Written questions by Braverman.

If her Department will revise the Access for All criteria to include community need as a key factor in future funding rounds.

As with all taxpayer funded programmes Access for All needs to demonstrate value for money and to benefit the maximum number of passengers. In addition to station footfall, we carefully consider local factors such as the incidence of disability or proximity to a school or hospital, geographical location, industry priority and the availability of third party funding are all taken into account when selecting stations.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of relying on pre-booked taxi services from Portchester to nearby stations in order to access rail travel on disabled passengers.

This Government remains committed to improving railway accessibility and recognises the social and economic benefits it brings to communities. There are no immediate plans to improve step-free access at Porchester station. Train operators are required to provide assistance, free of charge, to enable disabled passengers to travel to and from every station in Great Britain that they have identified as accessible to them.

Whether Portchester train station will be considered for funding in the next round of the Access for All programme.

All funding available for the Access for All programme in the current Spending Review period has been allocated to projects. Nominations for future rounds of funding will benefit from strong industry support and a proportion of third party match funding.

What steps her Department is taking to improve disabled access at Portchester train station.

This Government remains committed to improving railway accessibility and recognises the social and economic benefits it brings to communities. There are no immediate plans to improve step-free access at Porchester station and all current funding under the government’s Access for All programme has been allocated to existing projects. Nominations for future funding rounds will be strengthened by strong industry support and third-party match funding. In the meantime, passengers unable to use the station can book assistance through South Western Railway.

Whether she plans to review the Flat Rate Scheme rules to enable small hospitality businesses to recover VAT on essential inputs.

The Flat Rate Scheme aims to offer additional simplification to smaller businesses. It allows VAT to be calculated by the application of a sector-specific percentage. Users benefit by not having to account for VAT on sales and costs, instead applying a lower rate than the 20% Standard Rate of VAT. These percentages reflect average ratios of VAT on sales and purchases for registered businesses in each sector. They vary between 4% and 16.5% to account for the different levels of normal input tax recovery. This includes the 10.5% hospitality rate. Additionally, the Scheme allows businesses to recover VAT on the purchase of larger capital items. We keep all taxes under review and make changes at Budget in the context of the overall public finances.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the Flat Rate VAT Scheme on small independent hospitality businesses' ability to claim VAT on (a) food, (b) energy, (c) supplies and (d) other input costs.

The Flat Rate Scheme offers additional simplification to smaller businesses. It allows VAT to be calculated by the application of a sector-specific percentage. These are lower than the current rate of 20% to allow for VAT on costs which cannot be claimed by scheme users.These percentages reflect average ratios of VAT on sales and purchases for registered businesses in each sector. They vary between 4% and 16.5% to account for the different levels of normal VAT recovery. This includes the 10.5% hospitality rate. Additionally, the Scheme allows businesses to recover VAT on the purchase of larger capital items.In this sector many costs do not attract VAT, including food which may be zero-rated and wages which are outside the scope of VAT. Energy costs may be charged a lower rate of VAT depending on usage.The Flat Rate Scheme is optional, and each business must make its own judgement regarding the additional simplification it offers and the different VAT liability which would be declared if it were used.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a reduced flat rate percentage for hospitality sector businesses.

The Flat Rate Scheme aims to offer additional simplification to smaller businesses. It allows VAT to be calculated by the application of a sector-specific percentage. Users benefit by not having to account for VAT on sales and costs, instead applying a lower rate than the 20% Standard Rate of VAT. These percentages reflect average ratios of VAT on sales and purchases for registered businesses in each sector. They vary between 4% and 16.5% to account for the different levels of normal input tax recovery. This includes the 10.5% hospitality rate. Additionally, the Scheme allows businesses to recover VAT on the purchase of larger capital items. We keep all taxes under review and make changes at Budget in the context of the overall public finances.

Whether she has plans to (a) simplify and (b) expand access to (i) business rates relief and (ii) tax support schemes for small hospitality venues in (A) coastal and (B) rural communities.

