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  • Steve Baker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Steve Baker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Baker on 2014-04-10.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of sustained low interest rates on incentives to save; and if he will make a statement.

    Danny Alexander

    Low interest rates have benefited everyone, including through reducing mortgage rates, but the Government recognises that this has made it harder for people’s savings to grow and to secure an adequate income for retirement. The Government believes it is right, therefore, to support hard working people that have taken the long term decisions to save and plan for their future.

    The Budget package announced last month aims to help all savers at all stages of life. It reduces tax for the lowest income savers; reforms the ISA regime to give all savers greater flexibility as to where and how they save their money; and creates new products to help retired savers see a better return.

  • Tim Loughton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Tim Loughton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2014-04-10.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what fiscal steps he is taking to help pensioners on low incomes.

    Mr David Gauke

    Supporting pensioners is a key priority for this Government. Due to the triple lock, the full basic State Pension has increased this month to £113.10 a week – a cash rise of £2.95. This is around £8.50 a week higher than it would have been if it had been uprated only in line with average weekly earnings growth since the start of this Parliament.

    We have also passed through the cash rise, due to the triple lock, to the minimum guarantee in Pension Credit. This ensures that the poorest pensioners also benefit.

    This Government also continues to protect universal pensioner benefits, such as Winter Fuel Payments, free eye tests and prescriptions.

  • Caroline Dinenage – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Caroline Dinenage – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Dinenage on 2014-04-10.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he plans to take to ensure that a higher proportion of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds participate in the National Citizen Service.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    Social mix is at the core of National Citizen Service. We take great care to ensure that all young people, regardless of background, are able to take part in the programme – and we know this is working.

  • Michael Fabricant – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Michael Fabricant – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Fabricant on 2014-04-10.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what progress he has made on developing the role of the Crown Commercial Service; what savings to the public purse he expects to accrue from commercial reform of government procurement; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    The Crown Commercial Service is now a fully operational legal entity providing expert commercial services to the public sector.

    It is at the heart of the Government’s Commercial Reform Programme and will continue to drive further savings for the taxpayer and improve the quality of commercial and procurement activity across government.

  • Neil Carmichael – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Neil Carmichael – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Carmichael on 2014-04-10.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to promote digital government.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    Online services tend to be faster, cheaper and more convenient, so we want all major Government transactions to be digital by default.

    This is not just about the opportunity to save the taxpayer over £ 1 billion by the end of this parliament, it is about transforming the experience that citizens have of dealing with Government.

  • Ian Mearns – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Ian Mearns – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Mearns on 2014-04-10.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to maintain the level of youth services provision.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    We are supporting the voluntary sector in offering new learning opportunities for young people through programmes like NCS.

    In addition, we will be offering practical support to local authorities who want to deliver high quality youth services in an innovative way – for example by access to our £10m support programme for Mutuals.

  • Lord West of Spithead – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord West of Spithead – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2014-04-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many incursions into Gibraltarian waters by Spanish government-owned vessels occurred in (1) 2012, (2), 2013, and (3) January and February 2014.

    Lord Wallace of Saltaire

    The number of unlawful incursions into British Gibraltar Territorial Waters by Spanish state vessels totalled:

    229 in 2012
    496 in 2013
    75 in January and February 2014

  • Lord West of Spithead – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord West of Spithead – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2014-04-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Astor of Hever on 26 March (WA 116), whether Capita has delivered departmental savings and asset realisations.

    Lord Astor of Hever

    Wherever possible, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) will look to maximise competition as a way of driving best value for money. The MOD has awarded Capita 43 contracts since 1 April 2009. They may have specific deliverables relating to savings, but these will be dependant on the requirement and will differ in each individual agreement.

  • Lord West of Spithead – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord West of Spithead – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2014-04-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Astor of Hever on 25 March (WA 105–6), how many non-operational airfields the Royal Air Force owns in (1) England, (2) Scotland, (3) Wales, and (4) Northern Ireland.

    Lord Astor of Hever

    This information will take some time to collate. I will write to the Noble Lord as soon as it is available.

  • Lord Watson of Invergowrie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Watson of Invergowrie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Watson of Invergowrie on 2014-04-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many children they estimate will be affected by the provisions contained in Clause 18 of the Immigration Bill.

    Lord Taylor of Holbeach

    Clause 18 (which is now Clause 19) of the Immigration Bill will be relevant to all immigration and deportation decisions engaging the right to respect for private and family life under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, including where a child is the applicant or is a family member of the applicant or of the person facing deportation. Careful regard has been had to the best interests of children in the UK in framing the Clause, in line with the children’s duty under section 55 of the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009, but we have made no broader assessment of the number of children who will be affected.