Overseas Students: Bahamas
David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what programmes there are to encourage university students from the Commonwealth of the Bahamas to study in the UK; and if he will make a statement. [154727]
Mr Willetts: The Government recognise the important contribution that international students make to the UK and we welcome all genuine international students to study at our world-class academic institutions. There is no cap on the number of international students coming to study in the UK.
In addition to promoting UK education through a range of channels, including the Education UK website, managed by British Council and in-country partners, this Department funds a small number of eligible students from the Bahamas through the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission.
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills will continue to work with partners representing the UK higher education sector to ensure that students looking to study in the UK are aware of the full range of opportunities available to them.
Supermarkets: Competition
Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to ensure fair treatment by supermarkets of farmers who supply them with goods. [155247]
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Jo Swinson: The Government introduced the Groceries Code Adjudicator Act 2013, which creates an Adjudicator to enforce the Groceries Supply Code of Practice and to ensure that supermarkets treat their direct suppliers fairly and lawfully. The Code covers specific practices between the 10 UK retailers with an annual groceries turnover of £1 billion and their direct suppliers. Ms Christine Tacon has been appointed as Groceries Code Adjudicator-Designate.
The Adjudicator will be able to receive complaints in confidence from any source. She will conduct investigations into potential breaches of the Code, and can impose sanctions against retailers if necessary. The Adjudicator will also arbitrate between retailers and their direct suppliers.
The Act is due to come into force at the end of June 2013, and the Adjudicator will publish draft guidance for consultation shortly thereafter.
Zoos
Stephen Mosley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with representatives of the zoo industry on the investment of that industry's profits into high-profile capital projects. [154068]
Michael Fallon: The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), has held no discussions with the zoo industry.
Cabinet Office
Average Earnings: Clwyd
Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the average salary in Clwyd South constituency was for (a) women and (b) men in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [154120]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Glen Watson, dated May 2013:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what the average salary in Clwyd South constituency was for (a) women and (b) men in each of the last five years for which figures are available. (154120)
The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), carried out in April each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom. Annual levels of earnings are estimated from ASHE, and are provided for employees on adult rates of pay, who have been in the same job for more than a year.
The following tables show the median and mean gross annual earnings for employee jobs in Clwyd South for all males and females for each year from 2008 to 2012.
| Median and mean gross annual earnings (£) for employee jobs(1) in Clwyd South constituency(2) for all males and all females from 2008-12 | ||||
| Median | Mean | |||
| Male | Female | Male | Female | |
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| (1) Employees on adult rates who have been in the same job for more than one year. (2) Parliamentary constituency. (3) Results based on Standard Occupational Classification 2000. (4) Results based on Standard Occupational Classification 2010. Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of a figure, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV—for example, for an average of 200 with a CV of 5%, we would expect the population average to be within the range 180 to 220. Key: CV <= 5% * CV > 5% and <=10% ** CV > 10% and <=20% x Unreliable Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), Office for National Statistics | ||||
Conditions of Employment
Stephen Timms: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the number of people employed on zero-hours contracts in each government office region. [154029]
Mr Hurd [holding answer 13 May 2013]: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Glen Watson, dated May 2013:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate has been made of the number of people employed on zero-hour contracts in each government office region. [154029]
A zero-hours contract is defined as a contract of employment which does not specify a fixed number of hours per week and has no guaranteed minimum number of hours.
Estimates of the number of people on zero-hours contracts are available from the Labour Force Survey, but due to insufficient sample size are not available for UK regions.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles labour market statistics for UK regions & local areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS), following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions. However, estimates of the number of zero hour contracts are not available from this source.
Enfield
Nick de Bois: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much funding (a) his Department and (b) each of the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible has allocated to the London borough of Enfield local authority in each of the last five years. [154508]
Mr Hurd: Neither the Cabinet Office nor the non-departmental public bodies for which its responsible have allocated any funding to the London borough of Enfield in the last five years.
Families
Mr Bain:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many households with children in (a) the United Kingdom, (b) England, (c) Wales, (d) Northern
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Ireland and
(e)
Scotland contain (i) two adults, who are both the parents of the children, (ii) three or more adults, two of whom are the parents of the children and (iii) only one adult, who is the parent of the children. [154065]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Glen Watson, dated May 2013:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to respond to your question on how many households with children in (a) the United Kingdom, (b) England, (c) Wales, (d) Northern Ireland and (e) Scotland contain (i) two adults, who are both the parents of the children, (ii) three or more adults, two of whom are the parents of the children and (iii) only one adult, who is the parent of the children [154065]
The Office for National Statistics does not routinely publish estimates of the number of households containing both adults and dependent children according to whether the adult(s) in the household are biological parents of the children or not. Such analysis is more complex than the question suggests—for example in a two adult household with dependent children, there may be a combination of (a) children who are the biological children of both adults, (b) children who are the biological children of one adult, (c) children who are the biological children of the second adult, and (d) children who are not the biological child of either adult. The latter may include foster and adopted children.
The annual ONS publication ‘Families and Households’:
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/family-demography/families-and-households/2012/index.html
provides information on households with dependent children in the UK but does not distinguish between biological children, step children and other children. For example in the UK in 2012 there were 5.6 million households containing a couple (two adults) and one or more dependent children, 1.9 million households containing a lone parent (one adult) and one or more dependent children and 0.3 million multifamily households, some of which will contain dependent children (Table 7). It is not possible to readily identify from current survey sources whether adults living in households with children are the biological parents of those children.
The 2011 Census collected detailed information on household composition but to date no information on households with stepchildren has been published (that would allow the derivation of households with biological children only). The detailed information requested would require a commissioned table and would not be available until late 2013 at the earliest.
The 2011 Census Key Statistics table KS105 published by ONS provides information on household composition in England, Wales and more detailed geographies:
http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/datasetList.do?JSAllowed=true&Function=&%24ph=60& CurrentPageId=60&step=1&CurrentTreeIndex=-1&searchString=&datasetFamilyId=2489&Next.x=17&Next.y=10
Table KS105 shows that in England and Wales combined in 2011 there were 4.5 million couple households with dependent children, 1.7 million lone parent households with dependent children and 0.6 million ‘other’ types of household with dependent children (the latter includes households with three or more adults).
Similar 2011 Census data for Northern Ireland published by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency show that there were 155 thousand couple households with dependent children, 64 thousand lone parent households with dependent children and 19 thousand ‘other’ types of household with dependent children:
http://www.ninis2.nisra.gov.uk/Download/Census%202011_Excel/2011/Household%20Composition _KS105NI%20(statistical%20geographies).XLS
The Census figures above relate to all households with dependent children, not just those where the children are biological children of the adults in the household. Comparable Census information is not yet available for Scotland, or the United Kingdom.
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Government Departments: Cybercrime
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate his Department has made of the costs of retrofitting cyber security to existing Government systems. [154689]
Miss Chloe Smith [holding answer 13 May 2013]: This Government see cyber security as an integral part of the process of building Government’s ICT systems rather than as an add-on.
