Written Answers
Wednesday 5 December 2012
Banking
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the sufficiency of the core capital of United Kingdom banks to absorb expected losses and support economic recovery.[HL3606]
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Sassoon): The Financial Stability Report (FSR) was published on 29 November. The FSR is published twice a year under the guidance of the interim Financial Policy Committee which brings together senior officials from the Bank of England and the Financial Services Authority. The FSR covers the committee’s assessment of the outlook for the stability and resilience of the financial sector at the time of preparation of the report, and the policy actions it advises to reduce and mitigate risks to stability.
Banks: Lending
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will hold talks with the commercial banks about demand for mortgage assistance by lower-paid workers with secure jobs who are unable to meet current deposit requirements.[HL3753]
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Sassoon): The Government hold regular talks with banks about mortgage lending, including deposit requirements, which the Government recognise have risen for first-time buyers since the financial crisis.
The Government have already taken action to support creditworthy borrowers with a limited deposit to get on to the housing ladder. FirstBuy is a shared equity scheme targeted at first-time buyers with an income below £60,000 per annum. The builder and Government contribute a 20% equity loan, while the purchaser contributes a 5% deposit. FirstBuy has proven to be popular and there has been strong demand. The Government recognise the continued challenges first-time buyers are facing and, therefore, extended the scheme in September, to provide an additional £280 million to help a further 16,500 households, by March 2014.
Charities
Question
Asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much they pay to (1) British-based, and (2) foreign, charities. [HL3762]
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: Information on central government spend to the voluntary and charitable sector (including both grants and contracts) is available through departmental business plan quarterly data summaries, published at http://www.number10.gov.uk/transparency/how-your-money-is-spent/.
Claims Management Companies: Costs
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Lord McNally on 5 November (Official Report, col. 756), whether they will review the Financial Ombudsman Service's case fees in cases where companies represent complainants to enable costs to be met by those companies in the event of the complaint failing.[HL3354]
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Sassoon): The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) is responsible for dealing with case fee matters. The FOS has committed to write to my noble friend with the information requested by 11 December. A copy of the response will be placed in the Library of the House.
Embryology
Question
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Marland on 19 November (WA 311–12), in what ways lessons from pronuclear transfer (PNT) can inform somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) research; whether PNT involves direct transfer of the DNA in the sperm and the egg; why they have stated that the genetic identity of a PNT embryo is unique only to the sperm and egg from which the pronuclei are formed, rather than to an embryo as defined in the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008; and on what basis the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has described PNT as “mitochondria replacement” in its consultation Medical frontiers: debating mitochondria replacement.[HL3684]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Lord Marland): The department has sought advice from medical researchers through the Medical Research Council. Their advice is that researchers have found that the technical challenges associated with pronuclear transfer (PNT) are very similar to those of somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). Therefore it is understood that the optimisation of one technique informs the development of the other.
The PNT procedure involves transferring the DNA from the egg and the DNA from the sperm, which are separately packaged in two distinct structures known as the pronuclei.
The genetic identities of the maternal and paternal pronuclei are unique to the egg and sperm from which they are derived. Nuclei containing the two sets
of DNA, which confer the unique identity of the embryo, are not normally formed until after the fertilised egg divides to form a two-cell embryo. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act defines both developmental stages as embryos.
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has informed me that the term “mitochondria replacement” has been used to describe PNT and maternal spindle transfer (MST) in its consultation “Medical Frontiers: debating mitochondria replacement”. The aim in using such terminology was to enable a lay audience to understand the essential purpose of these techniques.
Energy: Oil and Gas Prices
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the price of oil and gas in (1) 1980, (2) 1990, (3) 2000, and (4) 2010, compared with the official estimates made ten years earlier in each case.[HL3828]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change (Baroness Verma): The oil prices in 1980, 1990, 2000 and 2010 are set out in the table below:
| 1980 | 1990 | 2000 | 2010 | |
Note: Prices are in real terms (2010 prices) and for Brent crude.
DECC does not hold data on the price of gas in 1980 or 1990. The gas prices in 2000 and 2010 are set out in the table below:
| 2000 | 2010 | |
Note: Prices are in real terms (2010 prices) and refer to National Balancing Point (NBP) gas.
DECC does not hold estimates for the price of oil and gas made 10 years earlier in each case.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their forecast of the level of oil and gas prices in (1) 2020, (2) 2030, (3) 2040, and (4) 2050.[HL3829]
Baroness Verma: DECC does not create forecasts for future oil and gas prices. Forecasting fossil fuel prices far into the future is extremely challenging, as they depend on a large number of unknowns, such as future economic growth rates across the world, development of new technologies, global climate change policies, strategies of resource holders, and so on.
