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577633

	registered interest
	date	07/09/2016
	answering body	Leader of the House
	answering dept id	34
	answering dept short name	Leader of the House
	answering dept sort name	Leader of the House
	hansard heading	e-Petitions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Leader of the House, what steps he is taking to improve the quality of Government responses to e-petitions.
	tabling member constituency	Twickenham
	tabling member printed	Dr Tania Mathias
	uin	45404
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/09/2016 answer text <p>The new e-petitions system has been running for over a year now and the Government is pleased with the level of engagement that it has prompted among the public.</p><p> </p><p>Individual Departments are responsible for the content and timeliness of responses to e-petitions, however the Leader's office has general Government oversight of e-petitions. My predecessor reminded Cabinet colleagues of the importance of quality and timely responses to e-petitions at the beginning of the second session. I will be writing to Cabinet colleagues this week with a similar reminder.</p> answering member constituency Aylesbury answering member printed Mr David Lidington question first answered 12/09/2016 16:28:15 answering member 15 label Biography information for Sir David Lidington
	tabling member	4404 label Biography information for Dr Tania Mathias

577442

	registered interest
	date	07/09/2016
	answering body	HM Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	CaTreasury
	hansard heading	Welfare Tax Credits
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 7 September 2016 to Question 44669, how many tax credit (a) awards have been considered and (b) error or fraud cases have been identified and corrected since the beginning of the contract between SYNNEX Concentrix and HM Revenue and Customs.
	tabling member constituency	Sheffield, Heeley
	tabling member printed	Louise Haigh
	uin	45573
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/09/2016 answer text <p>HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and SYNNEX-Concentrix have arrangements for regular and frequent communications including weekly and monthly meetings as well as other discussions on a day-to-day basis.</p><p> </p><p>Since the beginning of the contract between SYNNEX-Concentrix and HMRC in November 2014 to 11 September 2016, SYNNEX-Concentrix have considered around 667,000 cases of which around 103,000 cases have been amended</p><p> </p><p>The total savings in Annually Managed Expenditure were £2.3 million in 2014-15, £122.3 million in 2015-16 and £159.5 million in 2016-17 to mid- August 2016. The total to date is £284.1 million since commencement of the contract in November 14.</p><p> </p><p>SYNNEX-Concentrix has achieved the 75 day service level agreement throughout the contract period to date.</p><p> </p><p>Since the contract variation in October 2015 to the end of August 2016, there have been a) 13 Amber Green Failures, b) 9 Amber failures, c) 10 red failures and d) 13 Black Failures of Key Performance Indicators. During this same period there have been 1,410 checks of these indicators.</p><p> </p><p>Since the start of the contract, the average waiting time for SYNNEX-Concentrix to answer telephone calls has been 6 minutes and 53 seconds and the maximum waiting time for one individual was 1 hour 5 minutes and 34 seconds.</p><p> </p><p>Since the contract commenced in November 2014 to mid-August 2016, the average length of time taken between SYNNEX-Concentrix starting to work a mandatory reconsideration and SYNNEX-Concentrix making a decision is 23 days.</p><p> </p><p>These cases are not generally erroneous, but tend to arise when further information is provided by the claimant, allowing SYNNEX-Concentrix to review the case after the initial decision has been made.</p><p>There are currently no tax credit Mandatory Reconsiderations being worked by SYNNEX-Concentrix that are over the target timescale. The table below provides the number of mandatory reconsiderations and appeals that have been received in each financial year since the commencement of the contract.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Appeals</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Number Received</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014/15</p></td><td><p><del class="ministerial">0</del><ins class="ministerial">3</ins></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015/16</p></td><td><p><del class="ministerial">365</del><ins class="ministerial">383</ins></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016/17 to <del class="ministerial">mid-</del><ins class="ministerial">31</ins>August 16</p></td><td><p><del class="ministerial">167</del><ins class="ministerial">169</ins></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Mandatory Reconsiderations</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Number Received</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014/15</p></td><td><p><del class="ministerial">436</del><ins class="ministerial">76</ins></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015/16</p></td><td><p><del class="ministerial">2042</del><ins class="ministerial">7904</ins></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016/17 to <del class="ministerial">mid-</del><ins class="ministerial">31</ins>August 16</p></td><td><p><del class="ministerial">7989</del><ins class="ministerial">3495</ins></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>The total number of appeals received is about 0.08% of all decisions SYNNEX-Concentrix made in the same period. The total number of Mandatory Reconsiderations received is about 1.6% of all decisions SYNNEX-Concentrix made.</p><p> </p><p>Tax credits claimants are asked to provide information within 30 days when undergoing checks for error and fraud.</p><p> </p><p>The information about the estimate of the number of recipients of child tax credit and working tax credit whose payments have been erroneously stopped in each year from 2010 to date is not available in the form requested.</p><p> </p><p>However, if a claimant believes that an incorrect decision<del class="ministerial">s</del> has been made, they are able to request a review (now known as a Mandatory Reconsideration). If a claimant believes the review decision to be wrong, they may appeal to an independent tribunal. During reviews or at appeal, additional information is often provided that could have supported the original claim, had it been made available earlier in the process. The proportion of reviews and appeals that result in the original decision being changed remains small in proportion to the total number of cases processed.</p><p> </p><p>Tax credits are often reinstated when information to support the claim is provided after the initial decision has been taken. Since November 2014 to mid-August 2016 the Contractor has amended 6,755 decisions following the receipt of a mandatory reconsideration. Since the start of the contract to mid-August 2016 the Authority has amended 280 decisions following consideration of customer appeals from a total of around 660,000 cases where SYNNEX-Concentrix has completed its checks.</p><p> </p><p>HMRC does not hold information on how many of these were reinstated following a cancellation and how many were adjusted following an amendment to an award.</p><p> </p><p>For reasons of commercial sensitivity, HMRC does not disclose its intent around either Clauses B5 or E6 of the contract. For similar reasons, HMRC does not publish the reports completed at the end of each Measurement Period at this time nor disclose the number and value of fines and penalties incurred by SYNNEX-Concentrix under its contract with HMRC.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Battersea answering member printed Jane Ellison question first answered 12/09/2016 16:34:45 question first ministerially corrected 02/12/2016 11:32:26 answering member 3918 label Biography information for Jane Ellison previous answer version 11020 answering member constituency Battersea answering member printed Jane Ellison answering member 3918 label Biography information for Jane Ellison
	tabling member	4473 label Biography information for Louise Haigh

