The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Graham on 2015-11-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the cost to the public purse of provision of (a) accommodation and (b) support services for asylum seekers was in Gloucestershire in each of the last five years.
James Brokenshire
The Home Office does not record the cost to the public purse of provision of (a) accommodation and (b) support services for asylum seekers within individual counties.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Heidi Alexander on 2015-12-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will place in the Library the impact assessment for NHS England’s consultation on proposals for a new Cancer Drugs Fund operating model from 1 April 2016 which was published on 19 November 2015.
George Freeman
NHS England has advised that its impact assessment will not be completed until the outcomes from the current consultation on the future of the Cancer Drugs Fund are known
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sue Hayman on 2015-11-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what representations his Department has received on manorial rights in Cumbria in the last 12 months.
Dominic Raab
My Department has not received any representations on manorial rights in Cumbria in the last 12 months.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Worthington on 2015-12-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much stamp duty reserve tax has been repaid following the 2012 decision of the First-Tier Tribunal (Tax) in the case of HSBC Holdings PLC and the Bank of New York Mellon Corporation v HMRC (TC/2009/165484).
Lord O’Neill of Gatley
The First Tier Tribunal in the case of HSBC Holdings PLC and the Bank of New York Mellon Corporation v HMRC decided in March 2012 that the taxing of Stamp Duty Reserve Tax at 1.5% on a transfer of shares which is integral to a share capital raising exercise to a depositary receipt issuer or clearance service, infringed the Capital Duty Directive. Following that decision, HMRC has repaid a total of £168 million Stamp Duty Reserve Tax to various claimants.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2015-11-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to improve access to buses for blind and partially-sighted people.
Andrew Jones
I understand how important affordable and accessible bus services are too many visually impaired people, and Government continues to support initiatives to improve access.
By January 2017 all local and scheduled buses designed to carry more than twenty-two passengers must comply with the Passenger Service Vehicle Accessibility Regulations 2000 (PSVAR), which include the provision of low floor boarding facilities, colour-contrasting step edges and handholds, and priority seating. We also encourage the bus industry to increase the uptake of audio-visual systems, and have supported projects to design innovative and low-cost approaches to providing accessible on-board information.
Further, Government remains committed to maintaining the national concession , which provides almost a million disabled people with free off-peak bus travel throughout England, helping them to remain mobile without worrying about the cost of doing so.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Phil Boswell on 2015-12-11.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what funding criteria are set for small and medium-sized enterprises applying for a loan under the Funding for Lending Scheme.
Harriett Baldwin
The Bank of England does not lend directly to small and medium sized enterprises as part of the Funding for Lending Scheme (FLS). Under the FLS, the Bank of England provides funding to UK banks and building societies participating in the scheme. The amount of funding participant banks and building societies are eligible to borrow from the Bank of England is determined by their net lending to certain sectors of the economy.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Graham on 2015-11-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his Department’s current targets are for processing benefit payments.
Priti Patel
The Performance of the processing of benefit payments is regularly monitored internally against a set of planning assumptions but there are no published targets
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Kawczynski on 2015-12-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to prevent the inadvertent use of Libyan financial assets for the funding of militias in that country.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
Funding of militias by the Libyan Government dates from the immediate aftermath of the 2011 revolution. The ongoing conflict has made it difficult for subsequent governments to regularise the situation. We welcome the announcement that the Libyan political dialogue members are expected to sign the Libyan Political Agreement. A ceasefire will be essential in order for a Government of National Accord (GNA) to operate. It will be crucial for the new GNA to quickly integrate supportive militias into a regularised national budgetary and security framework.
As underlined at the Rome Conference on 13 December, the United Kingdom stands ready with our international partners in supporting a new Government of National Accord in restoring stability, including economic, technical and security assistance, as requested.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-11-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent progress has been made on the application by Romford Football Club to build a stadium on Westlands playing field; and when she expects a decision on that application will be reached.
Edward Timpson
School playing fields are protected by Section 77 of the SchoolStandards and Framework Act 1998. Schoolsand local authorities must obtain the Secretary of State’s approval beforethey can dispose of their land. Applications to dispose of schoolplaying fields are considered by the independent school playing fields advisory panel, and are approved only when it is demonstrated that the application meets published criteria.
We are aware of an application by Havering Local Authority to seek approval to dispose of part of Westlands Playing Field to Romford Football Club. The application is currently being processed by officials at the Education Funding Agency, who are seeking further detail from the local authority about the proposal. The application will only be considered when sufficient information is available to assess the overall benefit of the scheme against the needs of pupils and existing community users. The Secretary of State will consider the panel’s recommendation before making her final decision.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2015-12-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many tribunal cases there were related to (a) section 17 of the Equalities Act 2010, non-work pregnancy and maternity discrimination and (b) section 18 of the Equalities Act 2010, workplace pregnancy and maternity discrimination in each of the last five years.
Mr Shailesh Vara
Cases relating to Section 17 of the Equality Act 2010, non-work pregnancy and maternity discrimination, are dealt with in the civil courts. This information could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
The number of cases relating to Section 18 of the Equality Act 2010, workplace pregnancy and maternity discrimination, which have been received by the Employment Tribunal can be found in the statistics published at
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