Conor Burns

I [Andrew Mitchell] issued a statement on 29 May strongly condemning the Government of Uganda's decision to sign the deeply discriminatory Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023 into law. I met with the Ugandan Foreign Minister on 14 March and 4 May 2023, and the Ugandan High Commissioner on 1 June 2023, to underline the strength of our opposition to the Act and highlight its impacts on the safety of LGBT+ people in Uganda. The Prime Minister has also spoken with the Foreign Minister, as has the Foreign Secretary with the High Commissioner. The British High Commission in Uganda has made the strength of the UK's opposition to this Act clear across its engagements with the Ugandan Government, and is engaging with the LGBT+ community and human rights defenders to understand the impact of the Act on the safety of LGBT+ people and support their efforts to protect the rights of vulnerable communities.

I [Andrew Mitchell] issued a statement on 29 May strongly condemning the Government of Uganda's decision to sign the deeply discriminatory Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023 into law. I met with the Ugandan Foreign Minister on 14 March and 4 May 2023, and the Ugandan High Commissioner on 1 June 2023, to underline the strength of our opposition to the Act and highlight its impacts on the safety of LGBT+ people in Uganda. The Prime Minister has also spoken with the Foreign Minister, as has the Foreign Secretary with the High Commissioner. The British High Commission in Uganda has made the strength of the UK's opposition to this Act clear across its engagements with the Ugandan Government, and is engaging with the LGBT+ community and human rights defenders to understand the impact of the Act on the safety of LGBT+ people and support their efforts to protect the rights of vulnerable communities.

The UK works to tackle the root causes of human rights violations and abuses, including in Uganda. Since 2018, the UK has invested over £13.5 million in programmes to support the promotion and protection of LGBT+ rights globally, primarily in the Commonwealth. The British High Commission in Uganda is engaging with the LGBT+ community and human rights defenders to understand the impact of the Anti-Homosexuality Act on the safety of LGBT+ people and support their efforts to protect the rights of vulnerable communities.

The taper of the Personal Allowance for those earning above £100,000 is estimated to have accrued £2.7 billion in income tax in 2015-16, £2.4 billion in 2014-15 and £2.2 billion in 2013-14. Changes to the tax system affecting high income individuals involve significant behavioural responses which can impact revenues from such measures.

The Personal Allowance taper was introduced by the last Labour government. While the Government recognises that this feature of the income tax system can cause high marginal tax rates, the continued pressure on the public finances mean that the Government has been unable to remove it to date.

The estimates in this response are based on the 2013-14 Survey of Personal Incomes, projected to 2015-16 using economic assumptions consistent with the Office for Budget Responsibility’s November 2016 Economic and Fiscal Outlook.

Whilst we hold information regarding the number of people awaiting the outcome of their asylum claim in each postcode, this information is not held in a reportable format.

The latest published Immigration Statistics detail the number of supported asylum seekers accommodated in each local authority area. These statistics can be found at Asylum and resettlement datasets Asylum and resettlement datasets - GOV.UK (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/asylum-and-resettlement-datasets opens in a new tab), under the document Asylum seekers in receipt of support (second edition). Data are published on a quarterly basis, with the next quarterly figures due to be released 24 August 2023.

The enduring solution is to stop the illegal, dangerous, and unnecessary small boat crossings that are overwhelming our asylum system. The Home Office works tirelessly, alongside other government departments, to reduce the Government’s dependency on hotels for contingency accommodation through a package of long-term and short-term measures. Hotels are on a rolling contract and in the event we decommission a site, there is a notice period to ensure that our accommodation providers can safely relocate residents.

We expect high standards from all of our providers, and we have a robust governance framework in place to manage service delivery of the Asylum Accommodation Support Contracts (AASC). Details of the AASC can be found at:

New asylum accommodation contracts awarded - GOV.UK www.gov.uk/government/news/new-asylum-accommodation-contracts-awarded

The enduring solution is to stop the illegal, dangerous, and unnecessary small boat crossings that are overwhelming our asylum system. The Home Office works tirelessly, alongside other government departments, to reduce the Government’s dependency on hotels for contingency accommodation through a package of long-term and short-term measures. Hotels are on a rolling contract and in the event we decommission a site, there is a notice period to ensure that our accommodation providers can safely relocate residents.

We expect high standards from all of our providers, and we have a robust governance framework in place to manage service delivery of the Asylum Accommodation Support Contracts (AASC). Details of the AASC can be found at:

New asylum accommodation contracts awarded - GOV.UK www.gov.uk/government/news/new-asylum-accommodation-contracts-awarded

Whilst we hold information regarding asylum claimants in each parliamentary constituency, this information is not held in a reportable format.

My Department published a consultation on 5 April alongside the Home Office and the Ministry of Justice, in order to seek views on the effectiveness of powers for dealing with unauthorised development and encampments. Views were sought on a range of related issues, including the powers available to local authorities and the police. The consultation closed on 15 June and we are currently considering the responses before deciding on next steps. We received over 2,000 representations and we will publish a Government response to the consultation in due course.

My Department published a consultation on 5 April alongside the Home Office and the Ministry of Justice, in order to seek views on the effectiveness of powers for dealing with unauthorised development and encampments. Views were sought on a range of related issues, including the powers available to local authorities and the police. The consultation closed on 15 June and we are currently considering the responses before deciding on next steps. We received over 2,000 representations and we will publish a Government response to the consultation in due course.

My Department published a consultation on 5 April alongside the Home Office and the Ministry of Justice, in order to seek views on the effectiveness of powers for dealing with unauthorised development and encampments. Views were sought on a range of related issues, including the powers available to local authorities and the police. The consultation closed on 15 June and we are currently considering the responses before deciding on next steps. We received over 2,000 representations and we will publish a Government response to the consultation in due course.

Spending Power figures are not available for 2009-10 and from 2010-11 to 2014-15 they were not compiled on a consistent basis.

Between 2015-16 and 2019-20 the average Core Spending Power per Dwelling for England is broadly flat and will be £1,872 in 2019/20. Over the same period Bournemouth's Core Spending Power per dwelling will increase from £1,513 to £1,527 which is equivalent to 0.9%.