Unfortunately this Government are burdened with legacy ICT systems inherited from the previous Administration. For that reason we are working to reform ICT including through the introduction of new central controls to ensure greater consistency and integration, the creation of a common ICT infrastructure, and the adoption of compulsory open standards.
Cyber security is not add-on to systems but it is achieved through a set of measures including personnel and process measures as well as hardware and software protections. The cyber security of Government systems also extends to suppliers and any related supply chain and therefore the costs requested cannot be singled out.
Influenza
Mr Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office on how many occasions the Civil Contingencies Committee has met to discuss the effects of influenza pandemics in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [155212]
Miss Chloe Smith: Following a review of Cabinet committees in May 2010, the Civil Contingencies Committee was dissolved with its role assumed by a sub-committee of the newly formed National Security Council looking at a wider range of threats and hazards facing the United Kingdom. Its composition and terms of reference can be found on the Cabinet Office website at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/83739/Cabinet_Committee_Membership_Lists_Oct-2012.pdf
In line with the practice of previous Administrations information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet Committees is generally not disclosed.
Internet: Glasgow
John Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) what recent discussions he has had with Carnegie UK regarding its report, Across the Divide: Tackling digital exclusion in Glasgow; [154610]
(2) what recent discussions he has had with members of the Scottish Government regarding digital exclusion in (a) Glasgow North West constituency, (b) Glasgow and (c) Scotland. [154611]
Mr Hurd: My officials in the Government Digital Service (GDS) have written to Carnegie UK and would welcome the chance to discuss its report.
The Scottish Government are represented on the Government's Assisted Digital Programme Board and on the Cross Departmental Digital Leaders Network.
As under the previous Administration, details of such meetings are not disclosed.
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Pay
Mr Hepburn: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK earn at least £1 million a year. [154081]
Sajid Javid: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Treasury.
Number of UK taxpayers with total income of £1 million and over are published in Table 3.3 “Distribution of total income before and after tax by gender, 2010-11” available on the HMRC website at:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/income-by-year/table3-3.pdf
Reliable estimates for individuals with total income over £1 million in Jarrow constituency, South Tyneside and the North East are not available due to small sample sizes.
Estimates are based on Survey of Personal Incomes (SPI) data for 2010-11.
Population
Margaret Curran: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many and what proportion of the residents of each parliamentary constituency in England and Wales were born in Scotland. [155682]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Glen Watson, dated May 2013:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question on how many and what proportion of the residents of each parliamentary constituency in England and Wales were born in Scotland. 155682
A file containing an extract from 2011 Census Table KS204EW which provides the information you have requested for Westminster Parliamentary Constituencies in England and Wales, will be stored in the Library of the House.
Press: Subscriptions
Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much No. 10 Downing Street spent on newspapers and periodicals in 2011-12. [154882]
Mr Maude [holding answer 14 May 2013]: The Prime Minister's Office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office.
We do not hold total costs centrally on overall spend across my Department on periodicals and newspapers.
However, further to my answer of 6 November 2012, Official Report, column 575W, which detailed payments through my Department’s central contract to our primary newspaper supplier, my Department spent a total of £8,000 in 2011-12 on payments through our central contract and a further £52,000 over the same period with our main supplier via other channels.
Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012
Hazel Blears:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) what steps his Department is taking to implement the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 in its procurement procedures; and what guidance he
15 May 2013 : Column 268W
has given to his Department's executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies on implementation of that Act; [154525]
(2) what steps his Office is taking to implement the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 in its procurement procedures; [154529]
(3) what steps No. 10 Downing Street is taking to implement the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 in its procurement procedures. [154538]
Mr Hurd: Since the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 came into force, Cabinet Office has been the lead Department proactively implementing the Act across Government and the sector:
We have produced a detailed guidance document:
ww.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/79273/Public_Services_Social_Value_Act_2012_PPN.pdf
to help guide commissioners and procurers;
We are reviewing our internal Cabinet Office procurement processes to ensure Social Value principles are being considered and encouraging other departments to do the same; and
We have been working in partnership with Social Enterprise UK (SEUK) to run a Social Value Campaign, including a series of joint regional events to help distil key messages across government and the sector more widely.
In parallel to the above, we have been looking at ways to make it easier for social enterprises to deliver public services under the Act:
We have recently launched the Commissioning Academy, a programme designed to support capable and confident senior public-sector staff to commission in a way that is sensitive to the needs of civil society; and
Our Investment Readiness and Contract Readiness Fund supports the growth of successful social ventures which have the potential to deliver services and have a positive social impact at scale, but are not yet in a position to take on repayable finance.
Senior Civil Servants: Pensions
Pamela Nash: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office with reference to the answer of 25 April 2013, Official Report, column 1097W, on senior civil servants: pensions, when he plans to disclose the details of the remuneration rates for all persons in receipt of Civil Service pensions who are senior civil servants and those paid by non-departmental public bodies at rates in excess of the minimum applicable to the senior Civil Service. [154619]
Miss Chloe Smith: The Cabinet Office does not hold the information requested. Departments, agencies and non-departmental public bodies publish information on the salaries of their senior staff in structure charts that are published every six months on their websites linked to:
http://www.data.gov.uk
I can confirm that under the current Civil Service pension scheme anyone in receipt of a Civil Service pension and employed in the Civil Service (or any organisation covered by the scheme) has their pension abated. This means that their total pay and pension is limited to the same level of salary that they were earning in the Civil Service before drawing their pension. Further information on the abatement rules can be found at:
http://resources.civilservice.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/WhatisabatementFeb2013.pdf
15 May 2013 : Column 269W
Suicide
Patrick Mercer: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office with reference to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Statistical Bulletin on Suicides in the UK, published in January 2013, if he will request the ONS to cross-classify male suicides in England and Wales by the calendar-year quarter of their occurrence in respect of the category, date of death: in 2006 to 2011, and by the calendar-year quarter of their registration in respect of the category registration date: in 2006 to 2011. [155620]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Glen Watson, dated May 2013:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking the Office for National Statistics to cross-classify male suicides in England and Wales by the calendar-year quarter of their occurrence in respect of the category, date of death: in 2006 to 2011, and by the calendar-year quarter of their registration in respect of the category registration date: in 2006 to 2011. [155620]
Table 1 provides the number of male deaths where the underlying cause was suicide, by quarter of death occurrence and quarter of death registration, in England and Wales, for deaths that occurred between 2006 and 2011 and were registered between 1 January 2006 and 31 December 2011 (the latest available period). A copy of Table 1 has been placed in the House of Commons Library,
Due to the length of time it takes to hold an inquest, it can take months for a suicide to be registered. The latest statistical bulletin showed that the median registration delay for suicides was 158 days in England and Wales in 2011.
