The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2015-10-21.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to support non-online applications for marriage allowance by couples on low incomes.
Mr David Gauke
HM Revenue and Customs is able to support customers who need additional help such as taking applications by phone.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-10-21.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what support he plans to provide to home-buyers after the end of the mortgage guarantee scheme in 2016.
Harriett Baldwin
The Government is committed to addressing the affordability of housing and making the aspiration of home ownership a reality for as many households as possible. At Budget 2014, the Help to Buy: equity loan scheme was extended to 2020 and the Government also intends to support younger buyers through delivering 200,000 Starter Homes by 2020, to be sold at a 20% discount for first time buyers under 40. These measures will also be supported by the launch of a Help to Buy: ISA through which the Government will top up mortgage deposit savings for first time buyers by 25% up to a maximum of £3,000.
Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at: http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/minister_hospitality.htm
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bill Wiggin on 2015-10-21.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will estimate the average level of per car tax receipt in each year since 2012.
Damian Hinds
At the Summer Budget the government announced the creation of a Roads Fund so that from 2020 all money raised from VED in England will be invested in the Roads Fund and used to improve the English strategic road network. The latest figures for VED revenue can be found in Table C.3 of Summer Budget 2015, which can be found here https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/summer-budget-2015. Revenue raised for previous years can be found in the relevant Budget document.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2015-10-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much UK-produced steel has been used in the manufacturing of the new icebreaking vessel being procured by his Department.
Joseph Johnson
We announced on 12 October that UK shipyard Cammell Laird was the preferred bidder for the new polar research vessel. The vessel has not yet been built and negotiations between Cammell Laird and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) are ongoing.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon on 2015-10-19.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 24 July (HL1516) concerning the decision of the government of Israel not to join the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, whether any safeguards are in place to discourage the extension or upgrading of Israel’s nuclear deployment capacity.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
Israel does have a facility-specific safeguards agreement in place with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), namely “The Agreement between the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Government of Israel and the Government of the United States of America for the Application of Safeguards” (commonly referred to as an INFCIRC 66-type agreement). The agreement applies to a single facility in Israel, which is the Soreq Nuclear Research Reactor. The facility is inspected by the IAEA to ensure that it is not used for weapons purposes. We continue to call on Israel to upgrade this arrangement to a full scope Comprehensive Safeguards agreement with the IAEA.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-10-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to his Department’s press release Hancock: Every young person should be earning or learning from April 2017, published 17 August 2015, (a) what the evidential basis is for the effectiveness of each of the proposals of the Earn or Learn taskforce referred to in that press notice; (b) what he plans the criteria for referral to the three-week programme referred to in that press notice to be; (c) by what measures the success of that programme will be assessed; (d) when he plans for contracts for that programme to be put out to tender; (e) if he will launch a consultation on the design of such contracts; (f) what additional funding he plans to make available for skills training for programme participants lacking basic qualifications; (g) how much his Department has set aside to fund that programme; and (h) whether he plans for funding for skills training to be ring-fenced within the overall grant made to providers.
Priti Patel
The Youth Obligationfor 18-21 year olds includes a 3 week intensive activity programme at the start of the claim to Universal Credit. The detailed policy design is still under development.
All spending decisions on skills training for 2016-17 and beyond will be taken as part of the Spending Review, which is due to be concluded in November.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Carolyn Harris on 2015-10-19.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make representations to the EU Commission on including bookmakers within the scope of the fourth money laundering directive.
Harriett Baldwin
The Fourth Anti-Money Laundering Directive (“the Directive”) was formally adopted in June 2015, and will be transposed into national law by June 2017. The Directive extends the scope of the UK’s Money Laundering Regulations 2007 to cover all gambling providers.
The Government can exempt providers of certain gambling services from the requirements laid down in the Directive on the basis of proven low risk posed by the nature and scale of operations. Any exemption will need to take account of a risk assessment that includes factors such as the degree of vulnerability of the transaction and the payment methods.
We will be consulting on which sectors of the gambling sector can be proven to be low risk as part of the transposition process and we will be legislating accordingly. The Government plans to publish a consultation on the changes by the end of this year, and this will run for a full 12 weeks.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-10-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what support he has received from the US Army in order to assist with the protection of Camp Bastion, Afghanistan.
Penny Mordaunt
The last UK troops left Camp Bastion in November 2014. Prior to that point, security arrangements for Camp Bastion, the adjacent Camp Leatherneck and the surrounding area were shared between the UK forces and the US Marine Corps. These arrangements were the subject of extensive investigation by the Defence Select Committee in their 2014-15 inquiry into the September 2012 attack on the Bastion-Leatherneck complex. Large areas of what was Camp Bastion now form part of Camp Shorabak, which is used by elements of the Afghan National Defence Security Forces.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-10-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether it is her policy to increase the proportion of energy in the UK generated from renewable sources.
Andrea Leadsom
By 2020, the UK is legally committed to obtain 15% of its final energy consumption from renewable sources under the EU Renewable Energy Directive. We continue to make progress towards our target with provisional figures showing 7.0% of final energy consumption came from renewable sources in 2014. A strong start was made to 2015 with over a quarter of electricity generation coming from renewable sources in Q2 2015, up 8.6% from Q2 2014.
Electricity generation from renewable sources, in 2014, was at 19.1% compared to 14.9% in 2013; renewable heat sources accounted for 4.8% of total heat demand in 2014; and fuel suppliers are already required to meet a 4.75% renewable transport fuel obligation by ensuring that sustainable biofuel is supplied.
Since 2010, DECC estimates that over £42 billion of private capital has been secured in low-carbon electricity generation projects and Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), spread geographically across the UK. 2014 was a record year for investment in renewable energy generation with over £8 billion being invested.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-10-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many animals have been reportedly killed by big cats in the last five years.
Rory Stewart
During 2015 a calf and a dog were reported to have been killed by big cats. This information was provided by Natural England, which holds no further information about animals reported to have been killed in this way.