The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Truscott on 2015-01-14.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will provide a detailed breakdown of the costs of the Chilcot Inquiry to date.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire
I refer the noble Lord to the answer I gave to Lord West of Spithead on 3 November 2014, Official Report, Column 1425. A detailed breakdown of these costs is available on the Inquiry’s website.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord McFall of Alcluith on 2015-01-14.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken to promote (1) increased competition, and (2) the levying of fair fees and commissions, in the private pensions industry.
Lord Freud
The Government and regulators have introduced a package of measures, including establishing Independent Governance Committees to improve governance in contract based pension schemes, improved governance standards for trust based schemes and the introduction of a 0.75 per cent cap on charges in the default funds of schemes used for automatic enrolment. Subject to Parliamentary approval, these changes will come into effect from April.
The Government is also banning a number of charges which are no longer appropriate in the context of automatic enrolment into workplace pensions. From April 2015, we will extend the existing ban on consultancy charging to all contract-based schemes used for automatic enrolment. Likewise, adviser commission and Active Member Discounts, which penalise those who stop contributing or leave their employer and move jobs, will be banned in all schemes used for automatic enrolment from April 2016. We are also introducing measures to improve transparency throughout the value chain in the workplace pensions market and expect that this will lead to increased competition on costs and charges to the benefit of the consumer.
The recent pensions flexibility reforms are also an opportunity for the retirement income industry to develop new products that meet the evolving needs of consumers. The new flexibility will help consumers choosing to select an annuity or another option to access their pension savings to get a better deal in a more competitive market place. The shape of the market will now be driven by the choices consumers make, placing power back into the hands of savers.
Furthermore, as of the end of December, over 5.1 million workers have been automatically enrolled into a workplace pension. This is having a significant impact on the private pensions market and by 2020, we estimate that automatic enrolment will have generated an additional £8 to £12 billion a year in workplace pension saving. The growth in this market is supporting strong competition between providers and schemes.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emma Reynolds on 2015-01-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many homes he expects to be built through funding from the Builders Finance Fund; and how many such homes have been started.
Brandon Lewis
The fund will make investments over two years from 2015/16 to 2016/17. The funds must be drawn down by 31 March 2017.
The shortlisted bids to the Builders Finance Fund are currently undergoing due diligence and have the ability to deliver over 10,000 new homes. We have recently expanded the scope of the fund to enable smaller builders with schemes between 5 and 15 units to access this funding and the Homes and Communities Agency are currently engaging with the market to seek further bids for such schemes. The first contracts are due to be completed in the Spring with the first homes expected to be started in the first half of 2015.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-01-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 7 January 2015 to Question 219653, what the budget is for the advertising campaign to promote a greater take-up of superfast broadband.
Mr Edward Vaizey
For the areas to be covered by the Government’s phase 1 Superfast Broadband Programme, we estimate that up to a further £120m will be generated for investment in further coverage for every 10 percentage point increase on the programme’s 20% take-up baseline. The quicker people take up services in the areas delivered with public funding, the quicker funding is returned for reinvestment by the supplier; we therefore launched an £8 million national marketing campaign to raise awareness. The budget for the campaign was based on evidence of previous government campaigns to reach the optimum amount of our target audience.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Barclay on 2015-01-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to paragraph 2.3 of the report of the Prime Minister’s Task Force on Tackling Radicalisation and Extremism, published in December 2013, which organisations have received support and advice to exclude extremists; and what funding for that purpose each such organisation has received.
James Brokenshire
The Home Office works alongside local partners and organisations in a range of sectors to challenge and disrupt extremism. There are Prevent programmes in place in all key sectors, including, local government, health, education,
prisons, youth justice, immigration and charities.
We do not comment on the funding arrangements for individual organisations.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-01-14.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether it is his Department’s policy to seek to recover VAT on bitcoin transactions.
Mr David Gauke
I refer the Rt. hon gentleman to Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs’ (HMRC) brief on this topic.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Pamela Nash on 2015-01-14.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many individuals or small and medium-sized enterprises contracting with, or providing consultancy services to, Government departments have been paid daily fees greater than £100 in the last five years.
Mr Francis Maude
The information is not held centrally.
As a result of this Government’s commercial reforms, by limiting expenditure on marketing and advertising, consultants and temporary agency staff, we have saved the taxpayer £870m in 2010-11; £1bn in 2011-12; £1.9bn in 2012-13; and £2bn in 2013-14 – all against a 2009-10 baseline.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Skidmore on 2015-01-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the per capita spend on NHS services was in Kingswood constituency in (a) 2010 and (b) 2015.
Dr Daniel Poulter
The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the following table.
South Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) programme allocations and per capita funding for 2013/14, 2014/15, 2015/16.
|
Financial year |
Programme allocation (£ million) |
Funded £ per head of population |
|
2013/14 |
239 |
921 |
|
2014/15 |
249 |
946 |
|
2015/16 |
263 |
997 |
Source: South Gloucestershire CCG
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2015-01-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent steps he has taken to promote freedom of speech in Saudi Arabia.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
The UK is a strong and leading supporter of freedom of expression around the world. We continue to raise a range of human rights issues with the Saudi authorities including the right to freedom of expression. Earlier this month we raised freedom of expression at a senior level with the Saudi authorities.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by George Hollingbery on 2015-01-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2015 to Question 219112, what management measures will be examined in the review of domestic management measures for bass.
George Eustice
The current review of the domestic management measures for bass should be completed within the next few weeks. Aligned with work at European level to reverse the steep decline in bass stocks, the high-level review will focus principally on the need for any change to our current domestic management measures, such as the catch limits on commercial fishing for bass, minimum landing size for bass and protection of bass nursery areas. Where it is identified that action is required, this work will be further developed and, where national legislation may be required, will follow the usual legislative process. We will seek the views of key stakeholders on the way forward. Any proposed national legislation will be subject to public consultation involving stakeholders, other government departments and interested parties. The relevant documentation to support the new legislation will be made publically available, where not already published.