Tonnage Tax
Dr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate his Department has made of the number of UK nationals who serve as officers on ships under the tonnage tax scheme. [178758]
Stephen Hammond: The number of UK nationals employed as officers on ships in the tonnage scheme, as reported to us by companies and groups who have submitted their training commitments for 2013-14, is 2,468. Training commitments for 2013-14 are still outstanding from three companies, so this figure could change.
Cabinet Office
Childbirth: Greater London
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the (a) number and (b) proportion of births where one or both parents were foreign-born was in (i) London and (ii) each Greater London borough in the most recent year for which figures are available. [178839]
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 December 2013:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what the (a) number and (b) proportion of births was where one or both parents were foreign-born in (i) London and (ii) each Greater London borough in the most recent year for which figures are available [178839],
Figures for live births where one or both parents are non-UK born have been compiled from birth registration data. The following table shows the number and proportion of live births in 2012 by
10 Dec 2013 : Column 189W
area of usual residence. Information on country of birth of parents is provided by the informant at registration.
The number of live births to non-UK born parents includes sole registered live births (births registered by the mother alone, where information on the father was not recorded) where the mother is non-UK born. Some births sole registered by UK born mothers may have non-UK born fathers but it is not possible to quantify these as no information is available on the father.
| Number and proportion of live births in London, where one or both parents are non-UK born, 2012 | |||||
| Live births where one parent is foreign born | Live births where both parents are foreign born | ||||
| Area of usual residence of mother | Number of live births | Number | Percentage of all live births | Number | Percentage of all live births |
Civil Servants: Greater London
Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) what the gender make-up is of Civil Service staff in London; [178789]
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(2) what the gender make-up is of all Civil Service staff; [178777]
(3) what the ethnic make-up is of Civil Service staff in London. [178795]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Peter Fullerton, dated December 2013:
On behalf of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) what the gender make-up is of all Civil Service staff, (2) what the gender make-up is of Civil Service staff in London, and (3) what the ethnic make-up is of Civil Service staff in London (178777, 178789, 178795).
Estimates of regional Civil Service employment as at 31 March are published annually by the ONS. The two tables provide the requested data for 2013, and are consistent with the data published in Tables 1, 16 and 17 of the Annual Civil Service Statistics 2013 release:
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/re-reference-tables.html?edition=tcm%3A77-319802
| Table 1: Civil Service employment by gender1,2, 31 March 2013 | |||
| Headcount | |||
| All employees | |||
| Male | Female | Total | |
| 1 Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10. 2 Workplace postcode data are used to derive geographical information. Source: Annual Civil Service Employment Survey | |||
| Table 2: Civil Service employment in London by ethnicity1,2,3, 31 March 2013 | |||||
| Headcount | |||||
| All employees | |||||
| Government Office Region | White | Ethnic minority | Not Declared | Not Reported | Total |
| 1 Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10. 2 Workplace postcode data are used to derive geographical information. 3 Those employees who have actively chosen not to declare their status are reported as ‘Not Declared'. Source: Annual Civil Service Employment Survey | |||||
Board Membership
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) how many of his Department's (a) executive and (b) non-executive board members are (i) men and (ii) women; [178109]
(2) how many of his Department's (a) executive and (b) non-executive board members are identified as (i) white British and (ii) of black, Asian and other minority ethnic groups; [178129]
(3) what proportion of staff recruited to his Department since 5 May 2010 were (a) men and (b) women; [178149]
(4) what the median gross pay is of staff in his Department and its executive agencies in each pay band who are identified as (a) white British and (b) of black, Asian and other minority ethnic groups; [178169]
(5) what the median gross pay of (a) men and (b) women is in each pay band in his Department. [178187]
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Mr Maude: Details about the membership of the Cabinet Office Board are published in the departmental Annual Report and Accounts at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-annual-report-and-accounts-2012-to-2013
At present 49.9% of my Department are female and 50.1% are male.
Cabinet Office median gross salaries by grade vary by less than 5% between the genders. The following table sets out more information:
| CS Equivalent Grade | CO Pay band | Male (£) | Female (£) |
On the questions regarding ethnicity, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 26 November 2013, Official Report, column 270W.
Government Services: Websites
George Galloway: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) if he will bring forward legislative proposals to outlaw unofficial websites receiving payment for services offered by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) when payment can already be made through the DVLA website; [178625]
(2) if he will bring forward legislative proposals to outlaw unofficial websites receiving payment for services offered by the Land Registry where payment can already be made through the Land Registry website. [178624]
Mr Hurd: The Government Digital Service is leading a cross-Government exercise with organisations such as the OFT, the Advertising Standards Agency, search engine providers and various trading standard bodies to curtail the activity of websites that advertise their services in misleading ways, using existing consumer protection legislation.
At this stage we do not plan to introduce further legislation.
Internet
Valerie Vaz: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) whether access to any websites or domains is blocked from computers in his Department; and if he will publish a list of all such websites and domains to which access is prohibited; [178496]
(2) whether access to any websites or domains is blocked from computers in No. 10 Downing Street; and if he will publish a list of all such websites and domains to which access is prohibited. [178510]
Mr Hurd: The Prime Minister’s Office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office.
