The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-09-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he plans to lay draft regulations on the conduct of the regional mayoral elections planned for May 2017.
Andrew Percy
An Order for the conduct of combined authority mayoral elections will be laid before Parliament after the Conference Recess.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-10-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what comparative assessment he has made of the effect of the increase in business rates on (a) state and (b) privately funded schools with roof-top solar photovoltaic panels.
Mr Marcus Jones
Business rates are based on valuations from the Valuation Office Agency and we do not intervene in their independent assessments. We have proposed a £3.4 billion transitional relief scheme to ensure that no ratepayer is unfairly penalised by the 2017 revaluation.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2015-11-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential financial effect of proposals to deny refused asylum seekers access to financial support will have on (a) local authorities and (b) (i) homelessness, (ii) health and (iii) mental health service providers,
James Brokenshire
An assessment of the financial impact of the proposed changes to support for failed asylum seekers was published on 4 August and can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reforming-support-for-failed-asylum-seekers-and-other-illegal-migrants-impact-assessment
The government has consulted widely on the proposals, which are now contained in Schedule 6 to the Immigration Bill published on 17 September, and is discussing the detail of how they will be implemented with local authorities and others. The financial impact of the changes will be reviewed in light of these discussions and reflected in a revised impact assessment.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2015-11-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to comments made by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport at a meeting about rail services between London and the Sussex coast on 27 May 2015, whether his Department’s target of six months to stability for commuters between London and the Sussex coast has been met; whether rail services between Brighton and London are still flashing red at his Department; and if he will make a statement.
Claire Perry
Performance of rail services between London and the Sussex coast is being closely monitored as it has not yet reached an acceptable level. Govia Thameslink Railway and Network Rail have developed a Joint Improvement Plan to improve services. My officials and I are meeting with both companies on a regular basis in order to monitor and support improvements. Performance has stabilised through London Bridge following timetable adjustments made in the spring and the timetable to be implemented in December is expected to further improve performance.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2015-11-30.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies on tackling fraud and money laundering of the findings by Kroll in a report prepared for the National Bank of Moldova in April 2015 on fraud and money laundering in that country, that all but one of the limited partnerships involved had a registered place of business in Scotland; and if he will make a statement.
Anna Soubry
We are aware of the findings of the Kroll report which makes general observations based on publically-available records. We have not corroborated the accuracy and completeness of the report, but it raises broad issues we were aware of and are currently considering.
The Government takes the misuse of all UK business entities extremely seriously. This is why under the UK Presidency in 2013, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister secured agreement from the G7 countries to sign-up to ambitious proposals to tackle the abuse of companies and legal arrangements. Increasing transparency about who owns and controls UK companies is a vital step in creating an environment of trust and accountability.
From April 2016, UK companies and other entities will be required to create a register containing information of the people with significant control, including their name, month and year of birth, and service address. From June 2016, this information will be provided to a central register at Companies House and will be publically available.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2015-12-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions the Government has had with the UNHCR about the de-registration of Syrian refugees in Lebanon; what assessment he has made of the effect of the Lebanese government programme to de-register refugees in Lebanon on the number of refugees reported to be in that country; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
We have regular discussions with UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on the situation of refugees in Lebanon. Unregistered refugees do not have the official documentation required to get access to essential services. We continue to lobby the Government of Lebanon to allow refugees to register with UNHCR and have given UNHCR over £44 million towards their work in the region. This includes support for registering Syrian refugees in Lebanon and Jordan. The UK is also providing £1.9 million to the Norwegian Refugee Council for information, counselling and legal assistance to refugees in both countries. This aims to ensure refugees are aware of their rights and are able to access all relevant services available to them. Lebanon has shown remarkable generosity in hosting over 1.1 million refugees from the Syria crisis. The UK recognises the great strain that this is placing on the country and we remain committed to supporting Lebanese stability in the face of these pressures.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-01-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 7 December 2015 to Question 18534, what assessment she has made of the effect on the forward planning work of the National Wildlife Crime Unit of the timetabling and notice provided of the decisions on the funding allocation for that Unit from March 2016; and if she will make a statement.
Rory Stewart
Defra is in regular contact with the National Wildlife Crime Unit about its work. I met the head of the unit on 3 December and Defra officials attended both the Governance Board and the Tasking and Coordination Group for the unit on the same date.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-01-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) permanent staff, (b) temporary staff and (c) contractors are employed at the Atomic Weapons Establishment; and how many such staff he expects to be employed at that Establishment in each of the next three years.
Michael Fallon
There are 4,920 permanent staff and 890 contractors employed at the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE). These figures represent full time equivalent staff, rounded to the nearest ten.
Contractors working at AWE but employed by sub-contractor companies are not included as this information is not held centrally.
Over the next three years, staffing levels will depend on programme demand.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-02-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Overseas Security and Justice Assessment assessments carried out by the Government in relation to UK aid and security assistance programmes to Saudi Arabia in the last two years have been reviewed since March 2015; and on what dates each of those reviews took place.
Penny Mordaunt
In the past two years the MOD has conducted three Overseas Security and Justice Assessments in relation to security assistance programmes with Saudi Arabia. Such engagement encompasses Defence Exercises, Defence Training in Saudi Arabia, Defence training in the UK (or a third party country), High Level International Engagement, UK personnel conducting long-term capacity building (Loan Service Teams/British Military Mission) and Working level International Engagement.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-02-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many cases were being dealt with by his Department’s Child Maintenance Group’s Financial Investigation Unit in the most recent period for which figures are available.
Priti Patel
Since the 1 April 2015 Child Maintenance Group’s Financial Investigations Unit received 2,800 referrals for investigation and 3,150 investigations were completed (including cases received prior to 1 April 2015).
Note:
1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10