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42710

	registered interest
	date	12/03/2014
	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, if he will estimate the potential cost to the public purse of raising the income tax personal allowance for 2014-15 from £10,000, (a) £10,550, (b) £11,000, (c) £11,500, (d) £12,000, (e) £12,500 and (f) £13,000.
	tabling member constituency	Bury St Edmunds
	tabling member printed	Mr David Ruffley
	uin	191880
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/05/2014 answer text <p>The cost of raising the income tax personal allowance may be approximated using the “Direct effects of illustrative tax changes” table as published on the internet at the following address:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/direct-effects-of-illustrative-tax-changes" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/direct-effects-of-illustrative-tax-changes</a></p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency South West Hertfordshire answering member printed Mr David Gauke question first answered 13/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 1529 label Biography information for Mr David Gauke
	tabling member	133 label Biography information for Mr David Ruffley

43124

	registered interest
	date	13/03/2014
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	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 the Home Department, how many exit checks were performed on passengers leaving the UK in each year since 2010.
	tabling member constituency	Delyn
	tabling member printed	Mr David Hanson
	uin	192033
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/05/2014 answer text <p> </p><p> </p><p>The number of outbound passengers checked on Home Office systems for each of <br>the last 4 years is as follows:<br><br>2010 - 65 034 675<br>2011- 70 627 943<br>2012 - 67 960 290<br>2013 - 82 311 725<br><br>The figure for 2013 is more than the combined total of exit checks performed <br>between 2005 and 2009 inclusive (74 297 809) and more than twice the 2009 <br>figure (35 283 019).</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Old Bexley and Sidcup answering member printed James Brokenshire question first answered 13/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 1530 label Biography information for James Brokenshire
	tabling member	533 label Biography information for Lord Hanson of Flint

447

	registered interest
	date	25/06/2013
	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 powers and freedoms relating to (a) skills and employment, (b) housing and (c) economic development have been devolved since May 2010 to (i) local government and (ii) local enterprise partnerships.
	tabling member constituency	Congleton
	tabling member printed	Fiona Bruce
	uin	162343
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/05/2014 answer text <p> </p><p><em>[Holding Reply: Monday 1 July 2013]</em></p><p>The Government is taking considerable steps to devolve power and freedom to local government and Local Enterprise Partnerships.</p><p>Through the Localism Act, councils now have the general power of competence that enables them to do anything that an individual might do, apart from that which is specifically prohibited. In addition we have radically reformed the local government finance system putting levers and incentives in the hands of local authorities, for instance:</p><p>· The removal of ring-fencing from local government grants has given councils the freedom and flexibility over the money they receive and allows them to work with their residents to decide how best to make their spending decisions to fit their local priority needs.</p><p>· rewarded places that deliver growth, through the New Homes Bonus and Business Rate Retention.</p><p>· Local authorities now directly retain 50% of business rates locally which amounts to nearly £11 billion, instead of returning it to Whitehall.</p><p>· We established five pilot Rural Growth Networks aimed at tackling the barriers to economic growth in rural areas, such as a shortage of work premises, slow internet connectivity and fragmented business networks. These pilots expect to create up to 3,000 new jobs and support up to 700 new businesses, offering a local approach to local problems. We will share the lessons they learn with other Local Enterprise Partnerships and Local Authorities to help them promote growth in other rural areas.</p><p>We have also given councils the ability to borrow against their Housing Revenue Account.</p><p>Through the city deals programme we have devolved powers and responsibilities to 26 cities. For example we have:</p><p>•provided levers to deliver the skills and jobs that local businesses and people need;</p><p>•created joint investment programmes; and</p><p>• devolved greater financial powers and incentives to invest in growth to all cities.</p><p>As we made clear in our response to Lord Heseltine's review of Growth, we intend to go further. We have committed to negotiating Growth Deals with every Local Enterprise Partnership through which we will allocate the Local Growth Fund and negotiate broader powers, freedoms and flexibilities where a strong case for decentralisation can be made. The Local Growth Fund brings together funding from skills, housing and transport and we have committed £2 billion in 2015/16 and it will continue to be at least £2 billion a year up to 2021. The Local Growth Fund includes:</p><p> </p><ul><li>over £6 billion of transport funding;</li><li>£300 million of additional Housing Revenue Account borrowing;</li><li>£50 million of Local Infrastructure Funding for housing developers; and</li><li>£300 million skills capital funding.</li></ul><p>We are also for the first time putting £5 billion of European Structural Investment Funds for the 2014-20 period under the strategic direction of Local Enterprise Partnerships, bringing the total resource (including the Local Growth Fund) under the control of Local Enterprise Partnerships to over £17 billion up until 2020.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Kris Hopkins question first answered 13/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 4043 label Biography information for Kris Hopkins
	tabling member	3958 label Biography information for Fiona Bruce