The Cabinet Office takes measures to prevent staff from accessing certain categories of websites and domains.
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Types of websites and domains to which access is prohibited include gambling, adult content, games, phishing, hacking and malicious sources. We have no plan to publish a list of such websites.
Overseas Students
Mr Frank Field: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the nationality was of the 49,000 non-EU students who had been in the UK for at least 12 months for the purposes of study and were identified in the International Passenger Survey as departing the UK in the year ended December 2012. [178691]
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 December 2013:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the nationality was of the 49,000 non-EU students who had been in the UK for at least 12 months for the purposes of study and who were identified in the International Passenger Survey as departing the UK in the year ended December 2012. [178691]
The Office for National Statistics produces estimates of Long-Term International Migration (LTIM), primarily based on the International Passenger Survey (IPS). The IPS is a continuous voluntary sample survey conducted by the Office for National Statistics.
Table 1 shows the estimates by nationality for non-EU nationals who emigrated from the UK in the year ending December 2012 and who identified formal study to be their previous main reason for immigration to the UK.
| Table 1: Emigration of non-EU nationals with a previous main reason for immigration of formal study, by nationality, year ending December 2012 (Thousand) | ||
| Country of nationality | Estimate | +/- 95% Confidence Interval |
| 1. All estimates are individually rounded to the nearest thousand. Totals may not add exactly due to this rounding. 2. Individual nationalities are presented in descending sequence based on the unrounded emigration estimates. 3. The Other category includes all non-EU nationalities with at least one contact on the IPS but where the estimate by individual nationality rounds to zero. Source: Office for National Statistics—International Passenger Survey. | ||
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Confidence intervals (CIs) provide an estimated range within which the true value of a population is likely to fall. The confidence intervals in the table are 95 per cent confidence intervals; this means that this range is expected to contain the true value of the number of migrants around 95 per cent of the time. Caution should be exercised when using an estimate which has a large confidence interval.
Self-employed
Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the number of self-employed people in (a) Ribble Valley constituency, (b) Lancashire and (c) the UK. [178636]
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 December 2013:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate has been made of the number of self-employed people in (a) Ribble Valley constituency, (b) Lancashire and (c) the UK. (178636)
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles employment statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS) following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions.
The latest APS estimates available for self-employed people are from interviews held during the period July 2012 to June 2013. As with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty. A guide to the quality of the estimates is given in the table.
The table shows the number of self-employed people in Lancashire and the UK from the APS, however, no reliable statistics can be produced for Ribble Valley constituency due to small sample sizes.
National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
| Number of people self-employed between July 2012 and June 2013 | |
| 12 months ending June 20131(Thousand) | |
| 1 Coefficients of Variation have been calculated for the latest period as an indication of the quality of the estimates. See Guide to Quality following. Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV—for example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5% we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220. Key: * 0 = CV<5%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered precise ** 5 = CV <10%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered reasonably precise *** 10 = CV <20%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered acceptable **** CV = 20%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes CV = Coefficient of Variation Source: Annual Population Survey | |
Defence
Armed Forces: Malaria
Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make it his policy to commission a reassessment of the appropriateness of the Lariam form of mefloquine to protect service personnel against malaria; and if he will make a statement on recent reports of the adverse side-effects of such medication. [170486]
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Anna Soubry [holding answer 17 October 2013]: The life threatening risks of malaria are extremely serious. Mefloquine is one of a number of effective antimalarials used by the military in many parts of the world where British troops deploy. The drug is licensed in the UK by the Medicines and Health products Regulatory Agency, based on the expert guidance of the Advisory Committee for Malaria Prevention (ACMP) of Public Health England (PHE), which advises on malaria prevention for all travellers from the UK. Mefloquine is also used by other countries around the world including the wider European Union.
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is aware of recent calls for it to review its use of mefloquine. There is currently no evidence that members of the UK armed forces are at an increased risk from adverse drug events related to mefloquine when used for chemoprophylaxis. If compelling evidence is produced from the body of global scientific evidence regarding the toxicity of mefloquine, then it is likely that the UK licence would be reviewed and advice from the ACMP may change. The MOD will continue to keep under review its use of all antimalarial drugs and follow the best advice as provided by PHE.
Defence Storage and Distribution Agency: Gloucestershire
Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with the management of the Defence Storage and Distribution Agency site at Ashchurch, Gloucestershire, to enable them to keep the workforce informed of their plans for the site; and if he will make a statement. [173579]
Mr Dunne [holding answer 4 November 2013]: I have had a number of discussions with the chief executive of the Defence Support Group (DSG), which is the major employer at Ashchurch, and visited the site earlier this year where I toured the facilities and held a constructive meeting with the local trade union representatives. The chief executive briefed staff at Ashchurch as recently as 2 December 2013 on the most up-to-date plans for the site known to DSG management and he will continue updating employees as future plans for the site develop.
