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178644

registered interest
date	09/02/2015
answering body	HM Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Tax Avoidance
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what they consider to be the difference between tax avoidance and aggressive tax avoidance.
tabling member printed	Lord Ashcroft
uin	HL4794
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/02/2015 answer text <p>Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) distinguish between tax avoidance and tax planning. Tax avoidance is bending the rules of the tax system to gain a tax advantage that Parliament never intended. It often involves contrived, artificial transactions that serve little or no purpose other than to produce a tax advantage. It involves operating within the letter – but not the spirit – of the law. Tax avoidance is not the same as tax planning. Tax planning involves using tax reliefs for the purpose for which they were intended. For example, claiming tax relief on capital investment, saving in a tax-exempt ISA or saving for retirement by making contributions to a pension scheme are all legitimate forms of tax planning. While such actions may reduce the total amount of tax paid, they are not tax avoidance, because they involve using tax reliefs in the way that Parliament intended when it passed the relevant legislation.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Deighton question first answered 25/02/2015 17:37:02 answering member 4262 label Biography information for Lord Deighton
tabling member	2568 label Biography information for Lord Ashcroft

178673

registered interest
date	09/02/2015
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	European Union
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the total cost of the Review of the Balance of Competences between the United Kingdom and the European Union to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and its associated agencies, broken down by (1) staff time, (2) printing costs, (3) running of engagement events, (4) witness expenses, (5) publicity of the reports, and (6) any and all other associated costs.
tabling member printed	Lord Boswell of Aynho
uin	HL4823
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/02/2015 answer text <p>The Balance of Competences Review concluded in December. It was the most comprehensive analysis of the UK’s relationship with the EU ever undertaken. The Review involved a large number of Departments across Whitehall to produce the 32 reports. The Review was based on the evidence and views received through widespread consultation with interested parties from across society. Across the whole review, departments received close to 2,300 evidence submissions. Departments held over 250 events, attended by around 2,100 stakeholders.</p><p>The breakdown of costs requested are as follows:</p><p>(1) Providing a full breakdown of staff time and costs would exceed the disproportionate cost threshold, but the staff cost of the Review was borne entirely within existing staff budgets.</p><p>(2) The printing and publication costs for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) were £20,366. These costs covered copies of all 32 reports.</p><p>(3) The FCO spent approximately £15,740 on running engagement events.</p><p>(4) Across the whole of the Balance of Competences Review witness expenses amounted to approximately £2,255 which were borne by the FCO.</p><p><br>(5) The FCO did not spend any money on publicity of the reports utilising existing free social media and internet channels.</p><p>(6) The FCO spent approximately £17,450 on other associated costs.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 26/02/2015 16:24:48 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	352 label Biography information for Lord Boswell of Aynho

178677

registered interest
date	09/02/2015
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	European Union
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the total cost of the Review of the Balance of Competences between the United Kingdom and the European Union to the UK Statistics Authority and its associated agencies, broken down by (1) staff time, (2) printing costs, (3) running of engagement events, (4) witness expenses, (5) publicity of the reports, and (6) any and all other associated costs.
tabling member printed	Lord Boswell of Aynho
uin	HL4827
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/03/2015 answer text <p>The statistics element of the Balance of Competences Review was included within the cross-cutting report on Voting, Consular and Statistics, which was led by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The following information relates to the UK Statistics Authority's costs associated with contributing to the report. <br> <br> (1) A full breakdown of staff time and associated travel / subsistence costs could only be obtained at disproportionate cost, but the staff cost of the Review was borne within existing budgets.<br> <br> (2) The UK Statistics Authority contributed £1385.00 towards printing and publication costs.<br> <br> (3) The UK Statistics Authority did not run any engagement events. <br> <br> (4) Across the whole of the Balance of Competences Review witness expenses amounted to approximately £2,255.00, which were borne by the FCO.<br> <br> (5) The UK Statistics Authority did not incur any costs publicising the reports.<br> <br> (6) There were no other associated costs.</p> answering member printed Lord Wallace of Saltaire question first answered 03/03/2015 12:47:13 answering member 1816 label Biography information for Lord Wallace of Saltaire
tabling member	352 label Biography information for Lord Boswell of Aynho

178348

registered interest
date	06/02/2015
answering body	Attorney General
answering dept id	88
answering dept short name	Attorney General
answering dept sort name	Attorney General
hansard heading	Hunting: Prosecutions
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to investigate the basis on which the Crown Prosecution Service brought charges against Donald Summersgill and joint-masters Rupert Andrews and David Greenwood of the Devon and Somerset Staghounds.
tabling member printed	Lord Blencathra
uin	HL4736
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/02/2015 answer text <p>The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) properly applied the Code for Crown Prosecutors to the available evidence when making a decision to charge the three individuals with offences under the Hunting Act 2004. Having applied the Code for Crown Prosecutors, the decision was that at that time there was sufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction for the charges laid against all three men.</p><p>Prosecutors must take account of any change in circumstances that occurs as a case develops, including what becomes known of the defence case. As a consequence of further information being made available it later became apparent that there was no longer a realistic prospect of conviction. The case was duly stopped.</p><p>There is no reason to believe that the CPS in reaching the decision to charge these three individuals did anything which requires an investigation into its conduct of the case.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Wallace of Tankerness question first answered 25/02/2015 13:22:13 answering member 630 label Biography information for Lord Wallace of Tankerness
tabling member	497 label Biography information for Lord Blencathra

