The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Hanson on 2016-02-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what the average hourly earnings of (a) female, (b) male, (c) full-time and (d) part-time employees of his Department were in each of the last five years.
Alun Cairns
The Wales Office is subject to Ministry of Justice (MoJ) policies for HR and pay purposes.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Hayes on 2016-03-03.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what representations he has received from charities on the Government’s proposal to prevent charities using government grants to lobby Parliament.
Matthew Hancock
Taxpayers money should not be diverted away from its intended purpose and wasted on political campaigning and political lobbying. The clause does not stop grant recipients, including charities, from using other sources of funding for this or from making their views known.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-04-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he plans to take questions from the (a) press and (b) public when he launches his Department’s public consultation following publication of the Caldicott review.
George Freeman
The Government is currently considering the findings and recommendations of the reviews undertaken by the Care Quality Commission and Dame Fiona Caldicott, ahead of these reports being published. The scope of any supporting consultation exercise is yet to be determined.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-05-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Royal Navy personnel took part in under-ice training in each of the last six years.
Penny Mordaunt
The Astute class submarines are the largest, most advanced and most powerful attack submarines ever operated by the Royal Navy, combining world-leading sensors, design and weaponry in a versatile vessel. The Royal Navy maintains world-wide deployability with its submarines, this includes under-ice capability.
We do not discuss the detail of such submarine operations, as this would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Phil Boswell on 2016-06-20.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the amount Scottish businesses will pay on an annual basis under the proposed Apprenticeship Levy.
Greg Hands
The Apprenticeship Levy will apply across the UK and will be collected from employers on a UK wide basis. An allowance of £15,000 means only those with a paybill exceeding £3million will have to pay it; less than 2 per cent of all employers. Regional level estimates of those likely to pay the Apprenticeship Levy are not available. However, the UK government remains committed to doing all we can to make the system work for employers wherever they are in the UK.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Conor McGinn on 2016-09-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many murder convictions there have been since 1988 in cases in which the remains of the victim have not been recovered.
Mr Sam Gyimah
The information requested is not available.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jessica Morden on 2016-01-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment his Department has made of the cost and benefits of using (a) Green ISAs and Citizen Finance, (b) UK Pension Funds, (c) the European Investment Bank and (d) co-funding with devolved administrations as a means of increasing its capital base.
Anna Soubry
I assume that the Hon. Member’s question is referring to increasing the capital base of the UK Green Investment Bank (GIB), rather than increasing the capital base of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
The Government’s policy is to move the Green Investment Bank (GIB) into private ownership, minimising the Bank’s use of public funds, and where it will have the freedom to borrow and raise capital without impacting on public sector net debt.
a) Green ISAs and Citizen Finance
At present, GIB has insufficient track record for the retail market. Most of its portfolio is in relatively high risk construction projects that will not provide steady returns in the short term. More importantly, GIB’s current focus is growth, for which it will need to make regular cash calls on investors, which would be hard to meet in the public markets. However there is no reason why a privatised GIB could not raise capital through Green ISAs or other forms of citizen finance in the longer term.
(b) UK Pension Funds
Large scale institutional investors such as UK pension funds are likely to be interested in acquiring a stake in GIB, as part of the Government’s plans to move GIB into the private sector. GIB has already successfully attracted such investors into its managed fund for investment in Offshore Wind and other investments (e.g. Strathclyde local authority pension fund), many of whom are investing in green projects for the first time.
(c) The European Investment Bank (EIB)
The EIB’s focus is on providing debt products, rather than equity investment which is where GIB expects to concentrate. It is unlikely that the EIB would make an investment in GIB itself. However, GIB is already partnering with EIB as a co-investor (such as on the recent Galloper offshore wind investment) and it may continue to do so in future.
(d) Co-funding with devolved administrations
The Government’s policy is to move GIB into the private sector. Co-funding GIB with the devolved administrations would simply be another form of public sector funding.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Davies on 2016-02-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to promote trade and diplomatic connections between the UK and other Commonwealth countries.
Mr Hugo Swire
The UK is committed to strengthening its engagement with the Commonwealth. The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) led a strong delegation to the Commonwealth summit in November, where the Minister of State for Trade and Investment, my noble Friend, the right hon. Lord Maude and I promoted trade opportunities within the Commonwealth.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Polak on 2016-03-02.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are aware of the work of Save a Child’s Heart in Holon, Israel, and whether they have any plans to support Save a Child’s Heart in Israel in particular by providing it with financial assistance.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
Our Embassy in Tel Aviv is aware of the work of Save a Child’s Heart. They do not currently have plans to provide financial assistance to this charity but have provided funding in the past, and hosted an event for the charity at the Ambassador’s Residence.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Holly Lynch on 2016-04-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015, how much of the £700m fund for updating the technology on the courts and tribunals estate was spent prior to October 2015.
Mr Shailesh Vara
The five-year £700m modernisation programme of the courts and tribunals, will build a justice system that is swifter and more certain. This programme incurred expenditure of c.£10.2m for the six months to end September 2015.