Defence: Procurement
Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 25 November 2013, Official Report, column 36W, on defence: procurement, what proportion of defence procurement contracts valued in excess of £5 million was placed with small and medium-sized enterprises in each of the English regions and in the other constituent parts of the UK in the last three years. [178614]
Mr Dunne: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 4 December 2013, Official Report, column 674W, to the hon. Member for Moray (Angus Robertson).
Board Membership
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of his Department's (a) executive and (b) non-executive board members are (i) men and (ii) women. [178112]
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Mr Philip Hammond: Of the Department's executive board members, seven are men and none are women.
Of the Department's non-executive members two are men and none are women.
The Department is currently seeking to recruit two further non-executive board members.
Pay
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what the median gross pay is of staff in his Department and its executive agencies in each pay band who are identified as (a) white British and (b) of black, Asian and other minority ethnic groups; [178172]
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(2) what the median gross pay of (a) men and (b) women is in each pay band in his Department. [178190]
Anna Soubry: The information requested for civilians in the Ministry of Defence (MOD) is shown in the following table. Data relating to MOD trading funds are not held in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Average salaries are expressed as the mean, rather than median, which could be provided only at disproportionate cost, and would not fully represent the range of values.
| £ | ||||||
| White | BME | No declaration | Male | Female | All personnel | |
| ‘-’Denotes that the value is withheld; average based on fewer than 10 individuals. Notes: 1. Data for ethnicity and gender of personnel are sourced from the HRMS staff management database. While gender is 100% declared, ethnicity is a self-declared field and although declaration rates are sufficiently high to represent meaningful comparisons, average salaries for those who have not declared their ethnicity have also been given for completeness. 2. Data for members of the senior civil service are not held centrally by the MOD in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. | ||||||
Procurement
Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what contracts his Department currently holds with SAIC. [178471]
Mr Dunne: The Ministry of Defence does not hold any current contracts with SIAC Construction Ltd.
RAF Croughton
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 26 November 2013, Official Report, columns 212-3W, on RAF Croughton, if he will supplement the current agreement for use of RAF Croughton by the US with an additional agreement in the light of developments in communications technology since the conclusion of the Status of Forces Agreement in 1951. [R] [178600]
Mr Francois: There is no requirement for an additional agreement regarding the use of RAF Croughton by the United States Visiting Forces.
Shipping
Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department has contracts with Inchcape Shipping Services; and what the (a) value and (b) length of such contracts is. [178369]
Mr Dunne: The Ministry of Defence does not hold any current contracts with Inchcape Shipping Services.
Sovereignty: Scotland
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with Ministers in the Scottish Government on defence prior to the publication of the White Paper on an independent Scotland. [178081]
Dr Murrison: The Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), did not have any discussions with Ministers in the Scottish Government about the White Paper on an independent Scotland on defence, nor were any requested prior to its publication.
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Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations his Department has received from the Scottish Government in the last 12 months on the proposed reconfiguration of the UK defence estate in the event of Scottish independence, as set out in Scotland's Future: Your Guide to An Independent Scotland. [178610]
Dr Murrison: None. The Ministry of Defence has not received any representation from the Scottish Government regarding the reconfiguration of the UK defence estate in Scotland in the event of independence.
Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations his Department has received from the Scottish Government in the last 12 months on the proposed removal of the UK Trident nuclear submarines from Scottish waters in the event of Scottish independence, as set out in Scotland's Future: Your Guide to An Independent Scotland. [178611]
Dr Murrison: None. The Ministry of Defence has not received any srepresentation from the Scottish Government regarding the removal of the UK's nuclear deterrent from Scotland in the event of independence.
UK Space Agency
Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions his Department has had with the UK Space Agency to utilise existing or emerging technology to improve the UK's defence capabilities. [178638]
Mr Dunne: Ministry of Defence officials have regular discussions with the UK Space Agency, in order to formulate UK policy and share information on technological developments.
Unmanned Air Vehicles
Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 17 June 2013, Official Report, column 502W, on unmanned air vehicles, if he will review the security classification of Joint Service Publication 900 in the light of the two recent reports by the UN special rapporteurs on use of armed drones; and if he will place a copy or redacted copy of that publication in the Library. [178262]
Mr Francois: We have reviewed Joint Service Publication (JSP) 900, which contains the UK policy relating to targeting for manned and unmanned aircraft systems. JSP 900 contains information that, if disclosed, would reveal to our adversaries useful information about how and when the UK might choose to use its weapon systems. This would or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.
UK military personnel responsible for operating manned and unmanned aircraft must at all times act in accordance with international humanitarian law.
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 31 October 2013, Official Report, column 550W, on unmanned air vehicles, whether the US makes any voluntary contribution of funding to support the facilities at RAF Croughton, RAF Moleworth or RAF Waddington. [R] [178619]
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Mr Francois: The United States Visiting Forces (USVF) are responsible for meeting the costs of their day-to-day activities at RAF Croughton and RAF Molesworth. No voluntary contributions of funding in support of the facilities at RAF Waddington are made by the USVF.
