The below Parliamentary question was asked by Marion Fellows on 2015-09-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will review the Government’s target of reducing net migration to the tens of thousands.
James Brokenshire
The Government has no current plans to do so.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Stephenson on 2015-09-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many official trade delegations have been to (a) India, (b) Pakistan, (c) Bangladesh and (d) Sri Lanka in each of the last three years.
Anna Soubry
The following is a list of official trade missions that have been organised by UK Trade & Investment over the past three years to India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
2013/14
2014/15
2015/16
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2015-09-16.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, which diesel power station operators have been approved for the Enterprise Investment Scheme.
Mr David Gauke
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), which administers the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS), does not keep a record of the number of diesel power generation companies receiving capacity market payments that have received investments under the EIS.
HMRC does not disclose details of companies that have raised investments under the EIS.
No estimate has been made of the number of diesel power stations taking part in the next Capacity Market Auction that may receive investments under the EIS. Whether a company qualifies for EIS depends on its individual circumstances.
The Government keeps all tax schemes under review, to ensure that any reliefs continue to encourage investment in a well-targeted and effective manner.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2015-09-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his estimate is of spectrum charges payable by his Department for each financial year from 2015-16 to 2019-20.
Mr Philip Dunne
The Ministry of Defence estimates the following amounts in radio spectrum fees:
2015-16 £121,900,000
The radio spectrum fees for financial years 2016-17 to 2019-20 have yet to be agreed and are subject to negotiations with HM Treasury.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2015-09-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to promote a sustainable approach to resourcing timber in the UK.
Rory Stewart
Defra implements the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR), which makes it an offence to place illegally logged timber on the EU market for the first time, and the EU Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Regulation, which aims to combat illegal logging and improve the supply of legal timber to the EU. The EU FLEGT Regulation establishes Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPAs) between the EU and timber producing countries. Once VPAs have been agreed, timber producing countries will issue exports with a ‘FLEGT licence’ which verifies the timber’s legality.
Defra is also responsible for the Government’s Timber Procurement Policy, which requires central government departments, executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies to procure timber and timber products that are both legal and sustainable.
Domestic forests provide about 20% of the UK’s timber needs. They are managed in accordance with the UK Forestry Standard, the reference standard for sustainable forest management in the UK. Moreover, about 85% of UK timber production is independently certified, providing additional assurances of sustainability.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2015-09-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent estimate he has made of the cost of delayed discharges to the NHS; and if he will make a statement.
Alistair Burt
The Department has made no formal estimate of the costs of delayed discharge to the National Health Service. It is recognised that such delayed discharges do use resource which could be deployed elsewhere, and all parts of the NHS and those with responsibility outside it, are continually looking for ways in which to reduce the number of delays.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-09-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seeker applications were received in each of the last five years; and how many such applicants were (a) refused, (b) granted refugee status, (c) granted humanitarian protection and (d) granted discretionary leave to remain.
James Brokenshire
The Home Office publishes an analysis of applications for whole-year cohorts of asylum seekers to establish the overall success rates following appeal; this is available in Table as_06 (Asylum data table Volume 2) of the quarterly Immigration Statistics release. For the latest years, some cases will still be outstanding. This cohort analysis is therefore not able to provide a complete picture for the latest applications but for most years will provide the most complete description of the outcome for asylum seekers. The analysis of the outcomes of asylum applications are the recorded outcomes of the group (or cohort) of applicants in any one year, at a particular time. This dataset is updated, in full, annually and is currently available up to 2014.
Insert Table
A copy of the latest release, Immigration Statistics April – June 2015, is available from https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office/series/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2015-09-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that remittances are delivered to their intended recipients.
Mr Desmond Swayne
Remittances are a vital lifeline for many poor people in developing countries. DFID works through the World Bank Group and a network of Financial Sector Deepening entities across Africa to support the delivery of remittances to poor people and strengthen regulations that govern the operation of secure and legitimate payment channels.
As a member of the Action Group on Cross Border Remittances, we work with regulators and the industry bodies for banking and Money Service Businesses (MSBs) to: increase supervision of MSBs, improve industry guidance and training, clarify regulatory requirements, monitor market risk and support a safer corridor for UK-Somalia remittances.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Laurence Robertson on 2015-09-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he has taken to ensure that taxi drivers are aware of their legal obligation to take guide and other assistance dogs.
Andrew Jones
The Department for Transport has issued guidance to the licensed trade on the provisions in the Equality Act that require taxis and private hire vehicles to carry guide and other assistance dogs.
In addition to their ability to take appropriate action in the event that licensed drivers fail to comply with this duty, local licensing authorities can inform taxi and private hire drivers of all their responsibilities as licensed drivers.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tracey Crouch on 2014-06-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what information his Department holds on how much society lotteries have generated for good causes in each of the last six years.
Mrs Helen Grant
Information about how much society lotteries generate for good causes is collected by the Gambling Commission. The most up to date information can be found in the Gambling Commission’s industry statistics, which are at:http://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/gambling_data__analysis/statistics/industry_statistics-1.aspx
“