Asked by: Lady Hermon (Independent - North Down)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what measures his Department has put in place to prevent disability discrimination by HM Revenue and Customs in its recruitment procedures; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jane Ellison
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has been recognised as a Disability Confident Employer.
HMRC has a long-standing and wide variety of measures in place to assist disabled job applicants and to prevent disability discrimination in its recruitment procedures. For example: discussing with disabled applicants their precise needs where they require assistance during the recruitment process; providing selection panels access to a specialist HR team with expert knowledge of the type of adjustments that can reasonably be made, whether it’s ensuring that the test and interview environment is particularly suitable for disabled candidates, providing selection material in alternate formats, offering signers for deaf candidates, allowing extra time for tests, accepting paper applications instead of the usual on-line applications process and so forth; and providing clear information to job applicants about the departmental vacancy filling complaints process.
HMRC guarantees an interview to every disabled applicant who meets the minimum criteria for the job. Further, HMRC has introduced unconscious bias training for all its staff including of course those taking part as selectors. It enables them to question personal beliefs and ensure objective evidence gathering in the recruitment process. In addition, all selectors must have completed diversity awareness training before undertaking recruitment work. More recently, HMRC is addressing the issue of ‘recruiter confidence’ when working with disabled colleagues by creating a bespoke disability awareness workshop that is being rolled out to all managers and recruiters.
Asked by: Lady Hermon (Independent - North Down)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the procedures put in place by HM Revenue and Customs to ensure there is no disability discrimination in its recruitment procedures; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jane Ellison
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has been recognised as a Disability Confident Employer.
HMRC has a long-standing and wide variety of measures in place to assist disabled job applicants and to prevent disability discrimination in its recruitment procedures. For example: discussing with disabled applicants their precise needs where they require assistance during the recruitment process; providing selection panels access to a specialist HR team with expert knowledge of the type of adjustments that can reasonably be made, whether it’s ensuring that the test and interview environment is particularly suitable for disabled candidates, providing selection material in alternate formats, offering signers for deaf candidates, allowing extra time for tests, accepting paper applications instead of the usual on-line applications process and so forth; and providing clear information to job applicants about the departmental vacancy filling complaints process.
HMRC guarantees an interview to every disabled applicant who meets the minimum criteria for the job. Further, HMRC has introduced unconscious bias training for all its staff including of course those taking part as selectors. It enables them to question personal beliefs and ensure objective evidence gathering in the recruitment process. In addition, all selectors must have completed diversity awareness training before undertaking recruitment work. More recently, HMRC is addressing the issue of ‘recruiter confidence’ when working with disabled colleagues by creating a bespoke disability awareness workshop that is being rolled out to all managers and recruiters.
Asked by: Lady Hermon (Independent - North Down)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much has accrued to the public purse from use of fixed-odds betting terminals in (a) Northern Ireland, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) England in each of the last six years.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
This information is not available. This is because HMRC do not ask for a country-by-country breakdown on the taxpayer’s return.
Asked by: Lady Hermon (Independent - North Down)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of fixed-odds betting terminals operating in Northern Ireland in each of the last six years.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
Regulation of Fixed Odds betting Terminals is devolved and in Northern Ireland it is the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Department for Communities.
Asked by: Lady Hermon (Independent - North Down)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of the Tampon Tax Fund was allocated to (a) Women's Aid and (b) other women's charities in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by David Gauke
The Chancellor announced initial donations from the Tampon Tax Fund at Autumn Statement totalling £5m. Further grants totalling £12 million were announced at Budget to support a range of charities that are making a significant impact in the lives of women and girls. This included an award of £118,000 to Parenting NI.
£5.2 million of funding was allocated to Comic Relief and Rosa, who will disburse funding to a range of grassroots women’s organisations across the UK, including those in Northern Ireland.
Details of all charities awarded funding at Budget can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/budget-2016-documents/budget-2016
Asked by: Lady Hermon (Independent - North Down)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, which women's organisations in Northern Ireland received funding from the Tampon Tax Fund; what the amount was that each such organisation received; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by David Gauke
The Chancellor announced initial donations from the Tampon Tax Fund at Autumn Statement totalling £5m. Further grants totalling £12 million were announced at Budget to support a range of charities that are making a significant impact in the lives of women and girls. This included an award of £118,000 to Parenting NI.
£5.2 million of funding was allocated to Comic Relief and Rosa, who will disburse funding to a range of grassroots women’s organisations across the UK, including those in Northern Ireland.
Details of all charities awarded funding at Budget can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/budget-2016-documents/budget-2016
Asked by: Lady Hermon (Independent - North Down)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the value of Libyan assets frozen in the UK; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
Following action at the United Nations, Council Regulation (EU) No 204/2011 of 2 March 2011 imposed an asset freeze against listed individuals and entities in view of the situation in Libya. The EU regulation, which has direct effect in the UK, requires that all assets owned or controlled by listed persons are frozen.
The approximate aggregate value of funds frozen in UK jurisdiction under EU Regulation 204/2011 is £ 9,467,630,000. These funds continue to belong to the individuals and entities listed under the Regulation and are not seized or otherwise held by HM Government. The figure is provided on an aggregate basis so as not to indirectly disclose the value of funds held by particular individuals or entities.
HM Treasury publishes the names of those subject to EU financial sanctions on the Consolidated List of Financial Sanctions Targets in the UK, which can be found on gov.uk website.
Asked by: Lady Hermon (Independent - North Down)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to exempt students flying on domestic flights within the UK from air passenger duty; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Priti Patel
Budget 2014 announced a freeze in the rate of Air Passenger Duty for short-haul international and domestic flights for a fourth year running. In addition Budget 2014 reforms Air Passenger Duty with the abolition of bands C and D from 1 April 2015. This cuts tax for passengers travelling to destinations such as Brazil, India, China, South Asia and the Caribbean.
Autumn Statement 2014 also announced an Air Passenger Duty exemption for children under 12 on economy tickets, with effect from 1 May 2015. This will be extended to include children under 16, so that from 1 March 2016 all students of compulsory school age will be exempt from Air Passenger Duty.
The Chancellor keeps all taxes including Air Passenger Duty under review.
Asked by: Lady Hermon (Independent - North Down)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Autumn Statement 2014, whether the tax relief for orchestras will be available for orchestras in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by David Gauke
The new tax relief for orchestras will be available across the United Kingdom, including Northern Ireland, from April 2016. The government will launch a consultation on the design of the new tax relief in early 2015.
Asked by: Lady Hermon (Independent - North Down)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Autumn Statement 2014, whether it is his policy that the inheritance tax exemption for aid workers who lose their lives in dealing with humanitarian emergencies, cover (a) British military personnel and (b) British healthcare workers; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by David Gauke
The inheritance tax exemption for those whose death is caused or hastened by injury responding to humanitarian emergencies covers both British military and medical personnel.
The Government will publish draft legislation on 10 December 2014.