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19326

	registered interest
	date	06/11/2013
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name
	answering dept sort name
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many overseas trips, and at what total cost, his Department made in each year since 2010; and what the costs of (a) flights, (b) internal travel, (c) hotel accommodation and (d) subsistence were of each trip.
	tabling member constituency	Nottingham East
	tabling member printed	Chris Leslie
	uin	174860
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/04/2014 answer text <p> </p><p> </p><p>The Ministry of Justice has reduced the overall cost of air travel by almost half since 2009, and our total spend on all travel has fallen by more than 40 per cent in the same period – a saving of more than £9m.</p><p> </p><p>Furthermore, this year, the Justice Secretary toughened up the rules to ban first and business class travel for Ministers and officials in the department other than in exceptional circumstances where this is required to meet business need.</p><p> </p><p>Overseas travel makes up a small proportion of the Department's overall travel requirement. Flights and travel by Eurostar are booked through our contracted supplier, and whilst the MoJ records data on transactions, it does not hold details of the cost or destination of individual trips centrally. The cost of breaking down all travel in the ways requested would be disproportionate, as managers across the Department would have to create a breakdown of every trip taken, itemised by the different kinds of expenditure.</p> answering member constituency North West Cambridgeshire answering member printed Mr Shailesh Vara question first answered 30/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 1496 label Biography information for Shailesh Vara
	tabling member	422 label Biography information for Mr Chris Leslie

32172

	registered interest
	date	09/01/2014
	answering body	HM Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name
	answering dept sort name
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion and value of his Department's contracts have been let (a) under the restricted procedure, (b) by the open procedure, (c) via framework agreements and (d) via a tendering process involving the use of a pre-qualification questionnaire in each of the last three years.
	tabling member constituency	Nottingham East
	tabling member printed	Chris Leslie
	uin	182696
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/05/2014 answer text <p>Since January 2011, central government departments have been required to publish on Contracts Finder information on the tenders issued and contracts they award with a value over £10,000 (excluding VAT) (www.gov.uk/contractsfinder).</p><p> </p><p>Public Procurement Regulations require that prescribed procurement procedures are used when procurements exceed the EU contract threshold values. This legal framework helps to ensure that public procurement is conducted in a fair and open manner both within the UK and across the EU.</p><p> </p><p>Less than two percent of all contracts were let under the restricted procedure in each of the last three years.</p><p> </p><p>In 2010/11 there was one contract let under the restricted procedure. This was for actuarial support to the independent commission on Equitable Life Payments that was set up by this government to recommend how best to fairly allocate funds provided for the Equitable Life Payments Scheme (ELPS) and had a contract value of £1million.</p><p> </p><p>In 2011/12 there were two contracts let under the restricted procedure. They were (i) Corporate Financial Advice framework contract (estimated contract value of £5 million over the 2 years but no guaranteed spend)and (ii) a contract for actuarial support for (ELPS) in making fair and transparent payments to Equitable Life policyholders who suffered financial losses as a result of Government maladministration which occurred in the regulation of Equitable Life. The contract value was £5.4 million.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The information requested for the proportion and value of HM Treasury contracts that have been let via framework agreements and where a tendering process involving the use of a pre-qualification questionnaire in each of the last three years is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 07/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
	tabling member	422 label Biography information for Mr Chris Leslie

33137

	registered interest
	date	15/01/2014
	answering body	HM Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name
	answering dept sort name
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many (a) laundering plants and (b) millions of litres of fuel were seized in the UK by HM Revenue and Customs in each of the last 10 years.
	tabling member constituency	East Antrim
	tabling member printed	Sammy Wilson
	uin	183466
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/05/2014 answer text <p>Figures are only available for the years 2010-11 and onwards. The number of laundering plants and millions of litres of fuel seized in those years was as follows.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Year</p></td><td><p>Laundering Plants</p></td><td><p>Fuel (millions litres)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2010-11</p></td><td><p>23 (20 NI 3 GB)</p></td><td><p>2.74</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011-12</p></td><td><p>29 (NI figure only)</p></td><td><p>2.44</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012-13 to Dec 13</p></td><td><p>26 (22 NI 4 GB)</p></td><td><p>2.63</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>HMRC fights fraud on a wide range of fronts, from special units performing thousands of roadside checks to raiding laundering plants. HMRC has also recently concluded the evaluation of a possible new marker for rebated fuel, which will make it harder to launder marked fuel and sell it at a profit.</p><p> </p><p>HMRC uses several avenues to tackle fraud: criminal prosecution, civil action (such as seizing fuel or pumps), civil penalties and strong regulatory controls.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Loughborough answering member printed Nicky Morgan question first answered 06/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 4027 label Biography information for Baroness Morgan of Cotes
	tabling member	1593 label Biography information for Sammy Wilson

34100

	registered interest
	date	21/01/2014
	answering body	Ministry of Defence
	answering dept id	11
	answering dept short name
	answering dept sort name
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's Costing and Cost Management Strategy.
	tabling member constituency	Mid Sussex
	tabling member printed	Nicholas Soames
	uin	184212
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/05/2014 answer text <p>Costing and Cost Management Strategy is an internal Ministry of Defence document and is not for external publication.</p> answering member constituency Rayleigh and Wickford answering member printed Mr Mark Francois question first answered 01/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 1444 label Biography information for Mr Mark Francois
	tabling member	116 label Biography information for Lord Soames of Fletching

36720

	registered interest
	date	04/02/2014
	answering body	HM Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name
	answering dept sort name
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of (a) permanent, (b) temporary and (c) contract staff in his Department as paid the living wage or above.
	tabling member constituency	Bradford East
	tabling member printed	Mr David Ward
	uin	186697
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/05/2014 answer text <p>100% of permanent and temporary staff at HM Treasury are paid the Living Wage or above.</p><p> </p><p>HM Treasury fully complies with EU procurement directives and awards contracts on the basis of the best value for money for the taxpayer. Nevertheless, we have encouraged contractors to commit to paying a living wage and expect all employers to pay at least the national minimum wage.</p><p> </p><p>The Government supports businesses that choose to pay the Living Wage however the Government's main policy on wages is the National Minimum Wage, which has continued to protect the relative wages of the low paid. This is independently set by the Low Pay Commission at a level that maximises their wages without reducing employment prospect. It is for workers and employers to decide the level of wages above the minimum wage based on current circumstances. This includes the Government as a procurer and an employer. Over 95%, around 20 million employees earn above the minimum wage and the majority of public sector workers currently earn above the Living Wage.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 07/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
	tabling member	3923 label Biography information for Mr David Ward

40905

	registered interest
	date	03/03/2014
	answering body	HM Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name
	answering dept sort name
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many awards of tax credits there have been where the national insurance number of one or more claimants was identifiable as one issued to a person who was not a UK national at the time of issue of the number in the latest period for which figures are available; and what the total amount was of those awards.
	tabling member constituency	Mid Sussex
	tabling member printed	Nicholas Soames
	uin	190311
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/05/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>In March 2013, information was extracted from HMRC's tax credit system in respect of the number of families claiming tax credits where, if claiming as a couple, at least one of the family members was recorded as being a non-UK national when they registered for a National Insurance number.</p><p> </p><p>The extract shows that as at March 2013, 715,900 such families were claiming tax credits. If we assume no further changes until the end of the relevant year, the annual tax credits entitlement of these awards was £4.9 billion. The same extract showed that the total number of families claiming tax credits was 4,705,100 with an annual entitlement of £29.55 billion.</p><p> </p><p>For this purpose, as nationality was based on nationality at the time a claimant first registered for a National Insurance Number (NINO)the nationality of some of those claimants may have since changed. The information is not therefore sufficiently reliable to be used for formal statistical purposes.</p><p> </p><p>Based on this information the numbers of non-UK nationals claiming Tax Credits as a percentage of the entire Tax Credits population are broadly in line with the percentage of non-UK nationals in the UK workforce (according to figures in the 2013 Labour Force Survey complied by the ONS).</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Loughborough answering member printed Nicky Morgan question first answered 01/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 4027 label Biography information for Baroness Morgan of Cotes
	tabling member	116 label Biography information for Lord Soames of Fletching

