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170297

	registered interest
	date	15/12/2014
	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	Scottish Power
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when he received reports from the MacDonald Partnership in relation to mis-sold Scottish Power Power Plan warranties; what the titles of such reports were; and when he plans to respond to those reports.
	tabling member constituency	Liverpool, Walton
	tabling member printed	Steve Rotheram
	uin	218595
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/12/2014 answer text <p>The initial report from Mr MacDonald was received on 17 July 2014 for review by the Insolvency Service. Further information including another more detailed report was received from him during September and October 2014, and these again have been reviewed by the Insolvency Service. The reports are confidential.</p><p> </p><p>The reports themselves do not require a direct response but I can confirm that the Insolvency Service has completed its review of this material and is in communication with Mr MacDonald.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 17/12/2014 11:11:20 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
	tabling member	4035 label Biography information for Steve Rotheram

170326

	registered interest
	date	15/12/2014
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Written Questions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the right hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, what estimate he has made of the savings to the Church Commissioners from the Q&A system in the (a) 12 months and (b) five years since 4 June 2014; what additional ICT systems or improvements to existing systems the Church Commissioners have introduced or plan to introduce that would not have been feasible without the Q&A system; and what assessment he has made of the extent to which the system has made it easier to answer questions from hon. Members on time.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
	tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
	uin	218773
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/12/2014 answer text <p>For an organisation that thinks in the eternal, any time saving is transitory.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Sir Tony Baldry question first answered 17/12/2014 16:53:26 answering member 93 label Biography information for Sir Tony Baldry
	tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

170327

	registered interest
	date	15/12/2014
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Churches: Worcestershire
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the right hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, what grants the Church Commissioners have given to churches in (a) Worcester and (b) Worcestershire from the church roof repair fund in the last four years.
	tabling member constituency	Worcester
	tabling member printed	Mr Robin Walker
	uin	218801
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/12/2014 answer text <p>The Church Commissioners are grateful to the Treasury for making the First World War Centenary Cathedral Repairs Fund available to its Cathedrals alongside extending the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme to include repairs to church roofs and rain water guttering.</p><p>(a) The Cathedral at Worcester has received a total of £330,000 toward to costs of restoring its east window and to replace and weather-proof the ceiling &amp; roof of the cathedral’s ancient library. The Cathedral successfully entered the bids for funding in rounds 1 and 2 of the First World War Centenary Cathedral Repairs Fund which has so far assisted 32 of the Church of England’s Cathedrals. There is one final round to which Cathedrals both Anglican and Catholic can enter bids before the fund closes, the Church Commissioners hope the last few Cathedrals with substantial works pending who are yet to submit a bid will consider putting applications forward.</p><p>(b) The fund which the Chancellor has made available within the Listed Places of Worship Roof Repair Fund has only been available since the 2014 Autumn Statement, no funding or grants for roof repairs have be available centrally prior to this. The Roof Repair Fund is not administered by the Church of England but by the National Heritage Memorial Fund, who will make decisions on grants given. <br> <br>The Church of England has advised all Diocesan Advisory Commissions (who assist Parishes with advice on repairs and alterations to architecture and fabric of buildings) to encourage and assist with applications to the fund which closes on the 30<sup>th</sup> January 2015. From the Diocese of Worcester the Church of England understands 24 parish churches will apply, 7 parishes are currently on the English Heritage, ‘Heritage at Risk Register’ with a further 17 parishes in urgent need. These figures is based on initial responses, rather than formal expressions of interest. Not all parishes will be successful in their bids for assistance and each case will be judged on its merits. This fund like the WW1 Cathedrals Fund will enable the parishes to invest money into their wider community helping those in greatest need rather than spending money just keeping the building watertight. <br></p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Sir Tony Baldry question first answered 17/12/2014 17:05:12 answering member 93 label Biography information for Sir Tony Baldry
	tabling member	4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker

170480

	registered interest
	date	15/12/2014
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Email: Fraud
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Government's approach to tackling online phishing scams.
	tabling member constituency	Chesterfield
	tabling member printed	Toby Perkins
	uin	218712
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/12/2014 answer text <p>The need to tackle cyber crime was identified as a key objective of the Government’s Cyber Security Strategy, which is underpinned by £860 million of funding over five years through the National Cyber Security Programme (NCSP). Around 10% of this has been invested in improving the capabilities of law enforcement agencies to respond to cyber crime.</p><p>The National Cyber Crime Unit in the National Crime Agency is responsible for tackling some of the most serious cases of malware - which is often delivered using phishing techniques and which is responsible for infecting computers and stealing banking and other information. This work was undertaken in conjunction with their international <br>partners, to tackle those cyber criminals operating internationally, as well as the cyber teams that have been built in the network of Regional Organised Crime Units throughout England and Wales, also using NCSP funding.</p><p><br>The Government is committed to supporting the public and industry to better protect themselves from this type of criminality. The NCSP also funds the Cyber Streetwise awareness campaign, which encourages the public and Small and Medium Enterprises to adopt safer online behaviour. Phase 2 of the campaign launched in October 2014, including a refreshed website with further advice and support. Cyberstreetwise.com has had over 170,000 page views on the updated website since October – this is nearly three times higher than at the same time of phase one.</p><p><br>The Government also funds Action Fraud, run by the City of London Police, which is the central reporting point for fraud and financially-motivated cyber crime. This service also provides information on the latest fraud threats, including phishing emails, and individuals can sign up to be alerted when new threats emerge. In December last year, the Government published a set of Guiding Principles with Internet Service Providers which agreed minimum standards for supporting their customers to stay safe online.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Staffordshire Moorlands answering member printed Karen Bradley grouped question UIN 218746 question first answered 17/12/2014 18:08:25 answering member 4110 label Biography information for Dame Karen Bradley
	tabling member	3952 label Biography information for Mr Toby Perkins

170482

	registered interest
	date	15/12/2014
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Charities
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions her Department has had on drafting best practice guidelines on the presence of campaigning charities during police searches and arrests.
	tabling member constituency	Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire
	tabling member printed	Simon Hart
	uin	218739
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/12/2014 answer text <p>An important component of the Best Use of Stop and Search Scheme is the introduction of lay observation. The Scheme’s guidance makes it clear that forces have discretion to determine the most appropriate arrangements to support this. This allows the public, including interested organisations, to observe stop and search in action.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hemel Hempstead answering member printed Mike Penning question first answered 17/12/2014 17:35:32 answering member 1528 label Biography information for Sir Mike Penning
	tabling member	3944 label Biography information for Simon Hart

170483

	registered interest
	date	15/12/2014
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Charities
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with campaigning charities and organisations about the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 and covert surveillance.
	tabling member constituency	Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire
	tabling member printed	Simon Hart
	uin	218740
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/12/2014 answer text <p>Home Office Ministers and officials have discussions and meetings with a wide variety of partners, as well as organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors, as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of Ministerial meetings are passed to the Cabinet Office on a quarterly basis and are subsequently published on the Gov.uk website:http://data.gov.uk/dataset/ministerial-data-home-office</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Old Bexley and Sidcup answering member printed James Brokenshire question first answered 17/12/2014 17:38:59 answering member 1530 label Biography information for James Brokenshire
	tabling member	3944 label Biography information for Simon Hart

170489

	registered interest
	date	15/12/2014
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Email: Fraud
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to tackle phishing.
	tabling member constituency	Chesterfield
	tabling member printed	Toby Perkins
	uin	218746
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/12/2014 answer text <p>The need to tackle cyber crime was identified as a key objective of the Government’s Cyber Security Strategy, which is underpinned by £860 million of funding over five years through the National Cyber Security Programme (NCSP). Around 10% of this has been invested in improving the capabilities of law enforcement agencies to respond to cyber crime.</p><p>The National Cyber Crime Unit in the National Crime Agency is responsible for tackling some of the most serious cases of malware - which is often delivered using phishing techniques and which is responsible for infecting computers and stealing banking and other information. This work was undertaken in conjunction with their international <br>partners, to tackle those cyber criminals operating internationally, as well as the cyber teams that have been built in the network of Regional Organised Crime Units throughout England and Wales, also using NCSP funding.</p><p><br>The Government is committed to supporting the public and industry to better protect themselves from this type of criminality. The NCSP also funds the Cyber Streetwise awareness campaign, which encourages the public and Small and Medium Enterprises to adopt safer online behaviour. Phase 2 of the campaign launched in October 2014, including a refreshed website with further advice and support. Cyberstreetwise.com has had over 170,000 page views on the updated website since October – this is nearly three times higher than at the same time of phase one.</p><p><br>The Government also funds Action Fraud, run by the City of London Police, which is the central reporting point for fraud and financially-motivated cyber crime. This service also provides information on the latest fraud threats, including phishing emails, and individuals can sign up to be alerted when new threats emerge. In December last year, the Government published a set of Guiding Principles with Internet Service Providers which agreed minimum standards for supporting their customers to stay safe online.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Staffordshire Moorlands answering member printed Karen Bradley grouped question UIN 218712 question first answered 17/12/2014 18:08:26 answering member 4110 label Biography information for Dame Karen Bradley
	tabling member	3952 label Biography information for Mr Toby Perkins

170490

	registered interest
	date	15/12/2014
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Email: Fraud
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much money obtained unlawfully through phishing scams was recovered in (a) 2014 to date, (b) 2013, (c) 2012, (d) 2011 and (e) 2010.
	tabling member constituency	Chesterfield
	tabling member printed	Toby Perkins
	uin	218747
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/12/2014 answer text <p>The information requested is not held centrally. <br><br>The Government is committed to recovering the proceeds of all crimes – there is a commitment in the 2013 Serious and Organised Crime Strategy to pursue criminal finances by making it harder to move, hide and use the proceeds of crime. We are taking forward this commitment by bringing forward improved asset recovery provisions in the Serious Crime Bill, which is currently before Parliament, and we are working with operational partners to ensure that the use of existing asset recovery powers is considered at the outset of all appropriate investigations.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Staffordshire Moorlands answering member printed Karen Bradley question first answered 17/12/2014 17:33:03 answering member 4110 label Biography information for Dame Karen Bradley
	tabling member	3952 label Biography information for Mr Toby Perkins

170497

	registered interest
	date	15/12/2014
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Palestinians
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department provides financial assistance to Al-Quds University in the West Bank.
	tabling member constituency	Aberconwy
	tabling member printed	Guto Bebb
	uin	218710
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/12/2014 answer text <p>DFID does not provide financial assistance to Al-Quds University in the West Bank.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency New Forest West answering member printed Mr Desmond Swayne question first answered 17/12/2014 15:27:47 answering member 55 label Biography information for Sir Desmond Swayne
	tabling member	3910 label Biography information for Guto Bebb

170289

	registered interest
	date	15/12/2014
	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	Minimum Wage
	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 take steps to ensure that interns used for full-time work are paid at least the National Minimum Wage; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Warrington North
	tabling member printed	Helen Jones
	uin	218759
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2014 answer text <p>The term “intern” is not defined in any legislation: entitlement to the minimum wage depends on whether or not an individual is a worker. If an internship meets the legal definition of a worker, then they must be paid at least the minimum wage from the start.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Given this dependency on employment status, it is vital that employers and workers understand how this is determined. We continue to carry out targeted awareness raising initiatives with interns and HMRC have been working with employers to identify potential non-compliance.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Complaints from interns about non-payment of the minimum wage are prioritised by HMRC for investigation and HMRC will investigate every complaint made to the Pay and Work Rights Helpline. Any worker who believes that they are being paid below the minimum wage should call the helpline on 0800 917 2368.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Determining an individual’s employment status can be complicated. This is why the Business Secretary announced a review of employment status in October this year, to help ensure an employment status framework in the UK that meets the needs of everyone. This is an internal review and will present findings to ministers early next year.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 18/12/2014 12:13:10 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
	tabling member	432 label Biography information for Helen Jones

