The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl McCartney on 2016-04-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the current length of time is between a penalty notice being issued under the Dart Charge scheme and the date of the offence.
Andrew Jones
The majority of Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) are currently issued between 5 and 15 days from the time of contravention (midnight the day after crossing).
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl McCartney on 2016-04-28.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to exempt telematics car insurance policies from insurance premium tax or reduce that tax for those policies.
Harriett Baldwin
Insurance Premium Tax is a tax on insurance companies and it is up to them how they choose to pass it on to their customers.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl McCartney on 2016-04-28.
To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what progress has been made on the Near Neighbours programme.
Mrs Caroline Spelman
The Church Commissioners welcome the Government’s recent announcement of a further £1.5 million for the Near Neighbours programme, which is administered by the Church Urban Fund. This third round of funding for Near Neighbours will help it build on its successful track record of delivering projects up and down the country to transform local areas by strengthening relationships between those of different religious and ethnic backgrounds on issues of shared concern.
The Near Neighbours programme has offered small grants between £250 and £5,000, providing seed capital for local groups and organisations who are working to bring together neighbours, to develop relationships across diverse faiths and ethnicities in order to improve their communities. The Near Neighbours grants fund has so far awarded seed capital worth £3.66m to over 1,120 projects. These projects have impacted the lives of 941,000 people and 71% of projects have continued to run after the initial seed capital was spent. All Near Neighbours projects are designed to change hearts and minds by bringing together different communities within a neighbourhood so that they can work together on issues of shared concern and common values.
More information on Near Neighbours can be found on its website at: https://www.cuf.org.uk/how-we-help/near-neighbours
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl McCartney on 2016-06-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will estimate the additional new housing required to address demand caused by immigration from (a) other EU member states and (b) non-EU member states in each year to 2030.
Brandon Lewis
The Department has not made an estimate of the additional new housing needed to provide accommodation for immigrants from EU and non-EU countries.
Housing needs are assessed by local authorities based on local need, and Government does not set figures.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl McCartney on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Prime Minister, what steps 10 Downing Street has taken to prepare for the UK to leave the EU since 23 June 2016; and what further such steps 10 Downing Street plans to take in the remainder of 2016.
Mrs Theresa May
I refer the hon. Member to the Oral Statement I gave to the House on 7 September 2016, Official Report, column 336.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl McCartney on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department has taken to prepare for the UK to leave the EU since 23 June 2016; and what further such steps her Department plans to take in the remainder of 2016.
Caroline Dinenage
The Department for Exiting the European Union has responsibility for overseeing preparations for the withdrawal of the UK from the EU and conducting these withdrawal negotiations in support of the Prime Minister. In doing this it is working very closely with other government departments, including the Department for Education, and a wide range of other interested parties.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl McCartney on 2015-11-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to promote regional food and drink.
Elizabeth Truss
Defra launched the Great British Food campaign this week to promote food and drink entrepreneurs from across the UK at home and abroad.
Through the Food and Drink International Action Plan we have supported over 4,000 businesses and opened 130 new markets.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl McCartney on 2016-02-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will take steps to end the offering of compensation in personal injury claims when there is no medical evidence.
Dominic Raab
The Government is determined to crack down on fraud and the compensation culture.
The Government recognises that offers to settle made to claimants without medical evidence may encourage opportunistic and fraudulent claims. The Government introduced new court rules in October 2014 to discourage such offers and we continue to keep the matter of third party capture, including the impacts on motor premiums, under review.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl McCartney on 2016-04-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will bring forward proposals to prevent Dart Charge payments made by drivers of leased vehicles being registered to previous drivers of the same vehicle who have not paid that charge.
Andrew Jones
All drivers have until midnight the day after crossing to pay the road user charge. This extended time period, which provides flexibility for the majority of users, makes it more complex to match payments for a crossing made by a previous hirer of the same vehicle. Highways England and the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association are working together to assess what more can be done to assist the small number of companies and their customers who may be affected by this.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl McCartney on 2016-04-28.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what communication his Department had with the EU Commission when developing the rules of the revised community amateur sports club scheme (a) in general and (b) on the implications of the Commission’s view as expressed in State Aid SA.38208 (2014/NN) that tax relief to member-owned golf clubs does not constitute state aid.
Damian Hinds
The new regulations for CASCs were introduced on 1 April 2015. All the changes made were necessary to reinforce the original spirit of the scheme requiring clubs to be open to the whole community, with the promotion of participation in sport as their main purpose.
The Government consulted widely with the sector on all the changes to the scheme. It was aware that there was confusion about the meaning of participation prior to the consultation period for the new regulations. Responses to the consultation were mostly supportive of the 12 times a year rule for participation.
The scheme does not permit clubs to impose fees which are a significant obstacle to membership. The vast majority of CASCs charge less than £520 for annual membership. To make membership more accessible, clubs with higher costs associated with membership are required to make provisions for those who can’t afford to pay more than £520 a year. If no suitable arrangements are made this club is not able to be a CASC because it is not considered to be open to the whole community.
During the development of the new CASC regulations the Government was aware of State aid complaint SA.38208 (2014/NN). At the time, the Government was only asked to provide a response to the complaint. The Government provided this response, explaining why the CASC scheme was not State aid. The Commission’s subsequent ruling confirmed this view.
Since the introduction of the new regulations all CASCs were given a 12-month period of grace to make any necessary changes to remain in the scheme. The Government wrote to all registered CASCs explaining the new regulations and asked clubs to complete a self-assessment checklist on income, membership and participation levels. They were also asked to contact HMRC if they did not meet the new requirements.
From 1 April 2016, 500 clubs have been deregistered as CASCs, affecting some 35 different types of sport.
Since 2010 there has been a steady increase in the numbers of CASCs registered in the scheme. Although the Government does not yet have figures for clubs registered as at 5 April 2016, the breakdown of figures since 2010 is:
5630 – 5 April 2010
5976 – 5 April 2011
6165 – 5 April 2012
6334 – 5 April 2013
6571 – 5 April 2014
6715 – 5 April 2015.