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  • Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-09-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the process is for considering whether to withhold sensitive material from courts to aid their consideration of (a) whether to impose Temporary Exclusion Orders (TEOs), (b) whether a TEO already imposed should be revoked and (c) whether the conditions imposed on those subject to TEOs are fair.

    Mr Ben Wallace

    The Court Rules for Temporary Exclusion Orders provide for the disclosure of open material, the use of private hearings, and the withholding of closed material (the disclosure of which would be contrary to the public interest). The Home Office cannot determine which information is closed and must submit an application to the court for permission not to disclose certain information. Under the closed material procedure, the TEO subject and his legal representatives would attend ‘open’ court proceedings but would not be present at ‘closed’ proceedings. Special advocates appointed by the Attorney General would represent the interests of the excluded party in relation to closed evidence. The use of closed material proceedings is designed to ensure that the court has sight of sensitive material whilst protecting it from wider disclosure.

  • Chris Stephens – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Chris Stephens – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Stephens on 2016-09-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 20 July 2016 to Question 42791, if she will publish the list her Department holds of the registered social landlords being used as at 30 August 2016 for the provision of compass accommodation to asylum seekers.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    Since 2012 UKVI has discharged their statutory duty to provide destitute asylum seekers with accommodation and transportation via a suite of contracts known as COMPASS Contracts.

    There are six COMPASS Contracts delivered by three providers: G4S deliver services in the North East, Yorkshire & Humberside Region and the Midlands and East of England Region; Serco deliver services in the North West Region and Scotland and Northern Ireland. Clearsprings Ready Homes (formerly known as Clearel Ltd) deliver services in London and the South of England Region and Wales.

    Whilst none of the COMPASS accommodation providers are registered social landlords, all are contractually required to provide safe, habitable, fit for purpose and correctly equipped accommodation to comply with the standards outlined within Housing legislation (regardless of whether the provider is registered as a social landlord).

  • Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-09-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effect on the self-esteem of female police officers of having to wear a uniform.

    Brandon Lewis

    Decisions on uniform requirements for different roles within their force are for Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs).

    The police remain operationally independent and it is for Chief Constables and PCCs locally to decide how to best equip their staff.

  • David T. C. Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    David T. C. Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David T. C. Davies on 2016-09-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether it is her policy to allow police officers to cover their faces for religious purposes.

    Brandon Lewis

    Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) are best placed to decide the uniform requirements for different roles within their force.

    The police remain operationally independent and it is for local leadership to ensure that officers can perform their duties effectively whilst taking officer safety, appropriate risk assessments and effective engagement with the public into consideration.

  • David T. C. Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    David T. C. Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David T. C. Davies on 2016-09-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has the ability to overrule chief constables on decisions about uniform policy.

    Brandon Lewis

    Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) are best placed to decide the uniform requirements for different roles within their force.

    The police remain operationally independent and it is for local leadership to ensure that officers can perform their duties effectively whilst taking officer safety, appropriate risk assessments and effective engagement with the public into consideration.

  • Tim Farron – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Tim Farron – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Farron on 2016-09-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will set out her plans for the future of Cumbria Police; and whether that police force’s (a) budget and (b) number of police officers will be reduced in the current financial year.

    Brandon Lewis

    Decisions about the policing priorities in Cumbria are a matter for the locally elected and accountable Police and Crime Commissioner. In Cumbria, police recorded crime fell by 5% between June 2010 and March 2016.

    In 2016/17, direct resource funding to Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs), including precept (the element of police funding derived from council tax), has been protected to at least flat cash levels. This means that no PCC who chose to maximise precept is facing a reduction in cash funding in 2016/17 compared to 2015/16 and the majority are seeing marginal cash increases in their spending power.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-09-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what funding her Department provides for medical support for internally displaced people in Kurdistan.

    Rory Stewart

    Since June 2014, the UK has committed £129.5 million in humanitarian assistance to the crisis in Iraq. This includes the UK’s contribution to the UN Iraq Humanitarian Pooled Fund. The Pooled Fund, and other DFID funded projects, have provided access to emergency life-saving health services, emergency vaccines for vulnerable children, and expansion of maternity and child health care – including to internally displaced people in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Our cash programming, focussed in the north of the country, helps the most vulnerable people in Iraq to buy medicines and access the medical treatment that they urgently need.

  • Ian Austin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Ian Austin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-09-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the level of adherence by the Palestinian National Authority to the principle of non-violence set out in the Memorandum of Understanding between her Department and that authority; and if she will make a statement.

    James Wharton

    The UK deplores incitement to violence on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and takes the issue of incitement extremely seriously. When incidents of incitement to violence do occur, we do not hesitate to raise and condemn these with the Palestinian Authority. The UK raises the issue of incitement as part of the FCO-led UK-Palestinian strategic dialogue, most recently in February this year. HMG’s assessment is that the Palestinian Authority is not in breach of the Memorandum of Understanding. The UK continues to encourage the leaderships of both the PA and Israel to re-engage in the Trilateral Committee on Anti-Incitement.

  • Ian Austin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Ian Austin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-09-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, when her Department last made a formal assessment of the Palestinian National Authority’s adherence to its commitment to ensure that the human rights of all citizens are respected without exception as set out in the Memorandum of Understanding between her Department and that authority; and if she will make a statement.

    James Wharton

    The last formal assessment of the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) commitment to the Partnership Principles, including the PA’s commitment to respecting human rights, was carried out in May 2016. Our assessment is that the PA continues to deliver on the Partnership Principles, even under increasingly fragile and volatile conditions.

  • Stephen Doughty – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Stephen Doughty – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-09-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with officials in her Department on the potential effect of the outcome of the EU referendum on recipients of overseas development assistance currently given to (a) the European Development Fund, (b) the European Commission Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department and (c) the European Investment Bank.

    Rory Stewart

    DFID will make an assessment of how we will work with the European Union Institutions as part of the exit negotiations and we look forward to working with all of our international partners in future to achieve the best results possible.