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  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the number of rent repayment orders issued to houses in multiple occupation which were not adequately licensed in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

    Brandon Lewis

    The Department does not collect or hold information about the number of rent repayment orders issued in respect of unlicensed houses in multiple occupation.

    A local authority may apply to the First Tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) for such an order if Housing Benefit was paid to cover or assist with rent payments during the period a house in multiple occupation was required to be licensed, but was not. Information about the number of rent repayment orders issued to local authorities will be held by the authorities themselves.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans to categorise houses which are overcrowded and have fewer than three storeys as houses in multiple occupation; and if he will make a statement.

    Brandon Lewis

    The Department has recently consulted on options for extending the scope of mandatory licensing to include those Houses in Multiple Occcupation in England with fewer than three storeys. We plan to announce our proposals and next steps in the spring.

  • Ian C. Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Ian C. Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian C. Lucas on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if officials in his Department will have discussions with officials in the Department of Health on the establishment of a ring-fenced fund for local authorities to be able to disregard military compensation payments in financial assessments for social care.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    Armed forces veterans injured in service receive payments through the War Disablement Pension or the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme. The latter applies to veterans injured from 6 April 2005. These payments are divided into a personal injury compensation element and other payments. Traditionally, only the personal injury compensation payment has been fully disregarded.

    Since October 2012, Guaranteed Income Payments made to veterans under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme have been disregarded. The Department of Health has been in discussion with the Royal British Legion about how War Disablement Pension payments are treated. Currently, the first £10 per week of these payments is disregarded. The Government is considering how these payments to veterans should be treated in the financial assessment for social care charging in future.

    It is not the policy of this Government to ring-fence funding for particular purposes. This is to allow local authorities the flexibility to manage their own resources in the most efficient manner.

  • Christopher Chope – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Christopher Chope – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2016-02-08.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether any Barnett consequentials arise from the Local Government Finance Report (England) 2016-17.

    Greg Hands

    The Barnett Formula will be applied in the usual way to any additional funding from the Exchequer arising from the final local government finance settlement for 2016-17.

  • Chi Onwurah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Chi Onwurah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the additional cost to rural broadband subscribers of paying separately for satellite broadband and telephony; and what the impact of such costs is on the rural economy.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    Our Satellite Broadband Scheme offers homes and businesses in some of the most remote areas of the UK a subsidised satellite broadband connection if they are currently unable to obtain an affordable broadband service of at least 2 Mbps.

    The benefits of broadband are clear – and that is why we have introduced this subsidised offer to meet the Universal Service Commitment – which gives a first year only subsidy for a basic package capped at £400.

    The total number of premises eligible for the universal service commitment subsidy had been substantially reduced, from around 11% in 2010 to around 1% by the end of 2015, as a result of roll-out superfast broadband by the commercial sector and through publicly-funded programmes.

  • Gerald Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Gerald Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gerald Jones on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when he plans to publish the outcome of the consultation on the BBC Charter Renewal process.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    I refer the honourable member to my response to PQ 22672, submitted to Parliament on 19 January.

  • Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent steps his Department has taken to tackle disparities in broadband coverage in (a) London and (b) the UK.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The Government is working with commercial broadband providers to encourage them to fill the remaining gaps in superfast broadband coverage in London. BT has announced £50 million of investment in new commercial coverage, much of which will be aimed at London, and Virgin Media has announced a demand led investment programme of £3 billion over the next few years. Other suppliers are also active in London.

    As a result of commercially-led delivery and public funding in areas which are not commercially viable, superfast broadband coverage across the UK now reaches almost 90% of premises, providing access to speeds of more than 24Mbps. Coverage is on track to increase to 95% of premises by December 2017. The Government has also announced proposals for a Universal Service Obligation to enable all premises to request a broadband speed of at least 10Mbps, with the aim of implementing it in this Parliament. A basic broadband scheme has also been introduced across the UK allowing all premises with speeds below 2Mbps to gain access to speeds above this level through a subsidised satellite broadband connection.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to (a) encourage innovation and competition amongst broadband network providers and (b) reduce monopoly control over broadband infrastructure.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    It is a matter for Ofcom to monitor and regulate competition in electronic communications markets and last year it launched a Strategic Review of Digital Communications. Maintaining and promoting competition and innovation in the electronic communications markets are key areas that Ofcom is considering.

    The promotion of competition and innovation in the telecommunications sector is high on the Government’s list of objectives for the European Commission’s review of the Electronic Communications regulatory Framework, as was reflected in our response to its consultation. Proposals from the Commission are expected later this year.

  • Naz Shah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Naz Shah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Naz Shah on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether his Department has been consulted on the transfer of the Royal Photographic Society’s collection from the National Media Museum to the Victoria and Albert Museum.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    DCMS museums operate at arm’s length from government and the transfer of objects between national museums is a matter for the boards of the museums. The Trustees of the Science Museum approved the transfer of the Royal Photographic Society’s collection to the V&A, and the Royal Photographic Society also approve of the transfer. The Department was informed in December 2015.

    The V&A intend to store, digitise and make the photographic collection available as part of its planned International Photography Resource Centre, which will provide the public with a world-class facility to access the consolidated collection.

  • Naz Shah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Naz Shah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Naz Shah on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what his policy is on a National Photography Museum.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The National Media Museum in Bradford holds the National Photographic Collection, which has over 3 million photographic objects. DCMS museums operate at arm’s length from government and the transfer of objects between national museums is a matter for the boards of the museums.