49746

	registered interest
	date	06/05/2014
	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 (a) men and (b) women have been (i) investigated, (ii) given an administrative penalty, (iii) given a caution and (iv) convicted in court for benefit fraud since the prosecution of such cases was transferred to the Law Officers' Department.
	tabling member constituency	Shipley
	tabling member printed	Philip Davies
	uin	197836
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/05/2014 answer text <p>Allegations of benefit fraud are investigated by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Administrative penalties are financial penalties, which can be offered as an alternative to prosecution, where there has been no previous fraud penalty of any form. These are issued by the DWP and Local Authorities. Cautions are issued by the Police.</p><p>The records held by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) identify the number of offences in which a prosecution commenced and, reached a first hearing in magistrates' courts, rather than the number of defendants prosecuted and convicted or their gender.</p><p>No central records of the prosecution outcomes of offences are held by the CPS. To obtain details of the number of people prosecuted for and convicted of offences of benefit fraud, which can be charged under various sections of the Social Security Administration Act 1992, Section 35 of the Tax Credits Act 2002 or the Fraud Act 2006, including their gender, would require a manual exercise of reviewing individual case files to be undertaken at a disproportionate cost.</p><p>Furthermore, cases of benefit fraud are also prosecuted by Local Authorities so any data the CPS can glean from a manual exercise would not provide a complete record.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North East Hertfordshire answering member printed Oliver Heald question first answered 13/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 69 label Biography information for Sir Oliver Heald
	tabling member	1565 label Biography information for Sir Philip Davies

49918

	registered interest
	date	06/05/2014
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government which official, with what job title, is responsible and accountable for departmental management information in the Attorney General's Office.
	tabling member printed	Lord Mendelsohn
	uin	HL6889
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/05/2014 answer text <p>The Attorney General's Office collects a range of performance data and management information, tailored to its different functions. This includes information for example about its litigation, casework, supervisory and advisory functions, covering timeliness, results and resources. This information is collated for management purposes at team level, and reviewed at Board level against business objectives and departmental priorities, as revised from time to time. Responsibility for collecting management information rests with teams. No individual official has exclusive responsibility for management information and the Executive Board has overall responsibility.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Wallace of Tankerness question first answered 13/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 630 label Biography information for Lord Wallace of Tankerness
	tabling member	4286 label Biography information for Lord Mendelsohn

50542

	registered interest
	date	07/05/2014
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	hansard heading	Crime: Nature Conservation
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Attorney General, what steps he has taken to improve prosecution of wildlife crime.
	tabling member constituency	Somerton and Frome
	tabling member printed	Mr David Heath
	uin	904021
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/05/2014 answer text <p>The CPS views wildlife crime offences very seriously and will robustly prosecute cases referred by the police. In order to achieve this, the CPS has thirteen wildlife co-ordinators based in its regional Areas. They are supported by face to face training and legal guidance on wildlife offences, which is available to all prosecutors and to the public.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North East Hertfordshire answering member printed Oliver Heald question first answered 13/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 69 label Biography information for Sir Oliver Heald
	tabling member	255 label Biography information for Mr David Heath

49744

	registered interest
	date	06/05/2014
	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
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, which organisations have received how much funding from his Department aimed at supporting access to short breaks and respite provision for children, young people and their families experiencing all types of disadvantage in each of the last five financial years.
	tabling member constituency	Blackpool North and Cleveleys
	tabling member printed	Paul Maynard
	uin	197818
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/05/2014 answer text <p>Departmental records show that in each of the last five financial years, no funding was made in respect of supporting access to short breaks and respite provision for children, young people and their families.</p> answering member constituency Cardiff Central answering member printed Jenny Willott question first answered 13/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 1497 label Biography information for Jenny Willott
	tabling member	3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard

49783

	registered interest
	date	06/05/2014
	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
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to protect consumers from fraud and other doorstep crimes.
	tabling member constituency	Birkenhead
	tabling member printed	Mr Frank Field
	uin	197891
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/05/2014 answer text <p>The Government takes doorstep crime very seriously and the issue has been identified as a top priority by the Consumer Protection Partnership (CPP) which brings together enforcement, consumer education, and advocacy partners to identify, prioritise and coordinate collective action to tackle the issues causing greatest harm to consumers.</p><p> </p><p>Both the National Trading Standards Board (NTSB) and Trading Standards Scotland (TSS), which are funded by BIS, are putting resources into tackling doorstep crime and Trading Standards Officers across the country are cracking down on these fraudsters. In Lincolnshire for example, Trading Standards has teamed up with the Police and Community Lincs to raise awareness of doorstep crime amongst professionals caring for the elderly, including awareness of bogus callers, rogue traders, distraction burglary, and scam mail. To date 330 health and social care professionals who work regularly with 4,300 elderly and vulnerable people have been trained in how to spot potential victims and how to intervene at an early stage of a scam.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Doorstep Crime will also be the focus on this year's National Consumer Week in November 2014, when CPP Partners and the Government will work together to in raise consumer awareness of how to spot a bogus salesperson and where to report it.</p><p> </p><p>We are also hitting the perpetrators of fraud hard. A recent operation involving Trading Standards companies across the country and 20 police forces brought down a trio of fraudsters targeting vulnerable caravan park residents across the country. This resulted in 6 years of custodial sentences being handed down and the recovery of £20,000 in cash.</p><p> </p><p>We encourage anyone who believes that they have been the victim of doorstep crime or fraud to contact the Citizens Advice Consumer helpline on 08454 040506.</p> answering member constituency Cardiff Central answering member printed Jenny Willott question first answered 13/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 1497 label Biography information for Jenny Willott
	tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead

50010

	registered interest
	date	06/05/2014
	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
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many people registered a business (a) online and (b) offline in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13.
	tabling member constituency	Windsor
	tabling member printed	Adam Afriyie
	uin	197731
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/05/2014 answer text <p>There is no register containing every business in the UK. The Companies House register provides information on a subset of businesses required to file information with the registrar of companies; for example, those businesses that incorporate as companies or limited liability partnerships or register as limited partnerships. Not all of the companies that register with Companies House are businesses or go on to becomeactively tradingbusinesses.</p><p> </p><p>Companies House statistics show that in the years in question the following numbers of companies were registered (a) online and (b) offline:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Year</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2010/11</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2011/12</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2012/13</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Online </strong></p></td><td><p>366,051</p></td><td><p>437,441</p></td><td><p>470,800</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Offline</strong></p></td><td><p>34,504</p></td><td><p>18,208</p></td><td><p>11,995</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Total</strong></p></td><td><p>400,555</p></td><td><p>455,649</p></td><td><p>482,795</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p> answering member constituency Sevenoaks answering member printed Michael Fallon question first answered 13/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 88 label Biography information for Sir Michael Fallon
	tabling member	1586 label Biography information for Adam Afriyie

50035

	registered interest
	date	06/05/2014
	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
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will commission research into whether the rate of pay for apprentices under 18 years is a disincentive.
	tabling member constituency	Edinburgh West
	tabling member printed	Mike Crockart
	uin	197748
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/05/2014 answer text <p>The last Apprentice Pay Survey was published in 2012. The Government has recently commissioned a new Apprentice Pay Survey. This will provide a complete overview of Apprentice pay in Great Britain by autumn 2014. In addition it is now possible to specifically identify information relating to apprentices within the large Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings.</p><p> </p><p>Apprentice pay is reviewed annually by the independent Low Pay Commission (LPC) as part of their review of the Apprentice National Minimum Wage. Since its introduction in 2010 the LPC has not found any evidence that the Apprentice rate damaged employment levels.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has recently accepted the LPC's recommendation to increase the Apprentice rate by 2% to £2.73 per hour. In the judgment of the LPC a higher rate would risk damaging employment of Apprentices. Research shows that in reality the majority of employers pay more – the average pay for apprentices in 2012 is £200 per week (England only).</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Apprentice minimum wage recognises that employers invest significantly in apprenticeships and may be put off recruiting apprentices due to their lack of experience in the workplace and the additional training costs involved. Young people who complete an Apprenticeship derive significant long-term advantages and their investment in training has clear benefits.</p> answering member constituency Cardiff Central answering member printed Jenny Willott question first answered 13/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 1497 label Biography information for Jenny Willott
	tabling member	3967 label Biography information for Mike Crockart