The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Shuker on 2016-02-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions his Department has had with Network Rail on improvements to Luton station.
Claire Perry
I can confirm that my officials have discussed improvements to Luton station with Network Rail recently. Luton station has been selected for a number of DfT funded improvements, including Access for All and the National Stations Improvement Programme.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2016-03-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with his Jordanian counterpart on the launch, recovery or other control of Reaper drones from that country or any other element of Reaper control.
Penny Mordaunt
We routinely discuss counter-Daesh air operations with Coalition partners but it would not be appropriate to give details about these discussions as to do so could affect the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2016-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what support has been provided by the Government for the growth of the energy-from-waste industry.
Andrea Leadsom
The Government has provided a range of support for energy from waste technologies through the Renewables Obligation (RO), the Renewable Incentive (RHI), the Feed-In Tariff and the Contracts for Difference (CfD). The technologies supported include: Landfill Gas, Sewage Gas, Energy from Waste with CHP, Anaerobic Digestion and Advanced Conversion Technologies.
As of the end of 2015, our support has brought forward just over 2.4 GWh of capacity in these technologies, delivering just under 9.4TWh of renewable electricity.
The Green Investment Bank (GIB) has provided support to 20 projects using energy from waste technologies. Direct commitments by the Green Investment Bank (GIB) to date total £334m with additional indirect commitments of £130m to Foresight Group LLP through the Foresight-managed Recycling and Waste LP (RAW) fund, in which GIB is a cornerstone investor, and Greensphere Capital LLP which manages the UK Green and Sustainable Waste and Energy Investment Limited Partnership (UKGSWEI) fund on behalf of the GIB.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl McCartney on 2016-05-03.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what advice HM Revenue and Customs received before reaching its decision to set the cost of participation threshold at £520 per annum as part of the new Community Amateur Sports Club scheme rules; and how the level of that threshold was decided.
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.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2016-06-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what he plans the UK operational in-service date for the P-8 Poseidon will be.
Mr Philip Dunne
The main investment decision on the UK’s Maritime Patrol Aircraft programme has not yet been taken by Ministers and the date at which the aircraft will be brought into service has yet to be determined. As the Prime Minister set out during last year’s Strategic Defence and Security Review, however, at least three of the aircraft will be in place by the end of the current Parliament.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Tomlinson on 2016-09-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans she has to support the library service in England.
Mr Rob Wilson
I am responding as Minister with responsibility for Libraries policy.
The Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964 requires the Secretary of State to superintend, and promote the improvement of, the public library service provided by local authorities in England, and to secure the proper discharge by local authorities of the functions in relation to libraries as conferred on them as library authorities.
The Government invested £2.6m in 2015/16 to install and upgrade WiFi in over 1,000 libraries in England. This means that WiFi is now available in over 99% of public libraries in England.
In addition, the Government and the Local Government Association established the Libraries Taskforce in 2015. The Taskforce has already published Toolkits and case studies to assist local authorities and consulted on “Ambition”, a draft vision for public libraries. This will provide a range of practical and innovative options local authorities can deploy to maintain and transform our library services. I expect to see local authorities working with Government and their local communities to consider these options, and to ensure library services are sustainable for the long term.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-10-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will ask Ofcom to review communications markets definitions to reflect the role of advertising as a proxy for payment, particularly in regard to the standard SSNIP test.
Matt Hancock
As the independent communications regulator it is for Ofcom to determine how it should approach the issue of defining communications markets and how it applies the standard SSNIP test. Ofcom does already take into account developments such as the role of advertising and the role of data as proxy for payments in the course of carrying out its duties and will continue to do so in its assessments of market power and its analysis of competition.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2015-11-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how often have the noise quotas for London airports been reviewed or updated since their designation in the Civil Aviation Act 1982.
Mr Robert Goodwill
Night flight restrictions of some form have been in place at Heathrow since 1962, Gatwick since 1971 and Stansted since 1978. Since 1993, the night noise regime has limited the number of flights and amount of noise energy that can be emitted at each airport. These limits are reviewed approximately every 5 years and there has been three consultations since 1993. The current regime ends in October 2017 and the Government will be consulting next year on a regime to replace it.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by on 2015-12-07.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 25 November (HL3916) concerning the 49 closed files with children’s home” and “London” in the catalogue description
Lord Bates
Of the 49 references to ‘children’s home’ and ‘London’ in the National Archives catalogue description, some relate to open files and one to a home in London Road, Gloucester.
Once these have been discounted and allowing for homes which have more than one closed file, those children’s homes operated by London boroughs which have files identified as closed at The National Archives are as follows:
100 Balgores Lane Children’s Home Gidea Park
4 King Edwards Grove Children’s Home, Teddington
44 Princess Road Children’s Home Teddington
54 Muswell Avenue Children’s Home, Muswell Hill
68 King Edwards Grove Children’s Home, Teddington
69 Kingston Lane Children’s Home Teddington
7 The Ride Children’s Home, Brentford
74 Goshawk Gardens Children’s Home, Hayes
8/26 Crescent Road, South Woodford, London E18
82 Muswell Avenue Children’s Home, Muswell Hill
9 Whitley Road Children’s Home, Tottenham, N17
Abbey Wood Estate Children’s Home 242 Panfield Road, London SE2
Abbeywood Estate Children’s Home 52 Chalcombe Road, London SE2
Britwell Estate Small Children’s Home, 2 Dove House Crescent, Britwell, Bucks
Britwell Estate Small Children’s Home, 270 Longfurlong Drive, Britwell, Bucks
Chevington Children’s Home, 25 Warham Road, Croydon, Surrey
Deaconbank Children’s Home, 80 Aldersbrook, Wanstead London E11
Derwent House Children’s Home, 10 Armdel Gardens, Winchmore Hill
Dr Barnardo’s Children’s Home and Mission, 8-26 Crescent Road, South Woodford, London E18
Hoblands Children’s Home, Carlton Road, Sidcup, Kent
Langley House Children’s Home 54 East India Dock Road, London E14
St Paul’s Cray Estate Small Children’s Home. 41 Highfield Road Chislehurst, Kent
Westleigh Children’s Home 6 Dartmouth Park Avenue, London NW5
Wood Vale Children’s Home 32 Elder Road, West Norwood London SE 27
Woodlands Children’s Home 12 Charterhouse Road, Godalming, Surrey
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-01-18.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what guidance his Department provides to partner organisations on using the HM Revenue and Customs logo in such a way as to make it clear to consumers the difference between legitimate partner organisations and scam websites.
Mr David Gauke
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has strict brand guidelines around the use of its logo. Only in very occasional circumstances will it allow a third-party supplier to use the HMRC logo alongside its own, when it is providing direct services to customers on behalf of HMRC.
HMRC is among the most phished brands in the world and is constantly vigilant against the fraudulent use of its logo and brand. Where such misuse is identified, HMRC will take a range of actions to protect customers from fraud, including:
Since July 2014, HMRC has closed 22,210 fake websites.
The Government also provides guidance on gov.uk on the types of genuine communication that customers can expect from the department.