More information on registration delays for other causes can be found on the ONS website:
www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/user-guidance/health-and-life-events/impact-of-registration-delays-on-mortality-statistics/index.html
Figures for suicides in the United Kingdom, England and Wales, and regions of England, by age and sex, are published annually on the ONS website. The latest statistical bulletin also includes analysis of the impact of registration delays on UK suicide statistics:
www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/all-releases.html?definition=tcm%3A77-29400
Treasury
Advance Corporation Tax
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what estimate his Department has made of the contribution of the abolition of advanced corporation tax to the reduction in the value of pension funds; [154632]
(2) how much has been raised by the withdrawal of advance corporation tax credit on pensions. [154633]
Sajid Javid: No recent assessment has been made of the impact on pension funds of the withdrawal by the previous Government in the late 1990s of the payable dividend tax credit. It is not possible to estimate this reliably, owing to the length of time that has passed and the wide range of factors that may have affected pension funds' asset base and investment strategy in the intervening years.
Papers released by the previous Administration on this issue can be found at:
http://www.webarchive.org.uk/wayback/archive/20081013114842/http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/6469.htm
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Banks: Loans
Naomi Long: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of the Funding for Lending Scheme on the lending market in Northern Ireland. [154058]
Greg Clark: The Funding for Lending Scheme (FLS) was launched to boost bank lending to UK households and businesses. The scheme is designed to reduce the funding costs of banks and provide them with a strong incentive to increase their lending across the UK. The UK Government are committed to help Northern Irish businesses grow and will continue to work hard to support the Northern Irish economy, including in the area of bank lending. The Government will continue to update the Northern Ireland Executive as the scheme progresses.
Banks: Pay
Jim Sheridan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the potential effects of a tax on bonuses of bank employees in the UK. [154761]
Greg Clark: The Government have been clear that banks must act responsibly in setting their pay, and have taken robust action to tackle unacceptable bank bonuses.
This Government strongly believe that the Bank Levy, rather than a Bank Payroll Tax, is the best way forward. The Levy is a permanent tax, designed to raise over £21.5 billion every year. The Levy ensures banks make a fair contribution in respect of the potential risks they pose to the UK financial system and wider economy.
Buildings
John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total running costs were for each building used, owned or rented in central London by his Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies in each of the last three financial years. [154240]
Sajid Javid: All properties owned, used and rented by the Department and their total running costs for the last three years are as follows:
(a) 1 Horse Guards Road, London, is HM Treasury's HQ building. Although the Crown owns the freehold, the building itself is subject to a private finance initiative agreement under a 35-year leaseback arrangement. The annual costs of this agreement are published under Core Treasury costs in Section 7.1 (for 2010-12) and Section 8.1 (for 2009-11) of the Departments Resource Accounts available through links on the website at:
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/dep_perf_reports_index.htm
(b) HMT also occupies space in other Government Department buildings under MOTOs (Memorandum of Terms of Occupation), internal documents that record terms of occupation agreed between two Departments, and pays proportionately for the space it uses. MOTOs cover space in Downing St and Victoria St, London SW1 and Albert Embankment, London SE1.
(c) The only leasehold premises are occupied by the Debt Management Office, part of the HM Treasury group, in Philpot Lane, London EC3 and held on a lease expiring in 2021. The monthly cost for 2011-12 was £124.801.
Children: Day Care
Kate Green: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the potential effects on measured child poverty rates of the additional childcare support announced in the 2013 Budget. [154209]
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Sajid Javid: The Government will consider the distributional impacts of the additional child care support as this policy is developed in detail.
In addition, the Government have sought a wide range of views as part of a consultation on better measures of child poverty, which include income but also wider measures to tackle the root causes of poverty including worklessness, educational failure and family breakdown. The consultation has now closed and the Government will respond in the summer.
Kate Green: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of households eligible for the higher rate of childcare support under universal credit as announced in Budget 2013. [154278]
Steve Webb: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.
I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to her previous question number 149974, on 10 April 2013, Official Report, columns 1174-75W.
Kate Green: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the distribution by income decile of additional gains to families arising from the additional childcare support announced as part of Budget 2013. [154279]
Sajid Javid: The Government will consider the distributional impacts of the additional childcare support as this policy is developed in detail. The Government continue to assess the cumulative impacts of all their measures within the “impacts on Households” annex, which is published at each fiscal event.
Construction: Scotland
Jim Sheridan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with the Federation of Master Builders in Scotland on (a) falling workloads and rising costs and (b) the effects of these factors on unemployment. [154762]
Sajid Javid: Treasury Ministers and officials engage with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors, as part of the process of policy development and delivery.
The Treasury publishes a list of ministerial meetings with external organisations. This is available online at:
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/minister_hospitality.htm
Corporation Tax
John Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what recent discussions he has had regarding corporation tax with (a) RWE Npower, (b) SSE, (c) EDF, (d) E.ON, (e) British Gas and (f) Scottish Power; [154590]
(2) what internal discussions his Department has had regarding the corporation tax payment of (a) RWE Npower, (b) SSE, (c) EDF, (d) E.ON, (e) British Gas and (f) Scottish Power. [154589]
Mr Gauke:
Treasury Ministers do not hold discussions on corporation tax payments with companies, nor do they have access to the details of companies' or individuals’ tax affairs, as the tax system is administered by HM
15 May 2013 : Column 272W
Revenue and Customs (HMRC). HMRC has a statutory duty of taxpayer confidentiality and so cannot disclose this information either to HM Treasury or to the wider public, other than in very limited circumstances.
HMRC's Large Business Service (LBS) directly engages with the 2,000 largest businesses to develop an in-depth knowledge of their business model, business and tax issues, appetite for risk in tax planning, and internal governance. The LBS includes a dedicated unit of tax professionals for managing tax risks in the utility sector.
Economic Growth
Nadine Dorries: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on any relationship between socio-economic class and economic growth. [154214]
Sajid Javid: HM Treasury regularly conducts distributional analysis of the impact of its policies on different household groups. The distributional analysis is published in HM Treasury's distributional analysis annex, available on the HM Treasury website.
Enfield
Nick de Bois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much funding (a) his Department and (b) each of the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible has allocated to the London Borough of Enfield local authority in each of the last five years. [154521]
Sajid Javid: The Treasury and its non departmental public bodies have not made any payments to the London borough of Enfield county in any of the last five years.
European Court of Human Rights
Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer under which Vote costs and damages ordered by the European Court of Human Rights are paid. [154641]
Mrs Grant: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.
It is for the lead Department with responsibility for the policy which is the subject of the judgment to pay the costs and damages awarded by the European Court of Human Rights from departmental funds.
In the case of a judgment against the UK that awards costs and damages and which is the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice, the payment would be made from voted funds under subhead A (Policy, Corporate Services and Associated Offices) as reflected in the Ministry of Justice Main or Supplementary Estimate.
G4S
Mr Sheerman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the current level of expenditure by his Department is on contracts with G4S; and how much was spent by his Department on contracts with G4S in each year since 2008. [154561]
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Sajid Javid: HM Treasury does not currently hold any contracts with G4S.
HM Treasury spend with G4S since 2008:
| Financial year | £(1) |
| (1) Excluding VAT. | |
Goldman Sachs
Paul Flynn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps have been taken by HM Revenue and Customs to recover the interest owed by Goldman Sachs on the tax bill which it delayed paying. [154816]
Mr Gauke: HMRC has a statutory duty to maintain taxpayer confidentiality and may not disclose information unless the limited and controlled circumstances set out in the statute creating HMRC apply.