170298

	registered interest
	date	15/12/2014
	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	Scottish Power
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what meetings he has had with his ministerial colleagues on what steps to take in response to allegations that Scottish Power mis-sold cashback warranties in the 1990s.
	tabling member constituency	Liverpool, Walton
	tabling member printed	Steve Rotheram
	uin	218620
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2014 answer text <p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>No meetings have been held between myself, my Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for Business Innovation and Skills or other ministerial colleagues concerning this matter. The Secretary of State and I have both met with the Insolvency Service for briefing on their conclusions following review of material submitted by liquidators of two companies involved in administering the cash-back warranty scheme.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 18/12/2014 12:11:50 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
	tabling member	4035 label Biography information for Steve Rotheram

170299

	registered interest
	date	15/12/2014
	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	Scottish Power
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how he plans to keep the people who lost money following the failure of firms involved in Scottish Power's cash back warranty scheme updated on progress on the review of whether there will be a further investigation of that matter.
	tabling member constituency	Liverpool, Walton
	tabling member printed	Steve Rotheram
	uin	218621
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2014 answer text <p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Investigations conducted under section 447 Companies Act 1985 are confidential, therefore it is not possible to announce whether or not such an investigation is taking place, or to report on the investigation outside of strict statutory gateways.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Whether or not an investigation under section 432 Companies Act 1985 is being undertaken is something which can be announced, and I am able to confirm that such an investigation will not be commenced at this stage.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Because the liquidation of the companies involved in the scheme is still under way, I do not propose to make a public announcement about the outcome of any review. However the creditors of those companies will receive reports from the liquidators if they are to be paid further dividends.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 18/12/2014 12:10:36 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
	tabling member	4035 label Biography information for Steve Rotheram

170300

	registered interest
	date	15/12/2014
	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	Company Investigations
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether the Insolvency Service plans to conduct any inquiries under sections 432 or 447 of the Companies Act 1985 in the next six months.
	tabling member constituency	Liverpool, Walton
	tabling member printed	Steve Rotheram
	uin	218622
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2014 answer text <p>For the financial year 2014-15 The Insolvency Service anticipates conducting between 140 and 160 investigations under section 447 Companies Act 1985. This is part of the normal function of the Insolvency Service so I can confirm that investigations will be conducted using this power in the next six months, though it is not possible to say how many.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The circumstances giving rise to an investigation using section 432 Companies Act 1985 are much less common, and I cannot at present state whether any such investigations will be commenced within the next six months.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 18/12/2014 12:08:00 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
	tabling member	4035 label Biography information for Steve Rotheram

170301

	registered interest
	date	15/12/2014
	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	Apprentices: Minimum Wage
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 11 December 2014 to Question 217684, how many employers have been fined for non-payment of the apprentice National Minimum Wage at the rate introduced in March 2014.
	tabling member constituency	Sheffield Central
	tabling member printed	Paul Blomfield
	uin	218677
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2014 answer text <p>The Notice of Underpayment issued to an employer by HMRC following the identification of underpayments of the National Minimum Wage does not differentiate between underpayments to workers and apprentices. Non-compliance involving apprentices is not restricted to the Apprentice National Minimum Wage; some non-compliance will occur where an apprentice is entitled to the relevant age rate (where they are aged over 19 and have completed their first year).</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>It is therefore not possible to provide information on the number of employers who have faced a penalty for non-payment of the apprentice National Minimum Wage since March 2014, as HMRC do not hold this information. Nor is it possible to provide details of the number of naming cases involving underpayments to apprentices. We can confirm that every employer that has been named has faced a financial penalty. These penalties will have related to pay reference periods falling before and after 7 March 2014 and so will have been calculated at the previous and current rates.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In 2014/15, the National Minimum Wage enforcement budget was increased by £1.2m from £8m to £9.2m. There are currently 189 staff across HMRC contributing to enforcing NMW, including people who work in legal advice, debt management, technical support and criminal investigation, amongst others. This includes an additional 26 inspectors recently recruited following the in-year 14/15 funding increase. Within this overall resource, we do not specify an amount that should be allocated to enforcing the apprentice National Minimum Wage. HMRC are required to respond to every complaint made to the Pay and Work Rights Helpline. In addition to this, complaints from apprentices are prioritised and fast-tracked.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Anyone who is concerned that they have been underpaid the National Minimum Wage should call the Pay and Work Rights Helpline for free and confidential advice on 0800 917 2368.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson grouped question UIN 218678 218679 question first answered 18/12/2014 12:16:41 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
	tabling member	4058 label Biography information for Paul Blomfield

170302

	registered interest
	date	15/12/2014
	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	Apprentices: Minimum Wage
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 11 December 2014 to Question 217684, how many of the 55 companies named for non-payment of the National Minimum Wage had underpaid apprentices; and how many of those 55 companies have been fined for non-payment of the apprentice National Minimum Wage.
	tabling member constituency	Sheffield Central
	tabling member printed	Paul Blomfield
	uin	218678
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2014 answer text <p>The Notice of Underpayment issued to an employer by HMRC following the identification of underpayments of the National Minimum Wage does not differentiate between underpayments to workers and apprentices. Non-compliance involving apprentices is not restricted to the Apprentice National Minimum Wage; some non-compliance will occur where an apprentice is entitled to the relevant age rate (where they are aged over 19 and have completed their first year).</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>It is therefore not possible to provide information on the number of employers who have faced a penalty for non-payment of the apprentice National Minimum Wage since March 2014, as HMRC do not hold this information. Nor is it possible to provide details of the number of naming cases involving underpayments to apprentices. We can confirm that every employer that has been named has faced a financial penalty. These penalties will have related to pay reference periods falling before and after 7 March 2014 and so will have been calculated at the previous and current rates.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In 2014/15, the National Minimum Wage enforcement budget was increased by £1.2m from £8m to £9.2m. There are currently 189 staff across HMRC contributing to enforcing NMW, including people who work in legal advice, debt management, technical support and criminal investigation, amongst others. This includes an additional 26 inspectors recently recruited following the in-year 14/15 funding increase. Within this overall resource, we do not specify an amount that should be allocated to enforcing the apprentice National Minimum Wage. HMRC are required to respond to every complaint made to the Pay and Work Rights Helpline. In addition to this, complaints from apprentices are prioritised and fast-tracked.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Anyone who is concerned that they have been underpaid the National Minimum Wage should call the Pay and Work Rights Helpline for free and confidential advice on 0800 917 2368.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson grouped question UIN 218677 218679 question first answered 18/12/2014 12:16:41 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
	tabling member	4058 label Biography information for Paul Blomfield

170303

	registered interest
	date	15/12/2014
	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	Apprentices: Minimum Wage
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 11 December 2014 to Question 217684, what (a) funding and (b) staffing has been allocated to enforcement of the apprentice National Minimum Wage.
	tabling member constituency	Sheffield Central
	tabling member printed	Paul Blomfield
	uin	218679
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2014 answer text <p>The Notice of Underpayment issued to an employer by HMRC following the identification of underpayments of the National Minimum Wage does not differentiate between underpayments to workers and apprentices. Non-compliance involving apprentices is not restricted to the Apprentice National Minimum Wage; some non-compliance will occur where an apprentice is entitled to the relevant age rate (where they are aged over 19 and have completed their first year).</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>It is therefore not possible to provide information on the number of employers who have faced a penalty for non-payment of the apprentice National Minimum Wage since March 2014, as HMRC do not hold this information. Nor is it possible to provide details of the number of naming cases involving underpayments to apprentices. We can confirm that every employer that has been named has faced a financial penalty. These penalties will have related to pay reference periods falling before and after 7 March 2014 and so will have been calculated at the previous and current rates.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In 2014/15, the National Minimum Wage enforcement budget was increased by £1.2m from £8m to £9.2m. There are currently 189 staff across HMRC contributing to enforcing NMW, including people who work in legal advice, debt management, technical support and criminal investigation, amongst others. This includes an additional 26 inspectors recently recruited following the in-year 14/15 funding increase. Within this overall resource, we do not specify an amount that should be allocated to enforcing the apprentice National Minimum Wage. HMRC are required to respond to every complaint made to the Pay and Work Rights Helpline. In addition to this, complaints from apprentices are prioritised and fast-tracked.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Anyone who is concerned that they have been underpaid the National Minimum Wage should call the Pay and Work Rights Helpline for free and confidential advice on 0800 917 2368.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson grouped question UIN 218677 218678 question first answered 18/12/2014 12:16:41 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
	tabling member	4058 label Biography information for Paul Blomfield

170308

	registered interest
	date	15/12/2014
	answering body	Deputy Prime Minister
	answering dept id	58
	answering dept short name	Deputy Prime Minister
	answering dept sort name	Deputy Prime Minister
	hansard heading	Electoral Register: Transgender People
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what steps he is taking to ensure that individual voter registration does not make it harder for transgender people to register to vote.
	tabling member constituency	Cambridge
	tabling member printed	Dr Julian Huppert
	uin	218836
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2014 answer text <p><strong>We've launched the new online system to make voter registration as accessible and accurate as possible.</strong></p><p> </p><p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p><p><strong>The service has been extensively tested with a wide range of users to ensure the data the service collects allows the verification of an individual's identity. The website consistently achieves a very high satisfaction score. </strong></p><p> </p><p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p><p><strong>We will continue to improve the service based on user feedback. </strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Surrey answering member printed Mr Sam Gyimah question first answered 18/12/2014 16:01:56 answering member 3980 label Biography information for Mr Sam Gyimah
	tabling member	3931 label Biography information for Dr Julian Huppert

170310

	registered interest
	date	15/12/2014
	answering body	HM Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Sanctions: Kuwait
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many Kuwaiti nationals have been referred to HM Treasury's sanctions list in each of the last five years for which records are available.
	tabling member constituency	North East Cambridgeshire
	tabling member printed	Stephen Barclay
	uin	218834
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2014 answer text <p>There are currently ten individuals on the Treasury’s consolidated list of financial sanctions targets who are recorded as being Kuwaiti nationals. Of these, nine are individuals designated under the UN Al Qaida regime and one under the Terrorism and Terrorist Financing regime. Four of these Kuwaiti nationals were added to the list in 2014. The remaining six were all designated prior to 2010. No Kuwaiti nationals have been removed from the list during the last five years.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 18/12/2014 17:30:41 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
	tabling member	4095 label Biography information for Steve Barclay

170314

	registered interest
	date	15/12/2014
	answering body	HM Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Flanagan Group
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the contribution by the Exchequer Secretary, of 4 December 2014, Official Report, column 518, on the FCA redress scheme, if he will investigate the case of the Flanagan Group in Liverpool, Walton constituency.
	tabling member constituency	Liverpool, Walton
	tabling member printed	Steve Rotheram
	uin	218619
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2014 answer text <p>The Financial Conduct Authority is best placed to consider individual cases. As such, I have recently written to the FCA requesting that the cases raised in the debate on 4 December are considered as part of the wider lessons learnt exercise that the FCA will be undertaking shortly.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 18/12/2014 17:32:33 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
	tabling member	4035 label Biography information for Steve Rotheram