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 18 October 2013, Official Report, column 882W, on unmanned air vehicles, if he will place in the Library a copy of the Article 36 legal review on the use of armed unmanned aerial systems with privileged legal advice redacted. [R] [178630]
Mr Francois: The legal review conducted by DCDC Legal Branch on the use of unmanned aerial systems in the context of Article 36 is subject to legal professional privilege (LPP). LPP attaches across the body of the document and it is not open to redaction.
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 5 September 2013, Official Report, column 491W, on unmanned aerial vehicles, what the in-service date is for the Scan Eagle capability approved as an urgent operational requirement in March 2013; and which naval deployments the Scan Eagle will support. [R] [178641]
Mr Dunne: We are still on track for the timelines I gave in my answer of 5 September 2013, Official Report, column 491W. The capability will be used to provide local force protection and surface surveillance to Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels. We do not routinely discuss the operational capability of deployed units, and so I am withholding further details as their disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what initiatives concerning the current or proposed use of unmanned aerial systems in UK airspace are subject to review or other work by the cross-government unmanned aircraft systems and remotely piloted aircraft systems working group. [R] [178642]
Mr Francois: The Cross-Government Working Group on remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) is chaired by the Department for Transport. The group is a forum to: inform RPAS-related departmental policies; identify synergies and opportunities for efficiency; and identify and address barriers to a successful UK industry base, supporting the Government's prosperity agenda. The group is not required to review the current or proposed use of RPAS in UK airspace. However, all RPAS initiatives that affect, or could affect, more than one Department may be discussed by the group.
Mr Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 16 July 2013, Official Report, column 653W, on unmanned air vehicles, what the outcome of the MOD-MBDA trials planned for autumn 2013 was. [178663]
Mr Dunne: The Ministry of Defence, with MBDA support, is still conducting the trials into the feasibility of integrating Brimstone on to remotely piloted aircraft systems.
Therefore the results are not yet available.
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Energy and Climate Change
Electric Cables
Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many requests there have been for a wayleave hearing in the last 10 years; and how many have resulted in an objector succeeding. [178070]
Gregory Barker: In the six years between 1 April 2007 and 31 March 2013, the period for which records are available, the Department received 238 requests for a necessary wayleave hearing. 51 applications proceeded in this period to a full necessary wayleave hearing; one resulted in the objector succeeding.
Energy: Conservation
Mr Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the number of people employed in the UK energy efficiency sector. [178591]
Gregory Barker: In 2011/12, the UK's energy efficiency sector accounted for around 136,000 jobs and sales of over £18 billion. More information is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/low-carbon-and-environmental-goods-and-services-2011-to-2012
The energy efficiency sector is defined as the sum total of employment in the building technologies and energy management subsectors, which employed around 112,000 and 23,000 people in 2011/12, respectively.
Fracking
Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what documentary evidence exists to demonstrate that the Government have considered and are honouring the precautionary principle in their consideration of shale gas drilling. [178436]
Michael Fallon: The UK has a robust, comprehensive and safe regulatory regime in place for shale gas exploration. The Environment Agency's shale gas environmental risk assessment has found that the risks to the environment of hydraulic fracturing can be mitigated effectively through appropriate planning and permitting conditions and do not justify them objecting to any permitting or planning applications on the basis of the precautionary principle. Much of the activity proposed (e.g. flaring, borehole drilling and casing, surface run-off management) is not new and is commonly used in conventional onshore oil and gas exploration. However, the assessment of environmental risk in the case of hydraulic fracturing to explore for shale gas is site-specific and depending on local geological conditions the Environment Agency may object to future permitting or planning applications.
Since minerals extraction does have an environmental impact, it is important that every planning decision should be made only after very careful consideration of all the relevant planning issues, including the likely effects of the proposed development on the surrounding area, and taking into account the views of local residents. In addition, applications for new shale gas sites in England, whether for exploratory drilling or full production, may be subject to an environmental impact assessment if there are deemed to be any significant environmental effects.
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Pay
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the median gross pay is of staff in his Department and its executive agencies in each pay band who are identified as (a) white British and (b) of black, Asian and other minority ethnic groups. [178174]
Gregory Barker: The median gross earnings of (a) white British and (b) of black, Asian and other minority ethnic groups in each pay band in DECC can be found in the following table.
The information in the table is based on current declaration rates. In DECC Ethnicity status has not been declared by 30% of staff.
Results in groups where there are five staff or fewer are not displayed to protect personal data.
| £ | ||||
| Ethnicity group | BME | Unknown | White | All staff |
| Grade | Median | Median | Median | Median |
Poverty
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many times the word ‘poverty' has been mentioned in his Department's parliamentary answers in Session (a) 2011-12 and (b) 2012-13. [178390]
Gregory Barker: The system used by the Department for processing parliamentary questions does not have the facility to provide this information, and therefore it can be provided only at disproportionate cost. The content of the Official Report is a matter of public record and is readily accessible to the hon. Member online and in hard copy.
