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849955

registered interest
date	26/02/2018
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Migrant Workers: Health Professions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made whether all medical professionals should be included on the shortage occupation list; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Leicester South
tabling member printed	Jonathan Ashworth
uin	129523
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/03/2018 answer text <p>The independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) advises the Government on changes to the Shortage Occupation List (SOL). The MAC has determined that a number of medical professionals, including all nurses, paramedics and various doctors, including posts in emergency medicine, clinical radiology and old age psychiatry, are in national shortage and they appear on the published SOL in Appendix K of the Immigration Rules.</p><p>The SOL sits under Tier 2, our main immigration route for non-EEA workers. Applications for jobs on the SOL receive the highest priority – and the highest number of points – when allocating a Tier 2 (General) place.</p><p>The SOL is kept under regular review, with the most recent changes made to it last April.</p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes question first answered 01/03/2018 16:15:46 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
tabling member	4244 label Biography information for Jonathan Ashworth

849959

registered interest
date	26/02/2018
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	Carillion: Insolvency
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much of the funding from his Department to underwrite the costs of Carillion’s receiver has been spent to date; and what costs have been covered by that funding.
tabling member constituency	Hemsworth
tabling member printed	Jon Trickett
uin	129527
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/03/2018 answer text <p>The Cabinet Office has been provided with £150m of funding to underwrite the Official Receiver in respect of Carillion in liquidation in the current financial year. A supplementary estimate was presented to the House for this provision on 7th February 2018.</p><p>The Official Receiver will be looking to raise funds from recovering trade debts owed to Carillion, settlement of claims owed to Carillion and from the sale of assets. These will be applied in line with statutory duties of the Official Receiver and used to offset funding</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hertsmere answering member printed Oliver Dowden question first answered 01/03/2018 10:36:17 answering member 4441 label Biography information for Oliver Dowden
tabling member	410 label Biography information for Jon Trickett

849961

registered interest
date	26/02/2018
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	Government Departments: Procurement
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the effect on value for the taxpayer of a small number of large companies dominating the market for tendered government contracts.
tabling member constituency	Welwyn Hatfield
tabling member printed	Grant Shapps
uin	129529
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/03/2018 answer text <p>The Government awards contracts through fair and open competition, in line with principles of equal treatment, transparency and non-discrimination. To encourage competition and more access by SMEs to government contracts, we now require public buyers to divide contracts into more accessible lots (or explain why not) so that tender requirements can be matched to smaller businesses’ specialisms.</p> answering member constituency Hertsmere answering member printed Oliver Dowden question first answered 01/03/2018 10:40:41 answering member 4441 label Biography information for Oliver Dowden
tabling member	1582 label Biography information for Grant Shapps

849965

registered interest
date	26/02/2018
answering body	HM Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	CaTreasury
hansard heading	Alcoholic Drinks and Tobacco: Excise Duties
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the tax gap was on (a) beer, (b) wine, (c) spirits and (d) tobacco in the financial tax years (i) 2013-14, (ii) 2014-15, (iii) 2015-16 and (iv) 2016-2017; and what steps he is taking to tackle those tax gaps.
tabling member constituency	Leicester South
tabling member printed	Jonathan Ashworth
uin	129533
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/03/2018 answer text <p>The tax gap for (a) beer, (b) wine, (c) spirits in the financial tax years (i) 2013-14, (ii) 2014-15, (iii) 2015-16 is available in Chapter 3 of ‘Measuring Tax Gaps 2017’ at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/655097/HMRC-measuring-tax-gaps-2017.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/655097/HMRC-measuring-tax-gaps-2017.pdf</a>.</p><p> </p><p>Estimates for the alcohol tax gaps for 2016-17 will be published in due course.</p><p> </p><p>The tax gap was for tobacco tax all financial years including 2016-17 is available in ‘Tobacco tax gap estimates 2016-17’, available at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tobacco-tax-gap-estimates" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tobacco-tax-gap-estimates</a>.</p><p> </p><p>There are two strategies in place to tackle these tax gaps: one for alcohol, and one for tobacco.</p><p> </p><p>The HM Revenue and Customs Alcohol Strategy is available at:</p><p>https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hmrc-alcohol-strategy. This is designed to tackle all forms of fraud throughout the supply chain, working with other enforcement agencies and industry. Measures to tackle alcohol duty fraud include:</p><ul><li>Full implementation of Alcohol Wholesaler Registration Scheme on 1 April 2017. This requires businesses to meet rigorous standards to receive approval from HMRC in order to trade. Where standards are not met approval may be refused or revoked.</li><li>The Joint Alcohol Anti-fraud Taskforce, which brings together the alcohol industry and law enforcement agencies</li><li>Sharing HMRC data with alcohol producers to restrict access by fraudsters to UK-sensitive brands, and the introduction of a ‘due diligence’ condition requiring traders to consider the risk of excise duty evasion in their supply chains.</li></ul><p> </p><p>For tobacco<em>,</em> HMRC’s strategy is detailed in “Tackling illicit tobacco: From leaf to light”, a joint publication with Border Force, available at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/418732/Tackling_illicit_tobacco_-_From_leaf_to_light__2015_.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/418732/Tackling_illicit_tobacco_-_From_leaf_to_light__2015_.pdf</a>.</p><p> </p><p>This strategy aims to:</p><p>• Create a hostile global environment for tobacco fraud through intelligence sharing and policy change.</p><p>• Tackle the fraud at all points in the supply chain from production to retail.</p><p>• Change perceptions - Raising public awareness of the links between illicit tobacco and organised criminality to reduce tolerance of the fraud in the UK.</p><p>Optimise the use of the sanctions available and, where necessary, develop tougher ones.</p> answering member constituency Central Devon answering member printed Mel Stride question first answered 01/03/2018 17:02:01 answering member 3935 label Biography information for Mel Stride
tabling member	4244 label Biography information for Jonathan Ashworth

849967

registered interest
date	26/02/2018
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Social Security Benefits: Correspondence
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 20 February 2018 to Question 126941, on Social Security Benefits: Correspondence, if the Government will take steps to address the disparity whereby Capita may use second class post to send a seven-day notification of an assessment to a claimant while Maximus and Atos-operated bodies do not use second class.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Hall Green
tabling member printed	Mr Roger Godsiff
uin	129535
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/03/2018 answer text <p>It is departmental policy that claimants are given sufficient notice of any appointment to attend for an assessment. DWP do not specify what class of postage Assessment Providers must use. Every case returned by Capita where the claimant has not attended the PIP assessment is checked to ensure that they have had the full 7 days notice, ensuring that no one is penalised where this has not been the case.</p> answering member constituency Truro and Falmouth answering member printed Sarah Newton question first answered 01/03/2018 10:46:25 answering member 4071 label Biography information for Sarah Newton
tabling member	304 label Biography information for Mr Roger Godsiff

849968

registered interest
date	26/02/2018
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	State Retirement Pensions: Females
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many women in (a) Dwyfor Meirionnydd, (b) Wales and (c) the UK will not receive the new state pension as a result of failing to meet the National Insurance Contributions threshold.
tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
uin	129536
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/03/2018 answer text <p>The new State Pension (nSP) was introduced for people reaching State Pension age from 6<sup>th</sup> April 2016 onwards. To qualify, people usually need to have a minimum of ten years on their National Insurance record when they reach State Pension age. Our latest data on the number of qualifying years people have are for the 2015/16 financial year, so we do not yet have any data on the numbers of people reaching State Pension age under the new State Pension with less than 10 years of National Insurance contributions.</p><p> </p><p>Our analysis published in January 2016 forecast that around 2% of women in Great Britain reaching State Pension age by 2020 would have less than 10 qualifying years. Subject to qualification, Pension Credit may be available for people who are not eligible for the new State Pension.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 01/03/2018 14:20:31 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

849969

registered interest
date	26/02/2018
answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
hansard heading	Supported Housing
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the effect on the financial resilience of people living in supported housing was considered in drawing up proposals to introduce rent-free supported housing; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	East Ham
tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
uin	129537
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/03/2018 answer text <p>The proposed funding model for short-term supported housing changes the source of funding from welfare benefits to a local grant fund. In housing benefit, the payment is, in practice, normally made direct to the landlord for those living in supported housing, and this is exactly the same in the proposed funding model for short-term supported housing. In either case the individual is responsible for paying any ineligible service charges and incidental costs.</p> answering member constituency South Derbyshire answering member printed Mrs Heather Wheeler question first answered 01/03/2018 10:51:25 answering member 4053 label Biography information for Mrs Heather Wheeler
tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

849970

registered interest
date	26/02/2018
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Fuel Poverty: Wolverhampton
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of trends in the level of fuel poverty in (a) Wolverhampton local authority area and (b) Wolverhampton North East constituency; how many Cold Weather Payments have been issued to people in each of those areas; and how many people have benefitted from the Warm Home Discount Scheme in each of those areas.
tabling member constituency	Wolverhampton North East
tabling member printed	Emma Reynolds
uin	129538
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/03/2018 answer text <p>The table below provided by Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy shows the number and proportion of households living in fuel poverty in Wolverhampton Local Authority area and Wolverhampton North East constituency for the latest data available (2015).</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>Fuel Poor Households</p></td><td><p>Percent Fuel Poor</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Wolverhampton Local Authority area</p></td><td><p>15,200</p></td><td><p>14.6%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Wolverhampton North East constituency</p></td><td><p>5,400</p></td><td><p>14.6%</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Household figures have been rounded to the nearest 100.</p><p> </p><p>The Cold Weather Payment scheme is administered at weather station level rather than any other standard GB geography such as constituency level. The coverage area for each weather station is determined by the Met Office which assesses the most appropriate weather station for each postcode area. Cold weather payments are triggered when the average temperature recorded at the weather station has been recorded as, or is forecast to be, 0<sup>o</sup>C or below over seven consecutive days, during the Cold Weather season (November to March).</p><p> </p><p>The Wolverhampton local authority area covers all or part of the following postcode areas: WV1-4, WV6, WV8-14. The constituency of Wolverhampton North East covers all or part of the following postcode areas: WV 1-4, WV 7-9, WV 10-13.</p><p> </p><p>All of the above postcode areas are covered by the Coleshill weather station. Qualifying individuals living in this area will have received a payment in respect of a seven-day period of Cold Weather from 24<sup>th</sup> February – 2<sup>nd</sup> March 2018. No other payments have been triggered in the Coleshill weather station area in the current Cold Weather season.</p><p> </p><p>Coleshill weather station covers the following postcode areas: B1-21, B23-38, B40, B42-50, B60-80, B90-98, CV1-12, CV21-23, CV31-35, CV37, CV47, DY1-14, LE10, WS1-15, WV1-16. We estimate that 289,000 payments were made in this area as a whole in respect of the trigger on 24<sup>th</sup> February. We are not able to break this figure down to a lower level.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Notes</p><p> </p><ol><li>The number of payments given here is an estimate as information on the exact number of payments made is not readily available. These figures are produced by determining the volume of eligible recipients in each weather station area at the start of the winter season and using these figures throughout the winter to estimate payments and expenditure based on the actual triggers recorded.</li></ol><p> </p><ol start="2"><li>The number of payments made is not necessarily the total number of individuals benefitting from a Cold Weather Payment. Any individuals making a joint claim for one of the qualifying benefits, such as a couple living together, will receive one payment between them rather than one payment each.</li></ol><p> </p><ol start="3"><li>Estimates of Cold Weather Payments are published weekly during the Cold Weather season. The latest published estimates can be found at the link below:</li></ol><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/cold-weather-payment-statistics-2017-to-2018" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/cold-weather-payment-statistics-2017-to-2018</a></p><p> </p><p>The Department for Work and Pensions and Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy do not hold data on Warm Home Discount recipients at Local Authority or Parliamentary Constituency level.</p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency North West Hampshire answering member printed Kit Malthouse question first answered 01/03/2018 14:53:03 answering member 4495 label Biography information for Kit Malthouse
tabling member	4077 label Biography information for Emma Reynolds

849971

registered interest
date	26/02/2018
answering body	Department for International Trade
answering dept id	202
answering dept short name	International Trade
answering dept sort name	International Trade
hansard heading	Trade Remedies Authority: Public Appointments
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 16 February 2018 to Question 126972, on Trade Remedies Authority: Public Appointments, for what reason the proposed chair of the Trade Remedies Authority will not be subject to a pre-appointment hearing by the International Trade Select Committee.
tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
uin	129539
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/03/2018 answer text <p>I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given on 5 February 2018, UIN 126038. We are consulting with the Cabinet Office on conducting public appointments to the Trade Remedies Authority in line with the principles of the Governance Code for Public Appointments. This sets out the process by which public appointments should be made. This guidance is freely available to the public online and can be found at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/governance-code-for-public-appointments" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/governance-code-for-public-appointments</a>.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Chelsea and Fulham answering member printed Greg Hands question first answered 01/03/2018 17:24:37 answering member 1526 label Biography information for Greg Hands
tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson

849972

registered interest
date	26/02/2018
answering body	HM Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	CaTreasury
hansard heading	Royal Bank of Scotland: Small Businesses
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Government plans to respond to the findings of the Financial Conduct Authority report on RBS treatment of small businesses recently published by the Treasury Select Committee.
tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
uin	129540
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/03/2018 answer text <p>The investigation into the Royal Bank of Scotland’s (RBS) treatment of small and medium-sized enterprise customers transferred to its Global Restructuring Group is a matter for the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which is operationally independent of Government.</p><p> </p><p>It would not be appropriate for the Government to comment further while the FCA’s investigation is ongoing.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Salisbury answering member printed John Glen question first answered 01/03/2018 17:22:22 answering member 4051 label Biography information for John Glen
tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson