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Written Answers to Questions
Monday 1 July 2013
Northern Ireland
Billing
Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average cost to her Department was of processing the payment of an invoice in the latest period for which figures are available; and what proportion of invoices settled in that period her Department paid (a) electronically and (b) by cheque. [162638]
Mrs Villiers: My Department does not hold information on the cost of processing the payment of invoices.
During the 2012-13 financial year, a total of 7,652 invoices were processed and paid. 7,409 (97%) of these were paid electronically. The remaining 243 (3%) were paid by cheque.
Cost-Effectiveness
Ms Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what areas of her departmental budget she has identified as suitable for efficiency savings. [162556]
Mrs Villiers: My Department is committed to the savings plans set out by Government. As part of delivering these savings, the Department will review all aspects of expenditure to ensure maximum efficiency and effectiveness.
Internet
Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment she has made of the ease of access of her Department's on-line records. [161893]
Mrs Villiers: The official records of my Department are not hosted on-line. Departmental records are maintained via internal systems until they are transferred to the National Archives (TNA) in accordance with the Public Records Act (1967). This legislation determines that all records are held in the Department until their transfer to TNA for release to the public. My Department is working with TNA to ensure that historic electronic records will be transferred in a format accessible to the public.
For internal purposes, an Electronic Document and Records Management System (EDRMS) is used to manage records. My Department regularly reviews the suitability of its records management systems and procedures to ensure access and usage continue to be efficient, appropriate and secure.
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Investment
Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will take steps to encourage investment in Northern Ireland by firms located in other parts of the UK. [162598]
Mrs Villiers: I take every opportunity to present Northern Ireland as a location that is open for business and one that offers attractive investment opportunities. While his party colleague, the Northern Ireland Executive Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment has the ministerial responsibility for promoting investment into Northern Ireland, I and my officials work closely with her, DETI and InvestNI wherever possible.
Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will discuss with the Chancellor of the Exchequer the feasibility of introducing tax incentives for companies which wish to expand into Northern Ireland. [162599]
Mrs Villiers: As set out in the joint economic package for Northern Ireland launched by the Prime Minister and the First and Deputy First Ministers on 14 June, the Government recognise that there is a need to give careful consideration to the potential to devolve additional fiscal powers to the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Following evaluation and analysis, recommendations on the devolution of further fiscal powers will be put to Government Ministers in advance of the 2014 autumn statement.
Offenders
Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many offenders were intercepted by officers at Northern Ireland sea ports last year. [161899]
Mike Penning: Between April 2012 and March 2013, 122 immigration offenders were detected at Northern Ireland sea ports. We do not hold information on other offences in the form sought.
Police Service of Northern Ireland
Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assistance her Department offers to encourage intelligence sharing and co-operation between the Garda Siochána and the Police Service of Northern Ireland. [161894]
Mrs Villiers: The PSNI and An Garda Siochána work very closely together on a wide range of policing and security issues. This includes tackling the threats posed by terrorism and criminality. I am in regular contact with the Irish Justice Minister, Alan Shatter, and our officials work together on issues of mutual interest. I know also that the Garda Commissioner, Martin Callinan, speaks regularly to the Chief Constable and that they have repeatedly emphasised the value of the close co-operation between the two police forces.
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Press: Subscriptions
Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much her Department spent on newspapers, periodicals and trade publications in the last 12 months. [162656]
Mrs Villiers: During the period June 2012 to May 2013, my Department spent £29,193 on newspapers and periodicals. There were no costs incurred on trade publications.
Serco
Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much her Department currently spends on contracts with Serco; and how much was spent in each year since 2008. [162942]
Mrs Villiers: My Department does not hold any contracts with Serco.
Sick Leave
Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many days on average staff of her Department in each pay grade were absent from work as a result of ill health in each of the last 12 months. [162588]
Mrs Villiers: The average working days lost through sick absence by grade for the 12-month period 1 January 2012 to 31 December 2012, as reported to the Cabinet Office, are as follows:
| Working days | |
The total average working days lost across my Department was 4.1. The average reported figure for the civil service was 7.7.
Figures by month for the last 12 months are not available and to provide them would incur disproportionate costs.
Staff
Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much her Department spent on (a) recruitment agency fees, (b) outplacement agency fees for displaced or redundant staff and (c) staff training in each of the last 12 months. [162620]
Mrs Villiers: During the last 12 months, expenditure by my Department in these areas was as follows:
| £ | |
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|
(b) Outplacement agency fees for displaced or redundant staff | |
Terrorism
Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the cost of the investigation into the incident at McGurk's bar has been to date; and when such investigations are expected to be finalised. [161898]
Mrs Villiers: Investigations into the bombing of McGurk's bar are an operational matter for the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland.
Vacancies
Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what her Department's vacancy rate was in 2012-13; and what vacancy rate has been assumed for 2013-14. [162674]
Mrs Villiers: My Department does not hold this information. Staffing levels are kept under constant review and posts are filled when there is a sound business case for doing so.
Wales
Billing
Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the average cost to his Department was of processing the payment of an invoice in the latest period for which figures are available; and what proportion of invoices settled in that period his Department paid (a) electronically and (b) by cheque. [162642]
Stephen Crabb: The average cost to the Wales Office of processing a payment of an invoice is £5.19. The Wales Office settled 299 invoices in the period April to June 2013, of which 99.7% were paid electronically and 0.3% by cheque.
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Cybercrime
Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the effect of cyber crime on the Welsh economy. [161871]
Mr David Jones: An accurate figure on the cost of cyber crime to Wales is extremely difficult to determine but the Detica “Cost of Cyber Crime” report, published in February 2011 in partnership with the Office of Cyber Security and Information Assurance in the Cabinet Office, estimates the cost of cyber crime to the UK to be as much as £27 billion per annum.
