Tag: Rachel Reeves

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rachel Reeves on 2016-05-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what Government funding has been awarded to (a) Welcome to Yorkshire, (b) the campaign to bring the Turner Prize to Hull in 2017 and (c) the creation of a new cycle gateway to the Yorkshire Dales National Park since the publication of the Long-Term Economic Plan for Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire in February 2015.

David Evennett

Over the last two financial years, Welcome to Yorkshire has received a total of ​£1,619,100 of Government funding to promote tourism and the success of cycling in Yorkshire, building on the Grand Depart.

This Government is providing £1.5million funding for the Ferens gallery in Hull so it can host the 2017 Turner prize.

And in 2014, the Canal River Trust won £450,000 from the Cycling Ambition in National Park programme for a range of cycling schemes, including the transformation of a 4km stretch of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal centred on the market town of Skipton, which is also a key gateway to the Yorkshire Dales.

On 24 May Government announced funding for both the Sustainable Travel Transition Year Fund 2016/17, and the North East Lincolnshire and Lincolnshire, with projects earmarked across the region but not in the specific Yorkshire Dales area.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rachel Reeves on 2016-07-06.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the cost to the Exchequer has been of reductions to corporation tax since 2010.

Mr David Gauke

Overall cuts delivered to corporation tax will be worth almost £15bn a year to business by the end of this Parliament. This has enabled businesses to increase investment, take on new staff, increase wages, or reduce prices.

Official costings of any policy announcements can be found in Budget or Autumn Statement documents. The cost of the cut to 17% for instance can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/budget-2016-documents/budget-2016#policy-decisions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rachel Reeves on 2015-11-26.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the effect on the household income of a family with one earner and two children which becomes a new claimant of universal credit and is not migrating from a legacy benefit of the Government’s proposed changes to universal credit announced in the Summer Budget 2015 in each of the next four financial years.

Damian Hinds

This issue is a matter for the Department for Work and Pensions. I understand that the Minister for Work and Pensions has responded to an identical question tabled by the hon Member.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rachel Reeves on 2016-01-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of flood defence spending in Leeds.

Rory Stewart

A proposal for a £188 million flood alleviation scheme for central Leeds was submitted to Defra in January 2010. The proposal was analysed and a number of concerns were identified. As a result of that analysis the Environment Agency agreed to work with Leeds City Council to consider alternatives. The City Council subsequently submitted a bid for the first phase of a phased scheme. We have committed £33 million to better protect Leeds City Centre, benefitting thousands of homes and businesses. No bid has yet been made for further phases.

Whenever an exceptional event happens it is important to review what happened and how to prepare for the future, and the Environment Agency will be doing this following the recent flooding incident. The flood response in Yorkshire will be overseen by Transport Minister Robert Goodwill, who has been appointed as Flooding Envoy to the county and will track progress on recovery and identify lessons learnt.

Work has also already started on the National Resilience Review, which is considering forecasting and modelling, resilience of key infrastructure and the way we make decisions on flood expenditure. The Review is being delivered by a cross-Government team and will be published in the summer.

In response to the flooding, £40 million of funding has been committed to repair flood defences. Construction of the new flood defences is already underway. The Secretary of State will be discussing this issue and the future resilience of the city with Leeds MPs shortly.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rachel Reeves on 2016-04-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of extending statutory (a) maternity pay, (b) paternity pay and (c) sick pay to self-employed people.

Priti Patel

The Government is looking at what more could be done to support the self-employed, but do not have plans to extend Statutory Payments to self-employed people. Statutory payments are paid by employers to qualifying employees.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rachel Reeves on 2016-06-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will estimate the cost of providing free school meals to children of people in receipt of universal credit upon the full roll-out of that benefit; and what the cost was of the provision of such free school meals to children of people in receipt of benefits prior to the roll-out of universal credit.

Mr Sam Gyimah

We will continue to ensure that children from the poorest families benefit from a free school meal. My Department is continuing to work closely with the Department for Work and Pensions to consider eligibility criteria for free school meals following the introduction of Universal Credit. In the meantime, any child in a family in receipt of Universal Credit will continue to be entitled to free school meals.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rachel Reeves on 2016-07-06.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of a reduction of corporation tax to (a) 15 (b) 14 and (c) 10 per cent by (i) UK region and (ii sector.

Mr David Gauke

The corporation tax reductions since 2010 have been designed to increase the competitiveness of the UK business tax system and to support investment and jobs in the UK. Their positive effect has been evidenced by strong growth in GDP, employment, and business investment since 2010. The Chancellor has now set out his ambition to reduce the corporation tax rate further, to 15 percent or below, to reinforce this strategy and send a clear message that the UK is open for business.

Further breakdowns of the corporation tax paying population can be found in HMRC’s annual analyses of receipts:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/524565/Corporation_Tax_Statistics_May_2016.pdf

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rachel Reeves on 2015-11-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the effect on the income of a new claimant of universal credit who is not migrating from a legacy benefit of the Government’s proposed changes to universal credit announced in the Summer Budget 2015 in each of the next four financial years.

Priti Patel

The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rachel Reeves on 2016-01-13.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his policy is on increasing the annual limit for ISA contributions.

Harriett Baldwin

As announced at Autumn Statement 2015, the annual ISA subscription limit for 2016-17 is being maintained at its current level of £15,240. However, the government keeps all aspects of the tax system under review.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rachel Reeves on 2016-04-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the effect of the reduction of work allowances under universal credit announced in the Summer Budget 2015 on the number of children living in relative poverty in (a) 2016-17, (b) 2017-18, (c) 2018-19, (d) 2019-20 and (e) 2020-21.

Priti Patel

The Government is committed to working to eliminate child poverty and improve life chances for children. Work remains the best route out of poverty, and Universal Credit is designed to strengthen incentives for parents to move into and progress in work. Early evidence shows claimants move into work significantly faster than under the current system. In addition, Universal Credit now provides for 85% of childcare costs meaning more support for hardworking families.