577587

	registered interest
	date	07/09/2016
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	War Crimes: Criminal Investigation
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department has issued to police services on investigation of historical war crimes.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	45476
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/09/2016 answer text <p>The investigation and prosecution of individuals suspected of war crimes is an operational matter and any decision to investigate or prosecute is the responsibility of the police in consultation with Crown Prosecution Service. Investigations into these offences are conducted using jointly agreed guidelines between the Crown Prosecution Service and SO15 ; these guidelines can be found on the Crown Prosecution Service website. The Home Office does not issue separate guidance to police forces on investigation of historical war crimes.</p> answering member constituency Great Yarmouth answering member printed Brandon Lewis question first answered 12/09/2016 14:48:39 answering member 4009 label Biography information for Sir Brandon Lewis
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

577595

	registered interest
	date	07/09/2016
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: India
	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 potential merits of introducing a two year visa option for visitors from India.
	tabling member constituency	Linlithgow and East Falkirk
	tabling member printed	Martyn Day
	uin	45533
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/09/2016 answer text <p>Indian citizens can already apply for 2, 5 and 10 year validity visit visas.</p> answering member constituency Scarborough and Whitby answering member printed Mr Robert Goodwill question first answered 12/09/2016 14:36:39 answering member 1562 label Biography information for Sir Robert Goodwill
	tabling member	4488 label Biography information for Martyn Day

577517

	registered interest
	date	07/09/2016
	answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept id	16
	answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	hansard heading	Turkey: EU Accession
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the Government's policy is on Turkey's accession to the EU.
	tabling member constituency	Clacton
	tabling member printed	Mr Douglas Carswell
	uin	45349
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/09/2016 answer text <p>As and when candidate countries have met the requirements for accession in full, it will be for those countries and European Union members at the time to decide on membership. That point remains some way off.</p><p>The UK remains committed to driving reform, embedding stability and addressing shared challenges such as security and migration in the Western Balkans and Turkey. The UK will continue to support countries committed to the accession process in meeting the necessary requirements.</p> answering member constituency Rutland and Melton answering member printed Sir Alan Duncan question first answered 12/09/2016 15:08:35 answering member 343 label Biography information for Sir Alan Duncan
	tabling member	1527 label Biography information for Mr Douglas Carswell

577466

	registered interest
	date	07/09/2016
	answering body	Department for Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept id	10
	answering dept short name	Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept sort name	Culture, Media and Sport
	hansard heading	Tourism: South West
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government is taking to increase battlefield tourism in South West England.
	tabling member constituency	Torridge and West Devon
	tabling member printed	Mr Geoffrey Cox
	uin	45438
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/09/2016 answer text <p>22% of all Registered Battlefields are located in the South West. Through the recently published Tourism Action Plan ​ and Discover England Fund​, this Government is encouraging visitors, both domestic and international, to venture beyond London, so that the benefits of growth can be felt across the whole of the UK.</p> answering member constituency Chatham and Aylesford answering member printed Tracey Crouch question first answered 12/09/2016 16:19:11 answering member 3950 label Biography information for Tracey Crouch
	tabling member	1508 label Biography information for Sir Geoffrey Cox

577515

	registered interest
	date	07/09/2016
	answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept id	16
	answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	hansard heading	Tanzania: Christianity
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his Tanzanian counterpart on steps to prosecute those responsible for the recent attack on the Sebastian Kolowa Memorial University in Lushoto.
	tabling member constituency	East Londonderry
	tabling member printed	Mr Gregory Campbell
	uin	45339
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/09/2016 answer text <p>We are concerned by the reports of an attack on Sebastian Kolowa Memorial University and officials in our embassy in Tanzania are following up with the Tanzanian authorities.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 12/09/2016 15:45:42 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
	tabling member	1409 label Biography information for Mr Gregory Campbell

577467

	registered interest
	date	07/09/2016
	answering body	Department for Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept id	10
	answering dept short name	Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept sort name	Culture, Media and Sport
	hansard heading	Sports: Disability
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much her Department spent on disability sport in each year since 2010.
	tabling member constituency	North Swindon
	tabling member printed	Justin Tomlinson
	uin	45411
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/09/2016 answer text <p>Government is committed to increasing opportunities for disabled people to get involved in sport and physical activity, both at the grassroots and elite level.</p><p> </p><p>For the period 2011 - 17, Sport England is investing over £170 million as part of its Whole Sport Plan Investment to encourage and support disabled people to play sport.</p><p> </p><p>In the current 2013-17 Rio Olympic and Paralympic cycle, UK Sport are investing around £350 million in the Summer Olympic and Paralympic sports, and a further £31m in the Winter Olympic and Paralympic sports, targeting success in PyeongChang 2018 and Tokyo 2020. The Government, through UK Sport, is investing almost £73m into 18 summer Paralympic sports during the Rio 2016 cycle, an increase of 48% from London 2012, and £2.7m into winter Paralympic sport during the current cycle.</p> answering member constituency Chatham and Aylesford answering member printed Tracey Crouch question first answered 12/09/2016 16:05:46 answering member 3950 label Biography information for Tracey Crouch
	tabling member	4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson

577663

	registered interest
	date	07/09/2016
	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	Schools: Solar Power
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what representations he has received from schools with solar panel installations on the proposed change in business rates for such installations from 2017; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Coventry South
	tabling member printed	Mr Jim Cunningham
	uin	45405
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/09/2016 answer text <p>Business rates are based on valuations from the Valuation Office Agency and we do not intervene in their independent assessments. We will look closely at the impacts of the forthcoming revaluation and consult on how to make sure the right support is in place for ratepayers to adjust to any changes.</p> answering member constituency Nuneaton answering member printed Mr Marcus Jones question first answered 12/09/2016 15:48:17 answering member 4024 label Biography information for Mr Marcus Jones
	tabling member	308 label Biography information for Mr Jim Cunningham

577438

	registered interest
	date	07/09/2016
	answering body	HM Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	CaTreasury
	hansard heading	Remittances: EU Nationals
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the total amount of remittances by EU A8 citizens resident in the UK since May 2004.
	tabling member constituency	Clacton
	tabling member printed	Mr Douglas Carswell
	uin	45350
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/09/2016 answer text <p>HM Treasury has made no estimate of the number of remittances made since May 2004.</p> answering member constituency South West Hertfordshire answering member printed Mr David Gauke question first answered 12/09/2016 16:44:18 answering member 1529 label Biography information for Mr David Gauke
	tabling member	1527 label Biography information for Mr Douglas Carswell