The Government have committed £650 million over four years to the National Cyber Security Programme to support economic prosperity, protect national security and safeguard the public's way of life by building a more trusted and resilient digital environment.
MITIE Group
Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department spends on contracts with MITIE; and how much was spent on contracts with MITIE in each year since 2008. [162474]
Stephen Crabb: The Wales Office uses the buying power of larger Government Departments to procure services. We use the services of MITIE under a contract with the Ministry of Justice, which began in February 2012. The Wales Office paid MITIE £673,427 in 2012-13.
Mobile Phones
Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which companies supply (a) mobile telephones and (b) mobile data services to his Department. [162696]
Stephen Crabb: The Wales Office is provided with mobile telephone and mobile data services by Vodafone and Orange. These services are provided through contracts supplied by the Ministry of Justice.
National Assembly for Wales
Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received on renaming the National Assembly of Wales the Parliament of Wales. [162508]
Mr David Jones: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Lichfield (Michael Fabricant) on 15 May 2013, Official Report, columns 625-26.
Press: Subscriptions
Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department spent on newspapers, periodicals and trade publications in the last 12 months. [162660]
Stephen Crabb: The Wales Office spent £7,699.73 on newspapers and periodicals in financial year 2012-13. From May 2013, as part of the departmental efficiency savings, all paid-for newspapers have been cancelled in our London and Cardiff offices.
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Scotland
Mobile Phones
Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which companies supply (a) mobile telephones and (b) mobile data services to his Department. [162693]
David Mundell: The Scotland Office makes use of a Government framework contract with Vodafone for mobile telephone and data services.
Overseas Aid
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which projects administered by the Scottish Government are UK Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) attributable; what the total value of the Scottish Government's contribution to UK ODA was in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012; and what the value of that contribution will be in 2013. [162485]
David Mundell: The total value of the Scottish Government contribution to UK official development assistance (ODA) was:
| £ million | |
In 2013, there is a planned spend of £10 million.
Details of the specific projects administered by the Scottish Government, which are attributable to UK ODA, are available from the Scottish Government.
Home Department
Airlines: Databases
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance her Department issues to airlines on the collection of flight passenger data. [160752]
Mr Harper: Border Force provides formal notification to aviation carriers of the UK's legislative requirements for the provision of advance passenger data by the service of the IS 72 form, under the Immigration Act 1971 Requirement for Passenger, Crew and Service Information.
Border Force works closely with the airline industry to ensure that they understand their duty to provide passenger data. As part of this engagement, guidance is made available to the carriers, outlining the relevant laws.
Border Force also provides a carrier account management service so that every carrier operating to the UK has a dedicated point of contact if further advice is required.
Further information on the work of Border Force is also provided on the Gov.uk website, which airlines can refer to.
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Airwave Service
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has for the renewal of the Airwave emergency services telecommunications contract; and what assessment she has made of the role of voice communication in future such contracts. [162032]
James Brokenshire [holding answer 27 June 2013]:Contracts between the three emergency services and Airwave Services Ltd expire between 2016 and 2020. The Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme has been established to find a cost-effective replacement that delivers critical voice and broadband data services to the emergency services and other public safety users. The programme is keen to exploit the next generation of mobile technology (4G LTE), enhanced with public safety features. The programme aims to transition users to the new solution, called the Emergency Services Network, at or soon after contract expiry, minimising the need for lengthy contract extensions.
The need for critical voice communication remains high on the users list of requirements.
Asylum
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 18 June 2013, Official Report, columns 595-6W on asylum, if she will provide the relevant figures for the Intake key performance indicator from 2010 to 2013. [161398]
Mr Harper: Statistics within the 15 key performance indicators (KPIs) cover financial years, and are published annually in August. As such, the 2012-13 KPI is not available. The following link provides data from the 2010-11 and 2011-12 KPI reports:
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/aboutus/further-key-data/
2010-11 (18,378)
2011-12 (19,778)
Calendar year intake figures are also available, see following link:
2010 (17,916)
2011 (19,865)
2012 (21,785)
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tables-for-immigration-statistics-january-to-march-2013
Intake figures for the 2013 calendar year will be available in the early months of 2014.
Bedfordshire Police
Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many police community support officers Bedfordshire police is projected to have by the end of (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15; [161383]
(2) how many police officers of each rank Bedfordshire police is projected to have by the end of (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15; [161384]
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(3) how many (a) police officers of each rank, (b) police community support officers and (c) police staff there were in Bedfordshire police force area in each year from 2010. [161385]
Damian Green [holding answer 24 June 2013]: The number of police officers and police community support officers in Bedfordshire police, projected to have by the end of 2013-14 and 2014-15 are shown in table A. These figures are published on HMIC's website in the data supporting the “Policing in Austerity: one year on” report (July 2012). Figures are budgeted full-time equivalent (FTE). The data on police officers are not broken down by rank.
The number of police officers (by rank), police community support officers and police staff (FTE), that were in Bedfordshire police force as at 31 March 2010 to 2012 have been provided in table B.
| Number of police officers and police community support officers in Bedfordshire police, projected to have by the end of 2013-14 and 2014-15(1,2) | ||
| March 2014 | March 2015 | |
| (1) These figures are published on HMIC's website in the data supporting the “Policing in Austerity: one year on” report (July 2012). (2) Figures are budgeted full-time equivalent (FTE). | ||
| Number of police officers (by rank), police community support officers and police staff that were in Bedfordshire police force area as at 31 March 2010-12(1) | |||
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | |
| (1) This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Source: Home Office annual data requirement. | |||
British Nationality
Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reason the constituents involved in Home Office case ref: A1487760 have had to wait over 12 months for their British citizenship application to progress; and when the constituents of the hon. Member for West Lancashire will receive a full response to their application. [162720]
Mr Harper: In order to determine a naturalisation application mandatory good character checks must be completed. As soon as the outstanding inquiries on this application are finalised a decision will be made and the applicant notified.
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Human Trafficking
Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the outcome of the work of the joint investigation between Sweden and the UK dealing with human trafficking is. [161903]
Mr Harper: I am aware of one recent joint investigation, between the Swedish authorities and the Police Service of Northern Ireland, into human trafficking. Responsibility for justice matters in Northern Ireland is devolved to the Northern Ireland Department of Justice.
Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convictions for human trafficking there have been due to the co-operation between the UK and Sweden in each of the last five years. [161904]
Mr Harper: Data on human trafficking convictions in the UK do not record where these have been the result of international co-operation.
Information on convictions overseas for human trafficking where the UK has supported joint investigations is not recorded centrally.
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons of each nationality have been convicted of offences of human trafficking in each of the last three years; whether any assets of such persons have been seized in consequence (a) in the UK and (b) overseas; and how much in assets has been so seized. [162025]
Mr Harper: Information on the nationality of individuals convicted of human trafficking offences is not collected centrally.
The value of confiscation orders enforced against those convicted for human trafficking offences in England and Wales in each of the last three years as recorded on the Joint Asset Recovery Database, is as follows:
| Total value of confiscation orders enforced (£) | |
A human trafficker may as an alternative be charged and prosecuted for a different offence, such as prostitution or money laundering, which could incur a confiscation order and is not reflected in the information above.
The Joint Asset Recovery Database is a live system that is continually being updated and the figures provided may not match those given in previous answers.
Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Romanian children have been identified in London as a victim of child trafficking; and how many such children have been taken to a place of safety in each of the last three years. [162205]
Mr Harper: In the period 1 January 2010 to 26 June 2013 10 Romanian minors were referred to the National Referral Mechanism where the location presented was recorded as London.
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Trafficked children who require protection and support come into the care of local authorities who have a statutory duty to ensure they safeguard and promote the welfare of all children under Section 11 of the Children Act 2004, regardless of their immigration status or nationality.
Human Trafficking Ministerial Group
Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the last meeting of the inter-departmental ministerial group on human trafficking was; what matters were considered at this meeting; and which ministerial invitees (a) attended and (b) did not attend. [162346]
Mr Harper: The inter-departmental ministerial group on human trafficking met on 17 June 2013.
The meeting considered current trends in human trafficking, a priority country analysis on Albania and an update on work to strengthen data collection following the last report of the inter-departmental ministerial group.
A list of invitees and attendees is shown in the following table.
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Human Trafficking: Northern Ireland
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment she has made of the extent of human trafficking in Northern Ireland. [162024]
Mr Harper: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 17 June 2013, Official Report, columns 477-78.
Immigrants: Pregnant Women
Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what recent discussions her Department has had with the UK Border Agency on the collection of information regarding the detention of pregnant women for immigration purposes; [162041]
(2) what the period of detention was for each pregnant woman detained for immigration purposes (a) in 2010, (b) in 2011, (c) in 2012 and (d) on 1 June 2013; [162042]
(3) how many pregnant women were detained for immigration purposes (a) in 2010, (b) in 2011, (c) in 2012 and (d) on 1 June 2013. [162043]
Mr Harper: There have been no recent discussions on the collection of information regarding the detention of pregnant women for immigration purposes.
Health care assessments are carried out on all persons entering detention, but it is for each individual to decide what information they divulge about any medical condition. If a pregnant woman chooses to inform removal centre health care staff of her condition, the detail would be held on her medical file which is confidential between patient and doctor. The Home Office does not hold such information centrally and does not seek permission for disclosure.
Information on the number of pregnant women detained for immigration purposes and their length of detention could be obtained by checking individual records only at disproportionate costs.
Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many pregnant woman have been assessed under the fast-track procedure of the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal since the inception of that procedure. [162044]
Mr Harper: Information on how many pregnant women have been assessed under the fast-track procedure is only held at the level of paper case files or within the notes section of the Home Office Case Information Database (CID). Such data are not aggregated in national reporting systems, which would mean this question could only be answered through a disproportionately expensive manual case-by-case search to collate the data.
Members: Correspondence
Mr Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when her Department plans to respond the hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay's correspondence of 12 March, 24 April and 10 June 2013 regarding a constituent, Miss Njovana. [161952]
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Mr Harper [holding answer 27 June 2013]: I wrote to the hon. Member on 28 June 2013.
Police National Computer
Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions the Police National Computer (PNC) records have been accessed by the Association of Chief Police Officers Criminal Records Office on behalf of each non-police agency in the last 12 months; and how many such checks undertaken on behalf of each such organisation resulted in a matching record on the PNC. [161999]
Damian Green: This information is not recorded centrally.
Police: Recruitment
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the certificate of knowledge was introduced; and which police forces have introduced it to date. [161145]
Damian Green: The certificate in knowledge of policing was introduced by the National Policing Improvement Agency and Skills for Justice in April 2012. To date only the Metropolitan Police have introduced it.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will collect data on police recruitment from black and ethnic minority communities and deprived neighbourhoods. [162607]
Damian Green: I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave on 15 May 2013, Official Report, column 211W, and 10 June 2013, Official Report, column 67W. The Government do collect and publish data on black and minority ethnic representation in the police work force. We have no plans to collect data on recruitment from deprived neighbourhoods.
Salvation Army
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding her Department has provided to the Salvation Army to assist with persons subjected to human trafficking in (a) Northern Ireland, (b) England, (c) Scotland and (d) Wales in each of the last 12 months. [162026]
Mr Harper: The Salvation Army provides care and support for trafficking victims in England and Wales only. Through the Home Office and the Ministry of Justice, joint funding of £3 million was paid to the Salvation Army in 2012-13, and £3 million has been made available in 2013-14. In Scotland and Northern Ireland, victim care is devolved to the respective devolved Government and Executive.
Speed Limits: Cameras
Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the criteria are for allowing a covert speed enforcement camera to be used. [161727]
Damian Green: Deployment of speed cameras and their use in enforcement, whether overt or covert, are operational matters for local authorities and the police.
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Suspicious Activity Reports: Tameside
Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many charges have been brought from suspicious activity reports since May 2010 in Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council. [162769]
Damian Green: The information requested is not available from the police recorded crime data collected by the Home Office.
Prime Minister
Ministerial Policy Advisers
Mr Watson: To ask the Prime Minister what appointments he has made to the role of his trade adviser in each year since 2010. [162286]
The Prime Minister: Since 2010 I have appointed the Right hon. Lord Brittan of Spennithorne, the Right hon. Lord Heseltine and the Right hon. Lord Young of Graffham to advise me on trade, enterprise and economic growth.
I also refer the hon. Member to my speech on 12 November 2012 to the Lord Mayor's banquet in which I announced that the following people had been appointed as Trade Envoys:
Right hon. Baroness Scotland of Asthal QC, Trade Envoy to South Africa;
Baroness Morris of Bolton, Trade Envoy to Jordan, Kuwait, Palestinian Territories;
Lord Puttnam of Queensgate, Trade Envoy to Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia;
Baroness Bonham Carter of Yarnbury, Trade Envoy to Mexico;
Lord Risby of Haverhill, Trade Envoy to Algeria;
Lord Sharman of Redlynch, Trade Envoy to Morocco;
My hon. Friend the Member for Wealden (Charles Hendry), Trade Envoy to Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan;
My hon. Friend the Member for Gloucester (Richard Graham), Trade Envoy to Indonesia.
Defence
Afghanistan
Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the training provided by UK forces to recruits at the Afghan National Army Officer Academy will include training on (a) the law on the Elimination of Violence Against Women and (b) UN Security Council Resolution 1325. [161630]
Mr Robathan: The core values and beliefs of our armed forces will be the foundation of any direction and guidance given to recruits at the Afghan National Army Officer Academy. These underline respect for human rights and obligations under international law. The course training package covers the issues surrounding women's rights within the “equality and diversity” component of the syllabus.
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Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to prevent female recruits at the Afghan National Army Officer Academy from suffering sexual harassment. [161633]
Mr Robathan: The Afghan National Army Officer Academy will provide ethical, values-based leadership training modelled on the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. The first female intake will be during the summer of 2014. While the course design is still being finalised, measures have already been incorporated into planning to help manage the risk of sexual or other harassment. These include: separate female accommodation, use of female coalition mentors, having one larger intake annually as opposed to three smaller intakes and conducting physical training apart from their male counterparts.
Animal Experiments
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what funding his Department has provided for the development of reduction, refinement and replacement alternatives to the use of animals in scientific procedures in each year between 2009 and 2012; how much of that funding has been provided to the National Centre for Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research; and if he will make a statement. [162213]
Mr Dunne: The Ministry of Defence does not directly fund the development of reduction, refinement and replacement alternatives to the use of animals in scientific procedures. However, any work involving the use of animals in research needs to be licensed by the Home Office and considerations of reduction, refinement and replacement are explicitly made in every licence application.
Armed Forces
John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make an estimate of the number of employees in each rank of the military from each National Readership Survey social grade. [162269]
Mr Francois: The information requested is not held by the Ministry of Defence. We do not assess service personnel against the National Readership Survey social grade system.
Armed Forces: Catering
Mr Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the maximum number of hours a chef in the armed forces is allowed to work (a) per day and (b) per week. [162147]
Mr Francois: The Ministry of Defence is obliged to adhere to all employment legislation including Working Time Regulations (WTR) (1998) and any subsequent amendments to those regulations. Commanding officers are required to apply the regulations on a worldwide basis to all service personnel including chefs.
Under normal routine activity the maximum weekly hours that can be worked are an average of 48 hours a week over a rolling 17-week period. Within that week personnel are entitled to a rest period of 11 consecutive hours between each working day and a 24-hour rest
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every seven days. Those whose daily working time exceeds six hours are entitled to an uninterrupted 20-minute break (extended to 30 minutes for under-18s); this should not be at the start or end of work.
Regulation 18(2)(a) of the WTR provides an exemption for work characteristics which are peculiar to the regular armed forces that “inevitably conflict” with the regulations. Commanding officers must be able to show how the activity in question is both peculiar to the armed forces, and inevitably conflicts with the regulations. In practice, where the nature of the activity is such that it cannot be made to comply with the WTR without a detrimental effect on operational effectiveness, the exemption should apply. This includes the following activities:
Operations (including military aid to the civil authorities, where it is not possible to conduct activities within the prescribed working time limits).
Support of and preparation for operations.
Exercises and training simulating operational conditions, including their support.
Training (including exercises) aimed at causing fatigue and stress to prepare for or simulate an operational situation.
Where work at sea or in the air is subject to the WTR and where it can be shown that adherence to normal working time limits would inevitably have an adverse impact upon operational effectiveness, the sea and air duties in question will be regarded as falling within the scope of the “inevitably conflicts” exemption of the WTR.
Armed Forces: Discharges
Sir Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his policy is on implementing the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant in respect of members of the armed forces from Commonwealth countries who are obliged to leave the armed forces on the grounds of medical discharge. [161671]
Mr Francois [holding answer 25 June 2013]: I can confirm that the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant extend to all those who serve in our armed forces. Commonwealth and Gurkha personnel subject to medical discharge are entitled to the same extensive range of recovery, resettlement and compensation provisions. In addition, for those who are medically discharged and choose to apply for settlement in the UK, the normal stipulation requiring four years completed service may be waived by the Home Office, depending on the circumstances of the case.
