Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 7 January 2015 to Question 203110, what the total cost of administering his Department's employee check-off service is; and which organisations contribute financially towards that service.
Answered by Priti Patel - Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs
It would incur disproportionate costs to calculate the total administrative cost of the payments. PCS contribute the annual payment cost.
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, which organisations collect subscriptions through the employers' payroll service in his Department and its agencies.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom
The Chancellor and the Chief Secretary have agreed that the Treasury will continue to pay Trade Union subscriptions through the payroll (known as check-off) on the condition that the Trade Union pay full costs for the service provided.
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Governor of the Bank of England in his role as Chairman of the Financial Stability Board has recently raised with him risks to the financial stability of the UK.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom
The Financial Stability Board (FSB) works to establish and promote the implementation of effective financial sector policies that build financial stability at the international level. The FSB monitors and assesses vulnerabilities affecting the global financial system and proposes actions needed to address them. One of the ways it does this is through the semi-annual joint early warning exercise in conjunction with the IMF.
The risks raised by the FSB tend to be relevant to the UK, as a global financial centre. In his role as Chairman, the Governor of the Bank of England keeps G20 Finance Ministers, including the Chancellor of the Exchequer, updated on the activities of the FSB.
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the (a) size and (b) potential risk posed to the economy from (i) the UK and (ii) the international shadow banking system.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom
When appropriately conducted, shadow banking can benefit the economy by increasing the availability of credit to a range of individuals or firms, and provide a valuable alternative to bank funding. However, the Government is aware of the risks shadow banking activities can pose to financial stability.
To ensure that systemic risks to financial stability are addressed, the Government has created the Financial Policy Committee (FPC) within the Bank of England. In September last year, the Committee agreed as one of its medium term priorities the identification and management of potential systemic risks from shadow banking. Additionally at the international level, the Government is actively supporting the effective regulation of the sector in EU policymaking, and the UK authorities are playing an instrumental role in shaping the global regulatory response at the Financial Stability Board.
The Financial Stability Board’s Global Shadow Banking Monitoring Report 2013 includes its latest assessment of the size of, and trends in, non-bank financial intermediation.
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent change there has been in the average wage of UK workers.
Answered by Priti Patel - Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs
As the independent Institute for Fiscal Studies has made clear, living standards and real wages have been squeezed as a direct and delayed consequence of the 2008 recession.
The only sustainable way to raise living standards is to tackle the country’s economic problems head on and build an economy where those who aspire to work hard and do the right thing are rewarded. We appreciate that times are tough and budgets are squeezed, and that is why we have taken continued action to help with the cost of living.
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the performance of the economy of the North East since 2010.
Answered by Priti Patel - Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs
The latest available data show that from 2010 to 2012 the North East has grown by 4.2 per cent in (nominal) cash terms, faster than the average for the UK as a whole. On a per head basis the North East has grown by 3.4 per cent again outstripping the UK as a whole.
Since the election nearly 65,000 more people are in work in the North East and employment over the last year has increased faster than for the UK as a whole.