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105814

registered interest
date	03/11/2014
answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept id	26
answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
hansard heading	Technology: Greater London
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what future investment the Government plans to make to promote the technology sector in London.
tabling member constituency	Tottenham
tabling member printed	Mr David Lammy
uin	212963
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/11/2014 answer text <p>London is the tech capital of Europe. The Government has played a key part in its success. It supports Tech City UK which delivers support services and programmes to tech businesses in London and UK-wide. London and Partners promotes the London wide tech sector, working on behalf of the Mayor of London and other commercial partners, including Tech City for which it took over specific responsibility in April this year.</p><p> </p><p>Technology companies in London will benefit from a range of government funding such as the:</p><p> </p><p>• recently announced 5m funding (£2m in 2015/2016 and a provisional allocation of £3m in 2016/17) for a pilot digital skills programme to be run by the London Enterprise Panel as part of the London Growth Deal.</p><p> </p><p>• A new Digital Catapult, located in King’s Cross, with £50m over 5 years to provide tech companies with access to expertise and enable them to develop new products and services.</p><p> </p><p>• £40K, this financial year, for Tech City UK’s Future Fifty Programme. Of the 50 tech companies, 37 of them are headquartered in London.</p><p> </p><p>• £400K this financial year for Tech City UK’s Digital Business Academy - an online training programme to ensure everyone has the much needed digital skills.</p><p> </p><p>We will have the lowest corporation tax rate in the G7 from next year. Technology companies can also benefit from other tax incentives such as the Patent Box, which can give an effective 10% tax rate for qualifying net revenue arising from EU or UK registered patents, R&amp;D tax credits, the Enterprise Investment Scheme and the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme.</p><p> </p><p>The Government launched the new computing curriculum in September 2014, to ensure a pipeline of digitally skilled individuals. £3.5m of funding has been provided to ensure teachers have the skills to teach the curriculum and there are a number of coding clubs available in London schools, to inspire young people about the career opportunities digital skills provide.</p><p> </p><p>There is also good work at a local level, for example, Camden Council has started to set up code clubs in schools, see the following link: <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/local-government-network/2013/sep/02/camden-council-pioneers-coding-in-schools" target="_blank">http://www.theguardian.com/local-government-network/2013/sep/02/camden-council-pioneers-coding-in-schools</a></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Wantage answering member printed Mr Edward Vaizey question first answered 17/11/2014 17:06:59 answering member 1580 label Biography information for Lord Vaizey of Didcot
tabling member	206 label Biography information for Mr David Lammy

105845

registered interest
date	03/11/2014
answering body	HM Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Public Appointments
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, on how many occasions his Department has had requests for appointments by exception to the Senior Civil Service turned down by the Civil Service Commission since 2010; and who was appointed for each such post.
tabling member constituency	Barrow and Furness
tabling member printed	John Woodcock
uin	213056
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/11/2014 answer text <p>I refer the hon. Member to the Answer the Minister of State for the Cabinet Office gave him on 10 November 2014, Parliamentary UIN 213040</p><p> </p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 11/11/2014 16:41:32 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
tabling member	3917 label Biography information for Lord Walney

105846

registered interest
date	03/11/2014
answering body	HM Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Public Appointments
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, on how many occasions his Department has made appointments by exception since 2010; and who was appointed for each such post.
tabling member constituency	Barrow and Furness
tabling member printed	John Woodcock
uin	213036
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/02/2015 answer text <p>The Civil Service Commission publish details of appointments made by exception and approved by them in their annual reports and on their website. These reports are also available in the Library of the House.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 02/02/2015 14:16:04 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
tabling member	3917 label Biography information for Lord Walney

105850

registered interest
date	03/11/2014
answering body	HM Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Pay
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many Instant Rewards of what value were given to his Department's officials in (a) 2013 and (b) 2014 to date.
tabling member constituency	Barrow and Furness
tabling member printed	John Woodcock
uin	213076
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/11/2014 answer text <p>HM Treasury does not have or operate an instant reward scheme.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 11/11/2014 16:42:43 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
tabling member	3917 label Biography information for Lord Walney

