The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2016-03-04.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much his Department spent on advertisements with Google in each of the last three years.
Matthew Hancock
Cabinet Office spent £107,896.25 on Google advertising in 2013/14. Cabinet Office did not spend anything on Google advertising in 2014/15. Fully auditable figures are not yet available for 2015/16. All figures include VAT.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2016-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of public country-by-country reporting of corporation tax details by multinational companies on the economies of developing countries.
Mr Desmond Swayne
The UK supports efforts to improve tax transparency. We initiated international work on country-by-country (CbC) reporting during our G8 Presidency in 2013, calling on the OECD to develop a framework for CbC reporting to tax authorities as part of the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) project. This important initiative will enhance transparency between business and tax authorities, including those of developing countries.
DFID funds the Global Forum and the World Bank to provide technical assistance to improve exchange of tax information in developing countries which will allow tax authorities to gain access to information such as country-by-country reports. We also support the OECD in helping developing countries tackle multinational practices such as transfer pricing and have provided HMRC tax auditors to Tax Inspectors Without Borders, which puts expert tax auditors in the field working on complex multinational audit cases.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2016-05-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answers of 5 and 12 January 2016 to Questions 20499 and 20722, what assessment his Department has made of the relationship between trends in the levels of motor accident rates and claims payments since 2006.
Dominic Raab
Government data indicates that claims volumes remain at historically high levels. Over a similar period data from the Department for Transport shows accident rates have fallen by around 25%. This is clear evidence that the system is in need of further reform, which is why on 25 November 2015, in his Autumn Statement, the Chancellor announced new measures to reduce the cost and number of whiplash claims. The Government will consult on the detail of these reforms in due course and the consultation document will be accompanied by an impact assessment.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2016-06-28.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many times he has visited Copeland constituency in an official capacity in each of the last four years.
Ben Gummer
The Secretary of State for Health and his Ministerial team have not undertaken any visits in an official capacity to the Copeland constituency in the last four years.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2016-09-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what type of support his Department plans to provide for initiatives mentioned as best practice in the Childhood Obesity Plan in its roll-out in England.
Nicola Blackwood
We will measure progress annually through the National Child Measurement Programme and Health Survey for England. We are confident that the measures we have announced will make a real difference and estimate could reduce childhood obesity rates by about a fifth (330,000) over the next 10 years and the assessment of reformulation progress by food manufacturers will be undertaken independently by Public Health England. Moreover, if we do not see the desired progress then the Government does not rule out taking further measures.
We will continue to work with the National Health Service, local authorities and other partners to deliver the proposals in our plan. For example, we are doubling the Primary PE and Sport Premium to £320 million from September 2017 and we will continue to fund a number of areas to support the plan’s ambitions including healthy start vouchers which gives healthy food support to the families that need it most. Alongside this, local authorities will receive over £16 billion to spend on public health over the next five years. We are confident they will want to prioritise action to tackle obesity according to local need.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Pauline Latham on 2016-01-14.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will assess the potential merits of reducing the rate of VAT on sunscreen, sun block and other sun safety products.
Mr David Gauke
EU VAT law does not specifically provide for a reduced rate for sunscreen, although there is a provision for a reduced rate of VAT for “pharmaceutical products of a kind normally used for health care, prevention of diseases and treatment for medical and veterinary purposes”.
Not all sunscreen products are recognised as having a health benefit and the factor level necessary for adequate protection is a matter of contention.
However, high-factor sunscreen is on the NHS prescription list for certain conditions and provided VAT free when dispensed by a pharmacist to patients.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2016-02-09.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they made of the costs of closing NHS Direct at the time of the decision, and what was the actual cost of closing NHS Direct.
Lord Prior of Brampton
NHS Direct NHS Trust’s Final Report and Accounts, published in June 2014, set out decommissioning costs of £69.2 million for 2012/13. The Trust’s business case, submitted for approval of the transaction for its dissolution which took effect on 1 April 2014, included an estimated cost of closure of £36.3 million in 2014/15. The Final Report and Accounts showed the decommissioning costs for this year to be £17.6 million.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gloria De Piero on 2016-03-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many local authority-owned museums have closed down in each of the last three years.
Mr Edward Vaizey
Neither DCMS nor Arts Council England holds information on museums closures. However, there are just under 1800 accredited museums.
Thanks to an excellent Spending Review settlement in November 2015, the Government is honouring its manifesto commitment to keep entry to the permanent collections of our national museums free.
Through the Arts Council England, DCMS is increasing funding for 21 Major Partner Museums from £20.3m to £22.6 million. In addition to this, regional museums can bid for funds from ACE’s £10 million per year Resilience Fund. They can also bid for lottery funding from the HLF. We are also investing millions of pounds to boost local and regional museums, for example, £5 million towards a new South Asia Gallery at Manchester Museum and £2.5 million to the Manchester Museum of Science and Industry.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Newlands on 2016-04-08.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what consultations his Department had with (a) the Scottish Prison Service, (b) Scottish Ministers and (c) the Prison Officers Association on the transfer of Prison Officers’ Pensions from Classic to the Alpha Pension Scheme.
Matthew Hancock
Prison Officers employed in the Scottish Prison Service are members of the Civil Service. All members of the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (PCSPS) who transitioned into the Civil Service (and Others) Pension Scheme (CSOPS, also known as alpha) were notified by letter to inform them of the change, in accordance with the Occupational and Personal Pension Schemes (Disclosure of Information) Regulations. In addition, relevant Employers were provided with a variety of communication products to inform their staff and support those who needed to make decisions. These were also held on the Civil Service Pensions website.
Between 2011 and 2015 Cabinet Office Ministers and officials held extensive discussions with all of the Civil Service unions, including the Prison Officers’ Association, on the detail of the pension reforms. There was also discussion with both the Scottish Prison Service and National Offender Management Service on the detail of the pension offer to operational staff in Prisons.
The Civil Service is a Reserved Matter and this includes pensions for all Civil Servants. Representations on the pension age of Scottish Prison Officers were made to me by the Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Justice in July last year. I replied later that month.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Antoinette Sandbach on 2016-05-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 4 May 2016 to Question 35400, for what reasons HS2 Ltd has not undertaken any work other than desktop studies in relation to the potential effect on aquifers, canal routes, roads and other surface obstacles in respect of Phase 2b of the route.
Mr Robert Goodwill
HS2 will undertake a more detailed assessment of environmental impacts as a part of the Hybrid Bill process following the decision of the route as done on Phase 1 and Phase 2a. It would not be appropriate to undertake detailed studies where there is no confirmation of the route.