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  • Kate Osamor – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Kate Osamor – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Osamor on 2015-10-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will take steps to ensure that reviews decisions by local authorities to rule that a person is intentionally homeless are conducted by people independent of that authority.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    The homelessness legislation gives households rights to request a review of local authority homelessness decisions. A review may be carried out by the housing authority itself or by someone acting as an agent of the housing authority. Where the review is to be carried out by an officer of the housing authority, the officer must not have been involved in the original decision, and must be senior to the officer who took the original decision.

  • Kate Osamor – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Kate Osamor – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Osamor on 2015-10-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what provisions are in place to safeguard vulnerable adults who are declared intentionally homeless and who do not want to be separated from family members also declared intentionally homeless in order to be rehoused.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    Local authorities are under a duty to provide accommodation to vulnerable households who have made themselves intentionally homeless, for such time as will give the household a reasonable opportunity of securing their own accommodation. They must also provide them with advice and assistance to help them secure their own accommodation. There is no time limit on this duty and authorities should consider each case in light of its particular facts.

    Local housing authorities are also under a duty to make arrangements to ensure that social services are aware of cases where households with children may be intentionally homeless.

  • Neil Gray – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Neil Gray – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Gray on 2015-10-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much funding has been returned to his Department by BT following take up beyond 20 per cent under the Broadband Delivery UK contract.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The rollout of superfast broadband is delivering value for customers and for the taxpayer – BT has committed to return up to £129 million to local authorities and devolved administrations to further fund local broadband projects, as take-up of broadband services is likely to exceed the 20 per cent assumed in BT’s initial financial model.

  • Carolyn Harris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Carolyn Harris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Carolyn Harris on 2015-10-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that bookmakers have a code of conduct relating to fixed odds betting terminals.

    Tracey Crouch

    It is a licence condition that bookmakers adhere to social responsibility requirements, as set out in the Gambling Commission’s Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice, including specific requirements on fixed odds betting terminals (FOBTs). In addition, the Association of British Bookmakers recently published its revised Code on Social Responsibility, which also requires its members to have in place measures on FOBTs to help players stay in control.

  • Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-10-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the level of mobile telephone coverage available to train passengers in tunnels; how that matches his Department’s coverage targets; whether his Department classifies such coverage as in-building coverage; and what steps he is taking to improve that coverage.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The Department for Transport is leading work on improving mobile coverage on the rail network and my department is working closely with them. A joint Call for Evidence was issued in June and responses received are currently being analysed.

    This complements the ongoing improvements to mobile coverage arising from the Government’s landmark agreement with mobile network operators in 2014, to provide coverage to 90% of the UK landmass, and the licence obligation on Telefonica to provide indoor 4G coverage to 98% of UK premises by 2017.

  • Dan Jarvis – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Dan Jarvis – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2015-10-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to maintain the level of regional news provision after the BBC Charter review.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    We welcome the BBC’s commitment to work in partnership with local news providers, as it set out in its proposals published in September, and look forward to seeing these proposals developed further in discussion with industry to make sure they have a positive impact.

    The overall scale and scope of the BBC, including the provision regional news, is part of the Charter Review discussion.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Gregory Campbell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2015-10-21.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential effect on employment in the hospitality sector of reducing the VAT rate in that sector to 10 per cent.

    Mr David Gauke

    The Government has reviewed the economic case for a reduction in VAT for the hospitality sector.

    The Government position was set out in the Westminster Hall debate on 17 March 2015.

  • Dr Matthew Offord – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Dr Matthew Offord – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dr Matthew Offord on 2015-10-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans his Department has to protect cultural heritage abroad.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    Government is committed to the protection of Cultural Heritage abroad.A £3m Iraqi Emergency Heritage Management Project – run by the British Museum over five years – will create a team of local experts to assess, document and stabilise afflicted sites in Iraq, and help begin the process of reconstruction and preservation of some of the world’s most precious culturalheritage. The Culture Secretary has also reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to ratifying the Hague Convention on the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict – with a plan to get it onto the statute books at the first opportunity. This isthe firstpart of a comprehensive Government plan to rescue ancient sites and objects from destruction by terrorists, wars or natural disasters across the world.

  • Carolyn Harris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Carolyn Harris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Carolyn Harris on 2015-10-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to paragraph 7 of his Department’s Triennial Review of gaming machine stake and prize limits, published in October 2013, whether it is his policy that there is a serious case to answer in relation to the potential harm caused by category B2 gaming machines.

    Tracey Crouch

    Following the last review, new measures were introduced in April 2015 to help players of fixed odds betting terminals (FOBTs) stay in control. Players of FOBTs who want to stake more than £50 in one play are now required to interact with staff over the counter or register a customer account card. My department are in the process of conducting an evaluation of thesemeasuresand I will publish the results in due course.

  • Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-10-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to his Answer of 13 October 2015 to Question 11722, which companies provide fixed broadband services in the UK.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    Any company that complies with Ofcom’s General Conditions Entitlement has authorisation to provide telecommunications services in the UK. This Department does not hold a comprehensive list of companies that provide fixed broadband services in the UK.