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1124929

	registered interest
	date	07/05/2019
	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	Universal Credit: Housing
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make automatic payment of the housing cost element of universal credit directly to the landlord.
	tabling member constituency	Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk
	tabling member printed	John Lamont
	uin	251332
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/05/2019 answer text <p>Universal Credit payments are designed to mirror the world of work, with monthly payments reflecting the way many working people are paid. This model of monthly payments allows claimants to take responsibility for budgeting their own income and helps prepare them for getting back to work.</p><p> </p><p>Many claimants are capable of managing their own financial affairs and for these claimants a Managed Payment to Landlords (MPTL) is not appropriate.</p><p> </p><p>A claimant’s personal circumstances could change in a way which means that they need additional support at any stage of a claim, not just at the start. As such, we make sure that managed payments to landlords (MPTL) are available to Universal Credit claimants when appropriate, either from the start of their claim or at whatever point in which they need help.</p><p> </p><p>A MPTL can be requested by the claimant, their representative or their landlord and will be considered on a case by case basis and requests for MPTLs are dealt with as a priority. Landlords who are given access to the Landlord Portal are also given Trusted Partner status which allows them to make recommendations on whether an MPTL should be put in place. All MPTL recommendations from Trusted Partners will be implemented in good faith by DWP.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 15/05/2019 11:07:15 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4608 label Biography information for John Lamont

1124931

	registered interest
	date	07/05/2019
	answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept id	201
	answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	hansard heading	Space Technology: Investment
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to encourage investment in the space industry in (a) the UK and (b) rural areas.
	tabling member constituency	Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk
	tabling member printed	John Lamont
	uin	251334
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/05/2019 answer text <p>Britain has a vibrant commercial space sector and plays a leading role in international space science. Scotland has end-to-end capabilities from Satellite design and manufacture to the use of space data and services in day-to-day applications. Indeed:</p><ul><li>In 2015 &amp; 16, more satellites were manufactured in Glasgow than any other European city,</li><li>The number of space organisations in Scotland grew by 26% between 2014/15 &amp; 2016/17,</li><li>Scottish space organisations employ almost 1 in 5 of the UK space workforce.</li></ul><p><br> We want to ensure that our space industry, one of the fastest-growing industries in the UK economy, covers the whole of the UK. In July 2018, we announced £31.5 million in grant funding to support development of a new vertical spaceport in Sutherland, providing a much-needed boost to rural Scotland.</p><p>We are equipping the UK with the Space facilities we will need in the future. The National Satellite Test Facility now being built in Harwell with £99m of investment from the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund will provide crucial new test facilities for an expanding space manufacturing sector.</p><p>The UK Space Agency also co-invests with the Satellite Applications Catapult in a network of five regional Centres of Excellence in Satellite Applications across the UK, including the Scottish Centre of Excellence hosted by the University of Strathclyde. The Centres raise awareness of opportunities in the space sector, publicise funding calls and broker collaborative partnership, including with local universities.</p> answering member constituency Kingswood answering member printed Chris Skidmore question first answered 15/05/2019 12:45:14 answering member 4021 label Biography information for Chris Skidmore
	tabling member	4608 label Biography information for John Lamont

1124934

	registered interest
	date	07/05/2019
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Help to Buy Scheme: Scotland
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people have benefited from the Help to Buy ISA and how much this is in monetary terms in (a) Scotland and (b) Berwickshire, Roxburgh & Selkirk.
	tabling member constituency	Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk
	tabling member printed	John Lamont
	uin	251337
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/05/2019 answer text <p>Since the Help to Buy: ISA’s launch in 1 December 2015 till 31 December 2018, the Government has paid out 23,960 bonuses to individuals purchasing a home in Scotland, with a total value of £20,326,852. In Berwickshire, Roxburgh &amp; Selkirk, 261 bonuses have been paid, with a total value of £198,112.</p> answering member constituency Salisbury answering member printed John Glen question first answered 15/05/2019 14:29:43 answering member 4051 label Biography information for John Glen
	tabling member	4608 label Biography information for John Lamont

1124935

	registered interest
	date	07/05/2019
	answering body	Cabinet Office
	answering dept id	53
	answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
	answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
	hansard heading	Civil Servants: Scotland
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government is taking to increase the size of the civil service in Scotland.
	tabling member constituency	Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk
	tabling member printed	John Lamont
	uin	251338
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/05/2019 answer text <p>The Government committed in the 2018 Government Estates Strategy to locate more Civil<br>Service roles into the regions and nations of the United Kingdom. To deliver on this<br>commitment, the Cabinet Office is co-ordinating such activity under the Places for Growth<br>programme. This programme will take a place-based approach to relocating roles that<br>ensures we have the skills and capacity in the right places to enable organisations and<br>cities to flourish</p><p>The Places for Growth team have been engaging with local stakeholders across the UK,<br>including in Scotland, to build this nationwide picture of skills and specialisms. This informs<br>the programme’s support of departmental estates and workforce planning for the<br>forthcoming Spending Review, to ensure alignment with Places for Growth principles</p><p>Departments will be required to relocate roles, including senior roles.</p><p>The Civil Service workforce survey (2018) shows that the size of the Civil Service in<br>Scotland is 43,120, (including 17,340 in the Scottish Government).</p> answering member constituency Hertsmere answering member printed Oliver Dowden question first answered 15/05/2019 16:41:18 answering member 4441 label Biography information for Oliver Dowden
	tabling member	4608 label Biography information for John Lamont

1131130

	registered interest
	date	11/06/2019
	answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept id	201
	answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	hansard heading	Business: Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	What recent steps he has taken to support businesses in Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk constituency.
	tabling member constituency	Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk
	tabling member printed	John Lamont
	uin	911266
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/06/2019 answer text <p>We’ve committed to invest up to £560 million through both the Borderlands Growth Deal and the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal, demonstrating our commitment to supporting growth and prosperity in the Scottish Borders.</p><p> </p><p>As of May 2019, the British Business Bank’s Start-Up Loans programme has made 45 loans totalling over £340,000 for businesses in his constituency.</p> answering member constituency Pendle answering member printed Andrew Stephenson question first answered 11/06/2019 14:06:31 answering member 4044 label Biography information for Andrew Stephenson
	tabling member	4608 label Biography information for John Lamont

1136239

	registered interest
	date	02/07/2019
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Gaza: Reconstruction
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of processes to prevent the misuse of reconstruction material in Gaza.
	tabling member constituency	Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk
	tabling member printed	John Lamont
	uin	272238
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/07/2019 answer text <p>Following the review of the Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism (GRM) by the UN, Government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority in February 2018, and the implementation of improvements in January 2019, we assess that the GRM and, in particular, its Programme Monitoring Unit (PMU) has effective processes to monitor the entry and use of construction materials in Gaza. DFID has recently committed a further £700,000 to the PMU over the next two years. This support will be an important part of efforts to alleviate shelter and basic service needs which were exacerbated by the 2014 conflict and help stimulate economic growth and reduce poverty.</p> answering member constituency South West Wiltshire answering member printed Dr Andrew Murrison question first answered 09/07/2019 15:51:03 answering member 1466 label Biography information for Dr Andrew Murrison
	tabling member	4608 label Biography information for John Lamont

1142920

	registered interest
	date	02/09/2019
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Banks: Closures
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he will take to reduce bank closures in rural areas.
	tabling member constituency	Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk
	tabling member printed	John Lamont
	uin	284386
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/09/2019 answer text <p>The Government recognises that the closure of bank branches is a very important issue for many people, particularly in rural communities. However, banking service providers need to balance customer interests and other commercial factors when considering their strategies. Although the Government understands the dissatisfaction, it is right that decisions on opening and closing branches are taken by the management team of each bank on a commercial basis and the Government does not intervene in these decisions.</p><p> </p><p>Government cannot reverse the changes in the market and in customer behaviour; nor can it determine firms’ commercial strategies in response to those changes. In 2018, two-thirds of UK adults used contactless payments, 72% used online banking and 48% used mobile banking, according to UK Finance. The Government is committed to ensuring that all areas of the UK benefit from world class digital connectivity, and we have invested heavily to meet that ambition. The £1.8bn superfast programme has ensured that 96% of the UK has access to download speeds of at least 24Mbps. For those premises that do not have access to download speeds of at least 10 Mbps, the Government have introduced the Universal Service Obligation (USO), which allows people to request a USO connection from the designated Universal Service provider, BT, from March 2020.</p><p> </p><p>However, the Government still firmly believes that the impact of branch closures should be understood, considered, and mitigated where possible so that all customers, wherever they live, continue to have access to over-the-counter banking services if they wish to use them. That is why the Government is in full support of the voluntary Access to Banking Standard that the major high-street banks are signed up to. This commits them to keep customers well informed about branch closures, and to set out their reasons for closures and the alternative options for continued access to services. It is also why the Government supports the Post Office Banking Framework Agreement, which enables 99% of personal customers and 95% of small business customers to carry out their everyday banking at one of the Post Office’s 11,500 branches.</p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Salisbury answering member printed John Glen question first answered 05/09/2019 11:50:09 answering member 4051 label Biography information for John Glen
	tabling member	4608 label Biography information for John Lamont

