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Recently tabled Parliamentary Questions
Each week I am contacted regarding a broad range of issues. Here are a number of questions I have tabled this month in response to issues raised.
Business
Question:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what support he is providing to businesses that are no longer eligible for Small Business Rate Relief as a result of the Mazars-v-Woolway judgment of 29 July 2015; and if he will make a statement. (69560)
Answer:
Mr Marcus Jones:
The Supreme Court judgement in the case of Woolway (VO) v Mazars LLP will bring simplicity and consistency to the rating system. The Valuation Office Agency are responsible for implementing the decision independently of Ministers. We will keep this matter under review. From April we are permanently doubling small business rate relief meaning 600,000 small businesses will pay no business rates at all.
Home Office
Question:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps the Government has taken to eliminate the circulation of indecent images of children online; and if she will make a statement. (69559)
Answer:
Sarah Newton:
Online Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) is an appalling crime that this Government is committed to stamping out. The Government’s response includes law enforcement agencies taking action against online offenders and working with the internet industry to remove illegal images.
We have significantly increased resources to the National Crime Agency leading to a near doubling of the CEOP Command’s investigative capability and have committed an additional £20 million over the spending review period to maintain this capability. Furthermore, the launch in 2015 of the Joint Operations Cell, a collaborative venture between the NCA and GCHQ, is targeting the most sophisticated online offenders.
All UK police forces and the National Crime Agency (NCA) are connected to the Child Abuse Image Database (CAID) that was launched in 2014. CAID provides law enforcement agencies with effective tools to search seized devices for indecent images of children (IIOC), reduce the time taken to identify such images and increase the ability to identify victims.
Since 2015, nearly 36,000 known child sexual abuse images from CAID were assessed by the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) and shared with 6 major global technology companies, to enable their removal, and prevent the sharing, of images from their platforms and services.
Home Office
Question:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the process is for estimating costs to (a) the police and (b) her Department for the grant and renewal of authorities under section 5 of the Firearms Act 1968. (69557)
Answer:
Brandon Lewis:
The Government set out the process for estimating costs to the police and the Home Office for the grant, renewal and variation of section 5 licences in the impact assessment accompanying the consultation on firearms fees, which was published on 12 January. The impact assessment explains that the Home Office costs were calculated by assessing the full cost of the licensing firearms service, and then estimating the cost of each application type through a costing exercise that assessed the time taken for each application. Police costs were estimated based on the unit costs used to set new fees for police administered firearms licences in April 2015. The impact assessment is available on www.gov.uk.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Question:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to regulate the use of sky lanterns to protect livestock on farms; and if she will make a statement.
Answer:
George Eustace
An independent study published in 2013 to identify and assess the impacts and risks associated with sky lanterns suggested that the risks to animals or damage to the environment by sky lanterns were relatively minor, and reported that voluntary action and initiatives have been shown to be effective.
Any action we take must be proportionate to the level of risk. An outright ban would be disproportionate in the circumstances, so across government, we have been taking forward a series of non-regulatory measures aimed at minimising the risks associated with sky lanterns and driving up safety standards. Local Authorities are also using existing powers to restrict or regulate the use of lanterns on council-owned land.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Question:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the current six week period for carrying out trial badger culls in affected areas.
Answer:
George Eustace
Defra’s Guidance to Natural England (NE) on licences to kill or take badgers for the purpose of disease control published in 2011 specified a duration of 6 weeks. In 2015, to increase the likelihood of achieving a significant reduction of the badger population and thereby disease control, Defra consulted on giving provision to NE to keep the duration of the cull period under review, without specifying in the licence an initial limit on its duration.
In December 2015, Defra published updated Guidance to this effect. The duration of the cull period must achieve a balance between sufficient intensity to achieve disease control and what is realistically deliverable by a cull company.
Transport
Question:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to improve the co-ordination of the work of telephone, electricity, gas and broadband companies on required road and pavement works in the same location.
Answer:
Chris Grayling
The New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 already requires local authorities to co-ordinate all utility works on the highway and for utility companies to co-operate with that role. The Traffic Management Act 2004 allows authorities to introduce street works permit schemes which give them greater powers to proactively co-ordinate all works, including their own, to minimise disruption for road users. The Government supports the use of permit schemes, which currently operate or are being developed in over half of authorities, and would welcome their introduction across the remaining authorities.