The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rachel Reeves on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much was spent by her Department on private school fees for children whose parents are stationed (a) in the UK and (b) overseas in the last financial year.
Rory Stewart
This information is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost to the taxpayer.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rachel Reeves on 2015-11-30.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the effect on the income of an existing tax credit claimant in (a) 2018-19 and (b) 2019-20 of changes announced to tax credits and the universal credit rollout in the Summer Budget 2015 and the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015.
Priti Patel
At the summer budget the Chancellor of the Exchequer set out the Government’s commitment to move the UK from a high tax, high welfare, low wage society to a lower tax, lower welfare, higher wage society. This remains the case, and Universal Credit (UC) is delivering this.
UC is a fundamentally different benefit to the legacy benefit system and provides people with support into, and to progress in work.
Therefore there is no meaningful way of comparing an unreformed Tax Credit system with Universal Credit. The Government has committed to transitional arrangements as we reform the benefits and Tax Credit system. Those transferred by DWP from tax credits to UC will receive Transitional Protection. In addition, estimates of entitlements under UC of the sort requested will vary depending on assumptions on the level of earnings.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rachel Reeves on 2016-01-13.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of introducing flat rate tax relief on pensions contributions.
Harriett Baldwin
At the Summer Budget 2015 the government launched a consultation on whether there is a case for reforming pensions tax relief to strengthen incentives to save and offer savers greater simplicity and transparency, or whether it would be best to keep with the current system. The government is considering the response and will publish a response at Budget 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rachel Reeves on 2016-05-18.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress he has made in increasing the long-term growth rate of Yorkshire to at least the long-term growth rate of the whole of the UK in accordance with the Long-Term Economic Plan for Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire.
Greg Hands
The Office for National Statistics have not yet published an estimate of how the Yorkshire economy has grown following the announcement of the Long Term Economic Plan for Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire in February 2015.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rachel Reeves on 2016-07-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what provision schools make for Muslim children who want to take time off school for Eid.
Nick Gibb
A school should treat a pupil’s absence as authorised if a pupil is unable to attend on a day exclusively set apart for religious observance by the religious body to which their parent belongs.
This is set out in Regulation 6(2)(b)(ii) of the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006, available at: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2006/1751/regulation/6/made
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rachel Reeves on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much his Department spent on private school fees for children whose parents are stationed (a) in the UK and (b) overseas in 2015-16.
Sir Alan Duncan
The total cost of 179 diplomatic officers stationed in the UK in receipt of school fees is £6,005,124. The total cost of 173 diplomatic officers stationed overseas in receipt of school fees is £6,403.938. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office pays and supports a further 1108 children who are stationed with their parents and educated locally with a total cost of £14,207,444.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rachel Reeves on 2015-11-30.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the effect on the household income of an existing tax credit claimant family with one earner and three children in (a) 2018-19 and (b) 2019-20 of proposed changes to tax credits, assuming they are migrated to universal credit at the start of 2018 and experience a change in circumstance and lose their transitional arrangements.
Priti Patel
At the summer budget the Chancellor of the Exchequer set out the Government’s commitment to move the UK from a high tax, high welfare, low wage society to a lower tax, lower welfare, higher wage society. This remains the case, and Universal Credit (UC) is delivering this.
UC is a fundamentally different benefit to the legacy benefit system and provides people with support into, and to progress in work.
Therefore there is no meaningful way of comparing an unreformed Tax Credit system with Universal Credit. The Government has committed to transitional arrangements as we reform the benefits and Tax Credit system. Those transferred by DWP from tax credits to UC will receive Transitional Protection. In addition, estimates of entitlements under UC of the sort requested will vary depending on assumptions on the level of earnings.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rachel Reeves on 2016-01-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what (a) financial and (b) other support her Department is providing to businesses which have been affected by floods to help them make resilient repairs to their properties.
Rory Stewart
As part of the Government’s £200m recovery support package those business affected by the flooding can access Business Support Grants and business rate relief. In addition businesses are eligible for the Property Level Resilience Scheme which is being administered by Local Authorities. This provides up to £5000 per flooded property to make resilient repairs.
The Environment Agency’s Climate Ready Support Service (CRSS) provides advice, guidance and tailored sector support to help organisations adapt to the changing climate. This includes a Business Resilience Healthcheck (BRHC). This was developed with Business in the Community and Climate UK (CUK) to help businesses identify their vulnerability to a number of risks, including severe weather events and climate change.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rachel Reeves on 2016-05-18.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will estimate how many jobs have been created in Yorkshire since May 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 Rachel Reeves on 2016-07-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress her Department has made on supporting access to mobile digital technology for farmers.
Rory Stewart
Improving mobile connectivity across the country is a key priority for the Government. Defra works closely with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) on this, with a key focus on rural and hard to reach areas. Defra Ministers are directly involved through meetings with DCMS Ministers and the Digital Implementation Taskforce.
4G mobile rollout in the UK has been one of the fastest in Europe; 90% of premises now have 4G coverage from at least one operator. Two legally binding licence obligations will help deliver improved mobile coverage across the UK. Telefonica will provide indoor 4G coverage to 98% of UK premises by the end of 2017. This complements the obligation on each of the UK’s four mobile network operators to provide voice and text coverage to at least 90% of UK landmass, also by the end of 2017.
To facilitate rollout, the Government is reforming the Electronic Communications Code to make it cheaper for the industry to provide coverage and is introducing reforms to the planning regime to allow, amongst other things, taller masts and to enable upgrades of communications infrastructure.