1142921

	registered interest
	date	02/09/2019
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Corporation Tax
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has any plans to reduce corporation tax.
	tabling member constituency	Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk
	tabling member printed	John Lamont
	uin	284389
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p>Since 2010 the Government has successively reduced the UK Corporation Tax rate to support businesses both large and small. Now at 19% the UK Corporation Tax is currently the lowest in the G20. In April 2020 the Government will reduce the UK Corporation tax rate further to 17%.</p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman question first answered 09/09/2019 14:58:37 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
	tabling member	4608 label Biography information for John Lamont

1142922

	registered interest
	date	02/09/2019
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	National Insurance Contributions: Scotland
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has plans to change the level of national insurance paid at the upper earnings limit and what assessment he has made of the potential of effect of that change on the (a) Scottish Government block grant and (b) tax differential between Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom.
	tabling member constituency	Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk
	tabling member printed	John Lamont
	uin	284394
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p>The Government is committed to keeping taxes low to support working people to keep more of what they earn and to encourage individuals to progress.</p><p> </p><p>This is why the Government met its commitment to raise the higher rate threshold to £50,000, one year early. This has ensured that nearly 1 million fewer people pay the higher rate of tax compared to 2015-16.</p><p> </p><p>Decisions on the Higher Rate Threshold and the National Insurance Contributions (NICs)s Upper Earnings Limit and Upper Profits Limit are taken by the Chancellor at fiscal events.</p><p> </p><p>The mechanism through which the changes to income tax policy affect the Scottish Government’s block grant are set out in the Scottish Government’s Fiscal Framework. When the UK Governments increases the Higher Rate Threshold, the Scottish Government receives an increase to their block grant commensurate to the Higher Rate Threshold increase. National Insurance Contributions are reserved to the UK government, and therefore any changes to NICs do not affect the Scottish Government’s block grant.</p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman grouped question UIN 284548 question first answered 09/09/2019 15:14:48 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
	tabling member	4608 label Biography information for John Lamont

1142927

	registered interest
	date	02/09/2019
	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, whether she has any plans to (a) change the rules on the state pension age for women and (b) compensate those affected by the change in rules.
	tabling member constituency	Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk
	tabling member printed	John Lamont
	uin	284405
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/09/2019 answer text <p>Successive Governments have made necessary decisions to equalise and increase the State Pension age. State Pension age reform has focused on maintaining the right balance between sustainability of State Pension, equality and fairness between generations in the face of demographic change.</p><p> </p><p>Even after equalising women’s State Pension age with men’s, women will spend more than 2 years longer on average in receipt of their state pension because of their longer life expectancy. If we had not equalised State Pension age, women would be expected to spend on average over 40 per cent of their adult lives in retirement.</p><p> </p><p>During the passage of the Pensions Act 2011, the Government listened to the concerns of those affected and this is why we introduced a concession worth over £1 billion in order to limit the impact on those women who would be most affected by the changes. This concession reduced the proposed increase in State Pension age for over 450,000 men and women, and means that no woman will see her pension age change by more than 18 months, relative to the 1995 Act timetable.</p><p> </p><p>For people who simply can’t work, our welfare system will continue to provide a strong safety net, as it does for people of all ages now. Any women experiencing hardship, including problems such as unemployment, disability, and coping with caring responsibilities, can already claim support from the welfare system. The Government is committed to supporting the vulnerable and spends over £50 billion a year on benefits to support disabled people and people with health conditions. The new State Pension is more generous for many women. Over three million women stand to gain an average of £550 extra per year by 2030 as a result of recent State Pension reforms.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 06/09/2019 13:22:12 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
	tabling member	4608 label Biography information for John Lamont