170329

	registered interest
	date	15/12/2014
	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	Council Tax
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, which councils have signed up to his Department's offer of additional funding to freeze council tax in 2014-15.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	218809
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2014 answer text <p>In total 251 authorities in England froze or reduced their band D council tax in 2014-15, which is 60% of those eligible. A list of authorities which met the criteria of the 2014-15 council tax freeze scheme and therefore received the additional funding is available at:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/317658/140415_312335_Council_Tax_Freeze__Revenue__Grant_Determination_2014-15.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/317658/140415_312335_Council_Tax_Freeze__Revenue__Grant_Determination_2014-15.pdf</a></p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Kris Hopkins question first answered 18/12/2014 16:07:08 answering member 4043 label Biography information for Kris Hopkins
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

170330

	registered interest
	date	15/12/2014
	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	Non-domestic Rates: Worcestershire
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the number of businesses in Worcester that have received (a) small business rate relief and (b) the High Street Discount on business rates.
	tabling member constituency	Worcester
	tabling member printed	Mr Robin Walker
	uin	218800
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2014 answer text <p>The Chancellor announced at the 2014 Autumn Statement an extra £650 million of support for 2015-16 business rates bills, bringing the total support from 2013 and 2014 Autumn Statement polices in 2015-16 to £1.4 billion. Autumn Statement 2014 help includes:</p><p> </p><ul><li>doubling small business rate relief for a further year. In England, this means an estimated 385,000 properties will pay no rates at all, while a further 190,000 properties will benefit from tapered relief.</li><li>a 2% cap on the increase of the small business rates multiplier. This is a continuation of the 2% cap introduced in 2014-15 as part of Autumn Statement 2013 measures;</li><li>increasing the temporary £1,000 discount for shops, pubs and restaurants with rateable values below £50,000 to £1,500 for 2015-16, benefitting an estimated 300,000 properties in England and;</li><li>extending the existing transitional relief scheme for two years for properties with a rateable value up to and including £50,000.</li></ul><p>These policies are in addition to previous Autumn Statement measures that continue into 2015-16, including:</p><ul><li>a 50 per cent discount for 18 months to new occupants of vacant shops;</li><li>allowing businesses to keep their small business rate relief for a year where they take on an additional property; and</li><li>business rates relief for empty new builds.</li></ul><p>Central Government also now funds 50% of any local discount granted.</p><p>The attached table shows the number of properties in 2014-15 within the Worcester City Council boundary that have benefitted from business rates measures in the previous Autumn Statement, including those that have received small business rates relief and the high street discount on business rates.</p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Kris Hopkins question first answered 18/12/2014 16:26:04 answering member 4043 label Biography information for Kris Hopkins attachment 1 file name 218800 Walker - Table.docx title Table
	tabling member	4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker

170331

	registered interest
	date	15/12/2014
	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	Non-domestic Rates: Barnet
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate the Department has made of the number of small firms and shops in (a) the London borough of Barnet and (b) Hendon constituency which will have a reduction in business rates in 2015-16.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	218808
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2014 answer text <p>The Chancellor announced at the 2014 Autumn Statement an extra £650 million of support for 2015-16 business rates bills, bringing the total support from 2013 and 2014 Autumn Statement polices in 2015-16 to £1.4 billion. Autumn Statement 2014 help includes:</p><p> </p><ul><li>doubling small business rate relief for a further year. In England, this means an estimated 385,000 properties will pay no rates at all, while a further 190,000 properties will benefit from tapered relief.</li><li>a 2% cap on the increase of the small business rates multiplier. This is a continuation of the 2% cap introduced in 2014-15 as part of Autumn Statement 2013 measures;</li><li>increasing the temporary £1,000 discount for shops, pubs and restaurants with rateable values below £50,000 to £1,500 for 2015-16, benefitting an estimated 300,000 properties in England; and</li><li>extending the existing transitional relief scheme for two years for properties with a rateable value up to and including £50,000.</li></ul><p> </p><p>These policies are in addition to previous Autumn Statement measures that continue into 2015-16, including:</p><p> </p><ul><li>a 50 per cent discount for 18 months to new occupants of vacant shops;</li><li>allowing businesses to keep their small business rate relief for a year where they take on an additional property; and</li><li>business rates relief for empty new builds.</li></ul><p> </p><p>Central Government also now funds 50% of any local discount granted.</p><p> </p><p>The Department does not collect data on a constituency basis, but Hendon constituency lies entirely within the boundary of the London Borough of Barnet. In addition to this, local authority level data is not yet available for the number of properties that will benefit from Autumn Statement 2014 measures in 2015-16. The attached table shows the number of properties in 2014-15 within the boundary of the London Borough of Barnet that benefit from business rates measures extended in this year’s Autumn Statement.</p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Kris Hopkins question first answered 18/12/2014 16:23:33 answering member 4043 label Biography information for Kris Hopkins attachment 1 file name 218808 Offord - Table.docx title Table
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

