The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2016-03-08.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what bids his Department received for funding from the tampon tax fund by the deadline of 22 February 2016; and how such bids are being assessed.
Mr David Gauke
As the Chancellor set out at the Autumn Statement, further donations and recipients will be announced at Budget 2016
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-04-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the press release entitled Nicky Morgan unveils new vision for the education system, published on 17 March 2016, whether religious education will continue to be a statutory subject in state schools in England.
Nick Gibb
Religious education (RE) remains compulsory for all state funded schools, including academies and free schools, at all key stages. The Government firmly believes in the importance of RE. High quality RE can develop children’s knowledge of the values and traditions of Britain and other countries, and foster understanding among different faiths and cultures.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-05-18.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of employee share ownership schemes on (a) productivity levels and (b) the public purse in the last 12 months.
Mr David Gauke
Tax-advantaged employee share schemes are greatly valued by both companies and employers, and the government wants to make sure that the rules surrounding these schemes are as simple and clear as possible. Budget 2016 made a number of changes to the rules for employment-related securities and options which will make these schemes fairer and easier for taxpayers to understand, and therefore encourage businesses to use them.
An HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) commissioned report conducted by Oxera considered the effect of the tax-advantaged employee share schemes on productivity. The report is available at: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110203095056/http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/research/tax-advantaged-report2.pdf.
The government’s most recent assessment of the cost of the tax-advantaged employee share schemes to the Exchequer is provided in the table below.
|
Forecast cost of Income Tax relief (2015-16) |
Forecast cost of National Insurance relief (2015-16) |
|
|
Share Incentive Plan |
£220 million |
£165 million |
|
Save As You Earn |
£180 million |
£140 million |
|
Enterprise Management Incentives |
£70 million |
£40 million |
|
Company Share Option Plan |
£70 million |
£40 million |
HMRC has not withdrawn the valuation checking service for the tax-advantaged employee share schemes. However, HMRC has withdrawn other checks for non-tax advantaged schemes as, in the majority of cases, acceptable valuations were submitted. Therefore, the valuation service added no value and is seen as unnecessary.
The government keeps all areas of the tax system under review and as part of that in always interested in understanding the views of all interested parties.
Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at: http://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Dowd on 2016-06-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) prosecutions and (b) convictions there have been under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 in each year since 2005.
Mr John Hayes
Since 2005, there have been no prosecutions, and therefore no convictions, under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2016-09-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on co-operation with NATO over maritime security.
Sir Alan Duncan
Cooperation between NATO and the EU in maritime security, as well as in other areas of security policy, is a key priority for HMG, and one which we raise regularly in discussions with EU and NATO counterparts.
The UK strongly supported the tasking from the NATO Warsaw Summit in July for improving such cooperation, where we believe NATO and the EU have complementary roles to play. In the current operations, this mean cooperation in the Aegean Sea, to tackle irregular migrant flows between Greece and Turkey, and co-ordination in respect of Operation Sophia in the Mediterranean Sea, and anti-piracy activities in the Indian Ocean.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Joan Ryan on 2015-11-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the (a) human rights situation in Sri Lanka and (b) detention of Tamil political prisoners in that country.
Mr Hugo Swire
We warmly welcomed the resolution on promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights which was co-sponsored by Sri Lanka and adopted by the UN Human Rights Council on 1 October. Since President Sirisena came to power in January, there have been improvements in the human rights situation in Sri Lanka, including on freedom of expression, some return of military held land, and improved relations between different communities. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office will provide a further assessment in our 2015 Annual Human Rights and Democracy Report. We regularly raise matters of concern with the Sri Lankan government, including the detention of Tamil political prisoners without trial. We have been encouraged by the recent announcements that bail has been granted to 39 prisoners being held under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2015-12-08.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the size of the Farming Recovery Fund, and how much has been paid to farmers to date.
Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Farmers affected by the recent flooding in Northern England will be able to apply for between £500 and £20,000 to cover the cost of work to restore damaged agricultural land.
The scheme is due to open for applications on 18 December and we will pay out on all eligible claims.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Toby Perkins on 2016-01-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of whether Rolls Royce will complete the Nuclear Reactor Component of the Successor Programme on schedule; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Philip Dunne
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 20 January 2016 to Question 22344.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-02-10.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 15 January 2016 to Question 20496, how many people were (a) prosecuted and (b) convicted of offences relating to (i) corporation tax, (ii) income tax, national insurance contributions, capital gains tax and inheritance tax and (iii) other tax-related offences in each financial year since 2010-11.
Mr David Gauke
The information is not held in the format requested. To provide the answers would incur disproportionate cost since the prosecution and conviction data has been captured centrally in alternative categories.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-03-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of his Department’s (a) Senior Civil Servants and (b) core policy civil servants are based in London.
Mark Lancaster
In the Ministry of Defence (MOD), 31.3% of Senior Civil Servants and those of an equivalent grade, primarily Senior Medical Specialists, are based in London.
The proportion of MOD civil servants employed in policy roles is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.