co-ordination meetings before and during UN negotiations in New York.
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to ensure that negotiations on the arms trade treaty in 2012 include representatives from civil society and non-governmental organisations. [88625]
Alistair Burt: Civil society and non-governmental organisations have played a crucial role in the progress made on an arms trade treaty (ATT) so far, including through regular meetings with UK officials and by providing a representative on the UK ATT team. Alongside Ambassador Moritan of Argentina, the Chair of the UN process on ATT, the UK has worked to ensure that civil society retain a voice in the UN Preparatory Committee meetings, and we will continue to support this approach at the UN conference in 2012.
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which representatives from his Department have attended each of the UN Preparatory Committee meetings for the International Arms Trade treaty; and which representatives from his Department will attend the meeting in February 2012. [88628]
Alistair Burt: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is the lead Government Department on an arms trade treaty. The head of the UK delegation is the head of the FCO’s counter proliferation department. The UK delegation also includes other representatives from the FCO’s counter proliferation department, its UK mission in Geneva, as well as representatives from cross-Whitehall Departments. This representational approach will continue at the Preparatory Committee meeting in February 2012.
Bahrain: Human Rights
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what (a) contacts and (b) meetings the UK embassy in Bahrain has had with human rights groups in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [88380]
Alistair Burt: Our embassy in Bahrain has been in contact with various human rights groups over the past 12 months, both from Bahrain and the international community. This has included organisations such as the Human Rights Defenders, Pen International, the Bahrain Human Rights Society and the Bahrain Transparency Society, among others.
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We expect the Bahraini Government to meet all its human rights obligations by ensuring its citizens can exercise the universal human rights and freedoms to which they are entitled.
British Nationals Abroad: Kidnapping
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support his Department provides to relatives of British nationals kidnapped overseas. [87563]
Mr Jeremy Browne: Foreign and Commonwealth Office staff maintain regular contact with the relatives of British nationals kidnapped overseas, ensuring they are kept up to date with any developments. The exact level of support depends on the individual cases, but includes regular welfare phone calls and family meetings. If appropriate, we also put families in touch with other specialist agencies such as Hostage UK. In some cases, British police forces appoint a family liaison officer.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British citizens have been kidnapped abroad in each of the last five years. [87564]
Mr Jeremy Browne: We do not have an exact figure as not every case is brought to our attention, but our records show the number of kidnaps involving British nationals abroad in the past five years is shown in the following table.
| Total | |
Colombia: Armed Conflict
Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to encourage the Government of Colombia and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia to reach a politically negotiated solution to the conflict in Colombia. [87458]
Mr Jeremy Browne: Colombia's President, Juan Manuel Santos has stated, including during his visit to the United Kingdom in November, that he would like to return peace to Colombia. His Government has set out clear conditions for initiating a political peace process with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. These include the release of all hostages, an end to the recruitment of child soldiers and stopping the use of anti-personnel mines. We have told the President that he has the British Government's full support in his wish to find a lasting solution to Colombia's armed conflict.
We agree that a political process is an essential part of reaching that end and remain content to provide support to a formal peace process in response to any formal request from the Colombian Government. We already work closely with the Colombian Government in a
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number of areas where progress is essential for a lasting peace, such as on the new Land and Victims' Law and in tackling drug trafficking.
Debt Recovery
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many times his Department has used the services of debt recovery companies since May 2010; which companies were used; and if he will make a statement. [88361]
Mr Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has used the services of a debt recovery agency (Clarke Willmott) on one occasion in the UK since May 2010.
Overseas, finances within the FCO are devolved to our network of nearly 270 posts and details of any debt recovery agencies used could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Apprentices
Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many apprentices were employed by each public body for which his Department is responsible between (a) April 2010 and March 2011 and (b) April and December 2011; and how many apprenticeships he expects each public body to sponsor between (i) January and March 2012 and (ii) April 2012 and March 2013. [88731]
Mr Bellingham: Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Services, a trading fund of the FCO which provides secure services worldwide, has run an apprenticeship scheme since the 1960s. New apprentices are taken once a year in September, and the programme lasts for three years. Run in conjunction with Milton Keynes college, the programme runs in line with the academic calendar and the figures shown in the following table represent the total number of people enrolled on the scheme.
| Total number of people enrolled on the scheme | |
| (1) Planned. | |
None of the other public bodies for which the FCO is responsible reports any apprenticeship schemes over the specified period.
Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much funding from the public purse has been allocated to sponsor apprenticeships in each of the public bodies for which his Department is responsible between (a) April 2010 and March 2011, (b) April 2011 and March 2012 and (c) April 2012 and March 2013. [88732]
Mr Bellingham:
Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Services, a trading fund of the FCO which provides secure services worldwide, has run an apprenticeship scheme since the 1960s. New apprentices are taken once a year in September, and the programme lasts for three years. Run in conjunction with Milton
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Keynes college, the programme runs in line with the academic calendar and the figures shown in the following table represent the cost of the scheme to FCO Services as a business.
Expenditure on the programme is as follows:
| April to March each year | £ |
| (1) Estimated. (2) Figure not known but will be in line with current financial year. | |
In the second and third year of the programme, apprentices can work on live projects in order to gain the necessary skills and experience. This means that some of the costs can be recovered where work is chargeable.
None of the other public bodies for which the FCO is responsible reports any spending on apprenticeship schemes over the specified period.
Equality
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what equality impact assessments his Department has carried out since May 2010; and for what purpose in each case. [88582]
Mr Bellingham: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) considers equality issues in exercising its functions, to comply with equality legislation and to ensure it understands how its activities will affect different people. Information about the number of such documents published by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, equality impact assessments carried out since May 2010 include those to evaluate: the UK Estate Reform programme; changes to the system of promotion for administrative assistants and administrative officers; changes to the policy on the provision of accommodation for staff serving overseas; a proposed reduction in the number of overseas postings at administrative officer and executive officer level; and the e-learning training service.
Departmental Redundancy Pay
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much redundancy pay was paid to civil servants in his Department in each month between September and November 2011. [88015]
Mr Bellingham: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not made any redundancy payments to civil servants between September and November 2011.
Departmental Written Questions
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 12 December 2011, Official Report, column 602W, on departmental written questions, what the question number is of each written parliamentary question which was answered after 30 sitting days. [88152]
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Mr Lidington: The question numbers were UIN21457, UIN21467, UIN54582 and UIN54598.
Diplomatic Service
Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of its provision of consular services in each overseas country; and if he will make a statement. [87472]
Mr Jeremy Browne: Our consular services are described in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) publication “Support for British nationals abroad: A guide” which is available on the FCO website at:
www.fco.gov.uk/resources/en/pdf/2855621/support-for-british-nationals-abroad.pdf
This includes a customer charter containing targets for services such as issuing emergency travel documents and contacting British nationals in hospital or detention. Our internal management information allows us to measure performance against these targets in each country.
We also actively encourage British nationals to provide feedback on our services through a customer satisfaction survey which is available online and in paper format at our embassies and consulates. We use customer feedback to inform us about the quality of our services and identify areas for improvement. In addition, we take account of feedback from Members of Parliament, the travel industry and our non-governmental organisation partners.
Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what criteria his Department uses to determine what forms of consular service it provides in overseas countries; and if he will make a statement. [87473]
Mr Jeremy Browne: Our consular services are described in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) publication “Support for British nationals abroad: A guide” which is available on the FCO website at:
www.fco.gov.uk/resources/en/pdf/2855621/support-for-british-nationals-abroad.pdf
We have four major areas of activity:
(i) We help British nationals who are in difficulty abroad in a range of situations including: victims of crime, hospitalisations, deaths, detentions, forced marriages, child abductions, missing people and kidnapping.
(ii) We respond to major crises affecting British nationals abroad.
(iii) We issue emergency travel documents and provide notarial and documentary services.
(iv) We also provide travel advice and other information in order for British nationals to avoid trouble and stay safe overseas.
We consulted widely in shaping our consular strategy for 2010-13—available on the FCO website at:
www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/publications
We commissioned research in order to improve our understanding of our customers, their requirements and how best to provide services to them.
We also take account of what British nationals, both travellers and residents, tell us about our services in response to our customer satisfaction survey or through complaints and compliments.
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We listen to the feedback we receive from Members of Parliament, non-governmental organisations and others. As a result, our efforts are focused on providing the highest quality assistance to the most vulnerable people in the most difficult situations, working with partners if they are best placed to provide the service. For example, during 2011, we have enhanced the support provided to families bereaved by a murder or manslaughter abroad, working in partnership with the Victim Support National Homicide Service.
Employment Agencies
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department spent on recruitment agencies in each month since September 2011. [88017]
Mr Bellingham: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has spent a total of £26,128.14 on recruitment agencies since September 2011.
| £ | |
This figure covers recruitment for UK-based members of staff only. It excludes recruitment undertaken by overseas posts advertising for local staff positions as the figures for this are not held centrally. All of the positions for which external recruitment campaigns were held during this period were approved for external recruitment as either business critical or a front line service, in accordance with the terms of the Government-wide recruitment freeze.
Eritrea: Politics and Government
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Government of Eritrea on (a) its human rights observance and (b) the UN sanctions policy; and if he will make a statement. [88550]
Mr Bellingham: The information requested is as follows:
We regularly discuss the importance of human rights observance with the Government of Eritrea at both official and ministerial level. Most recently, I expressed concerns to the Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh in a meeting on 21 September last year. I raised a number of specific cases including the case of the ‘G11’group of opposition figures detained without charge since 2001. On 23 September, the 10th anniversary of the arrest of the G11, I issued a statement offering solidarity to all those Eritreans engaged in the struggle for human rights. The British ambassador in Asmara regularly raises human rights issues with the Eritrean Government. Human rights concerns are also regularly raised between the EU and the Eritrean Government.
UN Security Council Resolution 2023 on the extension of sanctions on Eritrea was adopted by majority vote by the UN Security Council on 5 December last year.
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We see the sanctions as appropriate, proportionate, and carefully targeted to prevent any negative humanitarian impact. The Prime Minister wrote to President Isaias on 20 September about the Eritrean refutation of the UN Somalia-Eritrea Monitoring Group's allegations that the Eritrean leadership had committed multiple violations of Security Council resolutions. I raised allegations about Eritrea's involvement in the Addis Ababa bomb plot with Mr Saleh on 21 September and have corresponded with Mr Saleh on UN sanctions policy. The issue has also been discussed at official level.