Margaret Curran

My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced back in April that the department would pay all of its employees the Living Wage from 1 April 2014. Legal advice was sought during consideration and implementation of this policy. At the time no implications in respect of the EU public procurement regime were identified.

Payment of the Living Wage may fall foul of European Community law, in particular the Posted Workers Directive (PWD). This point rests on whether payment of the Living Wage is mandated, in which case there is a risk of being in breach of the PWD, or achieved through voluntary agreement. Since from a contractual perspective the changes needed mutual consent, there was no option for DECC other than to negotiate with suppliers to gain their agreement. We are satisfied therefore that this policy is compliant with EC law.

We have received no representations from the Scottish Government regarding the living wage.

We have received no representations from the Scottish Government regarding the national minimum wage.

The most reliable estimates come from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. These are set out below for Scotland. However, there are limitations to the survey. In particular, there is limited scope to use the data to identify where the National Minimum Wage apprentice rate would apply, rather than the equivalent age rate, prior to 2013-14. The apprentice minimum wage rate is lower than for the equivalent minimum age rates for workers. Not taking into account when the apprentice rate would apply will therefore tend to over-estimate the level of non-compliance. An estimate for 2013-14 is also provided below taking into account where the lower apprentice rate would apply.

The Government is committed to increasing compliance with minimum wage legislation and effective enforcement of it. Everyone who is entitled to the minimum wage should receive it. Individuals should contact the Pay and Work Rights Helpline on 0800 917 2368. HMRC investigates every complaint made.

Using 2013-14 Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) data, an estimated 85,000 people earn the National Minimum Wage in Scotland.

The most reliable estimate comes from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. However, there are limitations to the survey. In particular, there is limited scope to use the data to identify where the apprentice rate would apply, rather than the equivalent age rate.

Under plans agreed prior to the 2010 General Election, 70 Whitehall is undergoing modernisation works. As a result, there are no current plans for the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office to vacate Dover House.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

There are 94 Jobcentres in Scotland. A full list of these Jobcentres is provided at Annex 1.

We do not keep a record of when each office opened, so I am unable to supply you with this information.

There are no official statistics kept which would provide you with the number of people who have used each office in each year since 2010. Many people, some of whom are already employed, use the jobpoints or Intranet Access Devices in our Jobcentres but may not make a claim to benefit or register unemployed. It would therefore be impossible to provide you with the total number of people using the Jobcentres.

Annex 1

List of Jobcentres in Scotland

East & South East Scotland

Glasgow, Lanarkshire & East Dunbartonshire

North of Scotland District

West of Scotland District

Since 1 December 2014, Ebola testing facilities are being provided through NHS Lothian by the Scottish National Viral Haemorrhagic Fever Test Service, based at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. Prior to December, all samples were sent to the Rare and Imported Pathogens Laboratory testing facility at Porton Down in Wiltshire.

There are no written protocols on joint working between the National Health Service in Scotland and England which focus specifically on Ebola. NHS England works very closely with colleagues in Scotland and other Devolved Administrations to ensure effective joint working to respond to a wide variety of issues, including Ebola.

NHS England works to the Service Specification for High Level Isolation Units, covering the two high secure units in England located at the Royal Free Hospital in London and the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, with both units serving the whole United Kingdom. This specification has been attached.

The Department and the Health and Safety Executive published the Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens’ Guidance on “Management of Hazard Group 4 viral haemorrhagic fevers and similar human infectious diseases of high consequence” in November 2014. A copy has been attached.

I refer to my previous answers (213577, 214210) on this matter. The UK’s global diplomatic network - employing over 14,000 people in 267 Embassies, High Commissions, Consulates and other offices in 154 countries and 12 Overseas Territories around the world – works to achieve the international policy objectives that benefit the whole of the UK, including promoting Scottish companies and products, its culture, and Scotland as a destination for investment, tourism and study. However, the information requested is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

I refer to my previous answers (213577, 214210) on this matter. The UK’s global diplomatic network - employing over 14,000 people in 267 Embassies, High Commissions, Consulates and other offices in 154 countries and 12 Overseas Territories around the world – works to achieve the international policy objectives that benefit the whole of the UK, including promoting Scottish companies and products, its culture, and Scotland as a destination for investment, tourism and study. However, the information requested is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Details of these visits are the responsibility of the Scottish Government. However, The Foreign and Commonwealth Office holds the information attached.

Treasury ministers discuss a wide range of issues with their ministerial counterparts, including in the Scottish Government. In line with the practice followed by previous administrations, details of such discussions are not routinely disclosed.

Any taxpayer data held by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is subjected to strict safeguards.

HMRC take their duty of confidentiality very seriously and cannot disclose any information acquired or held unless specifically provided for by law. All HMRC information is subject to stringent data security controls and unlawful disclosure of taxpayer information is potentially a criminal offence.

The independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) published forecasts for oil and gas revenues in the December 2014 Economic and Financial Outlook. The report shows that these tax receipts are expected to be £15.8bn over the forecast period. The March 2015 forecast will incorporate the impact of recent changes in the oil price.

The global fall in oil prices should provide a boost to the economy and support UK and global growth. Falling oil prices contributed to annual CPI inflation of 1.0 per cent in November, the lowest level of inflation in 12 years, and reductions in petrol and diesel prices, which are now at their lowest levels since September 2010. On 5th January 2015, diesel was down 18.28p/l on its July 2014 peak, at 117.93p/l, and petrol down 20.05p/l at 111.06p/l.

I have done so.

The Government has agreed a block grant adjustment mechanism through the operation of the Barnett formula with the Scottish Government in relation to the Scottish rate of income tax.

During two or three transitional years, the deduction will reflect the tax generated by a Scottish rate of 10p. Following this transitional period, the first year deduction will again reflect the tax generated by a Scottish rate of 10p, and then in subsequent years this deduction will be indexed against growth in the UK non-savings non-dividend income tax base.

The Scottish Government’s overall funding will therefore be partly determined by the relative growth in the Scottish and UK non-savings non-dividend income tax base.

The annual costs of providing UK border control services are as follow:
Paris Gare Du Nord station - £4.6 million
Bruxelles Midi station - £3.3 million
Calais port - £21.8 million
Eurotunnel terminus (Coquelles) – £21.2 million

The above resource costs are based on the last financial year's data(2013/14)
and are taken from the Home office accounting system Adelphi. These have not
yet been audited. Publication of the annual set of accounts will not present
these costs in this level of detail.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 6 June 2013 (Official Report, column 1279W).

The Government is committed to working across the employment law (including the employment dispute resolution) system to help to make it easier for companies to hire and manage staff, while protecting workers' rights. This encourages employers to create new jobs, supporting enterprise and growth.

Workload before the employment tribunals is affected by several factors, including underlying economic performance trends, the impacts of reforms of employment legislation and tribunals process, and the number of collective disputes (for example involving insolvencies, and equal pay complaints) that lead to large-scale multiple claims.

The number of claims accepted by employment tribunals and processed by HMCTS in each calendar year, since 2010, is set out in the table below.

Employment tribunal claims accepted in Scotland for Calendar years 2010 to 2013, inclusive

Source: ET Database

Estimates of the number and proportion of children in relative and absolute low income are published in the National Statistics Households Below Average Income series. These estimates are available as three-year averages to 2012/13, and show that in 2010/11-2012/13 the number and percentage of children in relative and absolute low income was 0.2 million (17%) and 0.2 million (18%) respectively.

The Scottish Government is consulting until the end of February on whether HMRC should be allowed access to NHS Scotland data (name, date of birth, postcode and gender data) to support the identification of Scottish taxpayers, who will pay tax at the Scottish rate of income tax from April 2016. Discussions have taken place between the two administrations and there will be further discussions after the conclusion of the consultation.

While sustained lower oil prices are challenging for companies active in the North Sea, it is important to recognise that the industry is cyclical. The majority of operators and investors make their assessments on long term outlooks taking into account potential fluctuations in prices.

The UK Government is committed to supporting this vital industry that creates jobs and generates investment. This support includes the full implementation of the Wood Review recommendations and the package of fiscal changes and initiatives announced by the Treasury in early December designed to ease the tax burden on the industry.

The members of the HMRC's Scotland Act Implementation Programme Board are:

Sarah Walker (HMRC, Senior Business Sponsor)

Geoff Yapp (HMRC, Senior Business Sponsor Stamp Duty Land Tax)

Angela Walker (HMRC, Senior Business Sponsor Scottish Rate of Income Tax)

David Swift (HMRC, Deputy Director - Strategic Finance Budget Controller)

Sean Neill (Scottish Government)

HMT, (Fiscal Devolution)

Scotland Office, (Economic Adviser)

HMRC, (Internal Audit)

HMRC, (Programme Manager)

HMRC, (Landfill Tax Policy)

HMRC, (Chief Digital Information Office).

Freedom of Information principles have been applied and names of staff below SCS grade are not released.

The Scotland Office does not employ staff; all staff that join, do so on an assignment, loan or secondment from other government bodies, principally the Scottish Government and the Ministry of Justice. Both of these bodies and other employers of Scotland Office staff hold information relating to pay and the diversity of staff. Additionally, information on the gender breakdown of staff by grade is published in the Office’s annual report. The annual report for 2013-14 is available in the House of Commons Library.