The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2016-02-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what his assessment is of the latest date on which the process of organising an election in May 2017 for a Regional Mayor in the north east of England can begin.
James Wharton
For local elections the last date by which the notice of election must be published is the 25th working day before the day of election.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-02-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many companies responded to his Department’s invitation to tender for the protection of tenancy deposit scheme; and how many of those companies were small or medium-sized businesses.
Brandon Lewis
The initial procurement exercise in 2006 inviting bids to run a custodial tenancy deposit scheme and up to three insurance tenancy deposit schemes received four bids. Two of the companies were small or medium sized businesses.
In 2015, the re-procurement exercise for a new custodial tenancy scheme also received four bids. Three of the companies were small or medium sized businesses.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Mackintosh on 2016-02-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what his Department’s definition is of a homeless person.
Mr Marcus Jones
The legal definition of homelessness is set out in Section 175 of the Housing Act 1996. Broadly speaking, somebody is statutorily homeless if they do not have accommodation that they have a legal right to occupy, which is accessible and physically available to them (and their household) and which it would be reasonable for them to continue to live in. It would not be reasonable for someone to continue to live in their home, for example, if that was likely to lead to violence against them (or a member of their family).
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Mackintosh on 2016-02-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will make a comparative assessment of the effectiveness of the powers available to the devolved administrations and local authorities in England to tackle homelessness.
Mr Marcus Jones
The Government has committed to work with local authorities, homelessness organisations and across government departments to consider options, including legislation, to prevent more households becoming homeless. We will look to learn from other countries who have innovated in the way they deal with homelessness.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2016-02-26.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has for the future level of beer duty.
Damian Hinds
The government continues to keep all taxes under review and decisions on tax policy are made as part of the Budget process.
The government is committed to supporting the beer industry. The tax on a typical pint of beer was cut by a penny at March Budget 2015, building on the duty cuts at Budget 2014 and Budget 2013.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2016-02-26.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to provide additional funding for projects identified by the forthcoming Northern Transport Strategy.
Greg Hands
The government will need to consider the proposals from both Transport for the North and the National Infrastructure Commission before taking any funding decisions. The Government looks forward to the publication of both reports in the coming weeks.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-02-26.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of whether payments to AirBnB constitute remittances for the purposes of financial regulation.
Harriett Baldwin
I can confirm that Airbnb is not currently an FCA-authorised firm. However, it is not for the Government to comment on the regulatory status of individual firms. It is for the FCA to decide whether a firm should be brought into regulation, based on a detailed assessment of that firm’s activities, and with reference to the regulations that the FCA is responsible for enforcing. It is for firms to review their own business operations to see whether they are carrying out regulated activities.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim McMahon on 2016-02-26.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much central government expenditure on small and medium-sized enterprises in 2014-15 was spent in the North West.
Matthew Hancock
The Crown Commercial Service only collects regional spend data for direct spend with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), so the following figures, which are taken from the Governments Spend Analytical tool, Bravo, do not incorporate spend through the supply chain.
Direct spend with SMEs of £205,978,657.91 was reported in 2014-15 for the North West of England.
During the same period, the following amounts were reported as going to small businesses in the requested locations:
OL1 – £2,706,290.86
OL2 – £18,611.30
OL3 – £54,984.10
OL4 – £66,325.40
OL8 – £83,737.93
OL9 – £566,399.25
M35 – £76,074.91
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim McMahon on 2016-02-26.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the figures on central government spend with small and medium-sized enterprises, published on 5 December 2015, how much of the £12.1 billion was spent in 2014-15 with businesses located in the OL1, OL2, OL3, OL4, OL8, OL9 and M35 postcode areas.
Matthew Hancock
The Crown Commercial Service only collects regional spend data for direct spend with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), so the following figures, which are taken from the Governments Spend Analytical tool, Bravo, do not incorporate spend through the supply chain.
Direct spend with SMEs of £205,978,657.91 was reported in 2014-15 for the North West of England.
During the same period, the following amounts were reported as going to small businesses in the requested locations:
OL1 – £2,706,290.86
OL2 – £18,611.30
OL3 – £54,984.10
OL4 – £66,325.40
OL8 – £83,737.93
OL9 – £566,399.25
M35 – £76,074.91
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-02-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2016 to Question 27077, on arms trade: Saudi Arabia, what representations he has received on that legal advice.
Anna Soubry
No representations have been received on the legal advice commissioned by Amnesty International and Saferworld.