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44784

registered interest
date	24/03/2014
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the contribution of the (a) Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) visa route and (b) Tier 1 (Investor) visa route on economic growth.
tabling member constituency	Windsor
tabling member printed	Adam Afriyie
uin	193286
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/04/2014 answer text <p>The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) advises the Government on economic issues relating to migration.<br><br>On 1 July 2013 the MAC published a &quot;Report on the economic and labour market impacts of tier 1 entrepreneur and investor migrants to the UK&quot; which it had commissioned from the Migration Observatory. The report made a number of findings, although it concluded that it was too early to make a full assessment of the economic contribution of the two routes without further research. The report is available on the gov.uk website at:<br><br><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/economic-and-labour-market-impacts-tier-1-entrepreneur-and-investor-migrants" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/economic-and-labour-market-impacts-tier-1-entrepreneur-and-investor-migrants</a><br><br>More recently, on 25 February 2014 the MAC published its own report, &quot;Tier 1 (Investor) route: investment thresholds and economic benefits&quot; in response to a Government commission. The MAC concluded that the direct investment required by the route is of little or no benefit, but there is some benefit from indirect spending by investors and their families in the UK (although this is difficult to quantify). The report is available on the gov.uk website at:<br><br><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-investment-limits-and-economic-benefits-of-the-tier-1-investor-route-feb-2014" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-investment-limits-and-economic-benefits-of-the-tier-1-investor-route-feb-2014</a><br><br>The Government keeps all routes under review and is currently considering its response to the MAC's report on the Tier 1 (Investor) route.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Old Bexley and Sidcup answering member printed James Brokenshire question first answered 30/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 1530 label Biography information for James Brokenshire
tabling member	1586 label Biography information for Adam Afriyie

50013

registered interest
date	06/05/2014
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what representations she has received on extending the list of investment products that individuals can use to qualify for a Tier 1 (Investor) visa.
tabling member constituency	Windsor
tabling member printed	Adam Afriyie
uin	197735
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/05/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>The Home Office has had meetings with a number of immigration law firms who <br>represent Tier 1 (Investor) clients in which these issues have been raised. <br>The firms consider that removing the requirement to top up investments, and <br>extending the list of qualifying investments, would attract more investors to <br>the UK and encourage investments which would lead to greater returns.<br><br>The Government is currently considering its response to the report on the Tier <br>1 (Investor) route published by the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) on 25 <br>February 2014, which made recommendations on these issues. We will announce <br>our decisions in due course.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Old Bexley and Sidcup answering member printed James Brokenshire grouped question UIN 197733 question first answered 13/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 1530 label Biography information for James Brokenshire
tabling member	1586 label Biography information for Adam Afriyie

50014

registered interest
date	06/05/2014
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what representations she has received on removing the requirement to top up investments held by individuals on Tier 1 (Investor) visas.
tabling member constituency	Windsor
tabling member printed	Adam Afriyie
uin	197733
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/05/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>The Home Office has had meetings with a number of immigration law firms who <br>represent Tier 1 (Investor) clients in which these issues have been raised. <br>The firms consider that removing the requirement to top up investments, and <br>extending the list of qualifying investments, would attract more investors to <br>the UK and encourage investments which would lead to greater returns.<br><br>The Government is currently considering its response to the report on the Tier <br>1 (Investor) route published by the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) on 25 <br>February 2014, which made recommendations on these issues. We will announce <br>our decisions in due course.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Old Bexley and Sidcup answering member printed James Brokenshire grouped question UIN 197735 question first answered 13/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 1530 label Biography information for James Brokenshire
tabling member	1586 label Biography information for Adam Afriyie

