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1731455

registered interest
date	04/10/2024
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Bus Services: Franchises
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Buses Bill would make local authority trade companies eligible to bid for bus franchises.
tabling member constituency	Rochester and Strood
tabling member printed	Lauren Edwards
uin	7246
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/10/2024 answer text <p>As announced in the King’s Speech on 17 July 2024, the government will introduce a Buses Bill later this session. This will put the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders right across England, ensuring networks meet the needs of the communities who rely on them. The Bill will increase powers available to local leaders to choose the model that works best in their area, whether that be franchising, high-quality partnerships with private operators or local authority ownership. The Department is currently working to finalise the exact scope of the Buses Bill.</p> answering member constituency Wakefield and Rothwell answering member printed Simon Lightwood question first answered 09/10/2024 11:47:08 answering member 4943 label Biography information for Simon Lightwood
tabling member	5298

1544002

registered interest
date	21/11/2022
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum: Medway
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of asylum seekers in Medway.
tabling member constituency	Rochester and Strood
tabling member printed	Kelly Tolhurst
uin	92280
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/11/2022 answer text <p>The latest published Immigration Statistics detail the number of asylum seekers accommodated in each local authority area. These statistics can be found at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/asylum-and-resettlement-datasets#asylum-support" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/asylum-and-resettlement-datasets#asylum-support</a>. Data is published on a quarterly basis, with the latest information published 25 August 2022.</p><p>The next quarterly figures are due to be released later this month.</p> answering member constituency Newark answering member printed Robert Jenrick question first answered 29/11/2022 17:19:37 answering member 4320 label Biography information for Robert Jenrick
tabling member	4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst

1544003

registered interest
date	21/11/2022
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress her Department has made in reducing the backlog of asylum seeker cases.
tabling member constituency	Rochester and Strood
tabling member printed	Kelly Tolhurst
uin	92281
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/11/2022 answer text <p>The Asylum Transformation programme aims to bring the system back into balance and modernise it. It is focused on increasing productivity by streamlining, simplifying and digitising processes to speed up decision making to increase efficiency and output. This will support us in delivering sustainable changes to decision maker productivity, helping us control the unprecedented volumes of intake to prevent long wait times for customers.</p><p> </p><p>The PACE pilot covers new flow cases (including small boats and those claims which are admitted to the UK asylum process) along with Legacy cases and children casework. The 8-week pilot reduced the time asylum seekers waited for a first interview by 40%. It is being rolled out across the UK at pace to deal with the 100,000 people awaiting a decision on their claim.</p><p> </p><p>We have increased the number of asylum caseworkers by 80%, from 597 staff in 2019/20 to more than 1,000 today. We are on course for a further 500 people by March 2023.</p> answering member constituency Newark answering member printed Robert Jenrick grouped question UIN 92282 question first answered 29/11/2022 15:56:14 answering member 4320 label Biography information for Robert Jenrick
tabling member	4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst

1544004

registered interest
date	21/11/2022
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum: Applications
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department will take to increase the rate of processing for asylum seekers.
tabling member constituency	Rochester and Strood
tabling member printed	Kelly Tolhurst
uin	92282
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/11/2022 answer text <p>The Asylum Transformation programme aims to bring the system back into balance and modernise it. It is focused on increasing productivity by streamlining, simplifying and digitising processes to speed up decision making to increase efficiency and output. This will support us in delivering sustainable changes to decision maker productivity, helping us control the unprecedented volumes of intake to prevent long wait times for customers.</p><p> </p><p>The PACE pilot covers new flow cases (including small boats and those claims which are admitted to the UK asylum process) along with Legacy cases and children casework. The 8-week pilot reduced the time asylum seekers waited for a first interview by 40%. It is being rolled out across the UK at pace to deal with the 100,000 people awaiting a decision on their claim.</p><p> </p><p>We have increased the number of asylum caseworkers by 80%, from 597 staff in 2019/20 to more than 1,000 today. We are on course for a further 500 people by March 2023.</p> answering member constituency Newark answering member printed Robert Jenrick grouped question UIN 92281 question first answered 29/11/2022 15:56:14 answering member 4320 label Biography information for Robert Jenrick
tabling member	4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst

1544005

registered interest
date	21/11/2022
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum: Housing
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment criteria her Department use to find asylum seeker centres.
tabling member constituency	Rochester and Strood
tabling member printed	Kelly Tolhurst
uin	92283
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/11/2022 answer text <p>The Home Office selection criteria includes deliverability, size, location, cost, situation and use.</p> answering member constituency Newark answering member printed Robert Jenrick question first answered 29/11/2022 15:42:44 answering member 4320 label Biography information for Robert Jenrick
tabling member	4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst

1471981

registered interest
date	21/06/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Interest Rates
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to help ensure that banks are passing on the interest rate increase to their customers.
tabling member constituency	Rochester and Strood
tabling member printed	Kelly Tolhurst
uin	22487
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/06/2022 answer text <p>The pricing of financial products is a commercial decision for firms and the Government does not seek to intervene in such decisions.</p><p> </p><p>The independent Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Bank of England makes monetary policy decisions independently of the Government. Therefore, the Government does not comment on the conduct or effectiveness of monetary policy. The MPC sets the base rate of interest, which is known as Bank Rate. This is the rate of interest the Bank of England will pay on reserves held with them by commercial banks. MPC decisions over Bank Rate guide commercial banks’ decisions over retail interest rates, i.e. interest rates they charge on loans and pay on deposits. However, retail banks also make commercial judgements that influence the degree of pass‐through from changes in Bank Rate into retail interest rates, with conditions in financial markets and in the banking sector also influencing interest rates paid on deposits or charged for lending.</p> answering member constituency Salisbury answering member printed John Glen question first answered 27/06/2022 13:34:58 answering member 4051 label Biography information for John Glen
tabling member	4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst

1435132

registered interest
date	24/02/2022
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Immigration Controls: Agriculture and Shipping
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 impact of the Points Based Immigration System on the (a) workboat sector and (b) agricultural sector.
tabling member constituency	Rochester and Strood
tabling member printed	Kelly Tolhurst
uin	129195
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/03/2022 answer text <p>The Home Office carefully considered the possible impacts of the new immigration system, making best use of existing evidence and data – this included a review undertaken by the Migration Advisory Committee in the design of the Points Based System.</p><p> </p><p>Prior to the launch of the Skilled Worker route we published a detailed Impact Assessment which set out a range of impacts. The Government continues to monitor the immigration system and the wider UK economy impacts on migration flows and the labour market, and whether this is in line with our detailed planning assumptions. As part of this, the Government regularly engages the MAC for their expert and independent view.</p><p> </p><p>The Points Based System, including the Skilled Worker route, provides for many occupations in the maritime and agricultural sector (which has its own sector specific scheme for horticultural roles), if the requirements of the system are met.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 07/03/2022 10:15:31 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster previous answer version 55316 answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst

1435133

registered interest
date	24/02/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Assets
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the (a) effectiveness of HMRC's policy on long-life assets and (b) effect of that matter on tug owners.
tabling member constituency	Rochester and Strood
tabling member printed	Kelly Tolhurst
uin	129196
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/03/2022 answer text <p>Capital allowances, including writing down allowances, provide tax relief for businesses' capital expenditure on qualifying plant or machinery.</p><p> </p><p>In 1997 a 6 per cent special rate writing down allowance was introduced for assets with a long life, which is more than 25 years, to align their tax position more closely with the commercial accounts of a business. This compared to a 25 per cent main rate, which is now 18 per cent, for plant and machinery.</p><p> </p><p>HMRC does not classify which assets should be written down at the main or special rate of writing down allowances. Instead, businesses should identify whether an asset they have acquired has a useful economic life of more or less than 25 years when new.</p><p> </p><p>Ships were initially exempted from this change, with owners given 13 years to adjust to the long-life asset rules. Ships are now treated consistently with all other business assets.</p><p> </p><p>The Government keeps all tax reliefs under review.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer grouped question UIN 129197 question first answered 03/03/2022 15:23:40 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst

1435134

registered interest
date	24/02/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Boats: Capital Allowances
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of reviewing HMRC policy on capital allowances on workboats.
tabling member constituency	Rochester and Strood
tabling member printed	Kelly Tolhurst
uin	129197
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/03/2022 answer text <p>Capital allowances, including writing down allowances, provide tax relief for businesses' capital expenditure on qualifying plant or machinery.</p><p> </p><p>In 1997 a 6 per cent special rate writing down allowance was introduced for assets with a long life, which is more than 25 years, to align their tax position more closely with the commercial accounts of a business. This compared to a 25 per cent main rate, which is now 18 per cent, for plant and machinery.</p><p> </p><p>HMRC does not classify which assets should be written down at the main or special rate of writing down allowances. Instead, businesses should identify whether an asset they have acquired has a useful economic life of more or less than 25 years when new.</p><p> </p><p>Ships were initially exempted from this change, with owners given 13 years to adjust to the long-life asset rules. Ships are now treated consistently with all other business assets.</p><p> </p><p>The Government keeps all tax reliefs under review.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer grouped question UIN 129196 question first answered 03/03/2022 15:23:40 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst

1421760

registered interest
date	10/02/2022
answering body	Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept id	211
answering dept short name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept sort name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
hansard heading	Building Regulations
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the National House Building Council’s role in overseeing building regulations.
tabling member constituency	Rochester and Strood
tabling member printed	Kelly Tolhurst
uin	122751
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/02/2022 answer text <p>Under the current system, Approved Inspectors such as NHBC are independently monitored and regulated by CICAIR Ltd to carry out building control work in England (and Wales). CICAIR Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Construction Industry Council (CIC) and the approval process it operates provides a route to registration as an Approved Inspector.</p><p>The Building Safety Regulator will be responsible for oversight of the competence and performance of building control professionals and the building control bodies in which they work, taking a wider view of the professionalism and culture that needs to support building safety in all classes of work, not just in-scope buildings. To do this, we are introducing a system of oversight of the performance of building control bodies (Local Authorities and Registered Building Control Approvers), and a system of individual registration based on competence and adherence to a code of conduct, all overseen by the Building Safety Regulator.</p> answering member constituency Pudsey answering member printed Stuart Andrew question first answered 21/02/2022 17:29:24 answering member 4032 label Biography information for Stuart Andrew
tabling member	4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst