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228065

registered interest
date	18/03/2015
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	Investment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent steps he has taken to encourage asset owners to do more to engage with investee companies as part of their stewardship duties.
tabling member constituency	Cambridge
tabling member printed	Dr Julian Huppert
uin	228100
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/03/2015 answer text <p>The Government has taken a variety of significant steps to promote stewardship and engagement on the part of institutional investors. A key focus has been to work closely with the investment industry on initiatives involving both institutional investors and asset managers, acknowledging that while some institutional investors engage directly with companies, many others delegate to asset managers to engage on their behalf.</p><p>Specific achievements include:</p><ul><li>a strengthening of the Stewardship Code to emphasise engagement on companies’ long-term strategy;</li><li>the creation of an Investor Forum to improve the amount and effectiveness of collective engagement by key institutional investors;</li><li>the development, by the National Association of Pension Funds, of a new Stewardship Disclosure Framework to encourage asset managers to report on their activities and to enable investors to hold them to account.</li></ul><p> </p><p>The Government has comprehensively reformed the legislative framework for corporate reporting to boost transparency on company directors’ remuneration and ensure annual reports are more focused on long-term company strategy. In this way we are encouraging companies to report the information which is relevant to long-term stewardship investors.</p><p>The Law Commission’s report on the fiduciary duties of investment intermediaries, commissioned by the Government, concluded that fiduciary investors such as pension scheme trustees should consider whether and how to engage with companies to promote their long-term success, either directly or through their investment managers. The Government is now taking forward the Law Commission’s recommendations in a number of areas, including by consulting currently on whether the Occupational Pension Schemes (Investment) Regulations 2005 should be amended to require trustees to state their policy on stewardship with reference to the Stewardship Code.</p><p>This work has been part of a broader commitment – in response to the Kay Review of equity markets - to address the longstanding concern that short-termism has impeded the creation of sustainable value by British companies. The Government published a comprehensive progress report on the implementation of the Review in October 2014. This is available online at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/367070/bis-14-1157-implementation-of-the-kay-review-progress-report.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/367070/bis-14-1157-implementation-of-the-kay-review-progress-report.pdf</a></p><p>The Government is now undertaking further work in a number of areas, including:</p><ul><li>supporting the work of the Financial Reporting Council to monitor how signatories to the Stewardship Code are delivering against their commitment;</li><li>supporting the work of the Association of Member Nominated Trustees (AMNT) to develop “Red Line Voting” – an initiative which will enable pension schemes and other investors to adopt common voting positions on a range of governance issues; and research to examine how shares are held by institutional and individual investors – to provide an insight into how the Government can encourage greater investment engagement.</li></ul> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 23/03/2015 14:41:50 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
tabling member	3931 label Biography information for Dr Julian Huppert

228250

registered interest
date	18/03/2015
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	Workplace Pensions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make it his policy that trustees of defined benefit pension schemes are required to have a policy on stewardship.
tabling member constituency	Cambridge
tabling member printed	Dr Julian Huppert
uin	228098
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/03/2015 answer text <p>We are currently consulting on potential changes to the Occupational Pension Schemes (Investment) Regulations 2005 which will support and encourage trustees of both defined benefit and defined contribution pension schemes to consider their approach to stewardship. This forms part of our consultation, entitled “Consultation on changes to the Investment Regulations following the Law Commission’s report ‘Fiduciary Duties of Investment Intermediaries’” which was published on 26th February 2015. The consultation period ends on 20th April 2015 and it is the intention that a Government response will be published later this year.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 23/03/2015 15:01:45 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
tabling member	3931 label Biography information for Dr Julian Huppert

227727

registered interest
date	17/03/2015
answering body	HM Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Tax Allowances
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the economic effect of the tax incentives introduced since 2010; and what criteria the Government uses to assess the real economic value of tax incentives.
tabling member constituency	Cambridge
tabling member printed	Dr Julian Huppert
uin	227751
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/03/2015 answer text <p>The Government believes that tax reliefs are an important part of the tax system and play a significant role in defining the scope of tax. In particular they can help create a fairer, simpler system which reflects the needs of a wide range of individuals and businesses.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The government outlines the rationale for, and expected impacts of, any tax policy changes, including new tax reliefs, in published Tax Information and Impact Notes (TIINs). TIINs also set out the government’s intentions with regard to monitoring and evaluating tax measures.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>While tax reliefs can be used to pursue specific policy objectives, all reliefs reflect policy choices about the distribution of the tax burden, proposed by the government and agreed by Parliament.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The government is transparent about both the costs of existing reliefs and the costs and likely impacts of new reliefs. HMRC annually publishes information on the Exchequer cost of around 180 existing tax reliefs on its website. The independent Office for Budget Responsibility certifies the cost of all new tax reliefs or changes to existing reliefs.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency South West Hertfordshire answering member printed Mr David Gauke question first answered 23/03/2015 17:30:59 answering member 1529 label Biography information for Mr David Gauke
tabling member	3931 label Biography information for Dr Julian Huppert

227921

registered interest
date	17/03/2015
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prisons: Private Sector
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what funds his Department allocated to contractors to manage each privately-run prison in (a) 2012, (b) 2013 and (c) 2014.
tabling member constituency	Cambridge
tabling member printed	Dr Julian Huppert
uin	227750
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/03/2015 answer text <p>The following table shows the annual expenditure for the contracted prisons for each of the last three financial years 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14 for which information is available.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Prison</p></td><td><p>Operator</p></td><td colspan="3"><p>Direct Resource Expenditure (£000s)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>2011-12 (restated)</p></td><td><p>2012-13</p></td><td><p>2013-14</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Altcourse</p></td><td><p>G4S</p></td><td><p>46,219</p></td><td><p>46,494</p></td><td><p>45,538</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Ashfield</p></td><td><p>Serco</p></td><td><p>26,426</p></td><td><p>27,660</p></td><td><p>23,451</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Birmingham</p></td><td><p>G4S</p></td><td><p>14,022</p></td><td><p>30,035</p></td><td><p>28,611</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Bronzefield</p></td><td><p>Sodexo</p></td><td><p>27,629</p></td><td><p>28,873</p></td><td><p>29,871</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Doncaster</p></td><td><p>Serco</p></td><td><p>19,714</p></td><td><p>18,273</p></td><td><p>17,789</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Dovegate</p></td><td><p>Serco</p></td><td><p>37,573</p></td><td><p>38,846</p></td><td><p>39,331</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Forest Bank</p></td><td><p>Sodexo</p></td><td><p>34,626</p></td><td><p>35,682</p></td><td><p>37,187</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Lowdham Grange</p></td><td><p>Serco</p></td><td><p>26,063</p></td><td><p>27,478</p></td><td><p>28,128</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Northumberland</p></td><td><p>Sodexo</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td><td><p>11,352</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Oakwood</p></td><td><p>G4S</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td><td><p>24,800</p></td><td><p>19,473</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Parc</p></td><td><p>G4S</p></td><td><p>58,529</p></td><td><p>59,413</p></td><td><p>56,708</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Peterborough</p></td><td><p>Sodexo</p></td><td><p>32,418</p></td><td><p>33,085</p></td><td><p>34,133</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Rye Hill</p></td><td><p>G4S</p></td><td><p>18,663</p></td><td><p>19,138</p></td><td><p>19,997</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Thameside</p></td><td><p>Serco</p></td><td><p>143</p></td><td><p>27,561</p></td><td><p>31,027</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Wolds</p></td><td><p>G4S</p></td><td><p>8,470</p></td><td><p>8,598</p></td><td><p>2,157</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>To note within the Table:</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>1. Birmingham transferred to the management of G4S on 1st October 2011</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2. Thameside became operational on 27th March 2012</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>3. Oakwood became operational on 24th April 2012</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>4. Wolds transferred to Public Sector management on 1st July 2013</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>5. Altcourse had Cabinet Office savings initiative from 2011 c £1m per year</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>6. Altcourse had 96 Additional Prisoner Places (APP's) deactivated in Dec 2012 and 75 deactivated in April 2013</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>7. Forest Bank has a disinvestment of c £1m per year from July 2012</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>8. Parc had 138 APP's deactivated in April 2013</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>9. Oakwood had £7.2m of fixed costs included in 2012-13</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>10. Thameside became operational at the end of 2011-12 and &quot;ramp-up&quot; progressed through 2012-13</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>11. Northumberland (merger of HMPs Acklington and Castington) transferred to the management of Sodexo in December 2013</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p>Expenditure between prisons and years is not directly comparable, as this may vary due to a number of factors, including inflation uplift, contract variations, new prisons becoming operational or prisons transferring between the public and private sector, and additional prison places being commissioned or decommissioned.</p><p> </p><p>The Department is committed to delivering prison capacity changes designed to modernise the prison estate and, where possible, reduce prison costs, whilst maintaining a high quality service.</p><p> </p><p>From the financial years 2009-10 to 2013-14 there was a real terms reduction of 17% in the overall average cost for each prisoner in England and Wales, with a reduction of 5% achieved during the last financial year 2013-14.</p><p> </p><p>The Department routinely publishes annual net resource expenditure for individual prisons in England and Wales each year alongside the management information addendums to the NOMS Annual Report and Accounts. The most recently published figures for financial year 2013-14, can be accessed by the following link:</p><p><a title="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/prison-and-probation-trusts-performance-statistics-201314" href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/prison-and-probation-trusts-performance-statistics-201314" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/prison-and-probation-trusts-performance-statistics-201314</a></p><p> </p><p>The published expenditure figures for 2012-13, and restated figures for 2011-12 can be accessed by the following link:</p><p><a title="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/prison-and-probation-trusts-performance-statistics-201213" href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/prison-and-probation-trusts-performance-statistics-201213" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/prison-and-probation-trusts-performance-statistics-201213</a></p><p> </p><p>Expenditure for financial year 2014-15 is not yet finalised and will be published in due course after the end of this financial period.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 20/03/2015 14:51:45 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	3931 label Biography information for Dr Julian Huppert

225965

registered interest
date	09/03/2015
answering body	HM Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Income Tax: Cambridge
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people in Cambridge constituency had their income tax reduced as a result of personal allowance increases since May 2010.
tabling member constituency	Cambridge
tabling member printed	Dr Julian Huppert
uin	226809
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/03/2015 answer text <p>By April 2015 this Government's increases in the personal allowance (for those born after 5 April 1948) are estimated to have reduced the income tax liability of 26.7 million individuals in the UK. 2.6 million of them live in the East of England region, which includes the Parliamentary Constituency of Cambridge.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>These estimates are based on the 2012-13 Survey of Personal Incomes, projected to 2015-16 using economic assumptions consistent with the Office for Budget Responsibility’s December 2014 economic and fiscal outlook.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>HM Treasury does not publish this information at constituency level.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency South West Hertfordshire answering member printed Mr David Gauke question first answered 12/03/2015 15:04:14 answering member 1529 label Biography information for Mr David Gauke
tabling member	3931 label Biography information for Dr Julian Huppert

225252

registered interest
date	04/03/2015
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	Rendition
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 establish a fully independent judicial inquiry into UK involvement in rendition and torture.
tabling member constituency	Cambridge
tabling member printed	Dr Julian Huppert
uin	226282
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/03/2015 answer text <p>I refer my hon. Friend to my answer to the Member for Brighton, Pavilion (Caroline Lucas) of 5 January 2015 (PQ 218898).</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 09/03/2015 17:06:44 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	3931 label Biography information for Dr Julian Huppert

224826

registered interest
date	03/03/2015
answering body	HM Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Income Tax: Cambridge
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people have ceased to pay income tax as a result of increases in the personal allowance since May 2010 in Cambridge constituency.
tabling member constituency	Cambridge
tabling member printed	Dr Julian Huppert
uin	226220
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/03/2015 answer text <p>By April 2015 this Government's increases in the personal allowance (for those born after 5 April 1948) are estimated to have taken 3.2 million individuals out of the income tax system altogether. 287,000 of these individuals live in the East of England region, which includes the Parliamentary Constituency of Cambridge.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>These estimates are based on the 2012-13 Survey of Personal Incomes, projected to 2015-16 using economic assumptions consistent with the Office for Budget Responsibility’s December 2014 economic and fiscal outlook.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>HM Treasury does not publish this information at constituency level.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency South West Hertfordshire answering member printed Mr David Gauke question first answered 19/03/2015 17:08:23 answering member 1529 label Biography information for Mr David Gauke
tabling member	3931 label Biography information for Dr Julian Huppert

