Tag: Mike Kane

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Kane on 2016-03-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the level of hotel use to house asylum seekers is in each local authority area.

James Brokenshire

Under the COMPASS contracts, providers are allowed to use contingency accommodation to cope with unanticipated increase in demand, but we have made clear to providers that this is only ever acceptable in exceptional situations and asylum seekers must be moved to appropriate longer term accommodation as soon as possible. Providers will inform local authorities about short term contingency accommodation prior to its use.

Our records indicate that there are currently 22 hotels in use across 10 local authorities. This is provisional management information that is subject to daily change. It has not been assured to the standard of Official Statistics

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Kane on 2016-05-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what (a) translation services and (b) other specialist provisions the Government provides to unaccompanied asylum seeking children from Eritrea.

James Brokenshire

All unaccompanied asylum seeking children, including those from Eritrea, are provided with an interpreter where necessary, access to legal advice, and are referred to the Refugee Council children’s panel.

Unaccompanied asylum seeking children are placed in the care of local authority children’s services and have access to the same support as all other looked after children.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Kane on 2015-12-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what timetable he has set for tax credit claimants in Wythenshawe and Sale East constituency to migrate to universal credit.

Priti Patel

We are rolling out Universal Credit (UC) in a careful and controlled manner – an approach that was endorsed by the Major Projects Authority. UC is now available to single claimants, couples and families in Wythenshawe and Sale East constituency.

Our plan is that existing benefit and tax credit claimants will be migrated to UC by 2020/21. Further details will be made available in due course.

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.