Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is their latest estimate of the amount of income tax lost to fraud each year.

Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton

HMRC does not publish a stand-alone estimate of the Income tax gap arising from fraud.

However, ‘Measuring tax gaps 2023 edition’, published in June 2023, shows a reduction in the Income Tax, National Insurance contributions and Capital Gains Tax gap as a percentage of the theoretical tax liability from 4.5% in 2005-2006 to 3.0% in 2021-2022. The publication also provides illustrative estimates for fraud that are included in the criminal attacks and evasion components, plus a proportion of hidden economy and non-payment.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is their latest assessment of the value to communities of a Football Community Trust operating locally.

Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay

The community arms of local football clubs are instrumental in fostering more active and resilient communities. By harnessing the power of the sport, these trusts promote social cohesion, improve public health, and make a positive impact on people’s lives.

HM Government recognises and supports the contributions of these trusts in helping to strengthen communities and get more people active, in line with the. Government’s own priorities.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is their latest assessment of the opportunities for children to learn to play a musical instrument while at school.

Answered by Baroness Barran

The government has a long standing commitment to ensure that high quality music education is not the preserve of the wealthy, but the entitlement of every single child, and that this is reflected in the government’s refreshed National plan for music education, which was published in 2022. This plan sets out the department’s strategy up to 2030 and its vision to enable all children and young people to learn to sing, play an instrument and create music together, as well as to have the opportunity to progress their musical interests and talents, including professionally.

As part of the plan, schools are expected to teach music for at least one hour a week from Key Stages 1 to 3, to provide access to singing and instrument lessons and to offer a range of music experiences, such as music events and trips to professional concerts. The network of Music Hubs has a vital role to play in supporting schools to deliver this. Working together, schools and Music Hubs can ensure children have access to all the benefits of a wider musical education through instrumental lessons, loans and ensembles, as well as offering clear and affordable progression routes and continuing professional development to teachers around music.

The government values the many achievements that the existing Music Hub network has made since 2012, including the work they now do with around 90% of all schools. This is why the department has invested around £380 million of funding in Music Hubs between 2016 and 2021 to ensure all children, whatever their background, have access to a high quality music education. Since 2021, the department has continued to provide £79 million a year for Music Hubs, on average around 40% of their income, with the remaining funding coming mainly from parents and schools.

Further to this, as part of the plan published in 2022, the government announced a £25 million capital fund for musical instruments, which will be distributed across all Music Hubs from September 2024. This will allow schools and Music Hubs to continue to work together to ensure more children and young people have access to musical instruments, as well as access to a high quality music education and to develop their musical interests and potential.

Question to the Wales Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many times since 1 January they have met Ministers of the Welsh Government.

Answered by Lord Harlech

My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for Wales and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales have met Ministers of the Welsh Government nine times since 1 January.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the total number of young people in the cadet forces in the UK.

Answered by Earl of Minto

The latest available data for Cadets as at 1 April 2023, showed there to be 83,170 individuals in the Community Cadet Force, and 50,950 individuals in the Combined Cadet Force.

Figures for total Cadets can be found in the Ministry of Defence Sponsored Cadet Forces Statistics publication:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/mod-sponsored-cadet-forces-statistics-index

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are they taking to recover loans which were lost to fraud during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Answered by Lord Johnson of Lainston

Lenders were required to take appropriate precautions against fraud, including Know Your Customer and Anti Money Laundering checks. If fraud has occurred because these checks have not been completed properly, lenders cannot claim on the Government guarantee and will have to bear the costs themselves. As at 16 January 2024, the Government guarantee has been removed from 11,720 loans offered across the three covid debt schemes to the value of £1.02 billion.

The Government is committed to bearing down on fraud in the schemes. We are working with a wide range of organisations, including lenders, law enforcement, and partners across government to recover fraudulently obtained loans.

The latest Government figures made available in the BEIS Annual Report and Accounts (2022/2023) indicate that estimated lifetime losses due to fraud and error will be £1.74bn.

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government what is their latest assessment of the gender pay gap; and what estimate they have made of how long it will take to close.

Answered by Baroness Barran

Under this government the gender pay gap has fallen significantly, having fallen from 19.8% to 14.3% over the last decade. In 2017, we introduced world-leading regulations requiring large employers to publish the differences in average salaries and bonuses for men and women every year. This has ensured that employers are aware of their gaps and are taking steps to close them.

We know that reporting is just the first step, but do not believe that setting arbitrary targets or a timetable will help to drive the changes that we all want to see. The causes of the gender pay gap are complex, and the wider societal shifts required to close it will take time.

Detailed gender pay gap information is published annually by the ONS, and this includes sector-specific data and analysis. ONS data shows that the gender pay gap has decreased across all major occupational groups between 2022 and 2023.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to protect, preserve and improve the condition of war memorials erected in streets, squares and public spaces in the UK.

Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay

War memorials play a very important role in our cultural heritage, holding a deep emotional resonance with people across the country. HM Government will never forget the great bravery, selflessness, and distinction of all the servicemen and women who served their country during times of conflict, and it is only right that appropriate steps be taken to protect the many war memorials that honour those who gave their lives in that service.

The safety and protection of war memorials falls to local authorities and local constabularies, in consultation with the owners of the memorials.

The primary role for my Department regarding war memorials is managing the DCMS Memorial Grant Scheme, which makes grants towards the VAT incurred by charities and faith groups in the construction, repair, and maintenance of public memorial structures, including war memorials. The scheme has a fixed budget of £400,000 per annum for this spending review period.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is their latest assessment of car production in the UK and its contribution to the economy.

Answered by Lord Offord of Garvel

The Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders data shows 905,117 cars were produced in the UK in 2023, a 16.8% increase on 2022. It is positive to see that in January to March 2024 the UK produced 222,371 cars, 1.1% more than the same period in 2023.

The automotive sector directly supports 152,000 jobs and contributes £19.4 billion in gross value added to our economy (from a turnover of £85 billion). The Government continues to support the automotive sector, including through the Automotive Council.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many public bus journeys were taken in England in each year from 2010 until the most recent year for which records are available.

Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Shadow Secretary of State for Wales

The Department publishes annual National Statistics on bus passenger journeys in England in the annual bus statistics release.

Bus passenger journeys in England for the year ending March 2010 up to the year ending March 2023 are provided in the table below.

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to establish further metro mayors in England.

Answered by Baroness Swinburne

It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the total number of personnel in the armed forces in the UK, including reserve forces.

Answered by Earl of Minto

As at 1 January 2024, there were 138,100 UK Forces personnel, of which 132,360 are based in-country.

As at 1 January 2024 there were 32,650 Future Reserves 2020 (FR20) of which an estimated 32,310 are based in-country.

The stationed location data for Future Reserves 2020 (FR20) Reserves has not been fully verified, therefore the figure provided is considered to be an estimate. Future Reserves 2020 includes volunteer reserves who are mobilised, HRR and volunteer reserve personnel serving on Additional Duties Commitment (ADC) or FTRS contracts.

Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10 to prevent inadvertent disclosure. However, numbers ending in "5" have been rounded to the nearest 20 to prevent systematic bias. Totals and its constituent numbers have been rounded separately, and so totals may not equal the sums of their rounded parts.

Further Stationed Location Stats for UK Regulars can be found in the Annual Location Statistics (ALS) publication:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/location-of-all-uk-regular-service-and-civilian-personnel-annual-statistics-index