Armed Forces: Housing
Mr Burley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to provide additional funding for forces' accommodation in Staffordshire. [161926]
Mr Francois:
The Ministry of Defence will provide some 360 new service family accommodation properties
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and 651 single living accommodation bedspaces in Staffordshire by the summer of 2015.
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department has conducted a recent survey of the level of service families' satisfaction with the energy efficiency of service family accommodation properties. [161976]
Mr Francois: No such survey has been commissioned.
However, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) is committed to improving the energy efficiency of all MOD homes, and considers energy efficiency measures when carrying out all construction or improvement works.
In financial year 2012-13, 900 boilers in service families’ accommodation were upgraded and as part of the Government's contribution to the carbon emissions reduction target (CERT) over 12,000 properties benefited from improved loft insulation.
Armed Forces: Northern Ireland
Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people from Northern Ireland have enlisted in the (a) Army, (b) Infantry, (c) Royal Navy and (d) Royal Air Force in each of the last five years. [161908]
Mr Francois: The information is not held in the format requested; however the following table gives details of those recruited from financial year 2008-09 through the recruitment offices in Northern Ireland, and gives an indication of Northern Irish recruitment into the naval service, Army and RAF.
This information will however not provide a comprehensive picture of individuals recruited from Northern Ireland as recruits can join the services at any Careers Office irrespective of where they reside.
| Financial year | |||||
| 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | |
Of those enlisted in the Army it is not possible to identify how many of those subsequently mustered to the infantry.
Armed Forces: Recruitment
Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people between the age of 16 and 18 were recruited to the (a) Army, (b) Navy and (c) Royal Air Force in each of the last 10 years. [162225]
Mr Francois: The following table shows the number of 16, 17 and 18-year-old recruits to the armed forces in the last 10 years.
| Financial year | ||||||||||
| 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | |
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| Notes: 1. Intake is given for UK regular forces (including all trained and untrained personnel). Gurkhas, full-time reserve personnel and mobilised reservists are excluded. 2. Figures from 2002-03 to 2006-07 also contain intake from re-enlistments and rejoined reservists, so may not be entirely indicative of recruitment for these financial years. We are unable to disaggregate these figures. 3. Figures for Army for 2006-07 are for the then latest 12 months available; comprising data from 1 March 2006 to 28 February 2007. 4. Data have been rounded to the nearest 10. Numbers ending in '5' have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias. | ||||||||||
Armed Forces: Redundancy
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many redundancy letters in each tranche have been delivered to personnel stationed at (a) RAF Lossiemouth, (b) RAF Leuchars, (c) HMNB Clyde, (d) RM Condor, (e) Headquarters 2nd Division, (f) Headquarters 51 Brigade, (g) Redford Barracks, (h) Dreghorn Barracks, (i) Kinloss Barracks, (j) Fort George Barracks, (k) Glencorse Barracks, (l) Crombie Defence Munitions Centre, (m) Beith Defence Munitions Centre, (n) Glen Douglas Defence Munitions Centre, (o) HMS Gannet, (p) Royal Naval Armament Depot Coulport, (q) MOD Hebrides Ranges, (r) British Underwater Training and Evaluation Centre, (s) Loch Ewe Fuel Depot, (t) Garelochead Defence Fuel Depot, (u) HMS Caledonia, (v) Rosyth Defence Estate and (w) West Freugh Training Ranges. [161043][Official Report, 11 September 2013, Vol. 567, c. 9MC.]
Mr Francois: The information requested about numbers of redundancy letters is set out in the following table:
| Number | |||
| Location | Tranche 1 | Tranche 2 | Tranche 3 |
| — = less than 5. Note: When rounding to the nearest 10, numbers ending in “5” have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias. | |||
Neither the post nor the location in which individuals are serving is taken into account by armed forces redundancy selection boards. The selection of an individual for redundancy cannot be assumed to imply that the post they occupy on the date of notification is no longer required. In addition, service personnel move between posts and locations regularly, and the location at which they will be serving on their exit date may be different from that at which they were notified. For these reasons, neither the geographical distribution nor the units within which individuals were serving when notified for redundancy are a valid basis for assumptions about the longer-term disposition of future military posts.
Iran
Mr Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the value of money held by the Government following uncompleted arms sales to Iran in the 1970s; and in which account such money is held. [161013]
Mr Dunne [holding answer 24 June 2013]: Funds have been held on deposit in the Court Funds Office since 2002 for International Military Services (IMS), a private limited company for which the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), is “ex officio” the principal shareholder. In that capacity, the Secretary of State assessed and agreed the most recently audited company's financial statements, which includes provision for the potential liability to be paid by IMS to Iran.
Military Aid
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which projects administered by his Department were UK overseas development assistance (ODA) attributable; what the total value of his Department’s contribution to UK ODA was in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012; and what the value of that contribution will be in 2013. [162209]
Dr Murrison: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not hold this information for 2010 as a reporting requirement was introduced at the strategic defence and security review in 2010.
For 2011, the MOD reported an estimate of activity eligible to be counted as official development assistance (ODA). The MOD reported that approximately £6.85 million was spent on activities which met the definition of ODA. £2 million of this was from the conflict pool, with the balance of £4.85 million from MOD’s own budget.
As ODA is reported by calendar year, these are the latest available data. Figures for 2012 will be published on the UK Government website later this year as part of the wider UK ODA statistics. Reporting for calendar year 2013 will be available in autumn 2014.
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Military Bands
Sir Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 19 June 2013, Official Report, columns 720-1W, on military bands, if he will make it his policy that the responses of (a) the Prime Minister and (b) the Chancellor of the Exchequer of Wednesday 26 June 2013 to oral questions from the hon. Member for Colchester be sent to those undertaking a review of Army bands as part of the Future Music re-organisation programme. [162738]
Mr Francois: I can assure you that, as my right hon. Friends, the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer stated in the House on 26 June 2013, Official Report, columns 300 and 327 respectively, there is no intention to further reduce the number of personnel below the levels previously announced.