Housing: Repairs and Maintenance
Jim Sheridan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effects of falling workloads and rising costs in the domestic repair, maintenance and improvement market on unemployment in (a) Paisley and Renfrewshire North constituency, (b) Scotland and (c) the UK. [154763]
Sajid Javid: In the three months to March 2013, the unemployment rate was 7.8% in the UK, and 7.3% in Scotland. Over the year, employment in the UK has increased by 434,000 while unemployment has fallen 92,000. Scotland had the largest increase in regional employment, increasing by 30,000; while unemployment has fallen by 21,000. The unemployment rate was 8.1% in Paisley and Renfrewshire North in 2012.
The non-seasonally adjusted value of the repair and maintenance on housing in construction output in Great Britain increased by 1.9% in the year to March 2013. In Scotland it increased by 4.1% in 2012. These data are not available at the constituency level.
Budget 2013 announced a range of measures which will help support the construction industry and increase activity in the housing market. Furthermore, the construction sector is one of the industries identified in the Government's Industrial Strategy, announced in September 2012, which aims to maintain and enhance the UK's global position in 11 key sectors.
Income Tax
Mr Hepburn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the annual cost or benefit to the public purse will be of reducing the additional rate of income tax to 45%. [154079]
Mr Gauke: Estimated cost of reducing the additional rate of income tax to 45% is available on the Government website, Budget 2013, table 2.2:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/budget-2013-documents
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Mr Hepburn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK will benefit from the reduced additional rate of income tax from 50% to 45%. [154080]
Mr Gauke: The information is as follows:
(a) (b) Data on the number of individuals benefiting from the reduction in additional rate at parliamentary constituency level are not available. This is because the projections would not be reliable at this level.
(c) Regional population projections on the number of additional rate taxpayers in the North East can be found in table 2.2 “Number of income taxpayers, by country”, on HMRC’s website:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/tax-statistics/table2-2.pdf
Statistics indicate that there will be around 3,000 additional rate taxpayers in the North East in 2013-14.
(d) Population projections on number of additional rate taxpayers in the UK can be found in table 2.1 “Number of individual income taxpayers”, on HMRC’s website:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/tax-statistics/table2-1.pdf
Statistics indicate that there will be around 287,000 additional rate taxpayers in the UK in 2013-14.
The projected estimates are based upon the 2010-11 Survey of Personal Incomes using economic assumptions consistent with the OBR's March 2013 economic and fiscal outlook.
Mr Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many households containing at least one child and only one adult earning (a) more and (b) less than the threshold for income there will be in (i) the UK, (ii) each nation and each region of the UK and (iii) each parliamentary constituency in the UK in each of the next four financial years. [154172]
Mr Gauke: The following table gives the number of households with children and one adult, by the position of this adult in relation to the personal allowance, in 2013-14 and 2014-15. Figures are not available for (a) geographical breakdowns smaller than the UK; and (b) 2015-16 and 2016-17.
| 2013-14 (Personal allowance = £9,440) | 2014-15 (Personal allowance = £10,000) | |
|
Earning below the personal allowance (including non-working adults) | ||
Figures are rounded to the nearest 1,000; totals may not sum due to rounding.
Income Tax: Warrington
Helen Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in (a) Warrington and (b) Warrington North constituency will see a reduction in the additional rate of income tax from 50% to 45%. [155222]
15 May 2013 : Column 275W
Mr Gauke: Data on the number of individuals benefiting from the reduction in additional rate at local authority and parliamentary constituency level are not available. This is because the projections would not be reliable.
National Insurance Contributions: Peterborough
Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the likely effect of employment allowance on (a) businesses and (b) charities in Peterborough constituency; and if he will make a statement. [154089]
Mr Gauke: Constituency level estimates of those likely to benefit from the employment allowance are not available. In total, up to 1.25 million employers will benefit from the allowance, with over 90% of this benefit going to small businesses with fewer than 50 employees.
Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012
Hazel Blears: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department is taking to implement the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 in its procurement procedures; and what guidance he has given to his Department's executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies on implementation of that Act. [154541]
Sajid Javid: I refer the hon. Lady to the answer which I gave to her on 14 May 2013, Official Report, column 484.
Publications
Ann McKechin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department spent on subscriptions to academic journals published by (a) Reed-Elsevier, (b) Wiley-Blackwell, (c) Springer and (d) any other academic publisher in each of the last five years. [154503]
Sajid Javid: The Department has had no subscriptions to any of the academic journals that you refer to, Reed-Elsevier, Wiley-Blackwell and Springer, over the last five years.
However, the Department has used the academic publishers EBSCO and PROquest over the last five years, and the total spend with these suppliers was £63,089 covering the period from April 2008 to March 2013.
Revenue and Customs
John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average length of call waiting time for those telephoning HM Revenue and Customs from Bassetlaw constituency was in 2012-13. [154150]
Mr Gauke: I would refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Barnsley Central (Dan Jarvis) on 22 April 2013, Official Report, column 678W.
HMRC periodically publishes its performance statistics at:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/about/bus-plan-qds.htm
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/business-plan-indicators
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Nick de Bois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate HM Revenue and Customs has made of the number of requests for access to communications data it would make under the Communications Data Bill if that Bill received Royal Assent; and if he will make a statement. [154266]
Mr Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not hold the information requested. If the Communications Data Bill were to receive Royal Assent then HMRC would make full use of the powers in the Act to support investigations into serious and organised criminal attacks on the UK's tax systems. Until such time it cannot speculate on how many requests for access to communications data would be necessary.
Nick de Bois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many requests were made by HM Revenue and Customs for access to communications data in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [154267]
Mr Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) acquires Communications Data to support investigations into a broad range of financial frauds perpetrated by serious, organised criminal groups, including the smuggling and diversion of excise goods, indirect tax fraud (including multi-trader intra-community VAT fraud), money laundering and the illegal import and export of strategic goods.
The Acquisition and Disclosure of Communications Data Codes of Practice (section 71 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000) require the Department—as a relevant public authority—to keep a record of the following items for inspection by the Interception of Communications Commissioner's Office (paragraph 6.5):
number of applications submitted to a designated person for a decision to obtain communications data which were rejected after due consideration;
number of notices requiring disclosure of communications data within the meaning of each subsection of section 21 (4) of the Act or any combinations of data;
number of authorisations for conduct to acquire communications data within the meaning of each subsection of section 21 (4) of the Act or any combinations of data;
number of times an urgent notice is given orally, or an urgent authorisation granted orally, requiring disclosure of communications data within the meaning of each subsection of section 21 (4) of the Act or any combination of data.
Since 2008 HMRC has requested the following items of Communications Data under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000:
(a) 1,328 (section 21 (4)(a)—traffic data)
(b) 1,167 (section 21(4)(b)—service use data)
(c) 8,506 (section 21 (4)(b)—service use data)
(a) 1,778 (section 21 (4)(a)—traffic data)
(b) 669 (section 21(4)(b)—service use data)
(c) 8,722 (section 21(4)(c)—subscriber data)
(a) 1,789 (section 21(4)(a)—traffic data)
(b) 376 (section 21 (4)(b)—service use data)
(c) 9,471 (section 21 (4)(c)—subscriber data)
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(a) 2,784 (section 21(4)(a)—traffic data)
(b) 92 (section 21(4)(b)—service use data)
(c) 11,952 (section 21(4)(c)—subscriber data)
(a) 3,013 (section 21(4)(a)—traffic data)
(b) 89 (section 21(4)(b)—service use data)
(c) 11,812 (section 21 (4)(c)—subscriber data)
(a) 1,345 (section 21 (4)(a)—traffic data)
(b) 12 (section 21 (4)(b)—service use data)
(c) 5,577 (section 21 (4)(c)—subscriber data)
The figures up to 2009 also include Communications Data requests relating to drugs operations which HMRC undertook on behalf of the UKBA.
Nick de Bois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost was to the public purse of all requests for access to communications data made by HM Revenue and Customs in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [154268]
Mr Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs only holds the information requested for the last three financial years. The approximate cost of obtaining communications data in those years was:
| £ | |
Tax Havens: British Virgin Islands
Jim Sheridan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the findings of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists on money held in the British Virgin Islands. [154759]
Mr Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is working with the United States and Australian tax administrations (the IRS and ATO) to analyse data which reveal extensive use of complex offshore structures to conceal assets by wealthy individuals and companies. The data also expose information that may be shared with other tax administrations as part of the global fight against tax evasion.
Early results show the use of companies and trusts in a number of territories around the world including Singapore, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, and the Cook Islands.
HMRC has not seen the data reportedly held by the ICIJ, but believes that information is broadly similar to the data it holds.
Tonnage Tax
John McDonnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total value of concessions given by HM Revenue and Customs to shipping companies in respect of the tonnage tax scheme was in 2012-13. [154407]
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Sajid Javid: HMRC has granted no concessions to shipping companies in respect of the tonnage tax scheme in 2012-13.
Statistics are published by HMRC on .the estimated reduction in tax liabilities accrued by the UK shipping industry through the tonnage tax regime for 2011 -12 and 2012-13. These are available at the following link:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/expenditures/table1-5.pdf
As complete tax returns data for 2012-13 are not yet available, the estimate is based on projecting forward data from tax returns for 2010.
John McDonnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many vessels qualified for the tonnage tax scheme in 2012-13; and how many have qualified to date for the scheme in 2013-14. [154408]
Sajid Javid: The information requested is not available, as the tax returns data for the years requested are not yet complete.
Tourism: Government Assistance
Stephen Mosley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what fiscal steps he is taking to support (a) the tourism sector and (b) zoos and aquariums. [154069]
Mr Gauke: Tourism is one of Britain's most important industries and the Government are committed to fostering the conditions for growth and promoting Britain as a top tourism destination.
Alongside the private sector, the Government fund campaigns by VisitEngland and VisitBritain to promote the UK as an international and domestic tourism destination. Over four years VisitBritain's international campaign, including GREAT, will be investing £137 million in inbound tourism to the UK. This is expected to deliver an additional 4.7 million extra visitors to Britain, £2.3 billion more spending in our economy and over 60,000 new job opportunities between 2011 and 2015. Over the same period, promotion of domestic tourism by VisitEngland and the devolved nation's tourist boards is expected to generate £500 million in extra spend and 12,500 new job opportunities
The Government have introduced a number of tax changes to support businesses of all types. Most recently, the Government announced in the Budget that they will reduce the main rate of corporation tax to 20% and give businesses an entitlement to a £2,000 per year employment allowance towards their employer National Insurance Contribution bill, from April 2014, to reduce the cost of hiring staff. These measures will support all businesses including those in tourism and operators of zoos and aquariums.
Welfare Tax Credits
Mr Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 24 April 2013, Official Report, column 1015W, on income tax, what assessment he has made of the number of households containing children and with two adults each earning above the threshold for income tax who (a) will be in receipt of tax credits and (b) will not be in receipt of tax credits in (i) this and (ii) the next financial year. [154108]
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Mr Gauke: The following table gives the number of households with children and two adults, where both adults earn above the personal allowance, which are and are not in receipt of working or child tax credits, in 2013-14 and 2014-15.
| 2013 | 2014 | |
Figures are rounded to the nearest 1,000; totals may not sum due to rounding.
Mr Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many households containing a child and one adult earning (a) more and (b) less than the threshold for income tax in (i) the UK, (ii) each nation and each region of the UK and (iii) each parliamentary constituency in the UK will receive tax credits in each of the next four financial years. [154174]
Mr Gauke: The following table gives the number of UK households with children and a single adult and are in receipt of working or child tax credits, and their position in relation to the personal allowance, in 2013-14 and 2014-15. Regional breakdowns cannot be provided due to small sample sizes.
| 2013-14 (Personal allowance = £9,440) | 2014-15 (Personal allowance = £10,000) | |
|
Earning below the personal allowance (including non-working adults) | ||
Figures are rounded to the nearest 1,000; totals may not sum due to rounding. HM Treasury's modelling assumes full take of the benefits to which an individual is entitled; therefore, all households with children with incomes below the personal allowance are entitled to child tax credits.
International Development
Bangladesh
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development for what reason her Department committed additional resources to the CHARS Livelihoods programme in Bangladesh prior to completion and publication of the evaluation of that project. [153974]
Justine Greening: The decision to fund Phase 2 of the CHARS Livelihoods Programme (CLP2) was taken by Ministers in December 2009 under the previous Government.
Biofuels
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on the effect of biofuels on hunger ahead of the meeting of the EU Energy Council on 6 June 2013; [155302]
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(2) whether the G8-linked event on Hunger and Nutrition on 8 June 2013 will address the issue of biofuels as a cause of hunger; [155303]
(3) what discussions she has had with her counterparts in (a) DECC, (b) DfT, (c) BIS and (d) DEFRA about the proposed amendment to the EU Renewable Energy Directive to limit the amount of food-based biofuels to 5% of the total. [155304]
Justine Greening: We believe that food production must remain the primary goal of agriculture and production of biomass for bioenergy must not undermine food security in developing countries.
The Nutrition for Growth Event on 8 June will have ambitious targeted outcomes on nutrition.
The Department for International Development has regular discussions with other Whitehall Departments in relation to the proposed amendment to the EU RED to limit the amount of food based biofuels to 5% of the total.
Consultants
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether her Department's contracts for the provision of aid programmes by private contractors include provisions relating to the awarding of bonuses by those contractors to individual consultants. [154946]
Justine Greening: DFID does not include provisions relating to the awarding of bonuses in its contracts.
Developing Countries: Nutrition
Sir Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much of her Department's funding was committed to nutrition-specific programmes in 2012. [154257]
Mr Duncan: Under the coalition Government, UK annual expenditure on nutrition has almost doubled from £19.3 million in 2009-10 to £37.5 million in 2011-12. This does not capture the significant UK expenditure on nutrition-sensitive programmes, humanitarian response programmes, or nutrition research. Nutrition sensitive programmes are programmes across a range of sectors for example, social protection, agriculture or health which are also designed to have a nutritional impact.
Developing Countries: Water
Mr Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what programmes her Department supports to assist poorer countries in North Africa and the Gulf in water management. [154949]
Mr Duncan: DFID supports water management programmes in two countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, Jordan and Yemen. In Jordan, we are supporting a project that will help to provide reliable access to quality water for both individuals and businesses through the G8 Deauville MENA Transition Fund.
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In Yemen, DFID supports an International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) project that helps smallholders adapt to the effects of climate change, including planning for watershed management, flash-flooding and water use. DFID is also a major contributor to the Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience, which works on conservation of surface and ground water in Yemen among other countries.
East Kilbride
Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many staff are located at her Department's headquarters in East Kilbride. [155678]
Mr Duncan: There are 561 staff located at DFID headquarters at East Kilbride as at 30 April 2013.
International Assistance
Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if the UK will press for the disaggregation of data by a range of factors to feature prominently in the framework that will replace the Millennium Development Goals. [154789]
Justine Greening: The Government have been clear they want to see a “data revolution” for the next development framework. The UK will continue to press for sufficient data disaggregation in the new goal framework.
Latin America
Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of disparities in maternal mortality rates between indigenous women and national populations in Latin America. [155024]
Mr Duncan: DFID has made no specific assessment of disparities in maternal mortality rates between indigenous women and national populations in Latin America.
Nepal
Dr Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding (a) has been and (b) will be given to the government of Nepal to address widespread gender-based violence in that country, including to assist in implementing the government of Nepal's National Action Plan for the Implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1325 and 1820. [155139]
Mr Duncan: The UK is providing extensive support to the Government of Nepal to address gender-based violence, including:
Technical expertise (with a value of £254,000) to the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers to develop a special Unit and a National Plan of Action to address gender-based violence.
A three year Women's Paralegal Committee Programme (with a value of £6.5 million), delivered by UNICEF in coordination with Government, to help prevent violence against women and girls.
Funding (with a total value of £6 million—£840,000 attributed to the UK), through the joint Government of Nepal and donor-funded Nepal Peace Trust Fund (NPTF), to support the implementation
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of UNSCR 1325 and 1820. This will help women and girls affected by the conflict to rebuild their livelihoods and to seek justice for conflict and violence-related abuses.
Over £500,000 has also been provided to civil society organisations for awareness-raising and prevention of violence against women and girls.
All of our programmes in Nepal undergo a gender assessment during their design stage to ensure that women and girls are involved in decision-making processes and can access programme benefits. We are currently designing a new security and justice programme (value yet to be determined) which will build on existing support and help strengthen the justice system in Nepal to deliver a reduction in violence against women.
Overseas Aid
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) how many middle income countries receive overseas development assistance through (a) bilateral programmes and (b) multilateral organisations; [154872]
(2) which middle income countries receive official development assistance from the Government; what proportion of this assistance is in the form of (a) bilateral programmes and (b) support via multilateral organisations; how much each such country receives; how many such countries have received increased allocations since May 2010; and how much increase any such country has received. [154871]
Justine Greening: Annex 1 of the “Statistics on International Development” (SID) publication - available online at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/statistics-on-international-development
lists all recipient countries, alongside details of country income classifications and eligibility for Official Development Assistance.
Tables 16.2-16.6 of the SID publication list UK net bilateral ODA figures by recipient countries.
Table B.4 of Annex B within DFID's Annual Report 2012 - available online at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-international-development/series/dfid-annual-report-2011-2012
lists imputed UK multilateral ODA shares by recipient countries.
Training
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many officials in (a) her Department and (b) the non-departmental public body for which she is responsible enrolled in publicly-funded training courses in each of the last five years; what the total cost has been of such courses; and what the monetary value was of the 10 highest training course fees in each such year. [155432]
Mr Duncan: DFID operates a decentralised Learning and Development system and does not hold central records of course attendance or small scale expenditure. DFID publishes all expenditure over £500, which can be found on our website:
http://www.dfid.gov.uk/About-us/How-we-measure-progress/DFID-spend/
Producing any other type of report would incur disproportionate costs.
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Communities and Local Government
Affordable Housing
Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate his Department has made of the number of affordable homes built in 2012. [154193]
Mr Prisk: The number of affordable homes built in England in 2011-12, the most recent year for which data are available, is published in the Department's live table 1009, available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-affordable-housing-supply
The figures show that the average number of new affordable homes being delivered under this Government are a third higher than under the last Administration.
Coastal Areas
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding has been allocated to each of the principal seaside towns under the Working Neighbourhoods Fund to date. [154593]
Brandon Lewis: A table showing Working Neighbourhood Fund allocations for all local authorities has been placed in the Library of the House.
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The Fund was a time-limited, three-year programme that ended as originally scheduled in March 2011. More information can be found in a deposited paper from February 2011, available in the Library and online at:
http://data.parliament.uk/DepositedPapers/Files/DEP2011-0295/DEP2011-0295.tif
Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service
Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) how many firefighters over the age of 50 are currently employed within Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service; [154292]
(2) how many firefighters in Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service were redeployed to less physically demanding positions in (a) 2012-13, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2010-11, (d) 2009-10 and (e) 2008-09. [154293]
Brandon Lewis: The information requested is not held centrally.
EU Grants and Loans
Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will list (a) the total amount of European Regional Development Fund funding by English region committed to projects to date and (b) what percentage of the total allocation this represents. [155185]
Brandon Lewis [holding answer 14 May 2013]: The figures for contractually committed ERDF projects in England as at the 31 March 2013 are as follows:
| ERDF operational programme | Total operational programme allocation (£ million) | Amount of ERDF contractually committed(£ million) | Proportion of ERDF allocation contractually committed (Percentage) | Proportion of ERDF allocation contractually committed and awaiting contracting (Percentage) |
The 2007-13 programme is on course and on track. An average of over 100% of the programme has been contractually committed or is awaiting contracting, with matched funding in place. We are exactly where we would expect to be at this point in the seven-year programme.
Funds can be allocated until the end of 2013, and funds should be spent by 2015.
Fire Services
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he has taken to ascertain the views of fire brigade staff about his proposals to permit the spinning out of fire brigades as public service mutuals. [154363]
Brandon Lewis: Any decision to set up a public service mutual and to consult staff accordingly will be a matter for the relevant fire and rescue authority.
I also refer the hon. Member to my answer of 13 May 2013, Official Report, column 54W.
