The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2016-03-07.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the potential savings for Government departments due to the falling price of oil over the course of this Parliament.
Damian Hinds
No such estimate has been made.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mrs Anne Main on 2016-03-07.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish contingency plans that have been made by his Department in the event of a UK exit from the EU.
Mr David Gauke
As the Prime Minister and the Chancellor have said, the civil service is working to support the Government’s position that Britain is stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU
As required by the EU Referendum Act 2015, the Government is producing clear information, ahead of the referendum, on the outcome of renegotiation, the rights and obligations in EU law, an assessment of alternatives to membership and publishing the process for leaving.
The Treasury will publish a comprehensive analysis of our membership of a reformed EU and the alternatives, including the long-term economic costs and benefits of EU membership and the risks associated with an exit before 23 June.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Cooper on 2016-03-07.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of raising the state pension age on levels of tax avoidance.
Mr David Gauke
Information on the impacts of State Pension age rises can be found in Annex A of the Pensions Act 2011 Impact Assessment, and in Annex B of the Pensions Act 2014 at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pensions-act-2011-impact-assessment
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pensions-act-2014-impact-assessments-may-2014
The department has not made an assessment of the impact of raising the State Pension age on tax avoidance.
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim McMahon on 2016-03-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the public purse of small business rate relief in each of the last three years.
Mr Marcus Jones
The net cost to the public purse of Small Business Rate Relief is given in the table below. It is the total relief provided, less the yield from the large business supplement.
|
£ million |
2014-15 |
2015-16 |
2016-17 |
|
Relief Provided |
1,060 |
1,070 |
1,130 |
|
Yield from Supplement |
540 |
630 |
650 |
|
Net Cost |
520 |
440 |
480 |
Source: National Non-Domestic Rates. 2015-16 and 2016-17 are forecasts.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Jenrick on 2016-03-07.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the value is of sanctioned Iranian assets which have been released by the Government or any other entity within the UK since the conclusion of the Iranian agreement in May 2015.
Harriett Baldwin
Financial sanctions are implemented in the United Kingdom by HM Treasury. When assets are frozen they remain where they are held and are not seized or confiscated by the government or the Treasury. As such, the government does not hold frozen assets belonging to designated Iranian or other persons subject financial sanctions.
Every year the Treasury requests information from businesses on funds they hold that are frozen under financial sanctions legislation. The most recent data from September 2015 showed that there was approximately £728,450,000 of funds frozen under the Iran (non-proliferation) sanctions regime.
In July 2015 the EU/E3+3 and the Islamic Republic of Iran reached a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA). On 16 January 2016 the initial sanctions relief provided for under the JCPoA came into effect. Part of this relief included the lifting of the asset freeze against certain individuals and entities with frozen balances of approximately £657,830,000. Therefore approximately £70,620,000 remains frozen.
The next phase of sanctions relief under the JCPoA is due on Transition Day in eight years’ time, or when the International Atomic Energy Agency has concluded that all nuclear material in Iran remains in peaceful activities, whichever is earlier.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Jenrick on 2016-03-07.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the value of sanctioned Iranian assets currently held by (a) the Government and (b) any other entity within the UK.
Harriett Baldwin
Financial sanctions are implemented in the United Kingdom by HM Treasury. When assets are frozen they remain where they are held and are not seized or confiscated by the government or the Treasury. As such, the government does not hold frozen assets belonging to designated Iranian or other persons subject financial sanctions.
Every year the Treasury requests information from businesses on funds they hold that are frozen under financial sanctions legislation. The most recent data from September 2015 showed that there was approximately £728,450,000 of funds frozen under the Iran (non-proliferation) sanctions regime.
In July 2015 the EU/E3+3 and the Islamic Republic of Iran reached a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA). On 16 January 2016 the initial sanctions relief provided for under the JCPoA came into effect. Part of this relief included the lifting of the asset freeze against certain individuals and entities with frozen balances of approximately £657,830,000. Therefore approximately £70,620,000 remains frozen.
The next phase of sanctions relief under the JCPoA is due on Transition Day in eight years’ time, or when the International Atomic Energy Agency has concluded that all nuclear material in Iran remains in peaceful activities, whichever is earlier.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Jenrick on 2016-03-07.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the Government’s timetable is for the release of sanctioned Iranian assets; and what value of those assets the Government expects to release in 2016 and 2017.
Harriett Baldwin
Financial sanctions are implemented in the United Kingdom by HM Treasury. When assets are frozen they remain where they are held and are not seized or confiscated by the government or the Treasury. As such, the government does not hold frozen assets belonging to designated Iranian or other persons subject financial sanctions.
Every year the Treasury requests information from businesses on funds they hold that are frozen under financial sanctions legislation. The most recent data from September 2015 showed that there was approximately £728,450,000 of funds frozen under the Iran (non-proliferation) sanctions regime.
In July 2015 the EU/E3+3 and the Islamic Republic of Iran reached a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA). On 16 January 2016 the initial sanctions relief provided for under the JCPoA came into effect. Part of this relief included the lifting of the asset freeze against certain individuals and entities with frozen balances of approximately £657,830,000. Therefore approximately £70,620,000 remains frozen.
