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  • Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2016-07-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to establish a working group of voluntary organisations and officials to help the 20,000 Syrian refugees to settle successfully in the UK.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    The Refugee Resettlement Programme has established a strategic engagement group consisting of representatives from the programme, NGOs, the Syrian diaspora and service providers for resettled refugees. The group meets quarterly and has a number of objectives including providing targeted expertise that will help inform policy and operational delivery of the UK’s resettlement routes and promoting a better understanding of the factors that contribute to successful resettlement. The group is chaired jointly by the Resettlement Programme and the Refugee Council.

  • Lord Patten – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Patten – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2016-07-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 30 June (HL758) about the recognition of genocide, which judicial bodies could take such a decision.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We continue to believe that recognition of genocide should be a matter for competent courts, decided by judges after consideration of all the evidence available in the context of a credible judicial process.

  • Lord Patten – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Patten – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2016-07-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 30 June (HL759), in which areas of reform in Turkey they believe there has been significant backsliding”.”

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The Government has stressed to the Government of Turkey the importance of freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and the independence of the judiciary. In meetings with the Turkish Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and others during a recent visit to Turkey the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Rutland and Melton (Sir Alan Duncan) emphasised the UK’s unequivocal condemnation of the coup attempt and our support for Turkey’s democratic institutions. The Minister of State also emphasised the need for Turkey to respect human rights and the rule of law and urged continued focus on the Daesh threat, emphasising the need to protect British tourists.

  • David Lammy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    David Lammy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Lammy on 2016-07-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential effect of leaving the EU on the number of UK students studying overseas at universities in EU member states.

    Joseph Johnson

    There are no immediate changes following the EU Referendum, including in the circumstances of British citizens studying, or planning to study, in the EU. Future arrangements for studying abroad will need to be considered as part of wider discussions about the UK’s relationship with the EU.

  • David Lammy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    David Lammy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Lammy on 2016-07-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what estimate his Department has made of the length of time it will take to negotiate trade agreements with the UK’s major trading partners outside of the EU when the UK leaves the EU.

    Greg Hands

    My hon Friend the Prime Minister has established the Department for International Trade to promote British trade across the world and ensure the UK takes advantage of the huge opportunities open to us. The pace of trade negotiations will vary country to country. The Prime Minister has also established a Department for Exiting the European Union for overseeing negotiations to leave the EU and establishing the future relationship between the UK and EU. However, until we leave, the UK will remain a full member of the EU, with all of the rights and obligations.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-07-13.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will hold discussions with credit card companies on steps to support people who have large credit card debts related to shopping.

    Simon Kirby

    The Government has fundamentally reformed regulation of the consumer credit market, which includes the credit card sector. Consumer credit regulation transferred from the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) on 1 April 2014.

    The FCA is currently undertaking a thorough review of the credit card market through its ‘credit card market study’. The market study is investigating three areas, one of which is the extent of unaffordable credit card debt. On 3 November 2015 the FCA published its interim report which found that the market was working reasonably well for most customers. However, the FCA expressed concern about the scale of potentially problematic debt in this sector, and the incentives for firms to manage this.

    The interim report also included the FCA’s early thinking on potential remedies which include measures to give consumers more control over their credit limits, measures to encourage customers to pay off debt quicker when they can afford to, and proposals that firms do more to identify earlier those consumers who may be struggling to repay and take action to help them manage their repayments. The FCA is currently asking for feedback on the findings and potential remedies.

    The Government is looking forward to the final report in Q3 2016, and would encourage interested parties to give their views to the FCA to assist it in addressing the issues it has identified.

  • Valerie Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Valerie Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Valerie Vaz on 2016-07-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the proportion of student loan borrowers who took out their loan after 2012 who have read the contract terms contained in a separate online document.

    Joseph Johnson

    All borrowers applying for support must sign a declaration to confirm that they have read and understood the terms and conditions that apply to their loans.

  • Valerie Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Valerie Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Valerie Vaz on 2016-07-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to alter the terms and conditions of student loans for existing borrowers.

    Joseph Johnson

    My department has no current plans to alter the terms and conditions of student loans for existing borrowers.

  • Helen Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Helen Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2016-07-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to ensure that companies do not offset the costs of paying the new minimum wage by reducing rates of pay for (a) some workers and (b) night and weekend working.

    Margot James

    We recognise that employers will respond to the National Living Wage in a variety of ways depending on their circumstances, but the Government does not consider it acceptable for companies to use it as an excuse to cut staff benefits.

    In a growing economy, the National Living Wage should represent an opportunity to invest in talented staff and improve productivity. Employers need to ensure their pay and reward packages are competitive to retain and develop the people they need for their business.

  • Robert Neill – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Robert Neill – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Neill on 2016-07-13.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government is taking to ensure overseas electors receive ballot papers in time to vote in elections.

    Chris Skidmore

    In the last Parliament, the Government amended legislation to make it easier for overseas electors and Armed Forces personnel to vote by post at elections and referendums in the UK. The electoral timetable was lengthened and the restriction on issuing postal votes ahead of the postal vote application deadline removed.

    We continue to keep under review the practical operation of the postal voting process and meet with electoral administrators and their suppliers to identify ways to provide a more effective service, including expediting the delivery of postal votes to overseas electors.