105855

registered interest
date	03/11/2014
answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
hansard heading	Public Appointments
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, on how many occasions his Department has made appointments by exception since 2010; and who was appointed for each such post.
tabling member constituency	Barrow and Furness
tabling member printed	John Woodcock
uin	213021
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/11/2014 answer text <p>My Department recruits on the basis of fair and open competition, with candidates being appointed on the basis of merit.</p><p> </p><p>There are a very small number of exceptions, which are recognised by the Civil Service Commission; in our Department’s case, this is generally due to facilitate specific secondments from external organisations (for example, there were a series of fire secondments to provide support for the Olympics fire and security team), or to allow for appointments of individuals with specialised skillsets (for example, local audit) or for a time-limited project.</p><p> </p><p>The attached table gives a breakdown for each year since 2010-11, and to facilitate scrutiny, I have included 2009-10 to enable comparison with the use of exceptions under the last Administration.</p><p> </p><p>Figures for 2014-15 will be submitted in due course. Due to Data Protection obligations, it is not appropriate to disclose the identity of the individual staff concerned.</p><p> </p><p>More information on the civil Service Commission's guidance on recruitment exceptions can be found online at:</p><p><a href="http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Recruitment-Principles-April-2014.pdf" target="_blank">http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Recruitment-Principles-April-2014.pdf</a> (Annex A)</p><p> </p><p>More broadly, my Department has taken steps to open up job vacancies in the Department to a wider audience.</p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Kris Hopkins question first answered 21/11/2014 14:47:38 answering member 4043 label Biography information for Kris Hopkins attachment 1 file name PQ 213021 Woodcock - Table Final.docx title Table to PQ 213021
tabling member	3917 label Biography information for Lord Walney

105857

registered interest
date	03/11/2014
answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
hansard heading	Planning Permission
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department issues on the definition of severe in relation to the effect on traffic levels for the use of (a) local planning authorities and (b) the National Planning Inspectorate.
tabling member constituency	North Devon
tabling member printed	Sir Nick Harvey
uin	213125
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/11/2014 answer text <p>Guidance on undertaking Transport Assessments and Statements has been set out in the Planning Practice Guidance for everyone using the planning system, including local planning authorities and the Planning Inspectorate. <br><br>It is for the local planning authority in considering planning applications or the Planning Inspector in considering planning appeals to consider whether improvements can be undertaken within the transport network that cost effectively limit the significant impact of the development on traffic levels, and determine whether the residual cumulative impacts of development are severe. <br><br></p> answering member constituency Great Yarmouth answering member printed Brandon Lewis question first answered 17/11/2014 11:32:29 answering member 4009 label Biography information for Sir Brandon Lewis
tabling member	231 label Biography information for Sir Nick Harvey

105860

registered interest
date	03/11/2014
answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
hansard heading	Pay
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many Instant Rewards of what value were given to his Department's officials in (a) 2013 and (b) 2014 to date.
tabling member constituency	Barrow and Furness
tabling member printed	John Woodcock
uin	213061
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/11/2014 answer text <p>The Department has reduced staffing costs from £218 million a year in 2009-10 to £95 million in 2013-14. We have also completely overhauled and reformed the system of bonuses, in turn, reducing spending from £1.3 million in financial year 2008-09 and £1.2 million in financial year 2009-10 (£1.0 million in performance year 2009-10) to £440,000 in performance year 2013-14.</p><p> </p><p>For staff who are not Senior Civil Service, this included replacing the Annual Performance Bonus Scheme and the in-year Special Bonus Scheme, with an Exceptional Performance Scheme and in-year Instant Voucher Reward Scheme. The latter is designed to enable managers to provide immediate acknowledgment of exceptional performance for smaller scale achievements over a short period of time. Vouchers are given in values of £10 to £50.</p><p> </p><p>The types of work that may qualify for a nomination include:</p><p> </p><ul><li>identifying and taking actions that results in cost savings and efficiencies;</li><li>stepping in to support colleagues at short notice to deliver business goals;</li><li>delivering high quality work ahead of agreed timescales;</li><li>exceeding the expectations of colleagues or customers;</li><li>displaying exemplary behaviour which reflects DCLG’s values;</li><li>receiving outstanding feedback from colleagues or external customers.</li></ul><p> </p><p>From the scheme’s launch in June 2013 to December 2013, 360 staff received a reward with an average payment of £34. From January 2014 to September 2014, 285 staff received a reward with an average payment of £30.</p><p> </p><p>I am unsure of whether the hon. Member wishes to disparage such small-scale bonuses because they may involve giving out shopping vouchers, yet we believe that they are a cost-effective way of improving staff performance within Whitehall and delivering a better service to the public.</p><p> </p><p>Indeed, the vouchers given for saving taxpayers’ money have delivered at least £40,000 of quantifiable savings and further efficiency improvements on top. Under the Labour Government, the state congratulated those that regulated more, spent more and taxed more. We want to reward those who regulate less, spend less and tax less.</p><p> </p><p>I would hope the hon. Member, as a Co-operative Party MP, supports the underlying principles of staff involvement, economic participation and self-improvement which we are embracing.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Kris Hopkins question first answered 18/11/2014 17:13:20 answering member 4043 label Biography information for Kris Hopkins
tabling member	3917 label Biography information for Lord Walney

101765

registered interest
date	30/10/2014
answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept id	26
answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
hansard heading	Timber: Imports
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what tonnage of imports of wood pellets there has been into the UK in the last three years.
tabling member constituency	Blackley and Broughton
tabling member printed	Graham Stringer
uin	212602
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/11/2014 answer text <p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Data on the net mass of imports of wood pellets are published by HMRC in Overseas Trade Statistics. Data for the years 2011 to 2013 are shown in the following tables. Due to routine updating of the commodity codes by Eurostat, wood pellets were coded as ‘44013020 - Sawdust and wood waste and scrap, agglomerated in pellets’ in 2011 but then classified to the new code ‘44013100 – wood pellets’ in 2012 and 2013. For this analysis we have combined these two headings to provide a consistent series. The values below are provided in metric tonnes, each equivalent to 1,000 kg.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td colspan="4"><p>Net mass of wood pellet imports to the UK (metric tonnes)</p></td><td> </td></tr><tr><td> </td><td><p>2011</p></td><td><p>2012</p></td><td><p>2013</p></td><td> </td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>1,015,102</p></td><td><p>1,486,899</p></td><td><p>3,432,187</p></td><td> </td></tr><tr><td colspan="4"><p>Source: HMRC Overseas Trade Statistics</p></td><td> </td></tr><tr><td colspan="4"><p>Note: wood pellets were classified as 'HS 44013020 - Sawdust and wood waste and scrap, agglomerated in pellets' in 2011 and as 'HS 44013100 - Wood pellets' in 2012 and 2013</p></td><td> </td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock question first answered 11/11/2014 15:20:39 answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock previous answer version 26406 answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock
tabling member	449 label Biography information for Graham Stringer

100565

registered interest
date	22/10/2014
answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
hansard heading	Housing Revenue Accounts: Tower Hamlets
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 14 October (HL1902), whether they will place in the Library of the House copies of the correspondence encouraging the London Borough of Tower Hamlets to revise its bid for funding from the Local Growth Fund Housing Revenue Account Borrowing Programme 2015–17.
tabling member printed	Baroness King of Bow
uin	HL2302
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/11/2014 answer text <p>I have today placed copies of the relevant letters - a letter from the Minister for Housing to all stock holding local authorities dated 7 July 2014; a letter from officials to the London Borough of Tower Hamlets also dated 7 July 2014; and a second letter to the authority dated 5 August 2014 - in the Library of the House.</p><p> </p><p>The Greater London Authority, which has an operational involvement in the programme in London, also had discussions with the Council, but such correspondence/information is not held by my Department.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon attachment 1 file name PQ428929 HL2302 - Letter1_Redacted.pdf title Minister of Housing 7 July 2014 2 file name PQ428929 HL2302 - Letter2_Redacted.pdf title London Borough of Tower Hamlets 7 July 2014 3 file name PQ428929 HL2302 - Letter3_Redacted.pdf title London Borough of Tower Hamlets 5 August 2014 question first answered 19/11/2014 14:48:36 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	143 label Biography information for Baroness King of Bow