Renewable Energy: Peterborough
Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what meetings officials in his Department have had with Peterborough city council or its representatives on renewable energy proposals since July 2012; and if he will make a statement. [178300]
Gregory Barker: DECC officials have had one meeting with Peterborough city council officials on 8 August 2013.
10 Dec 2013 : Column 201W
Treasury
Income Tax
16. Ian Lavery: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate he has made of how much the reduction in the additional rate of income tax to 45% will be worth each year for a person earning £1 million a year. [901529]
Mr Gauke: The cost of reducing the additional rate of income tax to 45% is estimated at around £100 million per year. This is set out in Table 2.2 of Budget 2013.
We have not broken down the impact by income ranges. This is because there is a significant behavioural response associated with the additional rate of income tax. This behavioural response is estimated in aggregate, and reflected in the costing.
Amateur Sports Clubs
20. Dr Phillip Lee: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what fiscal steps he has taken to help community amateur sports clubs. [901533]
Nicky Morgan: The Government announced on 25 November 2013, Official Report, columns 3-4WS, that they will be changing the rules for community amateur sports clubs (CASCs). The tax exemption limits for CASCs will be increased significantly so they can keep more of their money to invest in grass root sports, and companies will be able to claim tax relief on gifts of money to CASCs under corporate Gift Aid. This will give CASCs new funding to promote sports in their local communities.
Aggregates Levy: Northern Ireland
Ms Ritchie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent progress he has made on reinstating the Aggregates Credit Levy Scheme in Northern Ireland. [178733]
Nicky Morgan: The European Commission is currently undertaking a formal State Aid investigation in relation to the Aggregates Levy Credit Scheme. The process for, and duration of, the European Commission's investigation into the Aggregates Levy Credit Scheme are determined by the Commission itself.
The Government have responded to the Commission's investigation on a number of occasions, outlining why they believe the Credit Scheme is compatible with Environmental State Aid guidelines. The Government are committed to introducing a new credit scheme for Northern Ireland, but are unable to do so while the Commission's investigation is ongoing.
Board Membership
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many of his Department's (a) executive and (b) non-executive board members are (i) men and (ii) women. [178124]
Nicky Morgan: There are four women and six men on the Treasury's executive board, plus one vacancy; and on the non-executive board there are two women and one man.
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Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many of his Department's (a) executive and (b) non-executive board members are identified as (i) white British and (ii) of black, Asian and other minority ethnic groups. [178144]
Nicky Morgan: The Treasury monitors the diversity of its executive and non-executive boards but racial or ethnic identity is not self-evident and is sensitive personal data. Given the small numbers involved we could not disclose the results of our monitoring without infringing the rights of the individuals concerned.
In his most recent annual report (2012-13) the Government lead non-executive, Lord Browne, accepted that
“the numbers of non-executives with minority ethnic backgrounds remains disappointingly low” but reiterated his commitment to improving their representation on departmental boards. This is a commitment I share.
The Treasury is committed to ensuring it reflects the diversity of the public which its serves at all levels and has an active diversity agenda. Information on the diversity of Treasury's employees by pay range is published. The most recent information, March 2013, is in HM Treasury's Annual Report and Accounts 2012-13, page 43, available on the Treasury's external website.
Income Tax: Older People
Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the loss of revenue to the Exchequer from raising the income tax threshold to (a) £15,000 and (b) £20,000 for people over the age of 65. [177980]
Mr Gauke: The Exchequer costs of increasing the personal allowance for taxpayers aged 65 and over in the year 2013-14 are estimated at £3 billion for an increase to £15,000 and £5 billion for an increase to £20,000.
These estimates are 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.
Infrastructure
John Healey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 27 November 2013, Official Report, column 313W, on infrastructure, for what reasons that answer did not provide the locations of the 40 projects pre-qualified for the UK guarantees scheme. [178069]
Danny Alexander: As is normal in project financing, non-disclosure agreements have been signed with projects ahead of commercial discussions about the guarantees scheme.
Projects that have consented to be named are listed on the website:
www.gov.uk
Their exact location can be found through a simple internet search.
The location of the remainder of prequalified projects cannot be disclosed as projects can be easily identified. This will not only breach disclosure agreements but will also negatively impact relations with key stakeholders.
10 Dec 2013 : Column 203W
Internet
Valerie Vaz: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether access to any websites or domains is blocked from computers in his Department; and if he will publish a list of all such websites and domains to which access is prohibited. [178513]
Nicky Morgan: Filtering software is used within the Department to block access to certain inappropriate categories of website (for example, those containing violence or pornography). In addition, measures are in place to block access to some specific websites that contain potentially harmful software content, or malware. It is departmental policy not to publish precise details of the measures used, or what they block, as this could provide useful information for individuals who might seek to attack our IT systems.