223511

registered interest
date	25/02/2015
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	Students: Grants
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 make it his policy to increase the level of student maintenance loans in areas where the cost of living matches or exceeds the London average to the level of such loans in London.
tabling member constituency	Cambridge
tabling member printed	Dr Julian Huppert
uin	225433
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/03/2015 answer text <p>Decisions on support for tuition and living costs support are taken on an annual basis.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Government announced in a Written Ministerial Statement on 12 March 2014 the Maintenance Grant for academic year 15/16 would be maintained at 14/15 levels. Maximum loans for living costs for new and continuing full-time students will be increased by forecast inflation for 2015/16, 3.34%. The student support package for 16/17 will be announced in due course.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Tunbridge Wells answering member printed Greg Clark question first answered 06/03/2015 12:21:02 answering member 1578 label Biography information for Greg Clark previous answer version 47342 answering member constituency Tunbridge Wells answering member printed Greg Clark answering member 1578 label Biography information for Greg Clark
tabling member	3931 label Biography information for Dr Julian Huppert

223662

registered interest
date	25/02/2015
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum: Appeals
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2015 to Question 218892, what average length of time it takes for her Department to grant a visa after a decision is taken not to appeal a decision of the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal.
tabling member constituency	Cambridge
tabling member printed	Dr Julian Huppert
uin	225434
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/03/2015 answer text <p>The information requested covers a broad range of case types and is not held <br>centrally for in country cases. It could only be obtained at a disproportionate <br>cost. For international appeals the average time for allowed appeals to be <br>implemented from January to December 2014 was 43 calendar days. Since 2006, <br>the average time has been 69 days with a peak of 92 days in 2009.<br><br>The Home Office has 14 calendar days to consider whether to appeal an allowed <br>First-tier or Upper Tribunal decision (although this can be longer in some <br>Upper Tribunal decisions where the last avenue to appeal is direct to the Court <br>of Appeal) for in country cases and 28 calendar days for international (out of <br>country) cases. The relevant unit responsible for implementation will be <br>notified once a decision has been made not to appeal.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Old Bexley and Sidcup answering member printed James Brokenshire question first answered 03/03/2015 17:44:06 answering member 1530 label Biography information for James Brokenshire previous answer version 47251 answering member constituency Old Bexley and Sidcup answering member printed James Brokenshire answering member 1530 label Biography information for James Brokenshire
tabling member	3931 label Biography information for Dr Julian Huppert

223717

registered interest
date	25/02/2015
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	Social Security Benefits: Disability
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will review the procedures for notifying his Department of a change of circumstances in the event of hospitalisation when the claimant is incapacitated and unable to contact the Disability Benefits helpline.
tabling member constituency	Cambridge
tabling member printed	Dr Julian Huppert
uin	225435
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/03/2015 answer text <p /> <p>The Department has reviewed its procedures for notifying hospital admissions when the customer is incapacitated and unable to contact us themselves.</p><p> </p><p>We have taken account of the fact that there is no reduction in the Benefit paid for the first twenty eight days following admission, where there has been no previous hospitalisation within the preceding twenty eight days. Also, measures are in place so that the report of the hospital admission may be taken from another person, on the customer’s behalf. We have concluded that the procedures already in place are satisfactory.</p> answering member constituency Forest of Dean answering member printed Mr Mark Harper question first answered 04/03/2015 14:36:13 answering member 1520 label Biography information for Mr Mark Harper previous answer version 47472 answering member constituency Forest of Dean answering member printed Mr Mark Harper answering member 1520 label Biography information for Mr Mark Harper
tabling member	3931 label Biography information for Dr Julian Huppert