DECC has generated a set of projections for oil and gas prices to 2030, based on estimates of fundamentals and other available evidence, that represents a plausible range for future prices. For modelling purposes, fossil fuel price projections post-2030 are flat-lined.
DECC’s central scenario oil and gas price projections for 2020 and 2030 are set out in the following table:
| 2020 | 2030 | |
Note: these are in 2012 prices.
EU: Trade Agreements
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the current trade agreements between the European Union and non-European Union countries.[HL3835]
The Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills & Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint): At present, the European Union (EU) has bilateral and regional trade agreements with the following countries:
free trade agreements (FTA) with Chile, South Africa, Mexico, and South Korea;as part of the wider European Economic Area, FTAs with Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland; andnegotiations with Central America (El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras and Panama), Andean Nations (comprising Peru and Columbia), and Ukraine have been concluded, and will be ratified in due course.
Negotiations are ongoing with other countries or groups of countries, namely: Canada; India; Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela, Uruguay and Paraguay); Singapore; Malaysia; Vietnam; Moldova; Georgia; Armenia; and the Gulf Co-operation Council.
Furthermore, the Government are supportive of negotiations starting in 2013 with Japan, the USA, Morocco and Thailand.
In addition, as a member of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), a multilateral trading system for the 157 member countries, the EU is party to both the general agreement on tariffs and trade (GATTS) and general agreement on trade in services (GATS). The EU also has various other trade agreements with other countries or groups of countries: association agreements (AAs), economic partnership agreements (EPAs), stabilisation and association agreements (SAAs), partnership & co-operation agreements (PCAs) and memberships of the Customs Union.
Flooding: Insurance
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect to enter into a new agreement with the insurance industry to maintain universal flood cover; and what is the cost of Government commitments to be made under the agreement.[HL3691]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord De Mauley): The future of flood insurance is a priority for us. We remain committed to ongoing discussions with the Association of British Insurers on behalf of its members about what replaces the statement of principles agreement.
We need a lasting solution that ensures affordable insurance bills for those at flood risk but does not place unsustainable costs on wider policyholders and the taxpayer. No final decisions have been taken and we are therefore unable to provide a cost figure as requested.
Government Departments: Coalition Agreement
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress the Ministry of Defence has made since May 2010 in respect of commitments relevant to it in the coalition agreement.[HL3182]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Astor of Hever): The majority of the commitments contained within the defence section of the coalition agreement are reported within the structural reform plan section of the Ministry of Defence business plan. Copies of the business plan and progress reports up to and including May 2012 can be found on the MoD website at http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/CorporatePublications/BusinessPlans/ModBusinessPlans/BusinessPlan20112015.htm and from June 2012 onwards, on the Number 10 website at http://transparency.numberl0.gov.uk/.
Health: In-vitro Diagnostic Tests
Question
Asked by Baroness Masham of Ilton
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the contribution of the in vitro diagnostics industry to the economy.[HL3777]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Lord Marland): There are no official statistics on the in-vitro diagnostic industry’s contribution to the economy. The industry is too specific to feature in any of the standard industrial classifications or in more detailed trade classifications.
However, privately commissioned BIS research suggests that there are over 200 companies operating in the in-vitro diagnostic area, employing more than 6,000 people and generating turnover in excess of £1.1 billion.
Health: Mental Health
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Earl Howe on 21 November (Official Report, col. 1805), how much was spent on (1) therapies within the improving access to psychological therapies (IAPT) programme, and (2) non-IAPT psychological therapies, in the National Health Service in each year since 2008.[HL3658]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): The available information on expenditure on improving access to psychological therapies (IAPT) and non-IAPT psychological therapies services is provided in the following table.
| IAPT Psychological Therapies Services | Non-IAPT Psychological Therapies Services | |
Source: National Survey of Investment in Adult Mental Health Services Reports
Health: Patient Satisfaction
Question
Asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether general practitioner services will be subject to the friends and family test of patient satisfaction.[HL3747]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): National Health Service organisations should already be collecting and using feedback from patients, as set out in successive NHS Operating Frameworks. The Prime Minister announced in May 2012 that patients who had used acute in-patient and accident and emergency services would be asked the friends and family test (FFT) from April 2013. The Mandate to the NHS Commissioning Board specified inclusion of women who have used maternity services from October 2013, and as rapidly as possible thereafter for all those using NHS services.