Fire Services: Life Expectancy
Mr Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average life expectancy is of currently-retired firefighters. [155054]
Brandon Lewis:
The Government Actuary's Department produced a note in January 2010 on firefighter pensioner
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scheme longevity, which found that over the period 2003 to 2007 the anticipated longevity of firefighters in retirement was as set out in the following table:
15 May 2013 : Column 286W
| Age at retirement in 2007 | Expected UK population longevity | Expected firefighter pensioner longevity |
The note by the Government Actuary's Department can be found at the following weblink:
http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20120919132719/http://communities.gov.uk/documents/fire/pdf/1436114
Fire Stations: West Midlands
Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many fire stations there were in (a) Birmingham and (b) the West Midlands in each year since 2010. [154600]
Brandon Lewis: Numbers of fire stations for areas within fire and rescue authorities are not held centrally. The numbers of fire stations are therefore shown in the table for each fire and rescue authority in the area requested, with historic data for comparative purposes.
| Number of fire stations by fire and rescue authority as at 31 March | |||||
| West Midlands | Hereford and Worcester | Shropshire | Staffordshire | Warwickshire | |
| Source: Chartered Institute of Public Finance Accountancy | |||||
Hotels: Heating
John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance his Department has supplied to hotels and other accommodation providers on fitting thermostatic valves in guest rooms. [155311]
Mr Foster: The Department does not provide guidance of this sort. However, changes to the Building Regulations that came into force in April 2010 introduced a new requirement for thermostatic mixing valves to be fitted on baths in new dwellings. This was in response to evidence which demonstrated that there were a significant number of scalding accidents each year in the home, particularly to young children and the old. We are not aware of evidence that would justify extending this requirement further, for example, to hotels.
Housing Improvement
Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) with reference to the letter sent to hon. Members of 19 April 2013, on making it easier for families to improve their home, what plans he has to monitor the effects of the new rules on extensions; [154187]
(2) what assessment he has made of the potential cost to local authorities of providing planning services to homeowners wishing to extend their property by up to eight metres; [154188]
(3) with reference to the letter sent to hon. Members of 19 April 2013, on making it easier for families to improve their home, what guidance his Department plans to publish to support the implementation of the new rules on extensions; [154189]
(4) with reference to the letter sent to hon. Members of 19 April 2013, on making it easier for families to improve their home, what discussions he had with external organisations about the new rules on extensions prior to their introduction to the Growth and Infrastructure Bill. [154190]
Nick Boles: We consulted on our proposals to extend permitted development rights for homeowners and businesses in November 2012. The Government's response to the consultation was published on 9 May, a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House. Having carefully considered the consultation responses and matters raised in the debates during the passage of the Growth and Infrastructure Act, we have introduced a new neighbours' consultation scheme for larger householder extensions. Information on the new limits for householder extensions and the operation of the neighbours' consultation scheme is available on the Planning Portal at:
www.planningportal.gov.uk/permission/commonprojects/extensions/
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The secondary legislation to amend the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development Order) 1995 was laid on 9 May 2013, and the changes will be monitored in due course with a view to determining whether the three-year period they will be in place should be extended further. The changes mean that local authorities will benefit from a reduced number of planning applications. The Department is currently engaging in discussions with the Local Government Association on its assessment of the overall impact on local authorities. Currently no net additional costs are envisaged.
Local Government: Allowances and Pay
Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) how much was paid in (a) travel, (b) accommodation and (c) other expenses to each local authority chief executive in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13; [154129]
(2) what (a) salary, (b) pension contribution and (c) expenses were paid to each local authority chief executive in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13. [154130]
Brandon Lewis: This information is not held centrally. Local authorities are each independent employers and Government do not formally collect detailed information about the remuneration of senior local authority staff.
Local authorities are required to publish details of the remuneration of their most senior employees in their annual Statements of Accounts. This includes information about salary, fees, allowances, expense allowance, employer's pension contribution and other benefits. Statements of Accounts must be available for public inspection including on an authority's website.
The Government have taken steps to further increase the transparency and accountability of local decisions on pay and reward. Under the Transparency Code, authorities are expected to make easily available details of the remuneration of their most senior staff. In addition, measures introduced in the Localism Act require authorities to publish an annual statement explaining their policies toward the pay and reward of their staff, particularly senior staff.
Local Government: Procurement
Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many procurement contracts have been issued by local authorities using clauses within the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 to date; and what the estimated total value of such contracts has been. [154117]
Brandon Lewis: We do not collect or hold this information centrally.
The Act does not prescribe that considerations made under it should be recorded and it is for local authorities to ensure that they meet the requirements of the Act.
A Procurement Policy Note issued by the Cabinet Office explaining the requirements placed upon commissioners and procurement staff by the Act was circulated by the Department for Communities and Local Government to local authorities on 3 January 2013.
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Non-domestic Rates: Chemists' Shops
Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what assessment he has made of the potential benefits of designating pharmacies as buildings for the provision of healthcare for the purpose of determining business rates; and if he will make a statement; [154676]
(2) if he will make it his policy to designate community pharmacies as buildings for the provision of healthcare for the purpose of determining business rates. [154675]
Brandon Lewis: The assessment of rateable values for non-domestic rates is a matter for the Valuation Office Agency and it is not the role of Ministers to intervene in those decisions. All rateable values are assessed to a common basis using common rules and ratepayers who disagree with their assessments may appeal to the Valuation Tribunal.
Non-domestic Rates: Empty Property
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will introduce measures to require landlords receiving empty property rate relief to make public details of that relief and the properties affected. [154227]
Brandon Lewis: The Government have no current plans to introduce measures to require landlords receiving empty property rate relief to make public details of that relief and the properties affected.
Business rates in Wales are a devolved matter.
Parking
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations he has received from (a) trade organisations and (b) individuals on local authority car parking strategies. [154226]
Brandon Lewis: The Department regularly receives correspondence from organisations and individuals which relate to the topics of car parking cost, availability, spatial planning and enforcement, but we do not keep specific records on each issue raised by a correspondent. Departmental consultations (such as on the revised Transparency Code) may also have included representations on parking.
More broadly, I also refer the hon. Member to the answer of 1 November 2012, Official Report, column 346W, which outlines the actions that my Department is taking on parking, including those in response to the Mary Portas review.
We will be taking further steps to ensure that parking policies and practices support local high streets.
Planning
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the National Planning Policy Framework, what definition his Department uses for (a) deliverability and (b) viability. [155018]
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Nick Boles: The National Planning Policy Framework at footnote 11 explains that to be considered deliverable “sites should be available now, offer a suitable location for development now, and be achievable with a realistic prospect that housing will be delivered on the site within five years and in particular that development of the site is viable.”
Furthermore, planning policy on viability is set out at paragraph 173. This states that, to ensure viability, “the costs of any requirements likely to be applied to development, such as requirements for affordable housing, standards, infrastructure contributions or other requirements should, when taking account of the normal cost of development and mitigation, provide competitive returns to a willing land owner, and willing developer to enable the development to be deliverable.”
Further guidance is contained within the Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment guidance (August 2007) on assessing deliverability, which includes assessing viability. This guidance remains in place pending the outcome of the review of planning practice guidance, and can still be used where relevant to the National Planning Policy Framework.