The next phase of sanctions relief under the JCPoA is due on Transition Day in eight years’ time, or when the International Atomic Energy Agency has concluded that all nuclear material in Iran remains in peaceful activities, whichever is earlier.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-03-07.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate his Department has made of the cost of internet service provision across all Government departments in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.
Matthew Hancock
The information requested is not held centrally, departments have responsibility for their own Internet service provision.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-03-07.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the number of Senior Civil Servants in each department in each year since 2010.
Matthew Hancock
The number of Senior Civil Servants serving in each department in each year from 2010 to date, is set out in the table below:
Centrally Managed SCS by Main Department (2010-2015)
|
Department |
Q1 2010 |
Q1 2011 |
Q1 2012 |
Q1 2013 |
Q1 2014 |
Q1 2015 |
Q3 2015 |
|
BIS |
217 |
267 |
254 |
263 |
273 |
265 |
255 |
|
CO |
213 |
233 |
208 |
214 |
238 |
281 |
284 |
|
DCLG |
122 |
120 |
99 |
84 |
84 |
90 |
88 |
|
DCMS |
41 |
36 |
35 |
24 |
34 |
44 |
46 |
|
DECC |
66 |
86 |
100 |
105 |
121 |
109 |
111 |
|
DEFRA |
174 |
161 |
145 |
143 |
143 |
133 |
127 |
|
DfE |
120 |
121 |
168 |
155 |
139 |
139 |
147 |
|
DfID |
95 |
79 |
79 |
83 |
80 |
81 |
80 |
|
DfT |
227 |
185 |
173 |
174 |
198 |
174 |
174 |
|
DH |
392 |
370 |
312 |
383 |
393 |
406 |
396 |
|
DWP |
381 |
325 |
275 |
296 |
258 |
259 |
266 |
|
FCO |
59 |
54 |
56 |
58 |
67 |
78 |
77 |
|
HMRC |
391 |
362 |
360 |
319 |
313 |
325 |
342 |
|
HMT |
159 |
106 |
105 |
97 |
94 |
94 |
106 |
|
Home Office |
237 |
208 |
198 |
199 |
196 |
224 |
220 |
|
MoD |
275 |
266 |
227 |
227 |
219 |
236 |
248 |
|
MoJ |
290 |
241 |
200 |
200 |
199 |
198 |
213 |
|
SG |
270 |
238 |
215 |
225 |
227 |
230 |
222 |
|
WG |
147 |
125 |
118 |
137 |
155 |
155 |
152 |
|
Other |
477 |
329 |
289 |
309 |
370 |
456 |
463 |
|
Total |
4353 |
3912 |
3616 |
3695 |
3801 |
3977 |
4017 |
Source: SCS Database
Notes: FCO does not include the Diplomatic Service as they are not part of the Centrally Managed Senior Civil Service
Figures also do not include a number of health professionals and military personnel that work at a senior level that are not part of the Centrally Managed Senior Civil Service
Caution is advised when interpreting changes at a departmental level due to the following Machinery of Government changes over the period that have moved into and out of departments:
Office of Government Commerce moved from HMT to Cabinet Office in June 2010
Government Equalities Office moved into Home Office in April 2011 and to DCMS in Q1 2013
Directgov transferred from DWP to Cabinet Office in June 2010
Buying Solutions moved from HMT to Cabinet Office in June 2010
Postcomm (BIS) were abolished in October 2011
The Better Regulation Delivery Office moved from the wider public sector into BIS in Q2 2012
Ordnance Survey moved from DCLG to BIS in July 2011 and left the Civil Service in April 2015
Land Registry moved from MoJ to BIS in July 2011
Met Office moved from MoD to BIS in July 2011
Fire Service College (DCLG) was abolished in February 2013
Standards and Testing Agency (DfE) was created in October 2011
Education Funding Agency and the National College and Teaching Agency (DfE) were created in April 2012
A number of Probation Trusts staff moved from the wider public sector to MoJ in June 2014
Public Health England (DH) was created in April 2013
Legal Aid Agency (MoJ) was created in April 2013
National Crime Agency was created in October 2013
Criminal Records Bureau (Home Office) left the Civil Service in December 2012
The Asset Protection Agency (HMT) was abolished in October 2012
Competition Commission moved from the wider public sector into the Office of Fair Trading in April 2014 to become Competition and Markets Authority
Part of the Defence Support Group (MoD) was privatised and left the Civil Service in April 2015
The Food and Environment Research Agency (DEFRA) left the Civil Service in April 2015
Government Internal Audit Agency (HMT) was established in April 2015
Highways Agency (DfT) left the Civil Service in April 2015
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2016-03-07.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 4 March 2016 to Question 28518, on public appointments: ethnic groups, if he will publish the list of attendees at the event held by his Department in February 2016.
Matthew Hancock
The Public Appointments event I hosted on 25 February was aimed at encouraging people from under represented groups to apply for Public Appointments. The Centre for Public Appointments at the Cabinet Office worked with a range of contacts and organisations that champion diversity in senior appointments to compile a guest list.
It would not be appropriate to publish a list of attendees as they have not consented to their details being published in this way.