41436

	registered interest
	date	05/03/2014
	answering body	HM Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name
	answering dept sort name
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many fines have been issued to employers in (a) Leeds North West constituency, (b) West Yorkshire, (c) Yorkshire and the Humber for not paying the national minimum wage since March 2013; and what the total value of fines is in each such area.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
	tabling member printed	Greg Mulholland
	uin	190684
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/05/2014 answer text <p>The Government takes the enforcement of NMW very seriously and HMRC enforce the national minimum wage legislation on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and has done so since the introduction of NMW in April 1999. It does that by investigating all complaints made about employers suspected of not paying the minimum wage, in addition carrying out targeted enforcement where it identifies a high risk of non-payment of NMW across the whole of the UK.</p><p> </p><p>HMRC does not capture complaints or the outcomes of its investigations by reference to Government regions, constituencies or county. Its management information relates to the work of teams who are multi-located. Additionally, because it resources to risk, work relating to a specific geographical area is not always done by the NMW team based in that area.</p><p> </p><p>Prior to 6 April 2009, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) issued penalty notices to those employers who failed to comply, within 28 days, with an enforcement notice. A new enforcement regime, introduced in April 2009, saw the introduction of automatic penalties for employers who are found to have underpaid their workers. Between 1<sup>st</sup> April 2013 and 28<sup>th</sup> February, HMRC has issued 561 penalties for non payment of national minimum wage, with a combined value of £671,524.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency South West Hertfordshire answering member printed Mr David Gauke question first answered 06/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 1529 label Biography information for Mr David Gauke
	tabling member	1540 label Biography information for Greg Mulholland

42124

	registered interest
	date	10/03/2014
	answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name
	answering dept sort name
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what his policy is on devolution of the Affordable Homes programme to (a) combined authorities and (b) local enterprise partnerships.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne East
	tabling member printed	Mr Nicholas Brown
	uin	191376
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/05/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>Housing policy and the provision of affordable housing is not a function of combined authorities or Local Enterprise Partnerships.</p><p>Elected local councils act as both the local housing authorities and local planning authorities, and we should be cautious about any intervention which effectively transferred power upwards.</p><p>Notwithstanding, in the recent Affordable Homes Programme prospectus, we have stated that local authorities will want to engage in strategic dialogue with their Local Enterprise Partnerships when identifying key areas for economic growth.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Kris Hopkins question first answered 06/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 4043 label Biography information for Kris Hopkins
	tabling member	523 label Biography information for Mr Nicholas Brown

44943

	registered interest
	date	25/03/2014
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Attorney General, how many and what value of asset freezing orders have been enforced in the UK at the request of overseas jurisdictions in each year since 2008-09.
	tabling member constituency	Islington South and Finsbury
	tabling member printed	Emily Thornberry
	uin	193657
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/05/2014 answer text <p>The number and estimated value of restraint orders obtained by the CPS and SFO pursuant to requests from overseas jurisdictions since 2008/09 are shown in the tables below.</p><p>The value of restrained assets may vary over time due to changes in asset valuations , exchange rates and payments of expenses.</p><p><strong>Crown Prosecution Service</strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Year</p></td><td><p>Number of overseas restraint orders</p></td><td><p>Estimated amount preserved (to nearest 000)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2008/09</p></td><td><p>16</p></td><td><p>£60,504,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2009/10</p></td><td><p>15</p></td><td><p>£11,006,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2010/11</p></td><td><p>7</p></td><td><p>£2,693,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011/12</p></td><td><p>2</p></td><td><p>£50,074,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012/13</p></td><td><p>6</p></td><td><p>£4,080,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013/14</p></td><td><p>3</p></td><td><p>£409,000</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p><strong>Serious Fraud Office</strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Year</p></td><td><p>Number of overseas restraint orders</p></td><td><p>Estimated amount preserved (to nearest 000)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2008/09</p></td><td><p>2</p></td><td><p>£1,000,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2009/10</p></td><td><p>3</p></td><td><p>£69,500,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2010/11</p></td><td><p>2</p></td><td><p>£1,500,000</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p> answering member constituency North East Hertfordshire answering member printed Oliver Heald question first answered 06/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 69 label Biography information for Sir Oliver Heald
	tabling member	1536 label Biography information for Emily Thornberry

48403

	registered interest
	date	25/04/2014
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Attorney General, whether the Law Officers' Departments have any plans to end the employee trade union membership dues check-off system.
	tabling member constituency	Livingston
	tabling member printed	Graeme Morrice
	uin	196759
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/05/2014 answer text <p>These arrangements are kept under review.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North East Hertfordshire answering member printed Oliver Heald question first answered 06/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 69 label Biography information for Sir Oliver Heald
	tabling member	4012 label Biography information for Graeme Morrice