Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what estimate has been made of the average annual salary of people in receipt of the National Living Wage in April 2024.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The current National Living Wage (NLW) is set at £11.44 per hour. This means for a full-time worker on the NLW working 35 hours each week, their gross annual earnings are £20,821. This will increase to £22,222 after the new NLW rate of £12.21 is applied from 1st April 2025.

Each worker's take home salary will vary as this will depend on a range of factors, including total hours worked, taxes and other lawful deductions, and additional benefits.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of people who earn the national living wage in (a) full-time and (b) part-time employment.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Low Pay Commission (LPC) estimate that 2.9% of full-time employee jobs and 12.0% of part-time employee jobs were covered by the relevant National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rate in 2023. The LPC will publish updated analysis in early 2025.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what information his Department holds on the reasons for recent drone activity near (a) RAF Lakenheath, (b) RAF Mildenhall and (c) RAF Feltwell.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

We take these matters seriously and the Ministry of Defence is working in partnership with our allies and the appropriate civilian authorities as they investigate this matter.

The use of uncrewed aerial systems around protected areas in the UK causes a risk to life and is illegal. We will work with civil authorities to prosecute those responsible.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate her Department has made of the potential impact of the Autumn Budget 2024 on productivity in each year between 2024 and 2028.

Answered by Tulip Siddiq - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

Delivering economic growth and improving productivity is the government's central mission. Since 2010, productivity growth has been less than a third of the productivity growth in the decade prior to the financial crisis. If productivity growth had remained at the previous rate of 2.1% per annum, then GDP per capita would be £12,500 higher in today’s prices.

This is why the government is making further reforms to deliver long-term growth, including: ambitious planning reforms; a modern Industrial Strategy; the development of a 10-year infrastructure strategy; and the publication of the Get Britain Working White Paper. The government expects these measures collectively to have a positive impact on growth. For example, the OBR recognised that proposed changes to the National Planning Policy Framework “may enable greater delivery of new housing and infrastructure projects, which would boost the associated investment flows, as well as increasing productivity over the longer term”.

In their Economic and Fiscal Outlook, published alongside the Budget, the Office for Budget Responsibility evaluated the government’s announced Budget package on public investment as increasing the level of GDP by 1.4% in the long-term.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of people who will own an electric vehicle in each year between 2024 and 2030.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department for Transport (The Department) doesn’t hold an estimate of the number of people who will own an electric vehicle in each year between 2024 and 2030. The Department does hold an estimate of the number of Battery Electric cars and vans (BEVs) that will be in the vehicle fleet in each year. This has been provided as a proxy for the number of people who will own one. These projections were developed in late 2023 / early 2024.

There is inherent uncertainty in these estimates. These figures assume ‘firm and funded’ policies only, covering existing legislation, confirmed subsidy schemes and current taxation policy. The Government may bring forward other measures that could change this projection.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the keynote address made by the Economic Secretary to the Treasury at the Tokenisation Summit on 25 November 2024, what her timetable is for implementing the proposals on (a) cryptoassets and (b) stablecoins published by her Department in October 2023.

Answered by Tulip Siddiq - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government has signalled its intention to engage firms on draft legal provisions for the cryptoasset financial services regulatory regime as early as possible next year.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an estimate of the projected number of army cadets for each year of the remainder of this Parliament.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

There are currently c. 75,000 cadets and c. 11,000 cadet force adult volunteers involved in the Army Cadets.

Work is currently underway to understand opportunities for expansion across Ministry of Defence Cadets. Although it is too early to make an accurate assessment on projected numbers, the work aims to reflect the important contribution cadets make to society.

Research has for example shown that participation in Cadets increases social mobility and improves the health and wellbeing of young people, producing an annual return on investment in the region of £95 million. We are committed to sustaining the Cadet Forces across the UK.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans further publicity to inform pensioners of the closing date for applications for Pension Credit.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Department’s campaign to promote Pension Credit has been running across Great Britain since September. The latest phase of the campaign, which launched on 8 November, is aimed at friends and family - especially adult children of eligible pensioners - asking them to tell people they know about Pension Credit, encourage them to check their eligibility, as well as help them make a claim. It is running on TV, radio, social media such as Facebook and Instagram, on YouTube and on advertising screens, including on GP and Post Office screens.

We are urging pensioners to apply for Pension Credit by 21 December 2024, which is the latest date for making a successful backdated claim for Pension Credit in order to receive a Winter Fuel Payment (or the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment in Scotland).