Publications
Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department spent on subscriptions to academic journals published by (a) Reed-Elsevier, (b) Wiley-Blackwell, (c) Springer and (d) any other academic publisher in each of the last five years. [154489]
Brandon Lewis: Our procurement files show that there was no spend on subscriptions with the publishers mentioned. A full investigation involving searching through our financial ledger would incur disproportionate costs as we do not categorise expenditure by academic publishers.
Scotland
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) which external (a) organisations and (b) individuals his Department has engaged as part of the Scotland analysis programme; and what was discussed at such consultations; [154729]
(2) how many officials in his Department have been allocated to work on the Scotland analysis programme; and at what cost to the public purse; [154730]
(3) what meetings he and officials in his Department have had with the right hon. Member for Edinburgh South West as part of the Scotland analysis programme; and what was discussed at those meetings; [154731]
(4) what work his Department has commissioned from external consultants in relation to work on the Scotland analysis programme; which consultants were used; and at what cost to the public purse. [154732]
Brandon Lewis: Work on the Scotland analysis programme is being carried out across Government by policy experts in relevant areas. There is a small team in Her Majesty's Treasury co-ordinating the programme. As the programme largely relates to reserved areas of policy, DCLG is not actively involved in the analysis.
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Shops: Empty Property
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many shops received empty property rate relief in each (a) local authority area and (b) parliamentary constituency in each year for which figures are available. [154224]
Brandon Lewis: The information requested is not held centrally.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will give consideration to reforming the system of compulsory purchase orders to allow local authorities and business improvement districts to buy a medium-term lease on empty shops. [154225][Official Report, 4 June 2013, Vol. 563, c. 17-18MC.]
Nick Boles: Local authorities have a power under section 13 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 to acquire new rights over land which do not exist at the time the compulsory purchase order is made. This would include a lease. As with all compulsory purchase orders, the acquiring authority would have to demonstrate that there were no impediments to its scheme going ahead and that it had a compelling case in the public interest to deprive the owner of the land of his property rights.
Temporary Employment
Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether all agency staff employed by his Department are paid at or above the relevant level of the living wage. [154724]
Brandon Lewis: The Government support the living wage and encourage business to take it up where possible and affordable. However, the decision on what wages to set is for individual employers and workers, and these include agency staff working in the Department.
More broadly, from April 2013, the Government have raised the personal income allowance to £9,440—an income tax cut for 24 million tax payers—which will particularly help those on local incomes. The recent Budget announced the personal allowance will rise again to £10,000 from April 2014.
Urban Areas
Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what estimate he has made of the financial benefit to the Portas Pilot Round 1 and 2 winners as a result of local economic growth following their participation in the Portas Pilot scheme; [154722]
(2) what proportion of the money allocated to high street partnerships under the Portas Pilots scheme has been spent to date in respect of each of the schemes funded. [154723]
Mr Prisk: The Government have given the Portas Pilots a share of £2.4million to spend as and when they see fit to best improve their high streets and encourage residents to shop locally. The main aim of this scheme has been to harness the energy and enthusiasm of local people to breathe new life into the town centres and make them the hearts of their communities once again. It is only when local authorities, businesses and communities work together to use the support and funding available that things will happen on the ground.
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These are long-term projects, and teams are taking a strategic approach that is consciously trying not to splurge all the funding awarded at once. Each plan to rejuvenate a high street will be different. Therefore the way, speed and manner that local teams spend money will be different. Moreover, town teams have leveraged additional funding from other sources including the local authority, in-kind support (such as premises) and free publicity. The Portas Pilots' local authorities are the accountable body responsible for spending, and we have not imposed performance management frameworks to monitor their spend patterns nor are we requiring them to provide assessments of the impact on local economic growth from this specific initiative, reflecting the fact that this Government are committed to reducing top-down reporting burdens on local government.
Pilots up and down the country are already working together successfully and achieving results, from Rotherham helping local businesses expand and develop, to Loughborough bringing students and local residents on board with a loyalty scheme. But this is just the start, which is why I established the Future High Streets Forum, made up of leading figures from retail, property, business, academics, third sector, civil society and Government, to drive forward ideas and policies to help high streets adapt and compete.
Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many of the Portas Pilot (a) Round 1 and (b) Round 2 winners have been visited by (i) Government Ministers and (ii) Mary Portas as part of the Portas Pilot scheme co-ordinated by his Department. [154725]
Mr Prisk: Government Ministers committed to visiting the Round 2 pilots, and to date Ministers have visited four Round 1 and five Round 2 pilots. Further ministerial visits to Round 2 pilots are scheduled for the coming months.
The Government have not co-ordinated visits by Mary Portas; these have been arranged independently by Mary Portas' team. Her team advises us that of the first 12 pilot towns chosen by the Government, all of them have been contacted by the Portas Agency to arrange a visit. To date Mary has visited eight Round 1 and one Round 2 pilots.
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Urban Areas: Regeneration
Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) when he expects to publish the progress report on the first round of Portas pilot projects; [154191]
(2) what recent assessment he has made of the success of the first round of Portas pilots. [154195]
Mr Prisk: A progress report on high streets was published in March 2013:
http://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/168023/Future_of_High_Streets.pdf
and a full report will be published in the summer.
The Government have given the Round 1 Portas pilots a share of £1.2 million to spend as they see fit to improve their high streets and encourage residents to shop locally. The main aim of this scheme has been to harness the energy and enthusiasm of local people to breathe new life into the town centres and make them the hearts of their communities once again
A lot has been achieved by the Portas pilots already, from Nelson bringing empty shops back into use, to Market Rasen creating an award-winning local market, and Bedminster successfully getting a Business Improvement District approved. These are pilots—they will have successes and failures that we will all learn from. The pilots were just the start, which is why I have also announced a Future High Streets Forurn,made up of leading figures from retail, property, business, academics, third sector, civil society and Government, to drive forward ideas and policies to help high streets thrive and prosper.
Health
Accident and Emergency Departments: East Midlands
Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting times are at each individual accident and emergency unit in the East Midlands. [154177]
Anna Soubry: The information requested is not available in the format requested. However, the following table shows the average waiting times in accident and emergency (A&E) for national health services trusts in the East Midlands.
| Mean and median duration to departure (in minutes)(1) for all A&E attendances(2) by hospital provider(3) in East Midlands Strategic Health Authority of Treatment, for 2011-12 | |||
| Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector | |||
| 2011-12 | |||
| Provider Code | Provider Description | Mean | Median |
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| (1) Duration to Departure (in minutes): The time (expressed as a whole number of minutes) between the patients arrival and the time the A&E attendance has concluded and the department is no longer responsible for the care of the patient. (2) A&E Attendances: A&E Attendances in HES, relates to the number of recorded attendances. A&E attendances do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year. HES A&E figures exclude planned follow up attendances. (3) Hospital Provider: A provider code is a unique code that identifies an organisation acting as a health care provider (e.g. NHS Trust or PCT). Data quality: A&E Hospital Episode Statistics are compiled from data submitted by more than 160 NHS trusts and primary care trusts in England. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain. Note: Provisional 2012-13 A&E data will be published in July 2013 and final data published October 2013. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre | |||