Tag: Louise Haigh

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-03-15.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what work the Anti-Corruption Champion has undertaken for his Department.

Matthew Hancock

Any costs incurred by the Anti-Corruption Champion in his role in overseeing the government’s work to address corruption in the UK and internationally, will be disclosed in the normal way. These are met by the Cabinet Office. In addition, staff support is provided from within the existing civil service workforce.

The Anti-Corruption Champion is overseeing the implementation of the Anti-Corruption Plan. This includes meeting with Ministers and officials from other government departments, as well as representatives from civil society and business, both in the United Kingdom (UK) and overseas, to champion UK anti-corruption policy.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-03-21.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people have participated in the Summer Diversity Internship Programme since its inception; and how many of those participants have subsequently been accepted onto the Civil Service Fast Stream.

Matthew Hancock

We have been working closely with the Civil Service Commission to provide a mechanism for fast tracking those who have been on the internship to the Fast Stream assessment centre, based on positive appraisal of the intern’s placement performance and completion of the initial internship selection testing.

This initiative is therefore for interns who are successful during the internship programme and we are currently working through the implementation plan.

In the last 5 years 778 have undertaken the programme (2011 – 73; 2012 – 115; 2013 – 161; 2014 – 173; 2015 – 256), with a further 300 anticipated this year. The estimated conversion rate into Fast Stream is 10-15%. Accurate tracking of success into Fast Stream will be achievable for 2016, using an updated applicant tracking approach.

A number of criteria are used to measure socio-economic status, however the metric that is now used to designate lower socio-economic background is parental occupation (aligning with Office of National Statistics methodology). This approach is currently under review following a recent social mobility research study by the Bridge Group.

This internship allowance is taxable and the amount of tax paid will depend on which tax code the intern is put on before they start.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-04-13.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what his policy is on publication of the registers of gifts and hospitality for civil servants.

Matthew Hancock

We publish details of gifts and hospitality received by the most senior civil servants on a quarterly basis.

The rules for civil servants, including special advisers, on the acceptance of gifts and hospitality are set out in the Civil Service Code, Civil Service Management Code and departmental staff handbooks.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-04-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the eligibility threshold for carer’s allowance to enable carers working 16 hours per week on the new National Living Wage to keep their entitlement to that allowance.

Justin Tomlinson

The primary purpose of Carer’s Allowance is to provide a measure of financial support and recognition for people who give up the opportunity of full-time employment in order to provide regular and substantial care for a severely disabled person. It is not, and was never intended to be, a carer’s wage or a payment for the services of caring, nor is it intended to replace lost or forgone earnings in their entirety.

The earnings limit for Carer’s Allowance is a net figure which is the figure left once income tax, National Insurance contributions and half of any contributions to an occupational or personal pension are deducted from earnings. There are also a number of other deductions which can be made that mean that people can earn significantly more than £110 per week and still be eligible for Carer’s Allowance.

The Carer’s Allowance earnings limit is not linked to the number of hours worked. Instead, it is set at a level that aims to encourage those who give up full time work in order to undertake caring responsibilities to maintain a link with the labour market through part time work.

Whilst the Government does not link the earnings limit to any other particular factor (including the National Living Wage), we do keep it under regular review and increase it when it is warranted and affordable, and this will continue to be our approach. Most recently in April 2015 the earnings limit was increased by 8% to £110, far outstripping the general increase in earnings.

For those carers working around 16 hours a week on a low income and receiving Working Tax Credit, Carer’s Allowance is taken fully into account as income. That means that any loss in Carer’s Allowance is likely to be offset by an increase in Working Tax Credit, and this is one of the changes of circumstances that results in an immediate change to Tax Credits. Going forward the earnings taper in Universal Credit will help ensure that people are always better off in work.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-05-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the (a) premium income, (b) claims paid and (c) monies at risk of UK Export Finance were relating to the defence sector in each financial year from 2010-11 to 2014-15.

Nick Boles

The Information requested is in the table below:

Year	Net Premium Income[1]	Gross Amounts At Risk[2]	Claims Paid
2010/11	£ 2,597,418	£ 1,156,123,326	£ 0
2011/12	£ 11,832	£ 1,743,249,113	£ 0
2012/13	£ 42,664,931	£ 3,364,357,183	£ 0
2013/14	£ 27,162	£ 3,063,150,515	£ 0
2014/15	£ 3,472,656	£ 2,899,169,497	£ 0

It should be noted that premium income relates to business supported in that financial year, whereas amounts at risk will relate to all business in respect of which contingent liability still remains.

[1] Net of Premium due where reinsurance (if any) has been obtained.

[2] Inclusive of amounts reinsured (if any)

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-06-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what proportion of staff in his Department were (a) payroll and (b) non-payroll staff in each financial year from 2010-11 to 2015-16.

Mr Mark Francois

Details of payroll and non-payroll staffing in my Department are published on Gov.uk and in the Annual Report and Accounts.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-06-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much was spent on non-payroll staff in his Department in 2015-16.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is unable to confirm the amount spent on non-payroll staff in 2015-16 until the 2015-16 Accounts have been signed off and the National Audit Office has completed its audit. This information should be available after 6 July 2016 at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications .

In 2014-15 the FCO spent £5.9m on non payroll staff – a 24% reduction from the previous year.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-06-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how much was spent on non-payroll staff in his Department in 2015-16.

David Mundell

The Scotland Office spend on non-payroll staff in 2015-16 was £121,369.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-06-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the capping of payments to NHS agency staff on levels of patient safety.

Alistair Burt

Patient safety continues to be paramount and the rules include a ‘break glass’ provision for trusts should there be a need to pay in excess of the agency price caps for patient safety reasons. Trust boards are responsible for monitoring the impact of price caps and ensuring patient safety. More broadly, the Care Quality Commission Chief Inspector of Hospitals has been clear that he wants to see fewer agency staff because of the patient safety implications – continuity of care being so important to good services for patients.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-09-15.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, which companies tendered for the error and fraud tax credit contract with HM Revenue and Customs.

Jane Ellison

HM Revenue and Customs, under appropriate procurement transparency mandates, publishes details of all suppliers who are awarded contracts with the Department. Whilst information on all bidding companies (and their bids) is retained, the list of such companies is commercially sensitive and cannot, in this instance, be disclosed.