The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mary Creagh on 2015-01-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what budget was allocated by her Department to the Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund in each financial year from 2009-10; and what budget is allocated to that organisation for 2015-16.
Justine Greening
Information on previous budget allocations is available at http://devtracker.dfid.gov.uk/. 2015-16 allocations remain subject to ministerial approval.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-01-14.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the cost to the Exchequer of tax relief to businesses since 2010.
Mr David Gauke
Tax reliefs are administered by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) as part of the tax system. HMRC publishes estimated costs of the principal tax expenditure and structural reliefs. The latest estimates are published on the HMRC website:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tax-expenditures-and-ready-reckoners
There are some tax reliefs which businesses can claim where estimates are not yet included in the published estimates above. These reliefs include:
Patent Box: Estimates on the cost of this relief are available within Budget 2013 documentation: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/221895/budget2013_policy_costings.pdf
Theatre Productions Tax Relief: Estimates on the cost of this relief are available within Budget 2014 documentation:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/295067/PU1638_policy_costings_bud_2014_with_correction_slip.pdf
Children’s TV Tax Relief: Estimates on the cost of this relief are available within Autumn Statement documentation: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/384071/AS2014_policy_costings_final.pdf
Oil and Gas Field allowances: The ring fence tax regime for oil and gas does include a number of field allowances, which reduce the tax burden on specific challenging field types, ensuring otherwise economic developments are not uncommercial. Companies continue to pay Ring Fence Corporation Tax (which is higher than the main CT rate) even where income is covered by the field allowance
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rosie Cooper on 2015-01-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the extent of persecution of Christian communities in the Middle East.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
We are deeply concerned by the difficulties facing many Christians and religious minorities in the Middle East and deplore all discrimination and constraints on freedom of religion.
We are committed to supporting the fundamental human right to freedom of religion or belief. We support this right for Christian communities in the Middle East by regularly urging governments at senior levels to uphold the rights of all minorities; building international consensus on freedom of religion or belief; and supporting practical projects on community dialogue with civil society and faith groups.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-01-13.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to his Department’s guidance on delivering public value from spending proposals, under what circumstances procuring a system precedes completion of the full business case.
Danny Alexander
As set out in HM Treasury’s “The Green Book — appraisal and evaluation in Central Government”, all new policies, programmes and projects should be subject to comprehensive but proportionate assessment, where it is practicable, so as best to promote the public interest. The nature of this assessment will vary according to the nature of the proposal, and is likely to be influenced by factors such as the scale and complexity of the proposed procurement.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Griffiths on 2015-01-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many children live on (a) Army, (b) Royal Navy, (c) Marines and (d) Royal Air Force bases (i) in the UK and (ii) abroad.
Anna Soubry
The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Whitaker on 2015-02-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to the recommendations made in the report by HM Inspectorate of Prisons of February 2014 reviewing the monitoring of Gypsy, Romany and Traveller prisoners.
Lord Faulks
I welcome the report by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons, People in Prison: Gypsies, Romany and Travellers.
Meeting the needs of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) prisoners has traditionally been challenging due to very low declaration rates. To address this, and to improve the support received by them, the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) has carried out work to increase the confidence of these prisoners to declare their ethnicity.
In March 2014, NOMS implemented a new tool to monitor various outcomes for prisoners against a range of protected characteristics, including GRT prisoners. This has proved to be successful and declaration rates have increased. The tool allows NOMS to better understand where gaps in services for GRT prisoners are, and for services to be commissioned where appropriate.
NOMS has worked closely with organisations such as the Friends Family and Travellers and the Irish Chaplaincy in Britain to provide information to staff and prisoners regarding best practice when working with GRT prisoners.
The Youth Justice Board (YJB) commissioned and jointly published (with HMIP) the report: ‘Children and Young People in Custody 2012-13: An Analysis of 12-18 year olds’ perceptions of their experience in secure training centres’. This was the first published annual summary of children and young people’s self-reported experiences and perceptions from surveys carried out with young people in each of the four Secure Training Centres (STCs). The YJB will continue to commission these reports and monitor the findings from this survey in future years to gain a better understanding of the representation GRT young people within STCs.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2015-02-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has assumed responsibility for the maintenance of the Royal Naval Division memorial from the original charity.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
In 2002, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), as the current occupant of the Old Admiralty Building, agreed to assume the costs for general cleaning of the Royal Naval Division Memorial and the costs of the water supply to the memorial’s fountain. The costs of any maintenance, other than cleaning, remain the responsibility of the Committee for the Royal Naval Division Memorial. In November 2013, the Committee informed the FCO that it intended to commission a condition survey of the memorial and had raised funds for any repair work. The survey commenced on 17 February 2015.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Turnberg on 2015-02-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 10 February (HL4453), what plans they have to encourage NHS Trusts to employ and re-employ experienced medical staff who wish to practice part-time towards the end of their careers.
Earl Howe
It is for local National Health Service organisations to decide how many and what staff they employ, and they are best placed to do this based on the needs of their patients and local communities.
Health Education England (HEE) is responsible for ensuring the NHS workforce has the right numbers, skills, values and behaviours to meet the needs of patients.
HEE will work with NHS Employers and other key partners to develop a more strategic and cost-effective approach to staff retention including the encouragement of greater employer focus on retaining and investing in their current staff.
To support nursing workforce requirements, HEE announced on 29 September 2014 that it is putting £4.7 million into training resources over the next three years as part of a major national campaign that will allow former nurses to return to the workforce.
Over 1,000 have entered Return to Practice programmes this year. These programmes fast track experienced nurses back into the NHS in 3-6 months, compared to 3-4 years training new nurses.
HEE is working with NHS England, the British Medical Association and the Royal College of General Practitioners to standardise a funded scheme which allows general practitioners to return to United Kingdom general practice following a career break. This is anticipated to be launched at the end of March.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Lavery on 2015-02-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether any employees of Rio Tinto plc has been seconded to his Department in the last five years.
Jo Swinson
The Department has not seconded any employees from Rio Tinto plc.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-02-11.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions his Department has had with the US (a) Treasury and (b) Justice Department on HSBC’s licence to operate in the US since HSBC’s prosecution by the US authorities for facilitating money laundering in 2012.
Mr David Gauke
Treasury Ministers and officials regularly discuss a wide range of issues with their counterparts in foreign jurisdictions.