The NHS Commissioning Board, which takes over responsibility for FFT from April 2013, will be best placed to learn from this initial implementation and then decide the pace and mechanism for wider rollout. In the interim, we would encourage services to put in place shadow FFT reporting.
The General Practitioner Patient Survey (GPPS), which is currently run twice a year, asks patients for feedback about their experiences. The results of the GPPS help patients exercise choice in deciding which practice to register with, including whether the practice’s existing patients would recommend it.
Local Authorities: Public Health
Question
Asked by Baroness Gould of Potternewton
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have plans to review the ring-fencing of public health budgets; and, if so, what are the criteria for the review and when its conclusions will be reported. [HL3827]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): The White Paper Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS, published in July 2010,
announced the transfer of public health responsibilities from primary care trusts to local authorities, to be funded by a ring-fenced public health budget. This remains the policy position.
Decisions on whether to maintain or remove the ring-fence on the public health allocation will be taken in due course.
Nobel Peace Prize
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Warsi on 13 November (WA 283), whether they have decided upon the arrangements for the representation of the United Kingdom at the presentation of the Nobel Peace Prize to the European Union on 10 December. [HL3615]
The Senior Minister of State, Department for Communities and Local Government & Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Warsi): The Deputy Prime Minister, my right honourable friend the Member for Sheffield Hallam (Mr Clegg), will represent the UK at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony.
Schools: Funding
Question
Asked by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether departmental budgets have been cut, and by how much, in order to fund the £1 billion additional costs of the expanded academies programme, as estimated by the National Audit Office in their report Managing the experience of the Academies Programme.[HL3687]
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Sassoon): No departmental budgets have been cut to fund the academies programme. As set out in the recent report by the National Audit Office, all the costs of the programme have been met from within the budget of the Department for Education.
Shipping: Frigates
Question
Asked by Lord Davies of Stamford
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Type 26 frigates they propose to build; of what type; and what will be their planned dates of (1) laying down, (2) launch, and (3) commissioning. [HL3805]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Astor of Hever): I refer the noble Lord to the answers given by my honourable friend the then Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology (Peter Luff) in the other place on 19 January 2012 (Official Report, col. 941W) and 24 May 2012 (Official Report, col. 833W).
The Type 26 GCS programme is currently in its assessment phase. As is the standard practice with equipment projects, the build programme will not be set until the main investment decision has been taken, expected around the middle of this decade.
Taxation
Question
Asked by Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the methods used by HM Revenue and Customs to ensure that foreign-owned multinational companies operating in the United Kingdom are not artificially reducing their profits by inflating royalty, licence fee and other payments to group companies overseas.[HL3605]
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Sassoon): HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) uses the transfer pricing legislation currently embodied at Part 4 of the Taxation (International and Other Provisions) Act 2010 to ensure that multinational enterprises, whether foreign or UK-owned, are not artificially reducing their UK profits by inflating payments made by UK group members to non-UK group members.
The legislation requires that transactions between members of a group, at least one of whom is subject to United Kingdom taxation, be priced as they would if the companies were independent. This is known as the arm’s-length principle.
The legislation is required to be interpreted in accordance with the internationally recognised authority on the arm’s-length standard found at Article 9 of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s “Model Tax Convention” and in its “Transfer Pricing” guidelines.
Operationally, HMRC has transfer pricing specialists engaged in the application of the transfer pricing legislation and has an internal governance system to ensure a consistency of approach.
Figures recently published by HMRC show that it collected an additional £4.5 billion of tax yield from enquiries undertaken into transfer pricing issues in the five years to 31 March 2012.
Taxation: Non-domiciled Taxpayers
Question
Asked by Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sassoon on 19 November (WA 328), when they expect the numbers of non-domiciled individuals paying the annual remittance basis charge, and the yield to the Exchequer, for the 2010–11 tax year to be available; on what dates the comparable figures for the 2008–09 and 2009–10 tax years became available in each case; and, if there is a longer delay in respect of 2010–11, what are the reasons for it.[HL3604]
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Sassoon): Information relating to non-domiciled individuals is not classified as a national statistic or produced within a set timetable. In previous years, the data set has, generally, been produced each autumn, approximately 18 to 20 months following the year-end reporting period. This allows for most late returns to be processed and included in the figures. The data for 2010-11 is currently being compiled and is expected to be available by early 2013.