Local Government Finance: Peterborough
Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what value of loans has been made under the auspices of the Public Works Loan Board to Peterborough city council in each year since 2011; what the purpose of each such loan was; and if he will make a statement. [178281]
Danny Alexander: The following table shows the loans advanced to Peterborough city council by the Public Works Loan Board (PWLB). This information is also available on the PWLB website:
| Total advanced (£) | |
The Treasury does not hold information on the purpose of these loans. When borrowing from the PWLB, local authorities are not required to provide details of the purpose of the loan advanced.
Mortgages: Government Assistance
Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will provide information on the take up of Help to Buy on a (a) local authority and (b) parliamentary constituency basis; and if he will make a statement. [178280]
Sajid Javid: The Government are committed to making the aspiration of home ownership a reality for as many households as possible. The Government want current and future generations to experience the benefits of owning their own home, in the same way their parents were able to. Since the financial crisis, larger deposit requirements and falling equity values mean many credit-worthy households cannot get a mortgage, or are trapped in their existing homes unable to take the next steps.
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One month after the announcement of the Help to Buy: mortgage guarantee on 8 October 2013, more than 2,000 people had put in offers on homes under the scheme totalling £365 million of new mortgage lending. The total number of RBS applicants was 1,075. The regional breakdown for RBS applicants is as follows:
| Region | Number of applications | Percentage of total |
Once the Help to Buy: mortgage guarantee scheme opens in January, the Government will collect data on mortgages covered by the guarantee, and will report in due course.
Hilary Benn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library any risk assessment, impact assessment or other similar assessment of the effects on house prices of (a) the Help to Buy equity loan scheme and (b) the Help to Buy mortgage guarantees. [178796]
Sajid Javid: The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is responsible for producing independent economic and fiscal forecasts, including house price forecasts. They published the latest Economic and Fiscal Outlook alongside the autumn statement on 5 December 2013.
Personal Income: Wales
Mr Hanson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of changes in the level of incomes in Wales since 2010. [901520]
Sajid Javid: For the UK as a whole, real household disposable income has been higher over the last year than in the previous Government's last year in office and indeed higher than any year under the previous Government.
Following the deep recession that took place under the previous Government, we recognise that times remain tough for many families. That is why we have taken action to help with the living costs by, for instance, increasing the personal allowance, freezing fuel duty, and reducing average energy bills by around £50 per year.
Poverty
Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many times the word ‘poverty' has been mentioned in his Department's parliamentary answers in Session (a) 2011-12 and (b) 2012-13. [178402]
Nicky Morgan: This is a matter of public record.
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Revenue and Customs
Chloe Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much HM Revenue and Customs employees have worked in individual and employee tax collection in each of the last five years; and how many such employees have (a) received performance related pay and (b) been dismissed for under-performance. [178076]
Mr Gauke: HMRC debt collection staff are trained to collect more than one type of Head of Duty tax, so we are unable to provide information for individual and employer tax collection in isolation.
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what HM Revenue and Customs' compliance yield has been in the financial year to date. [178251]
Mr Gauke: HMRC's year to date performance (up to October 2013) stands at £10.591 billion compliance revenue.
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the introduction of a four-digit pin for those completing the HM Revenue and Customs staff survey will enable individual responses to be identified. [178252]
Mr Gauke: HMRC is one of 103 participating organisations taking part in the Civil Service People Survey 2013. The current survey provider—ORC International—offers two options to participating organisations to allow respondents to enter the staff survey.
A unique link providing each employee with an individual URL address with which to join the survey,
A generic link which is a single link provided to all employees and requiring participants to select an Organisation Unit Code ‘four-digit pin' to join the survey.
Last year (2012) HMRC switched to using generic links, reducing the cost of running the survey and addressing staff concerns around anonymity. This year (2013) HMRC opted to use this process again.
The ‘four digit pin' provides complete anonymity for individuals and ensures that individual responses cannot be identified.
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the results of the 2013 HM Revenue and Customs annual staff survey will be published. [178253]
Mr Gauke: The external publication date for HM Revenue and Customs 2013 annual staff survey results will be agreed following the Department's Executive Committee's meeting later this month, in line with the Cabinet Office deadline of 30 January 2014.
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 10 September 2013, Official Report, column 348W, on revenue and customs, what progress his Department has made on its future plans for full-time equivalent numbers at HM Revenue and Customs in each area of its activity on 31 March in each year between 2014 and 2016. [178273]
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Mr Gauke: HMRC is planning to reduce its full-time equivalent work force from the current 62,600 to 52,000 by 31 March 2016 in line with the requirements of the spending review 2013 settlement. It expects to continue to increase the proportion of staff engaged on compliance work within these overall plans as other business areas contract. HMRC is still working through the detail, including the breakdown for full-time equivalent numbers in each area of activity, and is currently taking into account the impacts of the autumn statement 2013 (AS13).
AS13 makes no cuts to HMRC's budget and provides further investment over the next three years to reduce tax lost through evasion and avoidance and to reduce fraud, error and debts within the tax credits system.
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff members of each directorate of HM Revenue and Customs are within three years of retirement age. [178312]
Mr Gauke: Given that HMRC does not operate a fixed retirement age policy, it is not possible to quantify those members of staff within three years of retirement age.
Sovereignty: Scotland
Ann McKechin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations his Department has received from the Scottish Government in the last 12 months on the proposed use of the Bank of England as the central bank of an independent Scotland, as set out in Scotland's Future: Your Guide to An Independent Scotland. [178602]
Danny Alexander: The Treasury has not received any representations from the Scottish Government on an independent Scotland continuing to use the Bank of England as its central bank after independence. If Scotland were to become independent, the Bank of England would be the central bank for the continuing UK. The continuing UK would have to agree to Scotland taking part in the UK's monetary arrangements as part of a currency union and it is highly unlikely that one could be agreed or made to work.
Ann McKechin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations his Department has received from the Scottish Government in the last 12 months on the proposed currency union between an independent Scotland and the rest of the UK in the event of Scottish independence, as set out in Scotland's Future: Your Guide to An Independent Scotland. [178603]
Danny Alexander: The Treasury has not received any representations from the Scottish Government on a currency union between an independent Scotland and the continuing UK. It is highly unlikely that such a currency union could be agreed or made to work.
Tax Evasion
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent progress has been made by HM Revenue and Customs in initiating proceedings against those included in the 2012 and 2013 most wanted lists of tax fugitives; and if he will make a statement. [178254]
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Mr Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) launched its most wanted list in August 2012, during the current coalition Government. 20 photographs were issued to the British press together with a brief outline of each case.
Following this in August 2013, the list was expanded to 30 individuals. Malcolm McGowan was arrested at a public swimming pool, by officers of the Guardia Civil acting on the outstanding Spanish arrest warrant. HMRC successfully extradited McGowan by ferry from Spain on 5 September 2013 and he is now in prison. In addition Arthur Michael Fearon, who had fled to Republic of Ireland, was arrested at Belfast police station on 7 November 2013 and he is now serving sentence imposed by the court.
HMRC continues to work towards bringing all current HMRC fugitives (including those featured in the Most Wanted Campaign) before the UK Courts. HMRC uses all available systems and resources to locate and trace individuals. This includes working closely with HMRC's fiscal liaison officers based overseas, Crown Prosecution Service, National Crime Agency, Interpol and other international partners.
MRC continues to receive information concerning fugitives from the Most Wanted Campaign, both from the UK and from overseas. This information is analysed with the aim of supporting further arrests and successful extraditions from both the European Union and elsewhere.
International Development
Afghanistan
Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many Afghan women's civil society organisations her Department has consulted in the development of its strategic priority on tackling violence against women. [178041]
Justine Greening: DFID officials in Kabul maintain regular contact with a range of Afghan women's civil society organisations in Afghanistan. Recently, this has included meetings with representatives of Gender Action for Peace and Security, the Afghan Women's Network and Women for Women.
In London, DFID has held formal consultations on tackling violence against women with the support of the British and Irish Agencies Afghanistan Group (BAAG),
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an umbrella group for 30 international aid agencies working in Afghanistan. One of BAAG's key roles is to reflect the views and aspirations of Afghans to the international community.
Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 24 October 2013, Official Report, column 268W, on Afghanistan, what mechanism was put in place by the Department to enable local businesses to use the land on the Bost agri-park before its closure. [178066]
Justine Greening: The completed park designs have been handed over to the Afghan authorities.
The Bost agricultural business park proposal was originally approved by officials in 2009 at a time when Ministers did not approve spend under £40 million. In 2012 it became clear that the project could no longer be completed within the original timeframe and in good order. To avoid wasting taxpayers' money I decided that UK funding for the project should be cancelled.
Conflict, Stability and Security Fund
Mr Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 29 November 2013, Official Report, column 479W, on conflict pool, how the Building Stability Overseas Strategy will be used in setting the priorities of the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund. [178314]
Mr Duncan: The Building Stability Overseas Strategy will continue to set the strategic framework for the Conflict Pool for 2014-15 and will underpin the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) from 2015-16. The Conflict Pool, and in the future the CSSF, will continue to support activities under the strategy on early warning, rapid crisis prevention, and upstream conflict prevention.
Board Membership
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many of her Department's (a) executive and (b) non-executive board members are (i) men and (ii) women. [178119]
Mr Duncan: DFID's Executive Management Committee consists of four men and one woman. DFID also has four non-executive directors, three men and one woman.
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many of her Department's (a) executive and (b) non-executive board members are identified as (i) white British and (ii) of black, Asian and other minority ethnic groups. [178139]
Mr Duncan: The Department monitors the ethnic diversity of boards but racial or ethnic identity is not self-evident and is sensitive personal data. Given the small numbers involved we could not disclose the results of our monitoring without infringing the rights of the individuals concerned.
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Nepal
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the implications for her Department's programmes in Nepal are of the recent election in that country. [178083]
Mr Duncan: The recent elections in Nepal were widely recognised as peaceful and credible. We hope that the newly elected Assembly can now complete the important task of drafting Nepal's constitution. The UK will continue to do everything possible to support this process, including offering technical support, while ensuring this is a Nepali-led process.