The Government is committed to creating a fairer business rates system that supports small businesses and protects the high street. Over a third of properties (more than 700,000) already pay no business rates as they receive 100 per cent Small Business Rates Relief (SBRR), with an additional c.60,000 benefiting from reduced bills as this relief tapers. To deliver our manifesto pledge to create a fairer business rates system that protects the high street, supports investment, and is fit for the 21st century, from 2026-27, we intend to introduce permanently lower tax rates for eligible retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties, with rateable values below £500,000.The Government will confirm the rates for the new multipliers at Budget 2025, taking account of the outcomes of the 2026 revaluation as well as the broader economic and fiscal context. Ahead of these changes being made, the Government recognises that businesses will need support in 2025-26. As such, we have prevented the current RHL relief from ending in April 2025, extending it for one year at 40 per cent up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business. We have also frozen the small business multiplier, protecting over a million properties from inflationary bill increases.Furthermore, Rural Rate Relief aims to ensure that key amenities are available, and community assets protected in rural areas. It provides 100% rate relief for properties that are based in eligible rural areas with populations below 3,000.As highlighted in the Transforming Business Rates Discussion Paper published at Autumn Budget 2024, the Government was interested in hearing stakeholders’ views on the extent to which the current system acts as a barrier to investment and specifically, whether the current eligibility criteria for SBRR impacts businesses' incentives to invest and expand into a second property. The Government will publish an interim report that sets out a clear direction of travel for the business rates system, with further policy detail to follow at Autumn Budget 2025.

From what countries of origin the asylum seekers due to be housed at 286-288 London Road, Waterlooville are; and how many are from each country.

Where the Home Office needs to utilise Dispersed Accommodation, it does so in accordance with the principle of Full Dispersal, which was announced in 2022 to ensure that asylum seekers were more fairly distributed across the United Kingdom.This will reduce our reliance on hotels in the short term whilst we continue our work to fix the broken asylum system, increasing decision making, reducing the supported population and removing people with no right to be here.The safety and wellbeing of the local communities in which asylum accommodation is located is of paramount importance. When an individual claims asylum, the Home Office will conduct mandatory identity, criminality and security checks. Biographic and biometric data are checked against relevant Home Office systems and police criminality databases including domestic and international data.Data on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, including hotels, and by local authority can be found within the Asy_D11 tab for our most recent statistics release: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK.The Home Office publishes information on asylum expenditure in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts at Home Office annual reports and accounts - GOV.UK.

What is the cost of housing asylum seekers at 286-288 London Road, Waterlooville.

Where the Home Office needs to utilise Dispersed Accommodation, it does so in accordance with the principle of Full Dispersal, which was announced in 2022 to ensure that asylum seekers were more fairly distributed across the United Kingdom.This will reduce our reliance on hotels in the short term whilst we continue our work to fix the broken asylum system, increasing decision making, reducing the supported population and removing people with no right to be here.The safety and wellbeing of the local communities in which asylum accommodation is located is of paramount importance. When an individual claims asylum, the Home Office will conduct mandatory identity, criminality and security checks. Biographic and biometric data are checked against relevant Home Office systems and police criminality databases including domestic and international data.Data on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, including hotels, and by local authority can be found within the Asy_D11 tab for our most recent statistics release: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK.The Home Office publishes information on asylum expenditure in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts at Home Office annual reports and accounts - GOV.UK.

What the average age is of the asylum seekers due to be housed at 286-288 London Road, Waterlooville.

Where the Home Office needs to utilise Dispersed Accommodation, it does so in accordance with the principle of Full Dispersal, which was announced in 2022 to ensure that asylum seekers were more fairly distributed across the United Kingdom.This will reduce our reliance on hotels in the short term whilst we continue our work to fix the broken asylum system, increasing decision making, reducing the supported population and removing people with no right to be here.The safety and wellbeing of the local communities in which asylum accommodation is located is of paramount importance. When an individual claims asylum, the Home Office will conduct mandatory identity, criminality and security checks. Biographic and biometric data are checked against relevant Home Office systems and police criminality databases including domestic and international data.Data on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, including hotels, and by local authority can be found within the Asy_D11 tab for our most recent statistics release: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK.The Home Office publishes information on asylum expenditure in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts at Home Office annual reports and accounts - GOV.UK.

How many of the asylum seekers due to be housed at 286-288 London Road, Waterlooville are male.

