Tag: Mike Kane

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Kane on 2016-01-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how the Independent Review to assess the potential benefits of aligning hospital services in Manchester is being funded; and whether the head of the review, Sir Jonathan Michael, will be remunerated for carrying out that role.

Ben Gummer

These are matters for the local National Health Service.

The NHS needs to ensure it is delivering the highest quality care and the best clinical outcomes for patients.

Accordingly, the NHS in Manchester has commissioned an independent review of hospital services to identify where changes might be required to ensure consistently high standards of care.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Kane on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether tax avoidance and the role of tax havens is expected to be discussed in plenary at the International Anti-Corruption Summit in London.

Matthew Hancock

This Government will continue to lead the international agenda to crack down on tax evasion and aggressive tax avoidance. The Summit will address a range of measures to tackle corruption, including promoting transparency. Further information about the London Anti-Corruption Summit can be found on the summit web pages of the GOV.UK website.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Kane on 2016-05-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Answer of 12 May 2016 to Question 36796, when she expects to publish the updated country information and guidance on handling asylum claims made by Eritrean nationals.

James Brokenshire

We intend to publish revised country information and guidance on handling claims made by Eritrean nationals in the near future.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Kane on 2015-12-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of derelict and abandoned buildings.

Brandon Lewis

The number of empty homes is at its lowest since records began. Local authorities have powers and strong incentives to tackle empty homes. Through the New Homes Bonus they earn the same financial reward for bringing an empty home back into use as building a new one. Councils may also charge up to 150% council tax for homes empty for over two years. In addition, we have reformed permitted development rights to free up the planning system and encourage the conversion of existing commercial buildings into residential units

A local authority can also serve a notice under section 215 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 to make good land and buildings that are not being properly maintained where the public amenity the area is being adversely affected. Where a section 215 notice has not been complied with, the local planning authorities can carry out the works and seek to recover the costs. Additionally local authorities also have powers under sections 76-79 of the Building Act to dealing with defective premises, dangerous buildings, ruinous/dilapidated buildings and neglected sites; section 29 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982 for works on unoccupied buildings; and sections 79-82 of the Environmental Protection Act for abatement or prohibition of a nuisance.

Advice to local planning authorities on how to make the best use of their powers under Section 215 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/town-and-country-planning-act-1990-section-215-best-practice-guidance

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Kane on 2016-01-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the proportion of the gross working premium of insurers which was required to fund the Diffuse Mesothelioma Payments Scheme in (a) 2014-15 and (b) 2015-16.

Justin Tomlinson

In 2014/15 the Diffuse Mesothelioma Payment Scheme (DMPS) levy was charged at £32m which represented 2.2% of employers’ liability gross written premium (EL GWP). The actual cost of the DMPS in 2014/15 was £24.2m, and the additional £7.8m collected has been carried forward into 2015/16.

On 12 January 2016 the Department announced that it anticipated the gross cost of the DMPS in 2015/16 to be £31m. This represents 2% of EL GWP. However, the amount actually levied on the insurance industry for 2015/16, taking into account the £7.8m carried forward, is £23.2m, which represents 1.5% of EL GWP.

Note: The proportions quoted above use the most recently available EL GWP data in any one year. Due to the time taken to collect and verify this data, the EL GWP figure used to calculate the proportion the levy represents will be two years old. For example, for the 2014/15 levy the EL GWP data is from 2012.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Kane on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Prime Minister, which representatives of the UK’s Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories the Prime Minister has met since August 2013.

Mr David Cameron

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Denton and Reddish (Mr Gwynne) on 14 January 2016, UIN 21230.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Kane on 2016-05-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to encourage investment in (a) sustainable aircraft fuels and (b) other renewable technology.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The UK wants to ensure that the aviation sector makes a significant and cost-effective contribution to reducing global emissions. The Government supports a range of measures to achieve this, including the use of sustainable alternative fuels, technological improvements to aircraft, operational improvements in air traffic management, and market-based measures.

Sustainable fuels have an important role to play in reducing carbon emissions from transport, particularly in sectors where there are limited alternatives for decarbonisation such as aviation.

We are assessing the benefits of making sustainable aviation fuels eligible for certificates under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO). We aim to publish a consultation on legislative amendments to the RTFO later this year including proposals for aviation biofuels.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Kane on 2015-12-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the potential role for the private sector in increasing birth registration in fagile contexts.

Mr Desmond Swayne

Accurately recording births, deaths, adoptions, marriages and divorces will be critical in achieving the newly agreed Global Goals. In fragile contexts, registration is essential to enable refugees to obtain humanitarian services and protection under international law.

Although globally, the births of nearly 230 million children under age five have never been recorded and almost two thirds of deaths are not counted at all, some progress is being made, largely in Latin America and Asia. The increasing use of technology and the private sector have played important enabling roles in building this momentum and will continue to be crucial to further progress.

DFID supports statistical capacity building and implementation of national statistical plans in a number of countries through global programmes such as the Statistics for Results Facility Catalytic Fund (SRF-CF), implemented in eight countries. In Nigeria, for example, SRF-CF supported eight outreach birth/death registration centres. DFID also provides bilateral support to countries’ national statistical systems.

At a policy level, DFID supports the Commission for Information and Accountability (COIA) where CRVS is one of ten priority areas. DFID also provides support to the UNHCR, the mandated UN agency to advocate for the protection and promotion of the rights of refugees, which plays a crucial role in assisting refugees in with documentation. To date, DFID has allocated over £44 million to UNHCR’s operations in Jordan and in Lebanon, of which a proportion will go to funding the registration and issuing of birth certificates for refugees.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Kane on 2016-01-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the UK Embassy in Israel has taken to monitor attacks on Christian places of worship.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

Our Embassy in Tel Aviv is in regular contact with representatives of churches on a range of issues, including to discuss concern about attacks on places of worship. The last attack occurred on 17 January 2016 where the Dormition Abbey compound of the Orthodox Church in the Old City of Jerusalem was vandalised with anti-Christian slogans. The ‘Tag Meir’ organisation has listed 44 cases of vandalism and arson on Christian and Muslim places of worship in Israel and the West Bank since December 2009.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Kane on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government plans to publish a draft agenda for the Anti-Corruption Summit to be held in May 2016.

Matthew Hancock

Information about the London Anti-Corruption Summit can be found on the summit web pages of the GOV.UK website. Further details about the summit will be announced in due course.