47135

registered interest
date	07/04/2014
answering body	Department for Culture Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Culture, Media and Sport
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent steps she has taken to increase tourism to (a) Berkshire and (b) the South East; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Windsor
tabling member printed	Adam Afriyie
uin	195452
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/04/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>DCMS is responsible for the policy that supports the growth of domestic and international tourism, working in partnership with other Government Departments and our Arms-Length Bodies, VisitBritain and VisitEngland. Between 2011 and 2015, Government is investing more than £105m in tourism through the GREAT and other international campaigns. Investment to date is showing positive results. 2013 was a record year for inbound tourism with 32.9 million international visits being made which generated a record £21 billion into the UK in 2013.</p><p>In terms of Berkshire specifically, VisitBritain's public-facing website includes a range of tourism information relating to Windsor which is available via the following link: <a href="http://www.visitbritain.com/en/Destinations-and-Maps/History-and-heritage/Windsor.htm" target="_blank">http://www.visitbritain.com/en/Destinations-and-Maps/History-and-heritage/Windsor.htm</a>. VisitBritain's ‘Heritage is GREAT' advertising campaign also prominently featured Highclere Castle, which is the setting for Downton Abbey.</p><p>The South East region will benefit from a number of thematic campaigns currently being run by VisitEngland which can be found at <a href="http://www.visitengland.com/" target="_blank">http://www.visitengland.com/</a>. It will also benefit from VisitEngland's Holidays at Home are GREAT campaign, which has been broadcast on mainstream terrestrial channels since 1 April, while those areas in the South East region affected by the recent floods are also benefitting from both VisitEngland's ‘Spot on England' marketing campaign and business support events.</p> answering member constituency Maidstone and The Weald answering member printed Mrs Helen Grant question first answered 28/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 4018 label Biography information for Mrs Helen Grant
tabling member	1586 label Biography information for Adam Afriyie

48776

registered interest
date	28/04/2014
answering body	Department for Culture Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Culture, Media and Sport
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of the radio spectrum is earmarked for (a) military purposes, (b) radar purposes and (c) public service broadcasting.
tabling member constituency	Windsor
tabling member printed	Adam Afriyie
uin	196840
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/05/2014 answer text <p>Officials have consulted Ofcom who hold such information. Ofcom advise that they do not hold such information for bands below 87.5MHz, but have provided information for bands from 87.5MHz-30GHz.</p><p> </p><p>Ofcom has identified the proportion of spectrum accessed for public sector uses (not limited to the military), defined as all spectrum bands used by the public sector with Crown immunity (i.e. without need for authorisation by Ofcom). For the purpose of this analysis, this category includes all aeronautical uses of spectrum.</p><table><tbody><tr><td> </td><td> </td><td><p>Crown use of spectrum as a % of total weighted spectrum</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>87.5 MHz</p></td><td><p>30 GHz</p></td><td><p>54%</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>26% of the total weighted spectrum in the 87.5MHz to 30 GHz is allocated for radiolocation services/radar.</p><p> </p><p>Ofcom cannot provide specific information with regards to spectrum in use for public service broadcasting as the national allocation of frequencies does not distinguish between public service broadcasting and non-public service broadcasting. The table below provides information with regards to the proportion of total weighted spectrum in use for terrestrial broadcasting, split into TV and radio.</p><table><tbody><tr><td> </td><td> </td><td><p>Terrestrial broadcasting spectrum as a % of total weighted spectrum</p></td><td><p>TV</p></td><td><p>Radio</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>87.5 MHz</p></td><td><p>30 GHz</p></td><td><p>8%</p></td><td><p>7%</p></td><td><p>1%</p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency Wantage answering member printed Mr Edward Vaizey question first answered 06/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 1580 label Biography information for Lord Vaizey of Didcot
tabling member	1586 label Biography information for Adam Afriyie

48778

registered interest
date	28/04/2014
answering body	Department for Culture Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Culture, Media and Sport
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of the (a) 30-300MHz, (b) 300-3000MHz and (c) 3-30GHz bands of the radio spectrum is in the operation of the private sector.
tabling member constituency	Windsor
tabling member printed	Adam Afriyie
uin	196838
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/05/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>Officials have consulted Ofcom who hold such information. Ofcom advise that they do not hold such information for bands below 87.5MHz (as frequencies above this are considered to be the most important and usable), but have provided information for bands from 87.5MHz-30GHz.</p><p> </p><p>The table provides an overview of the proportion of total weighted spectrum accessed for market uses by band.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Lower frequency</p></td><td><p>Upper frequency</p></td><td><p>Spectrum authorised for Market uses as a % of total weighted spectrum</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>87.5 MHz</p></td><td><p>328.6 MHz</p></td><td><p>47%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>328.6 MHz</p></td><td><p>3.1 GHz</p></td><td><p>73%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>3.1 GHz</p></td><td><p>30 GHz</p></td><td><p>80%</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Public Sector Spectrum Release Programme aims to release 500MHz of sub-5GHz spectrum from public sector use by 2020. The most recent Programme update can be found on the GOV.UK website: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/spectrum-strategy" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/spectrum-strategy</a></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Wantage answering member printed Mr Edward Vaizey question first answered 06/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 1580 label Biography information for Lord Vaizey of Didcot
tabling member	1586 label Biography information for Adam Afriyie

