The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hay of Ballyore on 2015-12-15.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans, if any, they have for reducing the rate of VAT on the hospitality sector in Northern Ireland.
Lord O’Neill of Gatley
Normal EU VAT rules do not permit the variation of rates within a Member State. The Government currently has no plans to introduce a reduced rate of VAT for the UK hospitality sector.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Debbie Abrahams on 2016-01-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what projection his Department has made of the annual spend on the contracted-out element of back to work support for the forthcoming Work and Health Programme; and how that spend compares with the annual spend on the current Work Programme and Work Choice.
Priti Patel
We are currently working on the design of the new Work and Health programme and we will publish the design and funding in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2016-02-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they plan to take following their consultation on the EBacc.
Lord Nash
The consultation closed on 29 January. We are currently considering the responses and plan to publish the government response in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-03-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent estimate she has made of the (a) annual contribution to the economy of food production and (b) number of people employed in the food production industry.
George Eustice
The latest provisional data shows that in 2014 the whole food chain from farming to retail and catering was worth £108 billion to National Gross Value Added, and employed 3.8 million people. Within this, farming contributed £10.7 billion Gross Value Added and employed 440 thousand people, and food and drink manufacturing contributed £26.9 billion Gross Value Added and employed 410 thousand people. These statistics are derived from the Aggregate Agricultural Accounts by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and the Annual Business Survey and the Labour Force Survey by the Office for National Statistics.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2016-04-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will raise with his Bahraini counterpart the treatment of Hassan Mushiema.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
We are aware of the case of Hassan Mushaima and we have raised it with the Government of Bahrain. We continue to encourage the Government of Bahrain to deliver on its international and domestic human rights commitments and to appropriately address all reports of ill-treatment of detainees. We also encourage all those with concerns about their treatment in detention to report these directly to the Ombudsman.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne Main on 2016-05-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with the European Commission on infraction proceedings relating to the UK breaching EU nitrogen dioxide limits.
Rory Stewart
The Government is committed to improving the UK’s air quality, reducing health impacts, and fulfilling our environmental responsibilities.
In December last year the Government published the national air quality plan which sets out a comprehensive approach for meeting these goals by implementing a new programme of Clean Air Zones.
The Government is keeping the European Commission informed of the significant action that the UK is taking to address air pollution.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rosie Cooper on 2016-07-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress her Department has made on implementation of the recommendations of the Harris Review.
Sir Oliver Heald
I refer the Hon Member to the answer given on 19 April (PQ 34222).
The government’s response to the Harris Review was published in December 2015 and is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/486564/gov-response-harris-review.pdf
Work continues on implementation of those recommendations which the Government accepted which have not already been implemented.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2016-09-14.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what processes his Department has in place to review decisions made by Concentrix which resulted in the suspension of tax credits.
Jane Ellison
Information about the assurance review process can be found within the Concentrix contract at: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/85d1b730-5e4e-4be8-ae4c-3ac1f359afc7
HM Revenue and Customs monitors the financial accuracy of Concentrix decisions using the Quality Assurance Framework as part of the contract. This assures the delegation of Commissioner’s Powers is discharged correctly by Concentrix to provide customers with the correct tax credit awards. This involves HMRC reviewing a monthly sample of 500 cases where a decision has been made by Concentrix to amend a tax credit award and assuring the accuracy level of those decisions. The assurance approach is set out within sections A38 and A39 of the contract.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona Mactaggart on 2015-11-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will conduct a peer review into the death of Alan McCardle in Slough.
Priti Patel
The department is unable to comment on individual cases.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Naseby on 2015-12-15.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 8 December (HL3846), how much grant the Department of Health will provide to Action on Smoking and Health in the current financial year, and whether they will place a copy of any grant application and award letter in the Library of the House.
Lord Prior of Brampton
The Department will provide a grant of £150,000 to Action on Smoking and Health in the 2015/16 financial year. This grant is awarded under Section 64 of the Health and Social Care Act 1968.
A copy of the signed award letter, including the detailed deliverables of the grant, has been attached.