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Tag: 2014

  • Liam Byrne – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Liam Byrne – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Byrne on 2014-06-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent estimate he has made of the cash value of the student loan book in each year to 2050 (a) before and (b) after sales of student loans.

    Mr David Willetts

    (a) We estimate the cash value of ICR student loans to follow approximately this profile going forwards.

    Value of loan book in real terms

    2014-15

    2015-16

    2016-17

    2017-18

    2018-19

    2019-20

    2020-21

    2021-22

    2022-23

    2023-24

    £70bn

    £80bn

    £90bn

    £100bn

    £110bn

    £120bn

    £130bn

    £140bn

    £150bn

    £160bn

    2024-25

    2025-26

    2026-27

    2027-28

    2028-29

    2029-30

    2030-31

    2031-32

    2032-33

    2033-34

    £170bn

    £180bn

    £190bn

    £200bn

    £210bn

    £220bn

    £230bn

    £240bn

    £250bn

    £260bn

    2034-35

    2035-36

    2036-37

    2037-38

    2038-39

    2039-40

    2040-41

    2041-42

    2042-43

    2043-44

    £260bn

    £270bn

    £280bn

    £280bn

    £290bn

    £300bn

    £300bn

    £310bn

    £320bn

    £320bn

    2044-45

    2045-46

    2046-47

    2047-48

    2048-49

    2049-50

    £330bn

    £330bn

    £330bn

    £330bn

    £330bn

    £330bn

    Value of loan book in nominal terms

    2014-15

    2015-16

    2016-17

    2017-18

    2018-19

    2019-20

    2020-21

    2021-22

    2022-23

    2023-24

    £70bn

    £80bn

    £100bn

    £110bn

    £130bn

    £150bn

    £170bn

    £190bn

    £210bn

    £230bn

    2024-25

    2025-26

    2026-27

    2027-28

    2028-29

    2029-30

    2030-31

    2031-32

    2032-33

    2033-34

    £250bn

    £270bn

    £300bn

    £320bn

    £350bn

    £380bn

    £410bn

    £440bn

    £470bn

    £500bn

    2034-35

    2035-36

    2036-37

    2037-38

    2038-39

    2039-40

    2040-41

    2041-42

    2042-43

    2043-44

    £530bn

    £570bn

    £600bn

    £640bn

    £670bn

    £710bn

    £750bn

    £790bn

    £830bn

    £870bn

    2044-45

    2045-46

    2046-47

    2047-48

    2048-49

    2049-50

    £920bn

    £960bn

    £1,000bn

    £1,030bn

    £1,070bn

    £1,100bn

    These estimates assume that fees will increase in line with inflation from 2016 onwards. These forecasts also take account of the freeing up of student number controls in the Autumn Statement, increases in loan take-up rates, demographic changes over time and updated earnings modelling.

    (b) The government has a stated aim to sell the pre-2012 loan book. However, the exact programme of sales has yet to be determined. Consequently, it is not possible to estimate the yearly value of the student loan book after these sales have taken place.

  • Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what his Department’s policy is on allowing officials to appear before all-party parliamentary groups.

    Brandon Lewis

    I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, the right hon. Member for Horsham on 26 March 2014, Official Report, column 300W.

  • Stewart Jackson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Stewart Jackson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stewart Jackson on 2014-06-11.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the average weekly gross earnings of (a) men, (b) women and (c) people in full time employment in Peterborough was (i) in cash terms and (ii) at constant prices in each year since 2006-07.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

  • Nicholas Soames – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Nicholas Soames – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2014-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what proportion of the UK’s (a) coal, (b) gas and (c) oil requirements were met by imports from Russia in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

    Michael Fallon

    The amounts of coal and oil imported from Russia by the UK for each year between 2008 and 2012 compared to total UK demand for those fuels are shown in the following tables.

    Coal

    (thousand tonnes)

    2008

    2009

    2010

    2011

    2012

    Import

    21,249

    17,726

    8,322

    12,126

    16,933

    Proportion of demand

    33%

    34%

    15%

    22%

    25%

    Primary Oil

    (thousand tonnes)

    2008

    2009

    2010

    2011

    2012

    Import

    8,295

    5,065

    5,000

    6,058

    7,491

    Proportion of demand

    10%

    7%

    7%

    8%

    11%

    Petroleum Products

    (thousand tonnes)

    2008

    2009

    2010

    2011

    2012

    Import

    1,435

    2,066

    2,306

    2,407

    2,630

    Proportion of demand

    2%

    3%

    3%

    4%

    4%

    There was no gas imported directly from Russia by the UK.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Caroline Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2014-06-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many of the employers issued with a notice of underpayment of the minimum wage by HM Revenue and Customs since 1 October 2013 have been considered for naming and shaming by his Department; how many of those employers have successfully appealed against being named and shamed; how many employers have been named and shamed; and how many cases remain under consideration.

