The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2016-02-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many projects planned for West Cumbria will be (a) part-funded and (b) wholly-funded by the EU.
James Wharton
The Department is unable to predict how many projects in West Cumbria will come forward for funding from the EU.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Cooper on 2016-02-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many local libraries closed in Lancashire in (a) 2012, (b) 2013, (c) 2014 and (d) 2015.
Mr Edward Vaizey
Local authorities have a statutory duty to provide a comprehensive and efficient library service that takes account of local needs within available resources. Government has the power to ensure public libraries comply with the law, and where individual authorities have failed to meet this duty we will – and have – intervened. While the Department for Culture, Media and Sport does not commission specific information relating to the closure of public libraries, the Department monitors closely proposed changes to library service provision throughout England. Desk research undertaken by the Department indicates that no local static libraries closed in the Lancashire Library Authority in 2012 – 2015.
This Government is helping libraries innovate, to ensure they serve the needs of local communities – particularly through the expansion of their digital offer. In the latest spending round we secured extra funding for our Libraries Task Force, set up in 2015, to promote the role of digital and share best practice between councils, and we have funded the rollout of free Wi-Fi so that it will be available in 99% of public libraries in England. E-book loans have rocketed more than four-fold from nearly 445,000 in 2011/12 to over 2.3 million in 2014/15.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Mann on 2016-02-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to prevent the use of fraudulent roofing materials in the building of new houses.
James Wharton
Building Regulations require that building work is carried out with adequate and proper materials which are appropriate for the circumstances in which they are used. Building control bodies are responsible for checking compliance as with any other Building Regulations’ requirements. In addition, if a building material is covered by a harmonised European standard, the requirements of the European Construction Products Regulation will apply. This Regulation is enforced by local authorities (trading standards in England, Scotland and Wales and District Councils in Northern Ireland).
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2016-02-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will apply EU Directive 41/2003 on Institutions for Occupational Retirement Provision to the Local Government Pension Scheme; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Marcus Jones
We are satisfied that the Scheme is consistent with the way in which Directive 41/2003 on the Institutions for Occupational Retirement Provision Directive was transposed into national law. It is not therefore necessary to take any further legislative steps to ensure compliance.
In March 2014 the European Commission published proposals for new Institutions for Occupational Retirement Provisions Directive. The implications for the scheme will be fully considered if these proposals are taken forward.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-02-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much funding the Government is providing to local authorities for each refugee for housing under the Syrian resettlement scheme (a) in London and (b) outside London.
Richard Harrington
The first 12 months of local authorities’ resettlement costs are centrally funded using the overseas aid budget. In years 2-5, local authorities receive a per person tariff tapering from £5,000 to £1,000 over the four years. This is unringfenced funding and it is for local authorities to decide how best to use it to support refugees.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-02-08.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will have discussions with the Office of Tax Simplification on reviewing and simplifying the tax regime for contractors.
Mr David Gauke
The Office of Tax Simplification (OTS) is already considering a wide range of issues relating to the taxation of contractors as part of its small companies review. It will report on its findings ahead of Budget.
The topics of future OTS reviews will be announced in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2016-02-08.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many publicly-funded jobs related directly to the Northern Powerhouse are located in (a) Cumbria, (b) Northern England, (c) London and (d) other parts of England.
Greg Hands
The Northern Powerhouse is the government’s plan to boost the economy across the North of England. This will help businesses grow and increase private sector job creation. Unlike previous failed attempts to improve the economic performance of the North, it is not about just creating publicly-funded jobs.
There is already evidence that the Northern Powerhouse is working: according to the latest data, private sector employment outside of London and the South East increased by 1.5m between Q3 2010 and Q3 2015, and in the North alone there are almost 412,000 more people in work than in April 2010. Over the last year the number of people in employment in the North has grown faster than in the South. Employment in Cumbria has also grown by 6,700 (3%) since 2010 and 10,900 (4.7%) over the last year.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-02-08.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what change there was in the number of (a) full-time and (b) part-time employees of HM Revenue and Customs in Northern Ireland between 2010 and 2015.
Mr David Gauke
As of 31 March 2010, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) employed 1500 full-time and 640 part-time staff in Northern Ireland.
As of 31 March 2015, there were 1,050 full-time and 620 part-time staff.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Brown on 2016-02-08.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress the Government has made on the implementation of the OECD’s Base Erosion and Profit Shifting programme; and what assessment he has made of the effect of that programme on the collection of corporation tax in the UK.
Mr David Gauke
The UK has been at the forefront of international efforts to tackle corporate tax avoidance through the OECD Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) project, which was completed in 2015.
The UK has committed to introducing country-by-country reporting from 1 January 2016 and rules to deal with hybrid mismatch arrangements from 1 January 2017. As set out in Autumn Statement 2014, these measures are estimated to yield around £45 million and £260 million respectively over the next five years. The policy costings were certified by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility.
The Government has also consulted on the OECD recommendations on the design of rules to prevent groups from gaining excessive tax deductions for interest expense, and how the OECD report on the definition of substantial activities in the context of preferential intellectual property regimes impacts the UK Patent Box.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-02-08.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of combining the ISA and personal pension systems.
Mr David Gauke
The Chancellor of the Exchequer keeps all taxes under review.