Asked by: Lord Forsyth of Drumlean (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the total additional cost to military families of the planned introduction of VAT at 20 per cent on independent school fees.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
On 29 July, the Government announced that, as of 1 January 2025, all education services and vocational training provided by a private school in the UK for a charge will be subject to VAT at the standard rate of 20 per cent. This will also apply to boarding services provided by private schools.
The Government will confirm the introduction of these tax policy changes at the Budget on 30 October. Details of the Government’s assessment of the expected impacts of these policy changes will be published at the Budget in the usual way.
The Government does not expect fees to go up by 20 per cent as a result of this policy change, and the Government expects private schools to take steps to minimise fee increases.
Recognising the enormous sacrifices our military families make, the Ministry of Defence provide the Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) to eligible Service Personnel. The Government will monitor closely the impact of these policy changes on affected military families, with any changes to this scheme considered at the upcoming Spending Review.
The Government has considered the policy’s interaction with Human Rights law, and is confident that it is compatible with all of the UK’s human rights obligations.
Asked by: Lord Forsyth of Drumlean (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the number of additional places which will be required by local authorities to accommodate children forced to leave independent schools as a consequence of the imposition of VAT on education fees.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
This government is committed to ending the VAT exemption that private schools enjoy. While the impact of this policy is being fully considered, projections by the Institute for Fiscal Studies indicate that the number of pupils who may switch schools as a result of these changes is likely to represent a very small proportion of overall pupil numbers in the state sector, less than 0.5%, with any displacement expected to take place over several years. This research can be found here: https://ifs.org.uk/publications/tax-private-school-fees-and-state-school-spending and in the attached report.
The department will be monitoring demand and capacity using our normal processes and working with local authorities to meet any pressures.
Asked by: Lord Forsyth of Drumlean (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to remove charitable status from independent schools; and if so, what is their estimate of the impact this would have on the cost of nursery education.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
The government has not proposed to remove charitable status from independent schools.
Asked by: Lord Forsyth of Drumlean (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many children with special educational needs are in independent schools.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
The department publishes annual figures on pupils with special educational needs (SEN) based on the January school census data. The most recent published figures, for January 2024, are available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england. The publication includes a breakdown of SEN by school type which is attached and available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/df44ab22-0874-49af-b4bb-08dccb80a395.
Pupils with SEN may have an education, health and care (EHC) plan or have SEN support in school without an EHC plan. The total number of pupils with SEN is the sum of these two groups.
Asked by: Lord Forsyth of Drumlean (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will release the documents relating to the 1994 Mull of Kintyre Chinook crash.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Shadow Minister (Defence)
I refer the Noble Lord to the answers given by my Right Honourable Friend, The Minister for Defence People and Families, in the other place on 26 February 2024 (UIN 13866) and on 15 March 2024 (UIN 17490).
Asked by: Lord Forsyth of Drumlean (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Neville-Rolfe of 28 November (HL 277), whether they will now answer the question put, namely to list the ministers and whips in the House of Lords alongside their respective salaries and allowances.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Shadow Minister (Treasury)
The ministers and whips in the House of Lords and their respective claimed salaries for financial year 2023-2024 are as follows:
Minister | Salary |
|---|---|
The Rt Hon the Lord Cameron | £104,360 |
The Rt Hon the Lord True | £104,360 |
Baroness Neville-Rolfe | Unpaid |
Baroness Vere of Norbiton | £70,969 |
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon | Unpaid |
The Rt Hon the Lord Benyon | Unpaid |
Lord Sharpe of Epsom | £70,969 |
The Earl of Minto | Unpaid |
Lord Bellamy KC | Unpaid |
Viscount Camrose | Unpaid |
Baroness Scott of Bybrook | £70,969 |
Baroness Penn | £70,969 |
Lord Markham | Unpaid |
Robbie Douglas-Miller | Unpaid |
The Rt Hon the Earl Howe | Unpaid |
Lord Johnson | Unpaid |
Lord Offord of Garvel | Unpaid |
Lord Callanan | £70,969 |
Viscount Younger of Leckie | £70,969 |
Baroness Barran | Unpaid |
Lord Davies of Gower | £70,969 |
Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay | £70,969 |
Lord Caine | £65,625 |
Lord Stewart of Dirleton KC | £94,772 |
The Rt Hon the Baroness Williams of Trafford | £81,485 |
The Earl of Courtown | £70,969 |
Lord Gascoigne | £65,625 |
Lord Harlech | £65,625 |
Lord Evans of Rainow | £65,625 |
Lord Roborough | Unpaid |
Baroness Swinburne | Unpaid |
In line with the Ministerial and Other Pensions Act 1991, Lords ministers are able to claim the Lords Office-Holders Allowance (LOHA). There are two rates for LOHA: Lords ministers living in London can claim £4,435 for the financial year 2023-2024, and Lords ministers living outside of London can claim £36,366 per year.
