The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-02-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the rate of pay is for cleaners in his Department.
Mark Lancaster
Cleaning within the Ministry of Defence is undertaken through estate maintenance contracts and therefore information on the rates of pay for cleaners is held by a number of third parties and not by the Department.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Cooper on 2016-04-08.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many disabled people joined the workforce in each sector in (a) 2013, (b) 2014 and (c) 2015.
Mr Rob Wilson
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2016-04-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the smallest amount of unpaid tax that has led to a criminal prosecution in the UK in the last 10 years.
Lord O’Neill of Gatley
The information is not held in the form requested.
The smallest amount of revenue loss prevented in respect of individuals prosecuted between 2011/12 and 2014/15 is £162. The person prosecuted was a member of aircrew who attempted to bring 600 cigarettes into the UK without declaring them, thus attempting to evade the correct excise duty on them. Aircrew are deemed to hold privileged positions due to their unrestricted airport access and HM Revenue and Customs has a zero tolerance approach to prosecution should they not declare dutiable goods when entering the UK.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-05-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports he has received on the detention of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe in Iran; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Philip Hammond
We have repeatedly raised this matter with Iran. Iran does not recognise dual nationality and as such does not grant us consular access in these cases. We have therefore not been given any details about Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s detention. We understand that she has now been released from solitary confinement. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Rochford and Southend East (James Duddridge) raised our concerns this week with the Iranian Chargé d’affaires.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Coyle on 2016-07-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will publish any research it holds on attendance allowance claimants and how such claimants use that funding.
Justin Tomlinson
The Department publishes its research and statistics on Gov.uk, with links to research available on https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-work-pensions/about/research. There are no current plans to publish any further research on Attendance Allowance claimants outside the regular statistical publications it produces.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon on 2016-09-13.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure the safety of users of the M4 motorway following the removal of the hard shoulders, and what arrangements will be made for the emergency services to have urgent and easy access to the motorway in the event of accidents and other incidents.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The M4 Junctions 3 to 12 smart motorway scheme incorporates the following features to ensure safety is maintained:
This allows Highways England to create an emergency lane or lanes on any lane on the motorway, with signs and signals to provide access for the emergency services or traffic officers.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2015-11-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will ensure that any agreement on a central registry of beneficial ownership in the British Virgin Islands will include access for the public with legitimate reason, in line with the Fourth EU Anti Money Laundering Directive.
Mr Hugo Swire
I refer the Honourable Gentleman to the answer the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, my hon. Friend, the Member for South West Hertfordshire (David Gauke MP), gave on 16 October 2015 (PQ10437, PQ10438 and PQ10448), which sets out the criteria we expect the Overseas Territories to meet in relation to their central register of company beneficial ownership, or similarly effective system.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2015-12-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent representations she has received on reforms to the Pet Travel Scheme to make it harder to smuggle animals into the UK.
George Eustice
Defra actively shares intelligence relating to abuse of the EU pet travel scheme. Evidence collected by the Animal and Plant Health Agency, Local Authorities and welfare organisations has led to investigations in other EU countries.
The UK maintains effective border controls and all the relevant agencies work together to target people who systematically abuse the rules.
The illegal trade is ultimately driven by demand. Defra have published guidance on buying a pet and have worked closely with the Pet Advertising Advisory Group to drive up standards for online advertisements.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Parish on 2016-01-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, when her Department plans to publish the terms of reference for its Renewable Heat Incentive consultation.
Andrea Leadsom
To be eligible for Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) support, all biomass combined heat and power (CHP) must be certified by the Combined Heat and Power Quality Assurance (CHPQA) scheme, and must demonstrate that they have a valid CHPQA certificate. Any installation claiming the CHP Renewable Obligation Certificate uplift will not be eligible for receiving support under the RHI scheme.
We intend to reform the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) to improve value for money and reduce costs; improve cost control and budget management; and ensure the scheme focuses more on our long-term needs, while contributing to both our carbon and renewable energy targets. We plan to consult on the changes shortly. Therefore, I am unable to make specific commitments as to the future shape of the scheme at this point.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Seema Malhotra on 2016-02-01.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many prosecutions have arisen from investigations undertaken by HM Revenue and Customs Large Business Service in each of the last three years; and what the (a) category of taxes involved in and (b) result was of each such prosecution.
Mr David Gauke
Criminal investigation by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is part of a number of compliance interventions. Criminal investigation and prosecution act as a deterrent and support wider and more cost effective compliance interventions.
HMRC takes cases to court when litigation is necessary. Since April 2013, HMRC has won 80%. Over £1.37 billion tax was protected by litigation against large business avoidance in that period.