The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2015-11-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how the 1,000 refugees that are to be resettled in the UK by Christmas will be transported to the UK.
Lord Bates
The 1,000 Syrian refugees that we expect to be resettled in the UK before Christmas will be brought to the UK using a combination of scheduled and charter flights.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Tomlinson on 2015-12-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what proportion of brownfield land in the Purbeck District Council area has been redesignated as community land trust in the last five years.
Brandon Lewis
The Department does not hold information centrally on the amount or type of land held by community land trusts.
The Department’s annual Green Belt statistics monitor the amount of land designated as Green Belt in England and any changes to the designated area since the previous year. The statistics record the change by local planning authority.
Of the local planning authorities for which information was requested, the following have made changes to the Green Belt in the last five years:
East Dorset reduced the area of designated Green Belt in 2014-15 by 160 hectares to 16,720 hectares, a reduction of 1 per cent; and
Purbeck increased the area of designated Green Belt in 2012-13 by 460 hectares to 8,200 hectares, an increase of 6 per cent.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mawson on 2016-01-14.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to improve the wireless internet signal on the train network, in particular between London and Sheffield.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Availability of mobile broadband services on trains can be an issue, partly due to physical barriers to radio signals reaching the railway track, include railway cuttings and tunnels and due to signal weakening, called attenuation, caused by train carriage walls and windows.
In June 2015, the Government launched a Call for Evidence to support delivery of improved coverage, with the intention to build on the work that has already happened across industry. On-train Wi-Fi addresses some of the issues, however we recognise that there is more to do that will require enhancements to trackside infrastructure. That’s why we are working with the rail and telecommunications industries to reach a shared understanding of the technical and commercial challenges, and seek out potential solutions for the rail network, including the London to Sheffield line.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-02-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what proportion of the apprentices employed by his Department in the last 12 months were women.
Joseph Johnson
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) Apprentices are part of the Civil Service Fasttrack Apprenticeship programme. The programme is managed by Civil Service Resourcing (CSR) who recruit apprentices to the programme and then allocate them to the Department. Recruitment of individual apprentices is not managed by the Department. A total of 18 apprentices were allocated to BIS in the latest recruitment round, out of a total of 684 recommended for appointment. 26% of apprentices allocated to BIS in the last 12 months were female. The figure is 40.6% for apprentices recommended for appointment in the wider apprenticeship programme. CSR have a comprehensive diversity and inclusion outreach programme supporting the Fasttrack Apprenticeship programme.
BIS is committed to equal opportunities. 49% of BIS staff are female.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Mann on 2016-03-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police officers in each constabulary have been (a) convicted and (b) disciplined for sexual offences in the last five years.
Mike Penning
The Home Office does not hold data centrally on the number of police officers convicted or disciplined for sexual offences.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Glen on 2016-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether she has made representations to the Palestinian Authority on reported payments by that authority to Palestinian prisoners in Israel.
Mr Desmond Swayne
UK officials meet regularly with the Ministry of Finance and consistently lobby it at the highest levels on whether prisoner payments can be made more transparent and affordable. I raised the issue of prisoner payments in September 2015 with the Palestinian Authority Finance Minister Bishara.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Myners on 2016-05-09.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether the presence in the UK of a counterparty clearing house is necessary to the success of the UK as an international financial centre, and whether the presence of such a clearing house is protected by the new settlement for the UK in the EU.
Lord O’Neill of Gatley
Central Counterparties (CCPs) play a central role in modern financial markets. As the Prime Minster has made clear, the UK’s new settlement with the EU ensures UK firms, including CCPs, will never face any discrimination for being outside the Eurozone.
I refer the noble Lord also to my written answer of 1 April (HL7153).
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Champion on 2016-06-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that survivors of female genital mutilation are better protected from cervical cancer.
Jane Ellison
The National Health Service will support women who have had female genital mutilation (FGM) and will provide them with appropriate care to ensure that cervical screening can be done as comfortably as possible, as for all women invited for cervical screening. FGM survivors may feel anxious about the procedure, and NHS staff are encouraged to have sensitive conversations with women about their worries.
It is important that all women invited for screening attend appointments. Taking a cervical sample may not always be possible for women with FGM, and in such cases women can be referred to specialist gynaecological services who are trained in treating complications that can be caused by FGM.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy McDonald on 2016-09-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many platform train interface incidents reported on the national rail network involved driver-only operated passenger services in each year since 2010.
Paul Maynard
This information is not held by the Department. Some information about platform-train interface incidents is held by the Rail Standards and Safety Board and the Rail Accident Investigation Branch, but the Department understands that this is not recorded in a way that enables the requested breakdown to be provided.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Mackinlay on 2015-11-10.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will estimate the number of people who will become higher rate taxpayers as a result of the provisions of Clause 24 of the Finance Bill 2015 (restriction to Landlords’ interest deductibility) in each year between 2017-18 and 2020-21.
Mr David Gauke
It is assumed that the questions refer to clause 24 of the Summer 2015 Finance Bill: relief for finance costs related to residential property businesses.
15897
The additional taxation receipts arising from restrictions to Landlords’ interest deductibility of the Summer Budget Finance Bill 2015 has been estimated and published in the “Summer Budget 2015: policy costings” page 21:
15898
The number of taxpayers who will become higher rate taxpayers as a result of Clause 24 of the plans to restrict finance cost relief for individual landlords will not be estimated. It would only be possible to provide an estimate for the specific years requested at disproportionate cost.
15899
The number of taxpayers who will become subject to Personal Allowance restrictions as a result of the plans to restrict finance cost relief for individual landlords will not be estimated. It would only be possible to provide an estimate for the specific years requested at disproportionate cost.
15895
No estimate is available of the number of people that will be subject to the provisions of the High Income Child Benefit Tax Charge as a result of Clause 24 of the Finance Bill 2015. The information requested could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
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