Where the Home Office needs to utilise Dispersed Accommodation, it does so in accordance with the principle of Full Dispersal, which was announced in 2022 to ensure that asylum seekers were more fairly distributed across the United Kingdom.This will reduce our reliance on hotels in the short term whilst we continue our work to fix the broken asylum system, increasing decision making, reducing the supported population and removing people with no right to be here.The safety and wellbeing of the local communities in which asylum accommodation is located is of paramount importance. When an individual claims asylum, the Home Office will conduct mandatory identity, criminality and security checks. Biographic and biometric data are checked against relevant Home Office systems and police criminality databases including domestic and international data.Data on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, including hotels, and by local authority can be found within the Asy_D11 tab for our most recent statistics release: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK.The Home Office publishes information on asylum expenditure in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts at Home Office annual reports and accounts - GOV.UK.

How many single men without dependents are due to be housed at 286-288 London Road, Waterlooville.

Where the Home Office needs to utilise Dispersed Accommodation, it does so in accordance with the principle of Full Dispersal, which was announced in 2022 to ensure that asylum seekers were more fairly distributed across the United Kingdom.This will reduce our reliance on hotels in the short term whilst we continue our work to fix the broken asylum system, increasing decision making, reducing the supported population and removing people with no right to be here.The safety and wellbeing of the local communities in which asylum accommodation is located is of paramount importance. When an individual claims asylum, the Home Office will conduct mandatory identity, criminality and security checks. Biographic and biometric data are checked against relevant Home Office systems and police criminality databases including domestic and international data.Data on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, including hotels, and by local authority can be found within the Asy_D11 tab for our most recent statistics release: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK.The Home Office publishes information on asylum expenditure in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts at Home Office annual reports and accounts - GOV.UK.

How many of the asylum seekers due to be housed at 286-288 London Road, Waterlooville are together as families.

Where the Home Office needs to utilise Dispersed Accommodation, it does so in accordance with the principle of Full Dispersal, which was announced in 2022 to ensure that asylum seekers were more fairly distributed across the United Kingdom.This will reduce our reliance on hotels in the short term whilst we continue our work to fix the broken asylum system, increasing decision making, reducing the supported population and removing people with no right to be here.The safety and wellbeing of the local communities in which asylum accommodation is located is of paramount importance. When an individual claims asylum, the Home Office will conduct mandatory identity, criminality and security checks. Biographic and biometric data are checked against relevant Home Office systems and police criminality databases including domestic and international data.Data on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, including hotels, and by local authority can be found within the Asy_D11 tab for our most recent statistics release: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK.The Home Office publishes information on asylum expenditure in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts at Home Office annual reports and accounts - GOV.UK.

Whether any of the asylum seekers due to be housed at 286-288 London Road, Waterlooville, have criminal (a) convictions, (b) arrests and (c) cautions.

Where the Home Office needs to utilise Dispersed Accommodation, it does so in accordance with the principle of Full Dispersal, which was announced in 2022 to ensure that asylum seekers were more fairly distributed across the United Kingdom.This will reduce our reliance on hotels in the short term whilst we continue our work to fix the broken asylum system, increasing decision making, reducing the supported population and removing people with no right to be here.The safety and wellbeing of the local communities in which asylum accommodation is located is of paramount importance. When an individual claims asylum, the Home Office will conduct mandatory identity, criminality and security checks. Biographic and biometric data are checked against relevant Home Office systems and police criminality databases including domestic and international data.Data on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, including hotels, and by local authority can be found within the Asy_D11 tab for our most recent statistics release: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK.The Home Office publishes information on asylum expenditure in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts at Home Office annual reports and accounts - GOV.UK.

If she will publish the (a) risk and (b) impact assessments completed by her Department for the 286-288 London Road, Waterlooville, site.