The choice of DFID Nepal's programmes is based on the development needs of Nepal. Our current Operational Plan, which runs to 2015 will continue to support the peace process and constitution drafting; will focus on effective delivery of services in health, education and water and sanitation; will support economic growth and private sector development to create much needed jobs; and will help Nepal to be better able to deal with climate change and natural disasters.
Pay
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the median gross pay is of staff in her Department in each pay band who are identified as (a) white British and (b) of black, Asian and other minority ethnic groups. [178179]
Mr Duncan: The following table gives the median gross salary for staff who are identified as (a) white British and (b) of black, Asian and other minority ethnic groups within DFID.
| Pay Band/Grade | Median gross salary (£) (white British) | Median gross salary (£) (black, Asian and other minority ethnic group) |
| 1 Median salary withheld as the number of staff in this category is 5 or less. | ||
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the median gross pay of (a) men and (b) women is in each pay band in her Department. [178197]
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Mr Duncan: The following table gives the median gross salary for men and women in each pay band within DFID.
| £ | ||
| Pay Band/Grade | Median gross salary (Men) | Median gross salary (Women) |
| 1 Median salary withheld as the number of staff in this category is 5 or less. | ||
Philippines
Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of the humanitarian support provided by the UK to the Philippines in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan has been reserved for safeguarding women and girls from violence. [178544]
Lynne Featherstone: DFID has allocated £3 million to programmes specifically to prevent harm to vulnerable people or to help victims of violence. In addition, we have provided assistance such as solar lanterns that help make women and children safer.
Recruitment
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of staff recruited to her Department since 5 May 2010 are (a) men and (b) women. [178159]
Mr Duncan: Since 5 May 2010 the proportion of women to men recruited into DFID was 53.1% to 46.9%.
Syria
Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department is taking to adequately support the Governments of Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Turkey who are hosting large numbers of Syrian refugees. [178043]
Justine Greening: The UK has allocated £184 million to support refugees in neighbouring countries, including Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Turkey. This is providing food for over 130,000 people per month, 71,000 medical consultations and an improved water supply for over 27,000 people.
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Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the current humanitarian situation in refugee camps for Syrian (a) women and (b) children. [178735]
Justine Greening: There are almost 2.3 million Syrian refugees in the region, and over 75% of them are women and children. We are seriously concerned about the high incidence of sexual and gender based violence (SGBV) reported in the refugee camps. The UK is supporting survivors of SGBV including, for example, by providing clinical care and case management for 12,000 Syrian refugees in Jordan. The Development Secretary recently held a Call to Action to protect Women and Girls in emergencies, and announced £21.6 million in new funding to partners to help protect girls and women in emergencies worldwide, of which £9.6 million will go to partners working in Syria and the region.
Access to education and protection for refugee children, particularly girls, is a major concern. We have put in place a new £30 million “Lost Generation Initiative” to provide protection, trauma care and counselling for those children affected by the crisis. The UK is also working with UNICEF to provide education for 1,000 refugee children, as well as training teachers and providing educational supplies to schools.
Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what representations she has received on the creation of a humanitarian aid corridor in Syria. [178767]
Justine Greening: DFID supports many humanitarian agencies operating inside Syria. To date, DFID has received no formal requests or representations for a humanitarian corridor from these partners or other humanitarian agencies.
Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what categories of aid her Department has committed to help Jordan with Syrian refugees. [178768]
Justine Greening: To date the UK has allocated £105 million to support Syrian refugees and host communities in Jordan. This support is providing food, WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene), health services, shelter and non-food items, including winterisation items like heaters and blankets, protection, including adolescent friendly spaces and vocational education, and psychosocial interventions.
Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent estimate he has made of the number of Syrians who have fled Syria since the start of the civil war in that country. [178769]
Justine Greening: According to the UN almost 2.3 million people have been made refugees since the Syria conflict began; one third in formal camps and the rest living in host communities. This number includes both those registered refugees and those awaiting registration.
UK Space Agency
Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions her Department has had with the UK Space Agency to utilise existing or upcoming technology to improve the UK's response to humanitarian disasters. [178639]
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Mr Duncan: DFID is in contact with the UK Space Agency through the Copernicus Emergency Service Network Group, a cross-Whitehall group co-ordinated by DEFRA and the UK Space Agency. It meets every three to six months to discuss the Copernicus Emergency Service and the International Charter for Space and Major Disasters, systems which provide data and imagery from satellites in the event of a natural disaster.
Education
Children: Health
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answers of 20 May 2013, Official Report, column 765W, on pupils: health and 12 November 2013, Official Report, columns 607-8W, on schools: health, for what reason the number of times well-being has been referred to in Ofsted inspectors' reports has declined between 2010 and 2013. [178489]
Mr Laws: This is a matter for Ofsted. I have asked Her Majesty's chief inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw, to write to the hon. Member. A copy of his reply has been placed in the House Library.