The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-10-17.
To ask the Attorney General, how many complaints to the Crown Prosecution Service were upheld at formal Stage 1 in each of the last three years.
Robert Buckland
The following table shows the number of complaints upheld at Stage 1 in the past three years:
|
Year |
Stage 1 Complaints -Upheld |
|
2013/14 |
150 |
|
2014/15 |
206 |
|
2015/16 |
206 |
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mary Creagh on 2016-10-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, when the Government plans to publish its report outlining the international and domestic approach to implementation of the UN Sustainable Goals.
Rory Stewart
The drafting of the Government’s report outlining the UK’s approach to implementing the Global Goals for Sustainable Development is a cross-government effort. The report will be published in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2016-10-17.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many single parent households there are in the UK.
Chris Skidmore
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Joan Ryan on 2016-10-17.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 15 September 2016 to Question 46636, on Concentrix, if he will provide that same information for (a) Enfield North constituency and (b) Enfield.
Jane Ellison
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not hold data on the number of tax credit cases awaiting consideration by Concentrix broken down specifically by constituency areas. HMRC is currently focused on resolving the outstanding cases but will be preparing analysis, which will be made available in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grant Shapps on 2016-10-17.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he plans to take to ensure that Britain’s financial services sector will stay competitive after the UK has left the EU.
Simon Kirby
As the Chancellor has set out, it is important Britain maintains its status as a great place for financial services and that is why the government stands ready to help the sector maximise the opportunities that leaving the EU presents. Britain has natural strengths, such as a central time zone and English language, alongside a globally respected regulatory system, world-class legal and professional services and a highly skilled financial services workforce, that will ensure it remains competitive after the UK has left the EU.
In addition, the government is committed to investing in home-grown talent, and will continue to welcome the best and brightest around the world to further contribute to the UK’s competitive position. Britain is already a world-leader in the global markets of the future including green and sustainable finance, FinTech, and renminbi and rupee products.
The government is maintaining an open dialogue with the financial services industry, including through the Financial Services Trade and Investment Board, as it prepares to withdraw from the EU.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-10-17.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will extend the matching requirement for the Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme.
Jane Ellison
The Small Charitable Donations and Childcare Payments Bill relaxes the eligibility criteria for the Gift Aid Small Donation Scheme. These changes will ensure that the Scheme operates effectively and flexibly for a greater number of charities and a greater number of donations.
The Government has no plans to extend the Gift Aid matching requirement.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-10-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to mitigate the effect of planned increases to the national minimum wage on the ability of childcare providers to recruit staff.
Caroline Dinenage
We are investing £1 billion more per year in the early years to fund our commitments on the entitlements. This includes £300 million per year from 2017-18 for a significant increase to the rate paid for the two, three and four year old entitlements.
To inform the size of the funding rates increase, the government conducted a six-month long review of the cost of providing childcare and published its findings in November 2015. It looked at both the current costs of provision and the implications of future cost pressures facing the sector, including the introduction of the National Living Wage.
We have committed to developing a workforce strategy to help employers attract, retain and develop staff to deliver high quality provision.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Hanson on 2016-10-17.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people who had completed their VAT return through the Government Gateway by the deadline date received an incorrect late-filing penalty of £100 in each financial year since 2010-11.
Jane Ellison
VAT does not have a £100 penalty for late filing of returns. Nevertheless, the number of surcharges reviewed, varied and cancelled are published in the ‘Tax Assurance Commissioner’s Annual Report’, which can be found on gov.uk at; https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/how-we-resolve-tax-disputes.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2016-10-17.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will meet the hon. Member for Copeland to discuss the effect of the exit payment cap on nuclear workers in Copeland constituency.
Mr David Gauke
The government announced in May 2015 that it intends to take forward its manifesto commitment to end six-figure exit payments for public sector workers. The Enterprise Act, which contains provisions for the £95,000 public sector exit payment cap, received Royal Assent on 4 May 2016.
Public sector exit payments cost around £2 billion a year and it is important that they are fair, proportionate and provide value for money to the taxpayer that funds them. The proposed cap, amounting to 3.5 times the average public sector salary, will still offer a significant level of compensation and support to an employee, and will apply to only a small percentage of public sector exits. The exit payment cap will apply to organisations classified as within the public sector by the Office for National Statistics, with a small number of exceptions.
I am aware that the hon. Member for Copeland is discussing the effect of the cap on nuclear workers in his constituency with my noble friend the Minister of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). That is the appropriate route for these discussions as BEIS is the department responsible for the nuclear industry.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-10-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what representations he has received on allowing local authorities to balance their budgets over a period longer than 12 months since 1 October 2015; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Marcus Jones
Government receives representations on a range of local government finance issues. The annual balanced budget requirement is a key element of the local authority financial control framework. It means that the council is content that underlying income will cover ongoing costs and future commitments in a sustainable and manageable way.
In addition to preparing annual balanced budgets local authorities should prepare multi-year Medium Term Financial Plans. In order to support effective multi-year financial planning the then Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government published an historic four year local government finance settlement on 8 February 2016. Councils across England applied for the four year offer on the 14 October and the government will respond as soon as practicable.