The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graeme Morrice on 2014-04-25.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has any plans to end the employee trade union membership dues check-off system.
Mr Francis Maude
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Leicester South on 2 April 2014 (Official Report) Column Ref: 721W.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graeme Morrice on 2014-04-25.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many contracts the Government holds with (a) Johnson & Johnson, (b) Ethicon and (c) BARD; and what the value was of contracts with each such company.
Mr Francis Maude
Since January 2011, as part of the Government’s transparency programme, details of contracts above the value of £10,000 are published on Contracts Finder at:
https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2014-04-25.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what background checks are regularly made on appointees to quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations.
Mr Francis Maude
As was the case under the previous administration, The Government expects all holders of public office to work to the highest personal and professional standards. As set out in the Code of Conduct for Board Members of Public Bodies, public appointees are expected to uphold the standards of conduct set out in the Committee on Standards in Public Life’s Seven Principles of Public Life.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2014-04-25.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the Government’s target is for the proportion of (a) women, (b) people from black and minority ethnic communities and (c) disabled people in senior management posts in central government departments.
Mr Francis Maude
Appointments and promotion in the Civil Service should be made on merit through fair and open competition. To ensure our civil service delivers the best for Britain we must draw on the widest possible pool of talent. We want to ensure that the best people – irrespective of who they are – rise to the top of the Civil Service but are concerned that for too long the very top ranks do not reflect those further down. We have commissioned independent research to look at the blockages women face making it to the very top and will use this to drive a new strategy for managing talent.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graeme Morrice on 2014-04-25.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has any plans to end the employee trade union membership dues check-off system.
Andrea Leadsom
In HM Treasury these arrangements are kept under review.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2014-04-25.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much HM Treasury received in VAT charged on ebooks in (a) 2012-13 and (b) 2013-14.
Mr David Gauke
No reliable estimate has been possible for the value of VAT levied on the sale of e-books purchased in 2012‑13 and 2013-14.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Halfon on 2014-04-25.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will estimate the potential cost to the public purse of raising the income tax personal allowance for 2015-16 from £10,500 to £12,300 with the same maximum cash benefit going to basic and higher rate taxpayers but no benefit going to additional rate taxpayers.
Mr David Gauke
Raising the income tax personal allowance to £12,300 in 2015-16 is estimated to cost in the region of £9.5 billion.
A reduction to the basic rate limit has been assumed so that the higher rate threshold is unchanged. As a result of this, basic rate and most higher rate taxpayers would benefit equally from the personal allowance increase.
This estimate is based on the 2011-12 Survey of Personal Incomes, projected to 2015-16 using economic assumptions consistent with the Office for Budget Responsibility’s March 2014 economic and fiscal outlook.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ivan Lewis on 2014-04-25.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he last discussed the possible devolution of corporation tax with the Northern Ireland Executive.
Mr David Gauke
The Government and Northern Ireland Executive have taken forward a constructive and positive programme of work examining the potential for devolving corporation tax powers to the Northern Ireland Assembly.
As agreed in “Building a prosperous and united community” the Government is taking forward further work on corporation tax devolution and will make a final decision on the devolution of these powers no later than the Autumn Statement 2014.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Halfon on 2014-04-25.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had on combining national insurance and income tax.
Mr David Gauke
As set out at Autumn Statement 2012, the Government will wait for further progress on planned operational changes to the tax system before formally consulting on the operational integration of income tax and NICs.
Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery.
Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at:
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/minister_hospitality.htm
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Halfon on 2014-04-25.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will estimate the potential cost to the public purse of raising the national insurance personal allowance for 2015-16 to (a) £10,000 and (b) £12,300.
Mr David Gauke
Raising the National Insurance Contributions thresholds for individual earners (The Primary Threshold and Lower Profits Limit) in 2015-16 to £10,000 is estimated to cost in the region of £5 billion. Raising them to £12,300 is estimated to cost around £10.5 billion.
These estimates are based on the 2011-12 Survey of Personal Incomes, projected to 2015-16 using economic assumptions consistent with the Office for Budget Responsibility’s March 2014 economic and fiscal outlook.