Where the Home Office needs to utilise Dispersed Accommodation, it does so in accordance with the principle of Full Dispersal, which was announced in 2022 to ensure that asylum seekers were more fairly distributed across the United Kingdom.This will reduce our reliance on hotels in the short term whilst we continue our work to fix the broken asylum system, increasing decision making, reducing the supported population and removing people with no right to be here.The safety and wellbeing of the local communities in which asylum accommodation is located is of paramount importance. When an individual claims asylum, the Home Office will conduct mandatory identity, criminality and security checks. Biographic and biometric data are checked against relevant Home Office systems and police criminality databases including domestic and international data.Data on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, including hotels, and by local authority can be found within the Asy_D11 tab for our most recent statistics release: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK.The Home Office publishes information on asylum expenditure in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts at Home Office annual reports and accounts - GOV.UK.

How many and what proportion of the asylum seekers due to be housed at 286-288 London Road, Waterlooville, are women.

Where the Home Office needs to utilise Dispersed Accommodation, it does so in accordance with the principle of Full Dispersal, which was announced in 2022 to ensure that asylum seekers were more fairly distributed across the United Kingdom.This will reduce our reliance on hotels in the short term whilst we continue our work to fix the broken asylum system, increasing decision making, reducing the supported population and removing people with no right to be here.The safety and wellbeing of the local communities in which asylum accommodation is located is of paramount importance. When an individual claims asylum, the Home Office will conduct mandatory identity, criminality and security checks. Biographic and biometric data are checked against relevant Home Office systems and police criminality databases including domestic and international data.Data on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, including hotels, and by local authority can be found within the Asy_D11 tab for our most recent statistics release: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK.The Home Office publishes information on asylum expenditure in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts at Home Office annual reports and accounts - GOV.UK.

How many of the asylum seekers due to be housed at 286-288 London Road, Waterlooville are children with their mothers.

Where the Home Office needs to utilise Dispersed Accommodation, it does so in accordance with the principle of Full Dispersal, which was announced in 2022 to ensure that asylum seekers were more fairly distributed across the United Kingdom.This will reduce our reliance on hotels in the short term whilst we continue our work to fix the broken asylum system, increasing decision making, reducing the supported population and removing people with no right to be here.The safety and wellbeing of the local communities in which asylum accommodation is located is of paramount importance. When an individual claims asylum, the Home Office will conduct mandatory identity, criminality and security checks. Biographic and biometric data are checked against relevant Home Office systems and police criminality databases including domestic and international data.Data on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, including hotels, and by local authority can be found within the Asy_D11 tab for our most recent statistics release: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK.The Home Office publishes information on asylum expenditure in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts at Home Office annual reports and accounts - GOV.UK.

How many single men without dependents due to be housed at 286-288 London Road, Waterlooville are between the ages of 18 and 40.

Where the Home Office needs to utilise Dispersed Accommodation, it does so in accordance with the principle of Full Dispersal, which was announced in 2022 to ensure that asylum seekers were more fairly distributed across the United Kingdom.This will reduce our reliance on hotels in the short term whilst we continue our work to fix the broken asylum system, increasing decision making, reducing the supported population and removing people with no right to be here.The safety and wellbeing of the local communities in which asylum accommodation is located is of paramount importance. When an individual claims asylum, the Home Office will conduct mandatory identity, criminality and security checks. Biographic and biometric data are checked against relevant Home Office systems and police criminality databases including domestic and international data.Data on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, including hotels, and by local authority can be found within the Asy_D11 tab for our most recent statistics release: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK.The Home Office publishes information on asylum expenditure in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts at Home Office annual reports and accounts - GOV.UK.

Whether her Department plans to undertake background checks on asylum seekers before they arrive at 286-288 London Road, Waterlooville.

Where the Home Office needs to utilise Dispersed Accommodation, it does so in accordance with the principle of Full Dispersal, which was announced in 2022 to ensure that asylum seekers were more fairly distributed across the United Kingdom.This will reduce our reliance on hotels in the short term whilst we continue our work to fix the broken asylum system, increasing decision making, reducing the supported population and removing people with no right to be here.The safety and wellbeing of the local communities in which asylum accommodation is located is of paramount importance. When an individual claims asylum, the Home Office will conduct mandatory identity, criminality and security checks. Biographic and biometric data are checked against relevant Home Office systems and police criminality databases including domestic and international data.Data on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, including hotels, and by local authority can be found within the Asy_D11 tab for our most recent statistics release: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK.The Home Office publishes information on asylum expenditure in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts at Home Office annual reports and accounts - GOV.UK.