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  • Hilary Benn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Hilary Benn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2014-04-30.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 29 April 2014, Official Report, column 677W, on VAT, how many VAT431C claims have been submitted in each of the (a) last eight years and (b) smallest time periods by which data is kept over the last eight years.

    Mr David Gauke

    VAT 431NB New House Build Claims and VAT431C Conversion claims forms have only been in use in their current form since September 2009.

    Data on these forms is kept on an annual calendar year basis.

    Type of claim

    2010

    2011

    2012

    2013

    New Build/from 2009 VAT431NB

    6818

    6441

    6183

    5303

    Conversion/from 2009 VAT431C

    1155

    1107

    1251

    999
  • Hilary Benn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Hilary Benn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he plans to answer Question 194894, tabled for answer on 8 April 2014.

    Stephen Williams

    I refer the rt. hon. Member to my answer of 1 May, Official Report, Column 803W.

  • Hilary Benn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Hilary Benn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the reasons are for the time taken to answer question 191956 tabled for answer on 8 April 2014.

    Stephen Williams

    I refer the rt. hon. Member to my answer of 1 May, Official Report, Column 803W.

  • Jonathan Reynolds – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Jonathan Reynolds – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Reynolds on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many turbines of capacity of sub-15KW were installed in (a) 2012 and (b) 2013.

    Michael Fallon

    The number of sub-15kW wind turbines accredited under the Feed-in Tariff scheme during 2012 and 2013, were 1,747 and 327 respectively.

    Installations are grouped into years based on their ‘commissioning date’ i.e. the date the technology was physically installed and deemed to be up and running.

  • Jonathan Reynolds – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Jonathan Reynolds – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Reynolds on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment he has made of the effect of changes to tariff levels and degression thresholds outlined in Phase 2B of the feed-in-tariff on manufacturing and employment in the sub-15KW wind sector.

    Gregory Barker

    As the first degression for wind tariff bands was only introduced on 1 April 2014, it is too early to say what impact it has had on manufacturing and employment in the sub-15kW wind sector. Up to the end of 2013, over 5,150 wind installations had been accredited for FITs, and this pace of deployment has shown no signs of slowing since April 2013. The degression mechanism is very important for the cost control of the FITs scheme and for keeping the cost to the electricity consumer as low as possible.

  • Jonathan Reynolds – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Jonathan Reynolds – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Reynolds on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many manufacturers of sub-15KW wind turbines are based in the UK; and what the value of exports from this sector was in 2013.

    Michael Fallon

    The Department does not hold this information.

    The renewables industry, including the small and medium wind manufacturers, is an important source of jobs and investment in the UK. In 2013, Renewable UK, the trade association for the onshore wind sector, reported that the UK is home to over ten small and medium wind manufacturers and that nearly 3800 sub-15kw turbines were exported [1].

    [1] R-UK Small and Medium Wind Market Report 2013 http://www.renewableuk.com/en/publications/index.cfm/Small-and-Medium-Wind-UK-Market-Report-2013

    “

  • Fiona O’Donnell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Fiona O’Donnell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona O’Donnell on 2014-04-30.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he will next meet representatives of energy-intensive industries to discuss the EU Commission’s draft Environmental and Energy State Aid Guidelines.

    Nicky Morgan

    Treasury ministers meet with a range of stakeholders on an ongoing basis, including energy intensive industries. For instance the Chancellor recently visited Tata Steel’s Port Talbot plant. The Chancellor has written to representatives of energy-intensive industries about the Environmental and Energy State Aid Guidelines and instructed officials to meet with them to discuss this issue.

  • Stephen Doughty – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Doughty – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the letter dated 5 March 2014 from the Minister of State for Pensions to the hon. Member for Cardiff South and Penarth, what estimate he has made of the number of service spouses who will be affected by his plans to bring forward legislative proposals to make national insurance credits available for past periods for service spouses.

    Steve Webb

    Subject to Royal Assent of the Pensions Bill a duty will be placed on the Secretary of State to make regulations to allow service spouses and civil partners, due to reach State Pension age from 6 April 2016, to apply for National Insurance credits for periods during which they accompanied their husband, wife or civil partner on a posting outside the UK. The regulations will make provision to allow credits for periods between 1975/76 and 2010.

    We are working with the Ministry of Defence on the finer details of the scheme including the manner in which applications will need to be made and the precise date when the administrative arrangements will be in place.

    We estimate that up to 20,000 individuals could have a higher single-tier pension from these credits as some individuals may, at state pension age, already have sufficient qualifying years to gain a full single-tier pension.

  • Stephen Doughty – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Doughty – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the letter dated 5 March 2014 from the Minister of State for Pensions to the hon. Member for Cardiff South and Penarth, when he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to make national insurance credits available for past periods for service spouses; and if he will make a statement.

    Steve Webb

    Subject to Royal Assent of the Pensions Bill a duty will be placed on the Secretary of State to make regulations to allow service spouses and civil partners, due to reach State Pension age from 6 April 2016, to apply for National Insurance credits for periods during which they accompanied their husband, wife or civil partner on a posting outside the UK. The regulations will make provision to allow credits for periods between 1975/76 and 2010.

    We are working with the Ministry of Defence on the finer details of the scheme including the manner in which applications will need to be made and the precise date when the administrative arrangements will be in place.

    We estimate that up to 20,000 individuals could have a higher single-tier pension from these credits as some individuals may, at state pension age, already have sufficient qualifying years to gain a full single-tier pension.

  • Dr Matthew Offord – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    Dr Matthew Offord – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dr Matthew Offord on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of whether to become a signatory to the UNESCO Convention on Underwater Cultural Heritage and the International Law of the Sea.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 31 March 2014, Official Report, column 463W, to the Hon. Member for Bristol East (Kerry McCarthy) regarding the UNESCO Convention on Underwater Cultural Heritage. The UK is already a State Party to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.