Where it is appropriate, those responsible for making manning proposals across the Army are made aware of comments and responses given by right hon. and hon. Members in the House.
Mobile Phones
Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which companies supply (a) mobile telephones and (b) mobile data services to his Department. [162684]
Mr Dunne: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 6 November 2012, Official Report, columns 522-23W.
Navy: Catering
Mr Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps are being taken to tackle the current shortage of chefs in the Royal Navy. [162148]
Mr Francois: The Royal Navy does not have a shortage of chefs.
Procurement
Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) which contracts his Department is (a) re-negotiating and (b) intending to re-negotiate; and how much each such re-negotiation is anticipated to save; [162499]
(2) whether each company whose contracts his Department are currently re-negotiating or intends to re-negotiate have been informed to date. [162526]
Mr Dunne: Ministry of Defence contracts are negotiated and amended as necessary during the course of normal business. I am withholding the information as its disclosure would prejudice commercial interests. The companies will be contacted as necessary.
Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which contracts his Department has re-negotiated since May 2010; and how much each such re-negotiation has saved his Department. [162523]
Mr Dunne:
Ministry of Defence (MOD) contracts are negotiated and amended as necessary during the course of normal business. In terms of which equipment
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contracts were renegotiated, I am withholding the information as its disclosure would prejudice commercial interests. I can confirm that the MOD has achieved the overall savings target it was set as a result of the strategic defence and security review.
Public Transport
David Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what the 10 most frequently undertaken journeys on domestic public transport by his Department's employees and contractors were in the last year; and how many such journeys were undertaken in that time; [162186]
(2) how much his Department spent on domestic public transport for its employees and contractors in each of the last three years. [162187]
Mr Francois: Service and civilian Ministry of Defence personnel are mandated to utilise the Defence Travel (DT) services when booking official (duty) travel. DT is part of the Central Government Travel Management Service which is provided under contract by the Hogg Robinson Group and provides a comprehensive booking service in both the UK and overseas.
The 10 most frequent journeys recorded by DT services for duty travel within the UK in financial year 2012-13 are listed in the following table:
| Journeys between these locations | Mode of transport | Number of journeys(1) |
| (1) This is the number of single journeys between the two locations in either direction. A return journey is recorded as two single journeys. | ||
The cost of duty travel journeys within the UK recorded by DT services for the last three full financial years is contained in the following table:
| Financial year | Total cost (£ million)(1) |
| (1) Costs are rounded to the nearest £ million. | |
Within the UK, DT services cover duty travel by air and rail. Rail travel booked using rail warrants or season tickets and some other journeys (such as entitlements for travel for military leave) are exempt from the mandate to use the DT service. In addition not all travel arrangements by Ministry of Defence employed contractors are made through DT services.
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Redundancy
Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many civilian support staff in his Department are to be made redundant following decisions announced in Spending Round 2013, Cm 8639; and what the average payout for these redundancies is expected to be; [162500]
(2) with reference to Spending Round 2013, Cm 8639, what criteria will be used to decide on redundancies made to civilian staff in his Department. [162524]
Mr Philip Hammond: There are no plans for redundancies as a result of the spending review. The reduction in civilian headcount will be made by limiting recruitment.
Service Personnel and Veterans Agency
Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was spent in each constituent part of the UK by the Army Veteran Agency in each of the last five years. [161914]
Mr Francois: I have taken the Army Veteran Agency to mean the Veterans Welfare Service (VWS), which is part of the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency. The running costs for VWS are provided in the following table:
| Financial year (FY)(1) | £ million |
| (1) Costs are running costs in the last five financial years excluding the corporate function costs: rent and rates, general IT and communications, management supports, secretariat, helpline, finance and media. | |
The running costs for each UK country for the VWS are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Sick Leave
Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many days on average staff of his Department in each pay grade were absent from work as a result of ill health in each of the last 12 months. [162580]
Mr Francois: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) maintains a robust approach to managing civilian absence as a result of sickness. Occupational health and well-being advice and support is available to all employees and line managers.
Sickness absence rates by average working days lost (AWDL) per full-time equivalent (FTE) employee in the MOD for the 12 months ending 31 March 2013 are shown in the following table:
| Grade (Equivalent)(3) | Average working days lost (FTE)1 April 2012 to 31 March 2013(1,2) |
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| (1) Data presented reflect the current Cabinet Office definition, setting a maximum absence of 225 days per person, and exclude data for weekends, annual leave and bank holidays. Excludes personnel on zero pay. (2) Average working days lost per FTE are calculated by dividing the total working days lost by a weighted average of the 1st of the month strengths for the period (the strengths at the start and end month receiving a weighting of 0.5 and the strengths of the interim months a weighting of 1). (3) Equivalent civil service grades have been used to amalgamate MOD non-industrial, industrial and trading fund grades, according to Cabinet Office definitions. (4) Unknown grade is a temporary assignment, due to the grade field for new recruits and newly promoted personnel being updated at a later point than their main personnel record. As such the AWDL figure for this category is liable to considerable variability. | |
A breakdown of the average working days lost per month is not available as the Department calculates the figure over a rolling 12-month period to take account of any seasonality.
Grade equivalent rates, as used in Cabinet Office absence reporting, include non-industrial, industrial and trading fund personnel, but exclude Royal Fleet Auxiliary and locally engaged civilians for whom sickness absence data are not readily available.
Territorial Army: Northern Ireland
Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people in the Territorial Army were serving in Northern Ireland in each year since 2003. [161907]
Mr Francois: Records of the number of Territorial Army personnel from across the UK who may have been deployed to Northern Ireland prior to the culmination of Operation Banner are not held centrally.