175882

registered interest
date	27/01/2015
answering body	HM Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Welfare Tax Credits
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the total sum of administrative penalties applied to tax credit claimants following overpayments in each of the past four years.
tabling member printed	Baroness King of Bow
uin	HL4462
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/03/2015 answer text <p>The following table outlines the sum of penalties applied to tax credits claimants in each of the past four years.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Penalties applied in period</p></td><td><p>Sum of civil penalties applied</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013-14</p></td><td><p>£28,181,587.50</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012-13</p></td><td><p>£13,128,383.00</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011-12</p></td><td><p>£4,599,135.86</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2010-11</p></td><td><p>£1,196,988.00</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>An integral part of the tax credits error and fraud strategy was to ensure that claimants who negligently or deliberately sought to mislead HMRC about their circumstances would be dealt with appropriately. This led to a review of the penalty regime, which resulted in a large scale levying of penalties. This was consistent with the principles contained in the Welfare Reform Act 2012, in particular with the approach to issue tougher penalties for the most serious offences.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Deighton question first answered 09/03/2015 17:56:12 answering member 4262 label Biography information for Lord Deighton
tabling member	143 label Biography information for Baroness King of Bow

174962

registered interest
date	21/01/2015
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	Social Rented Housing
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in each of the last five years, whether the number of units of social housing in the United Kingdom has increased or decreased; how many units have been sold to foreign buyers; and whether the funds received by the sale of social housing are being used to build new social housing.
tabling member printed	Lord Hunt of Chesterton
uin	HL4341
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/03/2015 answer text <p>The numbers of social dwelling stock in the United Kingdom in the five years to 2012 (the most recent date for which UK figures are available) are as follows:</p><p> </p><p>2007 4,886,000</p><p> </p><p>2008 4,867,000</p><p> </p><p>2009 4,886,000</p><p> </p><p>2010 4,907,000</p><p> </p><p>2011 4,924,000</p><p> </p><p>2012 4,935,000</p><p> </p><p>In England, council house building starts are now at a 23 year high and almost twice as many council homes have been built in the last 4 years than from 1997 to 2009. Previously, councils were not encouraged to build new homes from sales receipts and only 1 new council home was built for every 170 Right to Buy sales completed under the last Administration.</p><p> </p><p>Since the Right to Buy was reinvigorated in England, £730 million in sales receipts are being re-invested in affordable house building; levering a further £1.7 billion of investment over the next 2 years. This means that in total, over £2.4 billion will be raised to invest in affordable house building as a result of the as a result of Right to Buy.</p><p> </p><p>The Right to Buy is only available to social tenants with at least five years’ tenancy. The purchaser must be a secure tenant and the property must be the resident’s only or main home. Prior to that, the social tenant would also have to have been eligible for social housing in the first place, and resided for long enough to move up to the top of any waiting list. In that context, an overseas buyer would simply not be eligible.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has taken steps to support members of the Armed Forces get onto the housing ladder – this would include supporting those who may have been resident overseas during their term of service. We have also changed statutory guidance to give priority to those with local connections and local residency in the allocation of social housing.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 09/03/2015 16:53:27 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	2543 label Biography information for Lord Hunt of Chesterton

174864

registered interest
date	20/01/2015
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	Regional Planning and Development: North East
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much funding they provided to One North East in each of the five financial years between April 2005 and April 2010; and how much has been provided via the Regional Growth Fund for the North-East region since May 2010.
tabling member printed	Lord Beecham
uin	HL4291
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/03/2015 answer text <p>The revenue of the One North East Regional Development Agency are published in the Agency’s annual report and accounts.</p><p> </p><p>Since 2010 in the North East, the Regional Growth Fund has made 94 awards worth £320 million. This is expected to leverage £2.1 billion of private investment.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe question first answered 09/03/2015 16:26:36 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
tabling member	4181 label Biography information for Lord Beecham

173009

registered interest
date	12/01/2015
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	Temporary Accommodation
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many families have been in temporary accommodation in the United Kingdom in each year since 2010.
tabling member printed	Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope
uin	HL4081
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/03/2015 answer text <p>The information requested is enclosed in the attached table, which includes data going back to 1998-99, which illustrates how the level of homelessness in England is far lower than the average under the last Administration.</p><p>This Government have invested over £500 million to prevent and tackle all forms of homelessness and rough sleeping since 2010. The homelessness legislation in England provides one of the strongest safety nets in the world for families with children and vulnerable people who become homeless through no fault of their own.</p><p> </p><p>Homelessness acceptances remain lower than in 27 of the last 30 years, and homelessness is around half the average level it was under the previous Administration. Households now spend on average seven months less in temporary accommodation than at the start of 2010.</p><p> </p><p>Figures for other parts of the United Kingdom are the responsibility of the devolved Administrations.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon grouped question UIN HL4082 question first answered 02/03/2015 14:13:30 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon attachment 1 file name 150302 661501-2 Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope -table.doc title England table
tabling member	635 label Biography information for Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope

173010

registered interest
date	12/01/2015
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	Homelessness
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many families have been registered as homeless in the United Kingdom since 2010.
tabling member printed	Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope
uin	HL4082
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/03/2015 answer text <p>The information requested is enclosed in the attached table, which includes data going back to 1998-99, which illustrates how the level of homelessness in England is far lower than the average under the last Administration.</p><p>This Government have invested over £500 million to prevent and tackle all forms of homelessness and rough sleeping since 2010. The homelessness legislation in England provides one of the strongest safety nets in the world for families with children and vulnerable people who become homeless through no fault of their own.</p><p> </p><p>Homelessness acceptances remain lower than in 27 of the last 30 years, and homelessness is around half the average level it was under the previous Administration. Households now spend on average seven months less in temporary accommodation than at the start of 2010.</p><p> </p><p>Figures for other parts of the United Kingdom are the responsibility of the devolved Administrations.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon grouped question UIN HL4081 question first answered 02/03/2015 14:13:30 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon attachment 1 file name 150302 661501-2 Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope -table.doc title England table
tabling member	635 label Biography information for Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope