The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Tyler on 2016-02-09.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether HM Treasury will publish records of external meetings held by special advisers to its ministers.
Lord O’Neill of Gatley
This Government regularly publishes an unprecedented amount of transparency information including Special Advisers’ meetings with senior media figures.
There are no plans to extend current arrangements.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Tyler on 2016-02-09.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills will publish records of external meetings held by special advisers to its ministers.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe
The Government publishes an unprecedented amount of data; departments publish details of Ministers and Permanent Secretaries meetings’ with external organisations, and Special Advisers’ meetings with senior media figures. The information requested is not held centrally and there are no plans to extend current arrangements”
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Tyler on 2016-02-09.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Department of Energy and Climate Change will publish records of external meetings held by special advisers to its ministers.
Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
The Government publishes an unprecedented amount of data; departments publish details of Ministers and Permanent Secretaries meetings’ with external organisations, and Special Advisers’ meetings with senior media figures. The information requested is not held centrally and there are no plans to extend current arrangements.”
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Tyler on 2016-02-09.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Department for Education will publish records of external meetings held by special advisers to its ministers.
Lord Nash
The Government publishes an unprecedented amount of data; departments publish details of Ministers’ and Permanent Secretaries’ meetings with external organisations, and Special Advisers’ meetings with senior media figures. The information requested is not held centrally and there are no plans to extend current arrangements.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Tyler on 2016-02-09.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Department of Health will publish records of external meetings held by special advisers to its ministers.
Lord Prior of Brampton
The Government publishes an unprecedented amount of data; departments publish details of Ministers’ and Permanent Secretaries’ meetings with external organisations, and special advisers’ meetings with senior media figures. The information requested is not held centrally and there are no plans to extend current arrangements.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Tyler on 2016-02-09.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Home Office will publish records of external meetings held by special advisers to its ministers.
Lord Bates
The Government publishes an unprecedented amount of data; departments publish details of Ministers’ and Permanent Secretaries’ meetings with external organisations, and Special Advisers’ meetings with senior media figures.
The information requested is not held centrally and there are no plans to extend current arrangements.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Tyler on 2016-05-18.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to reallocating public funds presently allocated to (1) candidate and party election addresses, and (2) government advertising, to enable a cost-neutral package of reform of the rules on political party finance, including a cap on donations.
Lord Bridges of Headley
The Government is open to dialogue on practical measures to reform the funding of political parties. This can only be achieved by cross party discussions from the political parties themselves.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Tyler on 2016-05-18.
To ask the Chairman of Committees what have been the (1) security, and (2) other, costs to the House administration in preparing for and conducting the State Opening of Parliament in each of the last five years.
Lord Laming
State Opening is the major ceremonial event of the parliamentary calendar and the Estate is significantly reconfigured for hosting it. Its traditions date back as far as the sixteenth century and it is the only regular occasion when the three constituent parts of Parliament meet: the Sovereign, the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The event is broadcast to the nation by the main UK TV channels and also to many international networks with high viewing figures across the globe.
The security costs to the House administration in preparing for and conducting the State Opening of Parliament in each of the last five years are set out in the table below. These figures are additional to the fixed cost base for police officers and staff, tasked daily with protecting the Parliamentary Estate. They are indicative, due to the complex nature of police officer and staff allocation for a large scale operation.
|
Year |
Amount (£) |
|
2012 |
c.15,000 |
|
2013 |
17,234 |
|
2014 |
10,300 |
|
2015 |
15,814 |
|
2016 |
c.15,000 |
Estimates of other costs are set out in the table below. These include supply and fit of additional structures, preparations of the interior, additional lighting, move and reinstallation of the vehicle security barrier, construction costs of reconfiguring the Lords chamber and Royal Gallery, building media facilities within the Palace of Westminster, storage of equipment throughout the year, and other domestic and administrative costs.
The costs for 2016 are based on estimates only at this stage, because not all invoices have yet been received from relevant suppliers. Some costs are annual rather than tied to a particular State Opening of Parliament; these annual costs have been attributed to the next State Opening.
Since 2015, a proportion of overtime has been captured specifically in relation to the State Opening of Parliament. This accounts for the apparent steep increase in overall ‘other’ costs for that and the subsequent year, but it should be noted that these costs always existed, but were assigned to separate budgets.
|
Year |
Amount (£) |
|
2012 |
251,341 |
|
2013 |
261,504 |
|
2014 |
280,707 |
|
2015 |
325,937 |
|
2016 |
c.326,000 |
The House of Lords pays a proportion of these costs, many of which are costs from services shared with the House of Commons. This information does not represent the full cost of State Opening, as costs will also have been incurred by other bodies, which may include Westminster City Council, the Metropolitan Police and the Royal Household.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Tyler on 2016-05-18.
To ask the Chairman of Committees what is the capital value for which (1) ermine robes, and (2) other garments, used by Peers and Officers of the House during the State Opening of Parliament are insured.
Lord Laming
The capital value of Members’ robes donated to the House is £217,453 (as reported in the House of Lords Resource Accounts: http://www.parliament.uk/documents/lords-information-office/2015/HL-resource-accounts-2014-15.pdf). No public money was spent on acquiring these robes. The Administration does not capitalise other garments used by Members and staff of the House during the State Opening of Parliament. The House is self-insuring.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Tyler on 2015-01-14.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have considered any scheme to provide inheritance tax relief on bequests which are specifically and solely in respect of paying off student loans; and, if so, what assessment they have made of the impact such a scheme might have on the overall amount of student debt which remains unpaid after 30 years.
Lord Deighton
The Government has no plans to provide a targeted inheritance tax relief in respect of paying off student loans. The current inheritance tax nil rate band and rules for lifetime gifts means the vast majority of individuals are able to make bequests or gifts for this purpose without inheritance tax being a consideration.
The Government keeps all taxes under review.