However, the following table represents the approximate number of personnel belonging to Territorial Army units based in Northern Ireland each year from 2003. Figures include those who are on the strength of TA units in Northern Ireland but are deployed on operations abroad.
| TA numbers | |
Figures represent an approximation of the number of TA volunteers serving in NI based units.
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Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
Due to a difference in data capture, figures for 2003-07 represent approximate strength as at 1 January each year. Figures for 2008-13 represent approximate strength as at 1 April each year.
The accuracy of the data in years 2007-09 cannot be guaranteed due to the transfer of data to Joint Personnel Administration from legacy systems during this time.
Trafalgar Class Submarines
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the current scheduled end of service date is of each Trafalgar class submarine. [162999]
Mr Dunne: On present plans, the remaining Trafalgar class submarines will be withdrawn from service as follows:
| End of service date | |
| HMS Tireless | 2014 |
| HMS Torbay | 2017 |
| HMS Trenchant | 2019 |
| HMS Talent | 2021 |
| HMS Triumph | 2022 |
Vacancies
Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department's vacancy rate was in 2012-13; and what vacancy rate has been assumed for 2013-14. [162666]
Mr Francois: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 13 November 2012, Official Report, column 172W. There has been no change.
Veterans: Merseyside
Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armed forces veterans currently reside in Merseyside. [162348]
Mr Francois: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not hold information on the total number of armed forces veterans residing in Merseyside.
However, the following table provides details of the number of veterans residing in Merseyside who are in receipt of war pension scheme (WPS), armed forces compensation scheme (AFCS) and armed forces pension scheme (AFPS) payments.
| As at | Recipients(1) | |
| (1 )Latest figures for which WPS, AFCS and AFPS data are available. Note: In accordance with DASA's rounding policy, all figures of five or more have been rounded to the nearest five. | ||
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Treasury
Debts
Heather Wheeler: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will commission a review of best practice and lending policy from the experience of debt waiver products in the US. [161755]
Greg Clark: The Government have no intention to commission such a review.
Economic and Monetary Union
Mr Andrew Turner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the effect of the euro zone crisis on economic growth; and what estimate he has made of the likely level of UK economic growth had the crisis not taken place. [162483]
Greg Clark: As set out in Budget 2013, the euro area sovereign debt crisis and subsequent recession have weighed heavily on the UK recovery. The euro area is a key market for UK exporters, accounting for 40% of the UK's exports of goods and services in 2012. As the Bank of England said in its May Inflation Report:
“The main risks to the recovery continue to emanate from abroad.”
Empty Property: Coastal Areas
Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many empty banks there are in each of the principal seaside towns. [161844]
Sajid Javid: The Government do not collect these data.
Financial Services
Guto Bebb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 819W, on financial services, which parties connected to the Connaught Income Series 1 Fund are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. [162347]
Sajid Javid: At the time, the Financial Services Authority was responsible for the supervision of certain regulated activities by Tiuta plc, the parent company of the Tiuta Group.
Other entities linked to the fund, including Connaught Asset Management and Tiuta International Ltd, were not subject to the regulatory oversight of the Financial Services Authority.
The Financial Conduct Authority then took over the relevant supervisory responsibilities from the Financial Services Authority following the Financial Services Bill in April this year.
First-Time Buyers
Jim Shannon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what help he is giving to first-time buyers. [161901]
Sajid Javid: The Help to Buy package of measures, announced at Budget 2013, will support first-time buyers and those looking to move up the housing ladder.
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The Help to Buy: equity loan scheme was launched on 1 April and has supported over 4,000 new build home reservations in its first two months. The Help to Buy: mortgage guarantee scheme will be available from January 2014.
Income Tax: Bury
Mr Nuttall: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in Bury North constituency no longer pay income tax as a result of increases in the personal income tax allowance since 2010. [162478]
Mr Gauke: By April 2013, the cumulative effect of the Government's increases in the personal allowance for those aged under 65 years (born after 5 April 1948 since 2013-14 tax year) since 2010-11 had taken 2.4 million people out of the income tax system while over 25 million individuals will have seen their income tax liability reduced.
This estimate is based on the 2010-11 Survey of Personal Incomes, projected to 2013-14 using economic assumptions consistent with the Office for Budget Responsibility's March 2013 economic and fiscal outlook.
Reliable estimates are not available at the parliamentary constituency level due to greater uncertainties in making projections for small geographical areas.
Medicine: Research
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on the importance of maintaining support for medical research charities. [161672]
Danny Alexander [holding answer 25 June 2012]: The Chancellor is aware of the support currently provided to research charities but it would not be proper to pre-empt the outcomes of the spending review, which will be presented to the House on the 26 June, by commenting on the content of particular discussions.
Mortgages
Jim Shannon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what support he plans to give to those who have been paying interest-only mortgages and are coming to the end of that agreement with a large lump sum payment to make. [161917]
Sajid Javid: The Financial Conduct Authority's review into interest-only mortgages, published in May, showed that most people have a strategy in place for repaying their interest-only mortgage.
The review also identified where there might be gaps, for example around whether the repayment strategy is sufficient. The review gives lenders useful information and guidance for how to address this matter with their customers. This will help lenders and their customers to take early and effective action.
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Mortgages: Government Assistance
Jack Dromey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the oral answer from the Prime Minister to the hon. Member for Feltham and Heston of 12 June 2013, Official Report, column 336, with which organisations or companies (a) he and (b) other Ministers in his Department have met to discuss the mechanism that will be put in place to stop people using the Help to Buy Mortgage Guarantee Scheme to purchase a second home. [162006]
Sajid Javid: Treasury Ministers have met with a number of companies in the mortgage industry to discuss a wide number of issues such as the Help to Buy: mortgage guarantee scheme, including through the Home Finance Forum.
New Enterprise Allowance: Bury
Mr Nuttall: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of businesses in Bury North constituency who will receive the £2,000 enterprise allowance. [162477]
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.
Non-domestic Rates: Bury
Mr Nuttall: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many businesses in Bury North constituency have taken advantage of the doubling of small business rate relief since 2010. [162476]
Brandon Lewis: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Communities and Local Government.
Data collected as at 31 December 2010 showed that in the Bury council area there were 1,846 hereditaments benefiting from the small business rate relief scheme. Of these 1,707 were paying the lower multiplier and receiving a discount and 139 were just paying the lower multiplier.
Data collected earlier this year are currently being validated and will be published in the autumn. Data are collected at billing authority level; we do not collect data at constituency level.
We estimate that approximately half a million business in England are benefiting, with approximately a third of a million paying no rates at all.
Public Expenditure: Scotland
Margaret Curran: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received from the Scottish Government on the forthcoming spending review. [161751]
Danny Alexander:
Treasury Ministers and officials have regular discussions with the Scottish Government on a wide variety of topics. In addition, I chaired a
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Finance Minister Quadrilateral meeting in Belfast on 10 June to discuss issues relating to the forthcoming spending round.
Public Sector Debt
Sir Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has held (a) with his ministerial colleagues and (b) between his Department and the Charity Commission and related bodies about (i) the future of the National Fund and (ii) the possibility of its early application to reduce the national debt. [161044]
Sajid Javid [holding answer 24 June 2013]: The Charity Commission and Attorney-General's Office have been considering the National Fund's status and objects. As part of this process HMT officials have been approached for advice on potential indemnities and kept informed of key developments.
Social Security Benefits: Northern Ireland
Ms Ritchie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of the proposed welfare budget cap in Northern Ireland. [162555]
Sajid Javid: The welfare cap will improve spending control, support fiscal consolidation and ensure the welfare system remains affordable. If the Office for Budget Responsibility projects that spending will breach the cap in any year of the forecast horizon, the Government will need to bring forward a response—changing policy or explaining publicly why they judge that action is not appropriate. Although welfare policy is a matter for the Northern Ireland Assembly, under the parity principle we would expect the Northern Ireland Executive to mirror any policy reforms introduced under this framework.
State Retirement Pensions
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of pensions triple lock on pensioners. [161422]
Sajid Javid: The Government believe that the basic state pension is the foundation of state support for older people. This is why triple lock was introduced, meaning that the basic state pension is increased each year by the highest of the growth in average earnings, inflation or 2.5%. The level of the full basic state pension is now £6.85 per week higher than if it had only been uprated by earnings since 2011-12. Because of the triple lock, the basic state pension now represents a higher share of average earnings than at any time since 1992.
Tax Allowances: Community Development
Chris White: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what amount of investment qualified for Community Investment Tax Relief in each of the last five years. [161606]
Mr Gauke: The amount of investment qualifying for community investment tax relief in the last five years for which data are available is outlined in the following table. These data are held by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
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| Amount of new investment (£ million) | |
Chris White: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many community development finance institutions received community investment tax relief in each of the last five years. [161611]
Mr Gauke: Community development finance institutions do not receive community investment tax relief themselves. Rather, the relief is provided to the people and corporations who invest in these institutions. The number of community development finance institutions receiving CITR-qualifying investments in each of the past five years for which data is available is outlined in the following table. These data are held by the Department for Business, Information and Skills.
| Number of CDFIs | |
Taxation: EU Nationals
Jim Shannon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to prevent EU citizens who are (a) residents and (b) non-residents in the UK purchasing a second home to reduce tax liabilities. [161902]
Sajid Javid: The Government do not seek to prevent EU citizens buying second homes in the UK. But where they do so it is important that they should pay their fair share of tax. In Budget 2012 the Government announced three measures to promote the fair taxation of residential property in the UK:
an increase in the rate of stamp duty land tax payable by a purchaser on properties costing more than £2 million from 5% to 7% and a special rate of 15% payable when a property costing more than £2 million is bought by a company rather than an individual;
a new annual tax on enveloped dwellings, payable on UK residential properties valued at more than £2 million which are owned by companies or other “non-natural persons” and which—broadly—are not used for bona fide commercial purposes; and
an extension of the charge to capital gains tax so that it is payable on gains on disposals of residential properties where the owner has paid the annual tax on enveloped dwellings.
All these three measures apply equally to UK and non-UK residents.
Welfare Tax Credits: Cannock Chase
Mr Burley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) people, (b) people in work and (c) families in Cannock Chase constituency are in receipt of tax credits. [161925]
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Sajid Javid: The following table details the number of adults, in work adults and the number of families in receipt of tax credits (child tax credit and working tax credit) in Cannock Chase constituency as at April 2013.
| Number (Thousand) | |
An adult is defined as in work if they are eligible for working tax credit. In the case of a couple with children, the couple is required to work at least 24 hours a week with at least one adult required to work at least 16 hours. Lone parents are required to work at least 16 hours, although lone parents are still eligible for child tax credit if they work less than this.
These figures do not take into account a small number of out of work families for whom an amount equivalent to tax credits is provided through Department for Work and Pensions benefits.
The Government are committed to making work pay, and are rewarding work in a number of ways. The Government have raised the personal allowance to £9,440 and have announced a further increase to £10,000 from April 2014. The net effect of all personal allowance increases announced by this Government will be to remove 2.7 million low income individuals, under 65, out of income tax altogether from April 2014.
The Government are also developing a new tax-free child care scheme to expand support for affordable child care to 2.5 million families, and introducing universal credit to make the benefits of work clearer and simpler, with the aim of offering a smooth transition into work and encouraging progression in work.