Lords ministers who are unpaid may choose between claiming either LOHA or the Lords Daily Allowance. Lords ministers who receive a salary are not permitted to claim the Lords Daily Allowance.
Asked by: Lord Forsyth of Drumlean (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what are the salaries and allowances of each of the Ministers and Whips in the House of Lords.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Shadow Minister (Treasury)
Details of the salaries and allowances currently paid to Ministers at different ranks can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministerial-salary-data
This will be updated in due course.
The full list of ministers can be found on gov.uk at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ministerial-appointments-november-2023
The ministers and whips in the House of Lords currently appointed and not in receipt of a ministerial salary are: Baroness Nevile-Rolfe DBE CMG, Lord Ahmad, Rt Hon Lord Benyon, the Earl of Minto, Lord Bellamy KC, Viscount Camrose, Lord Markham CBE, Rt Hon Earl Howe GBE, Lord Johnson CBE, Lord Offord of Garvel, Baroness Barran MBE, and Baroness Swinburne.
Asked by: Lord Forsyth of Drumlean (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of the adult population are currently being prescribed antidepressants.
Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
Based on the latest available primary care dispensing data (Q1, 2023/24) we estimate that 15% of the adult population in England is prescribed anti-depressants.
We do not capture the clinical indication of a prescription, so there may be instances where these drugs are used for other conditions.
Asked by: Lord Forsyth of Drumlean (Conservative - Life peer)
Question
To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker how many people had their visits to the House of Lords Chamber cancelled as a result of the early sittings on Wednesday 6 and Wednesday 13 September to allow for extended scrutiny of the Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill; and what arrangements have been made to those people to offer redress.
Answered by Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall
The Senior Deputy Speaker has asked me, as Chair of the Services Committee, to respond on his behalf. No tours run by Visitors Services were cancelled because of early sittings on Wednesday 6 and Wednesday 13 September. When the Chambers sit, visitors have a reduced tour, confined to public areas. 650 people had a reduced tour as a result of early sittings. Visitors are warned at the time of booking that their tour may be changed due to Parliamentary business.
Asked by: Lord Forsyth of Drumlean (Conservative - Life peer)
Question
To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker, further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 1 February (HL4851), who he consulted when preparing his answer; and what oversight mechanisms exist to scrutinise the design and cost of security projects for the House of Lords.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The Parliamentary Security Department and Strategic Estates teams were consulted when preparing the answer to HL4851, along with House of Lords Administration officials.
The design and cost of security projects for Parliament go through rigorous internal scrutiny. The Clerk of the Parliaments and Clerk of the House, as Accounting and Corporate Officers, have responsibility for approving final business cases for security projects across the Parliamentary Estate, subject to advice from the Finance Directors and other relevant officials.
The Clerk of the Parliaments’ decisions on security projects are informed by consultation with the House of Lords Commission, which ensures that the impact on Members is taken into account, and by the Finance Committee which receives regular reports regarding security expenditure. There is also significant oversight by the Finance Director. The Clerk of the House is informed by the equivalent groups and individuals in the House of Commons. Ultimately it is not the House that makes the final decision because security is a bicameral issue, and legal responsibility for safety sits with the Clerk of the Parliaments and Clerk of the House.
Governance of the Security Programme for Parliament is provided by the Quarterly Review Group (QRG). Membership includes the Clerk of the House of Commons and Clerk of the Parliaments, the Finance Directors of both Houses, the Chief Operating Officer of the House of Lords and DG Operations of the House of Commons, and a non-executive external advisor (the Director of Property for the Royal Household).
The Parliamentary Security Department and Strategic Estates also consult external experts, including the Metropolitan Police Service, the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure, and Historic England to inform the Security Programme.