170332

	registered interest
	date	15/12/2014
	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	Non-domestic Rates: Worcestershire
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much was paid in business rates in (a) Worcester and (b) Worcestershire in each of the last five years.
	tabling member constituency	Worcester
	tabling member printed	Mr Robin Walker
	uin	218749
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2014 answer text <p>Details of the amount of non-domestic rates that were collected in (a) Worcester and (b) Worcestershire in each of the last 5 years are shown in the table below. The data are the amount that was collected in the year, irrespective of the year to which it relates before the deduction of any allowances for the cost of collection or losses in collection.</p><p> </p><p>The data for Worcestershire is made up from the data for Bromsgrove, Malvern Hills, Redditch, Wychavon, Wyre Forest and Worcester.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td> </td><td><p>Worcester</p><p>£million</p></td><td><p>Worcestershire</p><p>£million</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2009-10</p></td><td><p>35.0</p></td><td><p>163.8</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2010-11</p></td><td><p>35.7</p></td><td><p>165.8</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011-12</p></td><td><p>37.6</p></td><td><p>176.0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012-13</p></td><td><p>39.2</p></td><td><p>179.5</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013-14</p></td><td><p>40.1</p></td><td><p>182.3</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Data were collected on auditor certified national non-domestic rates (NNDR3) outturn forms completed annually by all billing authorities in England.</p><p> </p><p>These figures will reflect changes to the overall size and valuation of hereditaments, new buildings and the change in the multiplier, as well as changes to different types of rate relief.</p><p> </p><p>These data are available on the gov.uk website at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/national-non-domestic-rates-local-authority-level-data" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/national-non-domestic-rates-local-authority-level-data</a></p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Kris Hopkins question first answered 18/12/2014 15:44:50 answering member 4043 label Biography information for Kris Hopkins
	tabling member	4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker

170333

	registered interest
	date	15/12/2014
	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	Local Government Finance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to recommendation (a) of the report of the National Audit Office entitled Financial sustainability of local authorities 2014, published in November 2014, if his Department will publish a real-terms series of change in individual local authority income since 2010-11.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds Central
	tabling member printed	Hilary Benn
	uin	218730
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2014 answer text <p>The Government will publish a formal response to the Public Accounts Committee's consideration of the National Audit Office report; this will be presented to Parliament in the New Year.</p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Kris Hopkins grouped question UIN 218732 218733 218734 question first answered 18/12/2014 15:34:12 answering member 4043 label Biography information for Kris Hopkins
	tabling member	413 label Biography information for Hilary Benn

170334

	registered interest
	date	15/12/2014
	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	Shared Ownership Schemes
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to paragraph 2.42 of the Autumn Statement 2014, when he plans to launch the consultation on options for streamlining the process for selling on shared ownership properties.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds Central
	tabling member printed	Hilary Benn
	uin	218731
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2014 answer text <p>We will be seeking views on streamlining the process for selling on shared ownership properties early in 2015.</p> answering member constituency Great Yarmouth answering member printed Brandon Lewis question first answered 18/12/2014 14:57:23 answering member 4009 label Biography information for Sir Brandon Lewis
	tabling member	413 label Biography information for Hilary Benn