The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Murray on 2016-03-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, with reference to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation report, Uneven Growth: Tackling City Decline, published in February 2016, what steps he plans to take to address the findings of that report on the relative decline of Dundee.
David Mundell
I refer the hon Gentleman to my answer of 4 March 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Murray on 2016-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the (a) longest and (b) average journey time to attend a medical assessment was for Scottish claimants of (i) employment and support allowance and (ii) personal independence payments in each of the last four quarters for which information is available.
Justin Tomlinson
Centre for Health Disability Assessments (for ESA assessments) and Atos Healthcare (for PIP assessments in Scotland) do not hold or retain information about customer journey times to attend assessments. Should a customer foresee a problem with travelling to their assessment they are asked to contact the appropriate provider to discuss their circumstances.
DWP’s requirement is that claimants do not have to travel for more than 90 minutes by public transport (single journey) for a consultation. However, this limit is an absolute maximum and for the majority of claimants their journey will be less than this. A home consultation can be offered, in particular where a claimant is unable to travel to a consultation as a result of their health condition or impairment. More specifically home visits are generally offered when the claimant provides confirmation via their own health professional that indicates that they are unable to travel on health grounds or at a claimant’s request where the assessment provider’s health professional determines this is appropriate for their health condition or disability.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Murray on 2016-06-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support his Department provided to the delegation to Iran led by the Rt. hon. Member for Gordon and the hon. Member for Ochil and South Perthshire in December 2015.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
The visit of the Rt Hon. Member for Gordon (Mr Salmond) and the Member for Ochil and South Perthshire (Ms Ahmed-Sheikh) to Tehran in December 2015 was organised and paid for entirely by the Scottish National Party and the Iranian authorities. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office provided some logistical support and Mr Salmond was briefed by the British Chargé d’affaires in Tehran on his arrival.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Murray on 2016-09-02.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of the recent changes to mortgage interest relief on the private-rented sector in relation to (a) average rents, (b) availability of private sector accommodation, (c) housing benefit levels and (d) quality of rental properties.
Jane Ellison
HMRC estimate that 1 in 5 landlords will pay more tax as a result of this measure.
Given that only a small proportion of the housing market is affected by this change, the Government does not expect these changes to have a large impact on rent levels or house prices. The Office of Budget Responsibility (OBR) also expects the impact on the housing market will be small.
The Government will double the housing budget from 2018-19 and has set out the most ambitious affordable housing plan since the 1970s to support working people in their aim to own their own home, together the measures in the plan amount to over £20 billion of investment in housing between 2016-17 and 2020-21.
The level of housing benefits is dependent on a number of factors such as, household and individual circumstances in regards to employment and household income, inflation and rents. The Government does not expect a large impact on rent levels from this policy, and any impact would be dampened in the short term due to other policy decisions. Therefore, the government does not anticipate changes to the overall level of housing benefits as a result. Nevertheless, the government will continue to monitor rental levels charged in the private rented sector.
Landlords are required to maintain their properties to a legal minimum standard. The reform to the wear and tear allowance means that all landlords will now be able to offset the costs of replacing furnishings in their properties removing the previous disincentive to do so. The Government therefore does not think that the changes to the tax rules will reduce standards for tenants.
Some landlords may face difficult decisions regarding their properties. This is why the Government has chosen to act in a proportionate and gradual way. Basic rate income tax relief will still be available on a landlord’s finance costs, the restriction will not be introduced until April 2017 and then it will be phased in over 4 years. This gives landlords time to plan ahead of the changes.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Murray on 2016-10-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the Answer of 13 October 2016 to Question 47818, what the Government’s policy is on changes to the rights of UK universities and their students and staff from other EU countries.
Mr Robin Walker
We want to continue to attract the brightest and the best to the UK after exit. UK researchers can still apply for Horizon 2020 projects, with the certainty that any funding will be guaranteed by the UK Government for the cycle of the programme. The government has recently announced that EU students applying for a place at an English university or further education institution in the 2017 to 2018 academic year will continue to be eligible for student loans and grants – and will be for the duration of their course. The Prime Minister has been clear that during negotiations she wants to protect the status of EU nationals already living here, and the only circumstances in which that would not be possible is if British citizens’ rights in European member states were not protected in return.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Murray on 2016-01-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the cost to business of the closure of the West Coast Main Line between Glasgow and Carlisle.
Claire Perry
Network Rail and the relevant passenger and freight train operators have been working collaboratively since the closure to provide the best practicable alternative travel options for the traffic which uses this part of the West Coast Main Line with the aim of minimising the adverse impact on users.
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 less than 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:
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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 outstanding (a) employment and support allowance and (b) personal independence payment assessments for Scottish claimants there were in each of the last four quarters for which information is available.
Justin Tomlinson
The number of Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) initial work capability assessments still in progress in Scotland as at the dates below were:
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Source: Data is derived from administrative data held by the DWP and assessment data provided by the healthcare provider.
Personal Independence Payment (PIP) clearance levels are within expectations. The number of cases in progress in Scotland as at the dates below were:
30 April 2015 6,100
31 July 2015 6,800
31 October 2015 8,900
31 January 2016 13,000
Source: Data taken from the PIP computer system management information
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Murray on 2016-06-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which overseas visits by hon. Members have been supported by his Department or by British embassies and consulates in (a) 2014, (b) 2015 and (c) 2016 to date.
Mr David Lidington
The information requested is not held centrally and to obtain it would incur disproportionate cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Murray on 2016-09-02.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment the Government has made of the potential effect of the planned closure of HM Revenue and Customs offices in Scotland on the administration of the Scottish rate of income tax.
Jane Ellison
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) plans to create two new regional centres in Scotland in Glasgow and Edinburgh in 2019-20, accommodating between 5,700 and 6,300 full time equivalent posts by 2025. As work is transferred to the regional centres HMRC plans to close ten offices in Scotland by 2020. The changes are part of a ten-year transformation programme to deliver better public services at lower cost to the taxpayer. Scotland has 12 per cent of HMRC’s total workforce and that will not change with modernisation.
HMRC believes that its responsibilities will be unaffected by the changes. Staff are receiving guidance and training to deal with any enquiries relating to the Scottish rate of income tax, as with any other tax issues.