The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Murray on 2016-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of women in Scotland who reach state pension age in 2016-17 will receive the full flat rate of the new state pension.
Justin Tomlinson
The Department cannot model the impact of the new State Pension at a regional or country specific level. Results for the whole of Great Britain can be found at:
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Murray on 2016-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of assessment reports conducted by contractors for Scottish claimants of (a) employment and support allowance and (b) personal independence payments were returned by his Department as not being of a sufficient standard to enable a decision to be made in each of the last four quarters for which information is available.
Priti Patel
In each of the last four quarters for which information is available, less than 0.1% of all Employment and Support Allowance and less than 0.1% of all Personal Independent Payment assessment reports completed in Scotland have been returned to the provider for rework, meaning that the report has been deemed not fit for purpose by the Department.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Murray on 2016-06-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on (a) businesses and (b) local communities in Scotland of the decision to allow the closure of Post Office branches in Scotland and their replacement by franchises.
George Freeman
Post Office Limited runs and operates its directly managed Crown post offices. Changes to its network and proposals to franchise of some of its Crown branches are the operational responsibility of the Post Office. The Post Office’s proposals for franchising some of its Crown branches are part of its work to ensure its branch network is sustainable in the long term and ensure that Post Office services remain on our high streets across the country. The change from a Crown to a franchise branch has been undertaken successfully in many locations across the UK and helps sustain Post Office services in these locations, and each change is subject to local consultation.
Over 97% of the UK’s post office network is run on a franchise or agency basis.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Murray on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the Government’s policy is on the renewal of the lease on the Chagos Islands that ends on 31 December 2016; and if he will make a statement.
Sir Alan Duncan
The Government supports the US presence on Diego Garcia in the British Indian Ocean Territory, and wishes it to continue. This presence is underpinned by an Exchange of Notes which will roll over automatically for a further 20 years if neither side decides to terminate it before 30 December this year.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Murray on 2016-01-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent steps the Government has taken on approving the City Deal proposals for the (a) Inverness, (b) Aberdeen and (c) Edinburgh city regions; and if he will make a statement.
David Mundell
I was pleased to be in Aberdeen on 28 January to announce a £250 million City Deal for the city and region. We are currently considering the Inverness and Edinburgh proposals and hope to make an announcement on next steps shortly.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Murray on 2016-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of people in Scotland who reach state pension age in 2016-17 will receive the full flat rate of the new state pension.
Justin Tomlinson
The Department cannot model the impact of the new State Pension at a regional or country specific level. Results for the whole of Great Britain can be found at:
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Murray on 2016-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of assessment reports conducted by contractors for Scottish claimants of (a) employment and support allowance and (b) personal independence payments did not meet the contractual standard required in each of the last four quarters for which information is available.
Priti Patel
The information you have requested Is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Murray on 2016-06-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how much funding the Government provided to Citizens Advice Scotland in each of the last five years.
David Mundell
The UK Government provide funding to Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS), the umbrella organisation and membership body for the Citizens Advice Bureaux network in Scotland, through the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS), and (via the Pension Wise service) through Her Majesty’s Treasury (HMT).
The total UK Government funding to CAS over the past five financial years, including BIS and HMT funding, is set out below.
|
Financial Year |
Total funding |
|
2015/16 |
£9,583,511 |
|
2014/15 |
£8,797,196 |
|
2013/14 |
£5,614,800 |
|
2012/13 |
£6,887,500 |
|
2011/12 |
£2,900,000 |
Funding increased substantially between 2011/12 and 2012/13 to reflect the additional functions CAS had taken on as a result of the consumer landscape changes, including the joint delivery (with Citizens Advice England and Wales) of the Consumer Service helpline, education and advocacy on general consumer issues, and as the advocate on behalf of consumers in the regulated energy and postal sectors.
Funding also increased substantially between 2013/14 and 2014/15 when the Government established the Pension Wise service to offer free and impartial guidance to people on the new pension freedoms which came into effect in April 2015.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Murray on 2016-09-06.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment the Government has made of the potential effect on businesses in Edinburgh of leaving the EU.
Mr David Gauke
The United Kingdom will leave the European Union and we are going to make a success of it. While it is clear that we do now face some economic challenges as a result of the referendum decision, the UK economy does so from a position of strength.
HM Government is monitoring economic developments closely and the independent Office for Budget Responsibility will produce an updated economic forecast alongside Autumn Statement 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Murray on 2015-11-10.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he expects to make a decision on City Deals for (a) Edinburgh, (b) Aberdeen and (c) Inverness.
Greg Hands
Since announcing the intention at the March Budget to work towards City Deals for Aberdeen and Inverness, the government has received initial proposals for City Deals from partners in Aberdeen, Inverness and also Edinburgh. The Department for Communities and Local Government are working with the Scotland Office to study the proposals in depth, as well as discussing with the Scottish Government to achieve outcomes that benefit both Scotland and the whole of the UK.