Uganda
Question
Asked by Lord Lester of Herne Hill
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will ensure that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transsexual asylum seekers from Uganda are not returned to that country; and, if so, how.[HL3674]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Taylor of Holbeach): All asylum and human rights claims, including those brought on the grounds of sexuality or gender identity, are carefully considered on their merits in accordance with our obligations under the 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). No one who is found to be at risk in their country of origin will be returned. Claims from Ugandan nationals are also considered in line with the current policy advice in the latest Uganda Operational Guidance note, issued in November 2011 and published on the UK Border Agency website.
Universal Credit
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sassoon on 20 November (WA 367), what discussions they have had with the Confederation of British Industry, the Federation of Small Business and other employer organisations about the level of penalties that employers may face for failing to file details of employees' pay and tax with HM Revenue and Customs on the due date as required by universal credit.[HL3620]
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Sassoon): HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has consulted on Real Time Information (RTI) issues, including penalties, with a wide range of employer organisations including the Confederation of British Industry and the Federation of Small Business through stakeholder forums and other meetings.
HMRC also undertook a formal consultation on penalties for RTI. “Securing Compliance with Real Time information—Late Filing and Late Payment Penalties” was published on 14 June 2012 and ran for 12 weeks, closing on 6 September 2012. Forty-one responses were received from a range of employers and their representative bodies. A summary of responses will be published later in December 2012.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sassoon on 20 November (WA 367–8), whether the electronic channel by which HM Revenue and Customs will provide information to the Benefits Agency on universal credit is based on an existing information technology system, or whether it is a new one.[HL3621]
Lord Sassoon: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) will use the existing electronic channel, the Government secure intranet (GSI), to provide information to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), for the purposes of universal credit.
The Government secure intranet (GSI) is a UK government-wide area network. Its main purpose is to enable connected organisations to communicate electronically and securely.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many additional staff HM Revenue and Customs will require to process universal credit; and at what cost. [HL3622]
Lord Sassoon: The Department for Work and Pensions is introducing and processing universal credit. HM Revenue and Customs does not anticipate recruiting additional staff for this process.
Visas
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Taylor of Holbeach on 21 November (WA 402), what are the names of the two computer systems and the relevant fields that cannot be linked; and whether further fields could be added to either or both systems to record the names of student migrants, visa status, college of study and the issue of confirmation of acceptance for studies certificates.[HL3724]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Taylor of Holbeach): The computer systems involved are the Sponsor Management System (SMS) and either the Case Information Database for in-UK casework decisions; or Proviso and i-Decide for overseas decisions.
A sponsor uses the UK Border Agency’s Sponsor Management System (SMS) to assign confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) to a student. A student then uses the CAS to submit an application for leave to enter or leave to remain.
In the UK, the UK Border Agency uses the Case Information Database when considering student applications. Overseas, the UK Border Agency uses either Proviso or i-Decide when processing applications.
The above systems are not fully integrated and it is not possible to link the relevant fields at present. The UK Border Agency is introducing a new integrated
caseworking system, which will allow such interfaces—meaning that expensive changes to existing caseworking systems will not be cost-effective.
Water Supply: Utility Companies
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have investigated the capital structures of Thames Water, Yorkshire Water and Anglian Water; and, if so, whether the structures are suitable for utility companies.[HL3314]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord De Mauley): The capital structure that best allows water companies to finance their investment programmes is a commercial matter for their management to determine. The risks arising from these choices are for companies’ management and owners to undertake. The regulatory framework governing the water industry exists to ensure that
customers are not at risk. There is a special administration regime in the water industry that allows for the continuation of water and sewerage services in the event of failure by the water company.
Ofwat, the water industry regulator, applies a regulatory ring-fence to water companies to protect the interests of customers through licence conditions. This ring-fence includes provisions that prevent transfers of monies and other assets out of the company, a requirement that they maintain an investment grade credit rating. Where an investment grade rating is threatened, the provisions also include powers to take appropriate action such as cash lock-up provisions that restrict dividend payments.
The licences of more highly geared companies may be amended to ensure this ring-fence continues to be an effective safeguard. Ofwat imposes ring-fencing provisions in proportion to the level of risk. The provisions imposed on highly geared water and sewerage companies, including Thames, Yorkshire and Anglian, incorporate the full range of protections Ofwat seek. The higher gearing can also generate tax advantages but these benefits are passed on to customers in the form of reduced bills through the price review process.