Pension Credit in Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Department for Communities who are undertaking their own take-up activities targeting pensioners.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether recipients who have not been suspected of benefit fraudulent activity will be subject to having their personal bank account details scrutinised.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

Fraud and error in the social security system currently costs the taxpayer almost £10 billion a year and, since the pandemic, a total of £35 billion of taxpayers’ money has been incorrectly paid to those not entitled. The DWP is determined to reduce those levels.

The Eligibility Verification Measure (EVM) in the proposed Fraud, Error and Debt Bill will not give DWP access to any bank accounts, nor any information on how claimants spend their money. The proposed new power instead helps verify benefit eligibility, using very limited information from banks and financial institutions. As set out by the National Audit Office, access to data is key to prevention and detection of incorrect payments.

EVM will require banks and financial institutions to look within their own data to highlight where someone may not be eligible for the benefits they are receiving. The data will only be sent to DWP if there is a possible conflict with the benefit eligibility rules, such as the £16,000 capital limit in Universal Credit or individuals living abroad without notifying the Department.

The information gathered will help DWP identify incorrect payments, prevent debts from accruing for the claimant and help identify where there may be fraudulent activity. No benefit entitlement decision will be made solely because of the data obtained under EVM and a final decision on benefit entitlement will always involve a human agent.

Further details will be set out when the Bill is introduced to Parliament.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what reduction in fraud and error in the benefit system she plans to achieve by the end of 2025.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

At Autumn Budget, the OBR updated their forecasts. This shows the impact of the Department’s plans to reduce fraud and error levels across the scorecard period. In addition to this, the Department provides annual updates on the effectiveness of their plans through the publication of the Annual Report and Accounts, where the latest UC forecast and outturn position for the financial year is published. DWP annual report and accounts 2023 to 2024 (HTML) - GOV.UK.

Whilst we have published forecasts in the past, they have been superseded and the latest forecast is not in the public domain.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to run an Invitation to Claim campaign to enable more senior citizens to claim Pension Credit before 21 December 2024.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Department’s ‘Invitation to Claim’ initiative was launched on 30 October. Since then, we have written to around 120,000 pensioner households across Great Britain who are in receipt of Housing Benefit but not Pension Credit. The letter and accompanying leaflet urge these households to claim Pension Credit by the 21 December, which is the latest date for making a successful backdated Pension Credit claim and qualify for a Winter Fuel Payment.

The Department’s broader communications campaign to promote Pension Credit has been running since September. The latest phase of the campaign is targeting friends and family - asking them to tell people they know about Pension Credit, encourage them to check their eligibility, as well as help them make a claim. It is running on TV, radio, social media such as Facebook and Instagram, on YouTube and on advertising screens, including on GP and Post Office screens.

Pension Credit in Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Department for Communities who are undertaking their own take-up activities targeting pensioners.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what benefits would a successful applicant for Pension Credit potentially be eligible for in addition to the Winter Fuel Payment.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

In addition to the Winter Fuel Payment, Pension Credit provides access to a number of other benefits and support including:

o help with rent via Housing Benefit;

o a Council Tax reduction;

o Cold Weather Payments and other help from the Social Fund including help with funeral costs;

o help with NHS dental treatment, glasses and transport costs;

o help with heating costs through the Warm Home Discount Scheme; and

o a free TV licence for those over 75.

We are urging pensioners to apply for Pension Credit by 21 December 2024, which is the latest date for making a successful backdated claim for Pension Credit in order to receive a Winter Fuel Payment (or the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment in Scotland).

Pension Credit in Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Department for Communities who are undertaking their own take-up activities targeting pensioners.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many hotels are being used for the provision of accommodation for asylum seekers in Northern Ireland; and if she will make an estimate of the number of hotels that will be required by 31 December 2025.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office has a statutory obligation to provide destitute asylum seekers with accommodation and subsistence support whilst their application for asylum is being considered.

The Home Office does not publish data on the number of hotels in use. However, data published quarterly on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, including hotels, can be found within the Asy_D11 tab for our most recent statistics release. The data can also be broken down by local authority: Immigration system statistics quarterly release - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

The Home Office keeps its accommodation estate under constant review.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will hold discussions with the BBC on (a) breaches of a broadcasting licence and (b) other matters raised in the report by Ofcom entitled Annual Report on the BBC 2023-2024, published on 29 November 2024.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The BBC has a duty to reflect, represent and serve the diverse communities of all of the United Kingdom’s nations and regions. We want it to reflect the full diversity of people, communities and experiences across the UK so that more people can see and hear themselves reflected as part of our national story.

Ofcom, the BBC’s independent regulator, is required to prepare and publish an Operating Framework for the BBC, which must contain provisions to secure the effective regulation of the activities of the BBC as set out by the Charter and Framework Agreement. It is for Ofcom to hold the BBC to account in meeting these obligations.

The Government welcomes Ofcom’s reports into the BBC’s performance in 2023/24, and notes its findings.

Ministers regularly meet with the BBC’s leadership, and as part of the next Charter Review, the Government will engage with the BBC and others to consider how to ensure the BBC thrives well into the next decade and beyond and in doing so, how it best delivers for the whole country.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an estimate of the number of electric vehicle charging points there will be in each year from 2025 to 2030.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The 2022 EV Charging Infrastructure Strategy (UK electric vehicle infrastructure strategy - GOV.UK) set out forecasts of consumer demand for public chargepoints. These projections indicated that between 280,000 and 720,000 might be needed by 2030.

As of the 1 November there were over 71,000 public charging devices in the UK (Developing faster indicators of transport activity - GOV.UK). Between October 2023 and October 2024 the number of public charging devices grew by 42%.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 2.40 of the Autumn Budget 2024, HC 295, published on 30 October 2024, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of (a) the increase in the rate of employers' National Insurance Contributions and (b) the VAT rate on the viability of businesses in the hospitality sector.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government recognises that the significant contribution made by hospitality businesses to economic growth. At Autumn Budget 2024, the government took tough decisions on tax, spending and welfare to restore economic stability and invest in public services.

A Tax Information and Impact Note that covers the employer NICs changes was published by HMRC on 13 November, outlining the impact on business, that can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-the-class-1-national-insurance-contributions-secondary-threshold-the-secondary-class-1-national-insurance-contributions-rate-and-the-empl/changes-to-the-class-1-national-insurance-contributions-secondary-threshold-the-secondary-class-1-national-insurance-contributions-rate-and-the-empl.

VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. The Government currently has no plans to introduce a different VAT rate for the hospitality sector.

However, the Government keeps all taxes under review, including consideration of impacts.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 2 December 2024 to question 16452 Living Wage Living Wage, what the average number of hours worked by those in part-time employment and who paid the National Living Wage was in 2024 to date.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

This will be included in the Impact Assessment that we plan to publish alongside the legislation that implements the increase to the National Living Wage in 2025.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what changes to procedures she has made following the investigation by law enforcement agencies into fraudulent transactions made on the Royal Mint website since 2022.

Answered by Tulip Siddiq - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

As outlined in The Royal Mint Trading Fund’s Annual Reports and Accounts for 2022-23, an external fraud incident occurred impacting The Royal Mint. A small number of fraudulent transactions were made on the Royal Mint’s website. The incident did not impact Royal Mint customers details and there was no risk to customer data.

The Royal Mint continually make changes to their anti-fraud procedures, reflecting the dynamic nature of the external fraud landscape.

As shareholder of The Royal Mint, HM Treasury are regularly updated on risk controls and have been supporting the strengthening of these processes and procedures.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of stopped vehicle detection technology on motorways.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

We recognise the importance of technology working to support our road users and that is why the Department commissioned the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) to undertake an independent review of the effectiveness of technology on smart motorways, including stopped vehicle detection (SVD) technology.

In 2023 the ORR confirmed that SVD is meeting performance requirements for detection rate, detection time, and false detection. The ORR will continue to monitor stopped vehicle detection performance closely and will report next in Spring 2025.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to raise the (a) declaration of martial law in South Korea and (b) potential implications of that decision at the UN.

Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I issued a statement on 3 December expressing deep concern about the events in Seoul of 3 December. We welcome the decision made following a vote in the National Assembly to withdraw the martial law decree. South Korea is a proud democracy, and events have shown that their systems and processes seem able to resolve situations like this one. Our Embassy team in Seoul are monitoring developments. The UN has not made a statement regarding the situation.

Kevin Sinfield fundraising for Motor Neurone Disease research

Violence against women in Northern Ireland

Christmas

Impact of the EU General Product Safety Regulation on the UK internal market

The Ulster banner and the Northern Ireland Commonwealth flag

St Andrew's Book Festival

International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls

Reducing the age for bowel cancer screening offered on the NHS

50th anniversary of the Birmingham pub bombings

Amy Adair, world medal in karate

Implications for rural communities of the Autumn Budget 2024

Remembering Channing Day

Found: Swann , Sammy Wilson, Richard Tice, Carla Lockhart , Alex Easton , Jim Shannon and Mr Gregory Campbell