Tag: Steve McCabe

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-05-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to the Answer of 18 April 2016 to Question 32639, how much of the investment in energy efficiency measures referred to was spent on (a) administrative costs and (b) targeted energy efficiency schemes; and what estimate she has made of the amount that will be spent on administrative costs relating to such planned investment in the current Parliament.

Andrea Leadsom

Of the £7.4bn spend last parliament, around £350m was spent by energy suppliers on administration and the remainder (around £7bn) spent on delivery.

Of the £1.8bn estimated to have spent between May 2015 and the end of March 2017 (when ECO is due to end), around £160m is expected to be spent on administration, with the remaining £1.6bn spent on delivery.

The Government has yet to consult on the design of the future supplier obligation replacing ECO, so it is not possible to estimate the administration costs beyond March 2017. However, the consultation is expected to include provisions designed to reduce the cost of administration relative to ECO, freeing up more of the estimated £1.9bn for delivery.

The administration costs are proportionately higher under this parliament, as ECO strengthened the monitoring and reporting requirements for suppliers relative to those under CERT and CESP (which were in operation during the last parliament), to allow more detailed and timely monitoring of suppliers’ progress against their obligations.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-05-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 25 April 2016 to Question 34939, on local housing allowance, when he expects to publish information on the proportion of local authorities that will receive Targeted Affordability Funding.

Justin Tomlinson

We plan to publish information about which areas and Local Housing Allowance rates will benefit from the Targeted Affordability Fund later this year.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-06-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 23 May 2016 to Question 37472, on fertility: medical treatments, whether he plans to review clinical commissioning groups’ levels of compliance with NICE guidelines.

Jane Ellison

The Department has no plans to review clinical commissioning groups’ (CCGs) compliance with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines. However, CCGs have to make prioritisation decisions on what they commission based on their local population need and having regard to national clinical guidance, including that produced by NICE.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-06-28.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information his Department publishes on its process of reviewing and revising the UK’s tax treaties with other countries.

Mr David Gauke

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have responsibility for negotiating the UK’s double taxation agreements, subject to oversight by HM Treasury. HMRC run a periodic consultation exercise to establish the negotiating priorities, which are then approved by ministers. As part of this exercise they consider representations made by UK businesses, non-governmental organisations and government departments, as well as the UK’s diplomatic missions throughout the world. The results of the last such review were published by HMRC on the gov.uk website in November 2015.

Decisions on the negotiation or renegotiation of a tax treaty are taken on the basis of a range of factors including the results of HMRC’s periodic review of the tax treaty network, economic factors, the need to counter avoidance and evasion, and the role of treaties in promoting development. We also receive requests from countries to negotiate with us, and we will endeavour to accommodate them as time and negotiating resources permit. Given the number of treaties the UK already has, most of the programme will involve renegotiating existing agreements.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-07-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many British citizens who have entered into early forced marriage have been charged with the cost of repatriation to the UK in the last four years.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) does not provide financial assistance to British nationals overseas, but is sometimes able to provide an emergency loan from public funds for pay for a repatriation. The FCO aims to support all vulnerable British Nationals overseas and this includes victims of forced marriage who receive specialist support from the Forced Marriage Unit. The Forced Marriage Unit work with colleagues overseas to repatriate forced marriage victims and arrange post-repatriation assistance which includes finding suitable emergency accommodation where needed and providing advice and support. The Forced Marriage Unit gave advice or support related to a possible forced marriage in 1,220 cases in 2015, 1,267 in 2014, 1,302 in 2013, and 1,485 in 2012. To provide more information on the nature of the assistance provided over the last 4 years, including repatriation, would involve a disproportionate cost.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to (a) reduce delays in minor planning applications and (b) increase the number of homes built by local building firms.

Gavin Barwell

In the Budget, the Government announced £3 billion of loans to house builders. The fund will consist of £2 billion in long term loans and £1 billion in short term loans. The long term element is focused on delivering infrastructure to support a strong future pipeline of housing supply, and will help unlock 160,000 – 200,000 homes. The short term element aims to diversify and support innovation in the house building industry by supporting small and medium builders, custom builders, and the use of innovative methods of construction.

In July, the Government launched the £100 million Housing Growth Fund, a partnership between the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) and Lloyds Banking Group to help smaller builders access the finance they need to build more homes and grow their businesses. The Fund is a £100 million vehicle capitalised by Lloyds and the HCA and is supporting the growth of SME house builders and expansion in the UK housing stock. The Government has also created the British Business Bank which has facilitated £782 million of new lending and investment in 2013/14 and aims to unlock up to £10 billion of financing for smaller business over the next 5 years.

Small builders will soon be able to apply to their local planning authority for ‘permission in principle’ which will enable them to gain more upfront certainty on the suitability of small sites for housing-led development, before they need to develop detailed and often costly development proposals. This will reduce the risk for small local builders to enter the market.

Through the Neighbourhood Planning Bill introduced on 7 September, the Government proposes to reform and speed up the planning process by minimising delays caused by unnecessary or overly burdensome planning conditions. The Bill measures will ensure that pre-commencement planning conditions are only used by local planning authorities where they are absolutely necessary, and that applicants are in agreement before they are imposed.

The Government took powers in the Housing and Planning Act 2016 to enable us to extend to non-major planning applications the successful performance regime for major applications, which has seen the proportion of major applications determined on time rising from 57% in July to September 2012, the quarter in which the performance regime was first announced, to 82% in the most recent quarter, the highest figure on record.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-09-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the change in the time taken to process minor planning applications between 2010 and 2015; and if he will make a statement on the reasons for the change.

Gavin Barwell

The Technical consultation on the implementation of planning changes, published in February 2016, set out our proposals for expanding the approach to improving planning performance in the processing of planning applications. We are considering responses received.

We want to raise performance, so we are extending the designation regime – which has improved processing time on major planning applications – to minor planning applications.

The attached table shows the performance in time taken to process major and minor planning applications.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-09-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 5 September 2015 to Question 43633, what the terms are of his Department’s emergency loan agreement for British nationals overseas who require assistance from public funds to pay for repatriation; and what provision his Department makes for people who cannot afford the repayment conditions.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

When a British national (BN) enters into an emergency loan agreement with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) they sign a form to declare that they have exhausted all other methods of helping themselves, and accept the sum of the debt in its entirety. By signing the form, the BN is acknowledging that if they do not repay the loan within 6 months, the remaining balance will be subject to a surcharge of 10%; and that the total amount loaned to them must be repaid within five years. Failure to repay the debt may result in legal proceedings to recover monies owed.

In most cases, people are also required to agree to give up their passport. In all cases they must acknowledge that Her Majesty’s Passport Office will not process an application for a new passport until the debt is paid in full. They must also consent for the Department for Work and Pensions to release to the FCO such information as may be relevant in respect of any non-payment.

We know that some individuals face difficulties in repaying their loan. When agreeing to the terms of the loan agreement we advise people to contact the FCO upon their return to the UK to discuss the options for loan repayment.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, (a) how many and (b) what proportion of staff employed by her Department are non-UK nationals.

George Eustice

All Government Departments are bound by legal requirements concerning the right to work in the UK and, in addition, the Civil Service Nationality Rules. Evidence of nationality is checked at the point of recruitment into the Civil Service as part of wider pre-employment checks, but there is no requirement on departments to retain this information beyond the point at which it has served its purpose.

More broadly, the Government will be consulting in due course on how we work with business to ensure that workers in this country have the skills that they need to get a job. But there are no proposals to publish lists of the number or proportion of foreign workers.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for what reason her Department has invited private sector companies to tender for work currently carried out by its civilian enforcement officers.

Dr Phillip Lee

HMCTS are considering a range of options about how best to deliver this service. The tender process will allow HMCTS to make informed decisions about what is in the best interests of the service and the taxpayer. No decision on the way forward for the Civilian Enforcement Office role has been made at the current time.