50011

registered interest
date	06/05/2014
answering body	Department for Culture Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Culture, Media and Sport
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent representations he has received on privatising a larger share of the radio spectrum; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Windsor
tabling member printed	Adam Afriyie
uin	197734
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/05/2014 answer text <p>Government is aware of the need to put more spectrum into the market to support innovation and growth and launched the Public Sector Spectrum Release Programme in 2011. This programme aims to release 500MHz of sub-5GHz spectrum from public sector use by 2020. One of the early actions was to gauge stakeholder demand at a series of events. The most recent Programme update was published on 10 March 2014. On the same day Government published the UK Spectrum Strategy which sets out a vision for efficient and flexible spectrum management, with specific actions and the goal of doubling the contribution of spectrum use to the economy by 2025. Both documents can be found on the GOV.UK website: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/spectrum-strategy" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/spectrum-strategy</a></p> answering member constituency Wantage answering member printed Mr Edward Vaizey question first answered 13/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 1580 label Biography information for Lord Vaizey of Didcot
tabling member	1586 label Biography information for Adam Afriyie

47195

registered interest
date	07/04/2014
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what guidance and support his Department provides to military veterans and their families on securing stable housing; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Windsor
tabling member printed	Adam Afriyie
uin	195453
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/04/2014 answer text <p>The £200 million Forces Help to Buy scheme commenced on 1 April 2014, meaning that Servicemen and women can now borrow up to 50% of their salary, up to a maximum of £25,000, interest-free, providing a boost to those needing to find a deposit to buy their own home.</p><p> </p><p>To assist the transition of serving personnel to civilian life, the MOD offers a wide-ranging resettlement programme which includes a briefing by the Joint Services Housing Advice Office. This offers advice and information about a range of topics that armed forces personnel may find useful relating to an individual's housing needs before they leave the armed forces.</p><p> </p><p>Once a person leaves service, any need for social housing becomes a local authority matter. The MOD is working closely with the Department for Communities and Local Government to ensure the fair treatment of service families in need of social housing and ensure they are given proper priority on housing waiting lists.</p><p> </p><p>The Government recognises that there is more that can be done to provide practical support to our veterans and their families in this area. In February I announced LIBOR funding of £40 million to support charities which assist veterans with housing needs in order to build new homes, buy new accommodation and renovate old facilities. Projects are expected to include hostels and half-way houses for veterans who have fallen on hard times, supported housing for the wounded, injured and sick, and long-term care homes.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Broxtowe answering member printed Anna Soubry question first answered 28/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 3938 label Biography information for Anna Soubry
tabling member	1586 label Biography information for Adam Afriyie

48811

registered interest
date	28/04/2014
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress has been made on the Lower Thames Scheme.
tabling member constituency	Windsor
tabling member printed	Adam Afriyie
uin	196841
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/05/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>Further to my answer to the hon. Member for Windsor on Monday, 24 February 2014, Official Report column 83W, the Environment Agency is continuing to work with partners to develop the River Thames Scheme (Datchet to Teddington). This includes flood channel capacity improvements, property level protection measures and the construction of three new channels.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Preparatory work, which is under way, includes establishing appropriate consents and approval needed with planning authorities, undertaking surveys needed to gain consents, and the development of a funding package with other risk management authorities. The Environment Agency is planning to submit its Strategic Outline Case for this project to Defra as part of the HM Treasury and the Cabinet Office's Major Projects Authority approvals process.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Environment Agency aims to start the work on improving weir capacity in 2016.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Full appraisal and outline design of the flood channel and capacity improvements will commence this summer. It is expected that this will take three to four years to enable the proposal for the new flood channels to be submitted for planning consents and authorisations. It is estimated that the construction of the flood channel will commence in 2020 and will take five to six years to complete.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Cornwall answering member printed Dan Rogerson question first answered 06/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 1504 label Biography information for Dan Rogerson
tabling member	1586 label Biography information for Adam Afriyie

50012

registered interest
date	06/05/2014
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the time taken by insurance companies to compensate those affected by the current year's floods.
tabling member constituency	Windsor
tabling member printed	Adam Afriyie
uin	197736
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/05/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>Defra has funded a number of studies to investigate the potential for the absorption of contaminants by organisms that consume plastics. These studies are published in scientific literature. Defra is also currently conducting an analysis of the costs and benefits of the carrier bag charge, including on the marine environment.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In addition, the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) has been monitoring seabed litter since 1992 through fisheries stock assessments and marine litter surveys.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Cornwall answering member printed Dan Rogerson question first answered 12/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 1504 label Biography information for Dan Rogerson
tabling member	1586 label Biography information for Adam Afriyie