Asked by: Lord Lamont of Lerwick (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Livermore on the 27 September (HL1042), whether they will now provide a substantive answer to Written Question HL1042.
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%. This will include fees paid by CEA.
A small minority of diplomatic officials and service personnel are posted abroad for extended periods. In such circumstances, the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office provide the Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) to ensure this does not interfere with their children's education.
The government will monitor closely the impact of these policy changes on affected military and diplomatic families with any changes to this scheme being considered as part of the ongoing Spending Review.
Asked by: Lord Lamont of Lerwick (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the total cost of school fees paid in the last year by the Government for UK private education for the children of military personnel serving overseas.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The cost of Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) overall for FY 2023/24 for the Ministry of Defence was £88.35 million. Of the total contributed in FY 2023/24, £13.9 million was to Service Personnel serving overseas; this equates to 16% of MOD's total spend of the allowance.
Asked by: Lord Lamont of Lerwick (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether VAT will be levied on school fees paid by the Government for UK private education for the children of foreign office officials serving overseas.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity, ensuring every child has access to high-quality education, which is why we have made the tough decision to end tax breaks for private schools. This will raise revenue for essential public services, including investing in the education system.
The Government has set out the details of this policy in the technical note Applying VAT to Private School Fees and Removing the Business Rates Charitable Rates Relief for Private Schools which can be found at the below link. A technical consultation on the technical note and draft VAT legislation will be open until 15 September 2024.
Asked by: Lord Lamont of Lerwick (Conservative - Life peer)
Question
To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what are the responsibilities of the House of Lords Management Board; to whom it reports; and what relationship it has to the House of Lords Commission.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The House of Lords Management Board supports the Clerk of the Parliaments in the discharge of his functions as Accounting Officer, Corporate Officer and employer of House staff. The Board takes strategic and corporate decisions for the House of Lords Administration within the framework set by the House of Lords Commission. The Commission provides high-level strategic and political direction for the House of Lords Administration on behalf of the House. The Commission works with the Management Board to develop, set and approve the strategic business plan, the annual business and financial plans for the Administration and monitor the performance of the Administration against agreed targets.
The responsibilities of the Management Board are set out in more detail in its terms of reference, and include:
· Preparing the strategic plan, business plans, financial plans, annual estimates and annual reports for approval by the House of Lords Commission;
· Managing the resources agreed by the House of Lords Commission;
· Assessing and managing each of the House of Lords Administration’s corporate risks, and maintain a system of prudent and effective controls;
· Monitoring the House of Lords Administration’s performance in achieving its objectives, as set out in the strategy approved by the House of Lords Commission; and
· Managing change in the House of Lords to increase, protect and drive value for money, improve performance and reduce costs so that the House operates and delivers services more efficiently and effectively.
By statute, the Clerk of the Parliaments is accountable to the House of Lords as a whole, but in practice this is primarily channelled through the Commission. The Clerk of the Parliaments regularly reports to the House of Lords Commission on the work of the Administration, and the Commission, Services, Finance, and Audit and Risk Assurance Committees scrutinise the work of the House of Lords Administration.
The full Terms of Reference are set out in the Management Board Handbook and Operating Framework, which is available on ParliNet.
Asked by: Lord Lamont of Lerwick (Conservative - Life peer)
Question
To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker why, in addition to the non-executive members of the House of Lords Commission, two non-executive directors are to be recruited to the House of Lords Management Board; and how much their employment will cost.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Within the House of Lords, Non-Executive Directors (NEDs) are expected to provide an independent view and expertise on service delivery and provision, governance, and boardroom best practice. The Lords Management Board is seeking two NEDs to bring complementary skills and experience to the Board to provide advice, support and challenge about the management and delivery of services to the House of Lords. The renumeration of the NEDs is in line with wider public sector practice and within the House’s governance arrangements. The remuneration for 2024/25 is £9,495 per annum based on 15 days of engagement.
Asked by: Lord Lamont of Lerwick (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the total cost of school fees paid in the last year by the Government for UK private education for the children of foreign office officials serving overseas.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The amount spent by the FCDO on provision of the Continuity in Education Allowance for 494 children in UK schools in the financial year 2023/24 was £14,502,476.00
Asked by: Lord Lamont of Lerwick (Conservative - Life peer)
Question
To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker why applicants for the position of non-executive director of the House of Lords Management Board are asked to apply anonymously.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
This is a fair and open competition approach in line with sector-wide best practice, including in the Civil Service. All candidates are asked to submit a full application and provide an anonymised CV. While the supporting HR team have full access to candidates’ information, the recruitment panel receives anonymised information which enables candidates’ written applications to be assessed solely against the job criteria. The element of anonymity ends once candidates are shortlisted and invited to interview.
Asked by: Lord Lamont of Lerwick (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what guidance, if any, they give to the management of NatWest about their expectations, in managing their 38.6% shareholding in that company.
Answered by Baroness Penn
The Government’s 38.6% shareholding in NatWest Group is managed at arm’s length and on a commercial basis by UK Government Investments (UKGI). UKGI’s role is to manage the shareholding, not the bank itself. As a shareholder in NatWest, the government does not intervene in the operational decisions of NatWest. NatWest’s board is responsible for the bank’s strategic and operational decisions.
As set out at Budget, the Government intends to exit its shareholding by 2025-26 subject to market conditions and achieving value for money for taxpayers.
The Government does have wider responsibilities for financial services regulation. As a matter of public policy, the Government has been clear that it is wrong to remove someone's bank account on the basis of their lawfully-held views, and the Economic Secretary to the Treasury reiterated that message on Wednesday 26 July with leaders from the banking and building society sector.
The Government notes NatWest Group’s confirmation, on 25 July 2023, that they will be conducting an independent review into account-closure arrangements, and that, upon completion, the findings of that review will be made public[1].
[1] https://www.natwestgroup.com/news-and-insights/news-room/press-releases/our-updates/2023/jul/update-from-natwest-group-board-and-chief-executive-officer.html
Asked by: Lord Lamont of Lerwick (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, given their 38.6% shareholding in NatWest, of the descriptions of the “purpose” and “values” of NatWest in the papers released to Nigel Farage.
Answered by Baroness Penn
The Government’s 38.6% shareholding in NatWest Group is managed at arm’s length and on a commercial basis by UK Government Investments (UKGI). UKGI’s role is to manage the shareholding, not the bank itself. As a shareholder in NatWest, the government does not intervene in the operational decisions of NatWest. NatWest’s board is responsible for the bank’s strategic and operational decisions.
As set out at Budget, the Government intends to exit its shareholding by 2025-26 subject to market conditions and achieving value for money for taxpayers.
The Government does have wider responsibilities for financial services regulation. As a matter of public policy, the Government has been clear that it is wrong to remove someone's bank account on the basis of their lawfully-held views, and the Economic Secretary to the Treasury reiterated that message on Wednesday 26 July with leaders from the banking and building society sector.
The Government notes NatWest Group’s confirmation, on 25 July 2023, that they will be conducting an independent review into account-closure arrangements, and that, upon completion, the findings of that review will be made public[1].
[1] https://www.natwestgroup.com/news-and-insights/news-room/press-releases/our-updates/2023/jul/update-from-natwest-group-board-and-chief-executive-officer.html
Asked by: Lord Lamont of Lerwick (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether, as 38.6% shareholders in NatWest, they will request the company to investigate the briefings provided to the BBC about the alleged financial position of Nigel Farage.
Answered by Baroness Penn
The Government’s 38.6% shareholding in NatWest Group is managed at arm’s length and on a commercial basis by UK Government Investments (UKGI). UKGI’s role is to manage the shareholding, not the bank itself. As a shareholder in NatWest, the government does not intervene in the operational decisions of NatWest. NatWest’s board is responsible for the bank’s strategic and operational decisions.
As set out at Budget, the Government intends to exit its shareholding by 2025-26 subject to market conditions and achieving value for money for taxpayers.
The Government does have wider responsibilities for financial services regulation. As a matter of public policy, the Government has been clear that it is wrong to remove someone's bank account on the basis of their lawfully-held views, and the Economic Secretary to the Treasury reiterated that message on Wednesday 26 July with leaders from the banking and building society sector.
The Government notes NatWest Group’s confirmation, on 25 July 2023, that they will be conducting an independent review into account-closure arrangements, and that, upon completion, the findings of that review will be made public[1].
[1] https://www.natwestgroup.com/news-and-insights/news-room/press-releases/our-updates/2023/jul/update-from-natwest-group-board-and-chief-executive-officer.html