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  • Andrew Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Andrew Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2015-11-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of the inclusion of renewable energy in the Climate Change Levy on incentives for businesses to operate in a more environmentally friendly way.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Climate Change Levy (CCL) renewables exemption offered poor value for money, as it provided indirect support to renewable generators, and a third of its value went to supporting overseas renewable generation projects, which did not contribute to the UK’s climate change or renewables targets and often received subsidies from home Governments. The rise in UK renewable electricity generation and imports led to a decline in CCL revenue. The independent Office for Budget Responsibility published forecasts showing that this decline would have continued to 2020 if the exemption remained in place and that virtually no CCL tax would have been paid on electricity by 2020, which would have undermined the energy efficiency objectives of the CCL.

  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps she is taking to ensure companies that install solar panels on homes are insured for that installation.

    Andrea Leadsom

    Under the Feed-in Tariff (FITs) and Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) schemes installers are required to be certified under the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS), whose requirements include companies carrying the appropriate insurance and product warranties.

  • Angus Brendan MacNeil – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Angus Brendan MacNeil – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Brendan MacNeil on 2015-11-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate she has made of the value of compensation given for delayed switches in the energy market in the last 12 months for which records are available.

    Andrea Leadsom

    Each supplier is responsible for managing complaints about delayed switches. Suppliers must have in place a process for handling complaints, including those concerning delayed switches. This process includes a requirement to explain to the customer the remedies available, including compensation and remedial action.

    Ofgem will take enforcement action against suppliers who unjustifiably block customers switching to a new supplier and can instruct suppliers to pay compensation to customers who lose out financially.

  • Nigel Dodds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Nigel Dodds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2015-11-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Warm Home Discount Scheme; and what plans she has to extend that scheme to Belfast.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Warm Home Discount Scheme helps over 2 million low income and vulnerable households each year and has provided a total of £1.1 billion of direct assistance since the scheme began. The Government announced in the Spending Review on 25 November 2015 that the Warm Home Discount scheme would be extended to 2020/21 at current levels of £320m per year, rising with inflation, to help households who are at risk of fuel poverty with their energy bills.

    The issue of fuel poverty is devolved to the Northern Ireland Executive, which decides its own fuel poverty objectives and policies.

  • Nicholas Soames – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Nicholas Soames – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2015-11-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the cost of backlog maintenance in the school estate in West Sussex; and if she will make a statement

    Edward Timpson

    The department has collected information on the condition of the school estate through the Property Data Survey (PDS). It provides a relative view of the issues in addressing different types of condition need.

    A PDS Programme summary report was produced in January 2015 and is available to view on GOV.UK. The report summarises the condition need for the school estate regionally, by phase and building type.

  • Nicholas Soames – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Nicholas Soames – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2015-11-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will place in the Library a map showing the area covered by her Department’s definition of the (a) West Sussex Fringe and (b) West Sussex Non-Fringe.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    The area cost adjustment for the schools block of the dedicated schools grant for 2015-16 is based on a combination of a teacher cost adjustment and a general labour market specific cost adjustment for non-teaching staff pay.

    Teacher cost adjustments for the four regional pay bands (and the area cost adjustment itself) was published in the technical note to “Fairer schools funding: arrangements for 2015 to 2016”: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fairer-schools-funding-arrangements-for-2015-to-2016

    The general labour market specific cost adjustment was calculated and published by the Department for Communities and Local Government in “Methodology Guide for the Area Cost Adjustment 2013/14”: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20140505104649/http://www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/1314/methacas.pdf

    The methodology for combining the teacher and general labour market elements into the area cost adjustment is described in Annex C of “Fairer schools funding 2015 to 2016”: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/fairer-schools-funding-2015-to-2016

    A map showing the area covered by the Department’s definition of a) the West Sussex Fringe and b) the West Sussex Non-Fringe is attached.


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  • Gregory Campbell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Gregory Campbell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2015-11-18.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take steps to ensure that section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 is taken into account in decisions about the future of HM Revenue and Customs offices in Northern Ireland.

    Mr David Gauke

    HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) fully recognises its legislative commitments to Northern Ireland. As part of the planning to move to regional centres, it will comply with Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998.

  • Madeleine Moon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Madeleine Moon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Madeleine Moon on 2015-11-18.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what training is provided to HM Revenue and Customs staff to prepare them for handling applications for allowable expenses for ministers of religion; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr David Gauke

    HM Revenue and Customs staff receive training on handling expenses claims from a range of customers. This includes training and guidance on how to handle claims from specific customer groups and professions, including ministers of religion.

  • Christopher Chope – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Christopher Chope – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2015-11-18.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 16 November 2015 to Question 15239, how much of the £3.6 billion of tax credits overpayments his Department has recovered in 2015 to date.

    Damian Hinds

    The most up to date information requested is available from the HM Revenue and Customs Annual Report and Accounts 2014-15. Available on page 28 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hmrc-annual-report-and-accounts-2014-to-2015

  • Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-11-18.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much funding has been provided to HM Revenue and Customs to enforce compliance with minimum wage legislation in each of the last 10 years.

    Mr David Gauke

    The Government is committed to increasing compliance with minimum wage legislation and effective enforcement of it. Everyone who is entitled to the minimum wage should receive it. Employers who pay workers less than the minimum wage not only have to pay back arrears of wages at current minimum wage rates but also face financial penalties of up to £20,000 per underpaid worker.

    The Government has increased annual funding of National Minimum Wage enforcement by over 60% since 2010, meaning a £13.2m budget in 2015/16.

    This has enabled a significant expansion of resources dedicated to enforcing the minimum wage; there are currently 237 staff (224.05 full-time equivalent) in HM Revenue and Customs’ National Minimum Wage teams, up from 171 at the start of 2014/15.

    Previous years’ detail is provided in the table below:

    Year

    Funding allocated by BIS (or predecessor departments) (£m)

    Full-time equivalent staff

    2006/07

    5.8

    Not available

    2007/08

    6.8

    Not available

    2008/09

    7.6

    139.16

    2009/10

    8.3

    140.18

    2010/11

    8.1

    142.18

    2011/12

    8.3

    138.88

    2012/13

    8.3

    142.37

    2013/14

    8.3

    157.85

    2014/15

    9.2*

    183.47

    *Increased in-year