Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West and Royton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has taken legal steps to obtain information held by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists relating to the Paradise papers.
Answered by Mel Stride - Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
HMRC does not have power to acquire journalistic material held overseas and, therefore, is unable to obtain the information held by the ICIJ known as the Paradise Papers. However, HMRC has requested access to the material that has been provided by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists to the BBC and The Guardian. HMRC has also encouraged these organisations to pass on any information that points to wrongdoing and are prepared to look at every allegation in full.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West and Royton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish a list of the HM Revenue and Customs offices scheduled for closure.
Answered by Mel Stride - Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
A schedule of HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) office closures was placed in the Library of the House in August 2016. HMRC will place an updated version there in due course.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West and Royton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many 0345 telephone numbers are in use by his Department; and how much revenue has been generated by each such telephone number in each year since 2010.
Answered by Mel Stride - Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has five 0345 numbers, and their specific details can be found on the GOV.UK website. HMRC does not receive any revenue from these numbers.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West and Royton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, from which part of the Government's budget the £1.5 billion package of funding attributed to the supply and confidence deal with the Democratic Unionist Party came; and whether the funding for that deal had any implications for other spending commitments.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
The Government routinely makes adjustments to public spending throughout the year and will deal with the cost of additional resources for the Northern Ireland Executive within our overall plans in this way.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West and Royton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Government has made a recent assessment of wage growth across the regions.
Answered by Steve Barclay - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
In the year to 2016, earnings for an average full-time employee grew in every UK region and nation. Earnings grew fastest in the West Midlands (+3.7%), followed by the North West (+3.0%) and Wales (+2.9%).
In April this year we increased the National Living Wage by 4.2% to £7.50. The increase is expected to directly benefit around 1.7 million workers across the UK.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West and Royton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions his Department has had with representatives of local authorities in Wales to ensure that devolution deals in Welsh towns and cities are done in consultation with the Welsh Assembly.
Answered by David Gauke
The government is currently in discussions towards city deals for Edinburgh, Stirling and Swansea and is looking forward to seeing proposals from local partners from the Tay Cities and North Wales. Officials are in regular contact with their counterparts from the Scottish and Welsh Governments and local partners to take these discussions forward. It is for Scottish and Welsh Government Ministers to consult their respective legislatures on these deals as far as they relate to devolved matters for which they are accountable.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West and Royton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions his Department has had with representatives of local authorities in Scotland to ensure that devolution deals in Scottish towns and cities are done in consultation with the Scottish Parliament.
Answered by David Gauke
The government is currently in discussions towards city deals for Edinburgh, Stirling and Swansea and is looking forward to seeing proposals from local partners from the Tay Cities and North Wales. Officials are in regular contact with their counterparts from the Scottish and Welsh Governments and local partners to take these discussions forward. It is for Scottish and Welsh Government Ministers to consult their respective legislatures on these deals as far as they relate to devolved matters for which they are accountable.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West and Royton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 3.19 of the Autumn Statement 2016, how much of the proposed £450 million funding for rail capacity and smart ticketing will be spent in each region.
Answered by David Gauke
At Autumn Statement £450m was allocated to trial digital signalling technology which can expand capacity and improve reliability on the railway. DfT will announce more information on how this will be allocated in due course.
Around £80m of funding was allocated for the rollout of smart ticketing across the country. The government has also committed £150 million to support the rollout of smart and integrated ticketing across the North. Taken together this means that by the end of 2018 passengers will have a smart choice for their ticket, including smart season tickets in our major cities. DfT will announce more details in due course.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West and Royton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 3.20 of the Autumn Statement 2016, how much of the proposed £1 billion to be invested in digital communications will be spent in each region.
Answered by David Gauke
The Autumn Statement 2016 announced over £1 billion to be invested in digital communications. This includes £400 million for a new Digital Infrastructure Investment Fund, with investment decisions to be made by an independent fund manager on a commercial basis. Details about how local areas can access funding for 5G trials and local fibre rollout will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West and Royton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 3.29 of the Autumn Statement 2016, how much of the additional £4.7 billion for research and development will be spent in each region.
Answered by David Gauke
UK R&D funding is awarded at a national level, using robust processes on the basis of scientific excellence, by bringing in independent academics who select the best proposals using peer review. Research and funding council figures show that the Devolved Administrations receive a share of R&D funding that is in proportion to their total population.