The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2015-10-30.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much his Department allocated to pay staff of HM Revenue and Customs to deal with enquiries from hon. Members relating to constituents’ concerns about tax credits in (a) 2015-16 and (b) each of the three previous years.
Damian Hinds
I refer the member to the answer I provided on 30 October 2015 to question 13346:
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Seema Malhotra on 2015-10-30.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he plans to publish the interim recommendations of Sir Charles Bean’s review of the quality, delivery and governance of local statistics.
Harriett Baldwin
The independent review of UK economic statistics will publish interim recommendations for the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Minister for the Cabinet Office in autumn 2015. A final report will be published at Budget 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Seema Malhotra on 2015-10-30.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish an update on the delivery of the National Infrastructure Plan.
Greg Hands
The Government continues to track the status of nationally significant infrastructure projects and programmes in the National Infrastructure Pipeline, which underpins the National Infrastructure Plan. In July 2015, the Government published a refresh of the National Infrastructure Pipeline containing details on the status of UK infrastructure projects.
Over 2,650 projects were completed in the last Parliament and a number of priority projects have been completed since the last National Infrastructure Plan was published, including Manchester Victoria station and Nottingham Express Transit Phase 2.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Seema Malhotra on 2015-10-30.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he plans to publish his Department’s Business Tax Roadmap.
Mr David Gauke
The Government will publish a Business Tax Roadmap by April 2016, setting out plans for business taxes over the rest of the parliament. This will give businesses the certainty they need to plan long-term investment.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Seema Malhotra on 2015-10-30.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Government’s report, Fixing the Foundations: creating a more prosperous nation, Cm9098, published July 2015, what steps he has taken to increase the quantity and quality of apprenticeships in accordance with that report’s recommendations.
Greg Hands
Almost 2.4 million apprenticeship starts were delivered in the last Parliament and we will build on that success and deliver 3 million in this Parliament. We will introduce an apprenticeship levy to increase employer investment in apprenticeships. We are increasing the quality of apprenticeships through more rigorous assessment and grading at the end of the apprenticeship. The Enterprise Bill will protect the term ‘apprenticeship’ in law to prevent misuse. From next April, employers of apprentices under the age of 25 will no longer be required to pay National Insurance contributions for those employees.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2015-10-30.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what work his Department is undertaking to contribute to the development of the Government’s 25 year plan for nature.
Greg Hands
HM Treasury is working closely with Defra and other Government Departments on the development of the 25 Year Environment Plan. A cross-Government group, which includes Treasury officials, will ensure the Plan reflects the full breadth of relevant policy interests and levers that influence the environment.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2015-10-30.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to assess, mitigate and monitor macro-economic risks associated with trends in (a) environmental degradation, (b) resource scarcity, (c) climate change and (d) other aspects of the natural environment.
Greg Hands
HM Treasury regularly undertakes activities to monitor and assess key macroeconomic risks across all sectors of the economy, in line with current priorities.
The Treasury also feeds into the wider work on environmental risks that is undertaken across government: and in particular, through consideration of the analysis, advice and recommendations of the Natural Capital Committee which reports to the government, including HM Treasury, via the Economic Affairs Committee. The NCC’s work includes assessments of environmental trends and their impacts on the economy. The government’s response to the NCC’s third State of Natural Capital Report sets out how this work will be taken forward, including through the development of a 25 Year Environment Plan which will focus on those environmental assets that are most vulnerable to unsustainable use and where investment will deliver the greatest benefit.The Treasury is working closely with Defra to develop this plan.
Departments also work together on the UK contribution to the activities of the EU Raw Materials Initiative, which includes ongoing work that assesses and mitigates materials risks. Additionally, under the Climate Change Act 2008, the Government has a statutory role to produce, on a five-yearly cycle, an assessment of the risks and opportunities for the UK arising from climate change. Reporting under the Adaptation Reporting Power (as set out under the Climate Change Act), allows us to assess how key sectors are identifying risks from climate change and addressing them.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Phil Boswell on 2015-10-30.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent steps HM Revenue and Customs has taken to shorten waiting times for customers.
Mr David Gauke
In the summer, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) recruited 3,000 additional staff into customer facing teams. The recruitment process included bringing people in on contracts to work in the evenings and at weekends, thus building capacity to handle calls outside of normal working hours.
HMRC have also implemented their biggest ever training programme, ensuring that customer support teams can move across a wide range of work according to customer demand.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2015-10-30.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will (a) incorporate natural capital into the national infrastructure plan, (b) take steps to ensure that new man-made infrastructure projects do not deplete the UK’s natural capital asset base and (c) prioritise investment in natural capital.
Greg Hands
The government recognises the value of natural capital to the country’s long-term economic growth. We do not currently agree that an investment programme for natural capital should explicitly feature in the National Infrastructure Plan. We do, however, strive for all publically funded infrastructure investments to make a positive contribution to protecting and enhancing our natural environment. For example, the Roads Investment Strategy has ring-fenced £225 million in an Environment Fund and £75 million in an Air Quality Fund to ensure more is done to limit the impact of the Strategic Roads Network on the environment.
As specific decisions on spending allocations in this Parliament will be set out following the Spending Review later this month, I cannot yet comment on future investment in natural capital. However, the government takes natural capital very seriously. We have set long term-goals to stop the decades of decline in wildlife and habitats, and have already seen some improvements. Since 2010 we have helped to create over 150,000 acres of field margins, wetlands and woodlands, and woodland cover is at its highest level in 700 years.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-10-30.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, in what circumstances major Government programmes are subjected to Project Assessment Reviews instead of Gateway Reviews; and if he will make a statement.
Matthew Hancock
The Major Project Portfolio for each Department is agreed by the Department, the Major Projects Authority and the relevant HM Treasury spending team. Each programme on the portfolio is subject to an agreed schedule of approvals and assurance, which will normally include Gateway Reviews. There is no provision for formal exemption.
A Project Assessment Review is conducted either instead of or in addition to Gateway Reviews, and allows for specific terms of reference to be tailored to meet the assurance needs of the particular Government Major Project.