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Tag: 2015

  • Daniel Zeichner – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Daniel Zeichner – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2015-11-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will expand the Cycle to Work salary-sacrifice scheme to provide employees with access to tax-free physical activity accessories and personalised activity plans for themselves and their families.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Finance Act 1999 and the Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003 introduced an annual tax exemption, which allows employers to loan cycles and cyclists’ safety equipment to employees as a tax-free benefit. The Cycle to Work scheme is not run by Government but was created by the cycle industry to take advantage of the tax exemption. The Department, in co-operation with the then Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), Office of Fair Trading (OFT) and the cycle industry, published guidance in June 2005. As there are qualifying criteria in order to be eligible for the tax exemption, any changes to the scheme should be referred to HM Revenue and Customs.

  • Lord Brabazon of Tara – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Lord Brabazon of Tara – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Brabazon of Tara on 2015-12-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the value, in current prices, of the £10 Christmas Bonus for pensioners when it was first introduced.

    Baroness Altmann

    The Christmas Bonus was introduced in 1972 and was £10. In current (October 2015) prices, the value of the 1972 Christmas Bonus was £115.41.

  • Chris Leslie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Chris Leslie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Leslie on 2015-11-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he plans to transfer housing benefit fraud investigation powers from local authorities to national investigation service.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The current intention is for Local Authority powers to prosecute Housing Benefit cases to be turned off from 02 April 2016, at which time the Department for Work and Pensions Fraud and Error Service will assume overall responsibility, following the full implementation of the Single Fraud Investigation Service Project.

  • Lord Hylton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Hylton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-12-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when further peace talks in Vienna on Syria will take place.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The next meeting of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) will take place before Christmas. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), will represent the UK. The ISSG agreed in Vienna on 14 November 2015 on the need “to convene Syrian government and opposition representatives in formal negotiations under UN auspices, as soon as possible, with a target date of January 1.”

  • Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-11-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of people who made a claim for support for mortgage interest in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2011-12, (d) 2012-13, (e) 2013-14 and (f) 2014-15 went into arrears on their (i) interest repayments and (ii) capital repayments during the 13-week waiting period.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The information requested regarding the number and proportion of people who made a claim for support for mortgage interest from 2009 to date who were in arrears on the interest or capital repayment during their waiting period is not available.

  • Angela Rayner – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Angela Rayner – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angela Rayner on 2015-12-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the viability of the UK steel industry over the next 10 years.

    Anna Soubry

    We have been working very closely with steel stakeholders to understand the needs of the sector both now and going forward. In addition, through the Competitiveness & Productivity Steel Working Group we have commissioned an independent external report to identify the relative strengths and weaknesses of the UK steel industry, and consider how this could change over different time horizons. The outcomes will support the UK steel industry develop their strategic position moving forward, and clarify how the Government can best support the sector improve its competitiveness over the short, medium and long term.

  • Nicholas Soames – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Nicholas Soames – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2015-11-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much was spent from the public purse on the payment of the state pension to non-UK citizens in each non-European Economic Area country in each year from 1997-98 to 2014-15.

    Justin Tomlinson

    Entitlement to UK State Pension is based on UK national insurance contributions and credits which enables pensioners, many of whom are UK nationals, to receive their state pensions abroad.

    The Department for Work and Pensions does not hold data on the nationality of State Pension claimants however;

    State Pension expenditure by country of residence is published on Gov.UK https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/464096/state-pension-by-country-2014-15.xlsx.

    Expenditure is not broken down by nationality.

    “

  • Nia Griffith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Nia Griffith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nia Griffith on 2015-12-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the number of employers in Wales that will be affected by the apprenticeship levy.

    Nick Boles

    The apprenticeship levy will apply to employers across the UK. An allowance of £15,000 means only those with a paybill exceeding £3million will have to pay it. The Government is already working with the Welsh Government and the other devolved administrations to ensure they can get their fair share of the revenue and, as far as possible, to develop a system for administering the levy which complements the skills and apprenticeship policies of each of the devolved administrations, and which works for employers wherever they are in the UK.

  • Christopher Chope – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Christopher Chope – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2015-11-06.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 2 November 2015 to Question 13969, what information his Department has to help inform policy development on the payment of child and tax credits to foreign nationals.

    Damian Hinds

    In his speech on Europe on November 10th, the Prime Minister reaffirmed the Government’s proposal that people coming to Britain from the EU must live here and contribute for 4 years before they qualify for in work benefits or social housing. This proposal is included in the Prime Minister’s letter to Mr. Tusk.

    DWP’s statistical release from November 10th explained that it is estimated that, at March 2013, between 37 and 45% of the EEA nationals (excluding students) who were resident in the UK having arrived in the preceding 4 years were in households claiming either an in-work or out-of-work benefit or tax credit.

    This represents between 195,000 and 235,000 EEA nationals in recently arrived households claiming benefits or tax credits at March 2013 out of 525,000 recently arrived EEA nationals resident in the UK at March 2013.

  • Bridget Phillipson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Bridget Phillipson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bridget Phillipson on 2015-12-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, (a) what representations he has received on and (b) whether his Department plans to incentivise employers to offer the National Living Wage.

    Nick Boles

    From 1 April 2016 every employer is required by law to pay the new statutory National Living Wage (NLW) for workers aged 25 and above.