    Jenny Willott

    Under the revised Naming Scheme the Government will name all employers that have been issued with a Notice of Underpayment (NoU) unless employers meet one of the exceptional criteria or have arrears of £100 or less.

    Employers have 28 days to appeal against the NoU. If the employer does not appeal or unsuccessfully appeals against this NoU, BIS will consider them for naming. The employer then has 14 days to make representations to BIS outlining whether they meet any of the very exceptional criteria: naming by BIS carries a risk of personal harm to an individual or their family, or there are national security risks associated with naming, or there are other factors which suggests that it would not be in the public interest to name the employer or company. Of these, the public interest criteria will only apply in very exceptional circumstances. If BIS do not receive any representations or the representations received do not meet the criteria, the employer will be named via a BIS press release.

    One employer has made a representation that was successful and four employers have had arrears of under £100. We are unable to release information on how many cases are under consideration.

    The Government has already named 30 employers under the revised scheme. Between them they owed workers over £50,000 in arrears and have been charged financial penalties totalling over £24,000.

  • Dr Alan Whitehead – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Dr Alan Whitehead – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dr Alan Whitehead on 2014-04-03.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he plans to take to implement the recommendations of the second State of Natural Capital report on (a) sustaining economic growth and (b) providing public services; and if he will make a statement.

    Nicky Morgan

    The NCC’s report contains a range of recommendations which the Government needs to consider collectively. The Government will respond to the NCC’s report once it has fully considered it.

  • Adam Afriyie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Adam Afriyie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Afriyie on 2014-06-11.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the accuracy of the International Passenger Survey for estimating migration flows; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

  • Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission

    Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-03-24.

    To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission, pursuant to the Answer of 19 March 2014, Official Report, columns 654-5, on electoral register, if the Electoral Commission will publish the results of all research it has conducted into the size of the electorate.

    Mr Gary Streeter

    The Electoral Commission informs me that it publishes all of its completed research on electoral registration on its website, here: http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/our-work/our-research/electoral-registration-research

    “

  • Lord Beecham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Beecham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Beecham on 2014-06-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in the light of reports in The Guardian newspaper on 11 June, they intend to make representations to the government of Thailand about the exploitation and abuse of workers in that country’s fishing industry and to United Kingdom companies which purchase the products of that industry.

    Baroness Warsi

    We are aware of labour rights issues and allegations of human rights abuses in the Thai fishing industry, though not until now of the specific allegations made by the Guardian. We regularly raise our concerns about labour rights in Thailand with the relevant Thai authorities, for example during the UK-Thailand Strategic Dialogue in May 2013. The Guardian’s report contains very serious allegations. We look to the Thai authorities to investigate.

    Given the acute and continual political uncertainty in Thailand our ability to raise these issues with the authorities at this point is limited. However, we take the allegations very seriously and will look for opportunities to raise our concerns. At a minimum, we will continue to press for an improvement in labour rights in Thailand through ongoing negotiations towards an EU-Thailand Free Trade Agreement.

    The UK remains a global leader in tackling human trafficking and slavery as shown by its recent introduction of a Modern Slavery Bill. We welcome any investigation which sheds light on these horrific allegations.

    We also launched our action plan on business and human rights in 2013, becoming the first country to set out guidance to companies on integrating human rights into their operations. We engage regularly with British companies as part of our efforts to boost UK trade and inward investment, but at the same time we also clearly set our commitment to protecting human rights and its expectations of UK companies in this area.

  • Ian Austin – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Ian Austin – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2014-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his Department’s policy is on whether receiving parents should be responsible for estimating the weekly expenses of the paying parent in the calculation of child maintenance entitlement.

    Steve Webb

    Section 14 of the Child Support Act 1991 and the Child Support Information Regulations 2008 provide the Child Support Agency and Child Maintenance Service with wide powers to obtain information from parents and third parties for the purpose of making decisions relating to child maintenance, including those decisions which relate to establishing the child maintenance of a Paying Parent.

    The Receiving Parent is not responsible for estimating the weekly expenses of a Paying Parent. The Child Maintenance Service, which administers the 2012 Scheme, is built to make best use of taxable income information that is regularly and reliably available from HMRC. However, in the 1993 and 2003 schemes, administered by the Child Support Agency, the Receiving Parent can sometimes be asked to provide evidence of expenditure in order to support an application for a variation on the grounds of “lifestyle inconsistent with declared income”.