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  • Mary Creagh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Mary Creagh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mary Creagh on 2016-03-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to encourage LGBTI refugees in Lebanon to apply for resettlement in the UK.

    Richard Harrington

    We are clear that our scheme will prioritise the most vulnerable refugees, and that is why under the VPR scheme the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) identifies refugees for resettlement using its established vulnerability criteria. These include persons at risk due to their sexual orientation or gender identity.

    We are working with UNHCR and other partners to intensify their outreach to groups that might otherwise be reluctant to register for fear of stigma/discrimination and unaware of the safe space and options available to them. This includes all religious minorities, LGBTI, people with disabilities, survivors of torture and sexual violence and others.

  • Mary Creagh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Mary Creagh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mary Creagh on 2016-03-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many LGBTI Syrian refugees she estimates will be resettled in the UK by 2020.

    Richard Harrington

    The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ (UNHCR’s) vulnerability criteria for identifying refugees under the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme include persons at risk due to their sexual orientation or gender identity, and LGBTI refugees are identified through their normal screening procedures.

    We are working with UNHCR and other partners to intensify their outreach to groups that might otherwise be reluctant to register for fear of stigma/discrimination and unaware of the safe space and options available to them. This includes all religious minorities, LGBT, people with disabilities, survivors of torture and sexual violence and others.

    The scheme is based on need and supports those who cannot be supported effectively in their region of origin, we cannot therefore provide long term forecasts.

  • Mary Creagh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Mary Creagh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mary Creagh on 2016-03-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will estimate the proportion of Syrian refugees settled in the UK by 2020 who will be LGBTI.

    Richard Harrington

    The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ (UNHCR’s) vulnerability criteria for identifying refugees under the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme include persons at risk due to their sexual orientation or gender identity, and LGBTI refugees are identified through their normal screening procedures.

    We are working with UNHCR and other partners to intensify their outreach to groups that might otherwise be reluctant to register for fear of stigma/discrimination and unaware of the safe space and options available to them. This includes all religious minorities, LGBT, people with disabilities, survivors of torture and sexual violence and others.

    The scheme is based on need and supports those who cannot be supported effectively in their region of origin, we cannot therefore provide long term forecasts.

  • Debbie Abrahams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Debbie Abrahams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Debbie Abrahams on 2016-03-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will undertake a cost-benefit analysis of (a) Access to Work expenditure and (b) the potential effect of that programme on (i) social security expenditure and (ii) income tax returns.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The Government recognises the value users, employers and stakeholders place on the scheme which de-risks the recruitment and retention of disabled people, therefore we have increased the funding for Access to Work, to enable a further 25,000 customers to receive support by 2020. We continue to work with stakeholders to understand the value Access to Work adds.

    Officials have previously explored the potential costs and benefits of Access to Work expenditure, including the impacts on social security expenditure and income tax returns. However, in the absence of a control group against which to assess the difference the programme makes to someone’s likelihood of being in work, it is not possible to establish a robust overall value for money figure and it would be misleading to publish estimates. To establish a control group could jeopardise individuals’ current and future employment by restricting access to the programme and support for a sizeable number of people in the short to medium term.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Gethins on 2016-03-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 21 March 2016 to Question 31131, how much financial assistance her Department plans to provide UNOCHA for its work in Libya during the next financial year.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    In the next financial year, DFID will fund a secondment to OCHA to support coordination of the humanitarian response. Exact figures are to be finalised, though we expect it to be of the order of £50,000. We are keeping the humanitarian situation in Libya under review including funding requirements in the next financial year and stand by ready to adapt our response in order to meet humanitarian needs.

  • Gavin Robinson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Gavin Robinson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Robinson on 2016-03-22.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with response to his contribution of 16 March 2016, Official Report, column 963-64, whether the proposed exemption from the sugar levy for fruit juices will apply to (a) fruit juices with added sugar and (b) fruit juices with natural sugars only.

    Mr David Gauke

    The levy applies to drinks with added sugar, excluding milk-based drinks.

    Therefore, the levy will apply to fruit juices with added sugar, but not to fruit juices containing only naturally occurring sugar.

  • Gavin Robinson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Gavin Robinson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Robinson on 2016-03-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether a ban on travelling to the UK still applies to US citizen Mr Robert Spencer.

    Mr John Hayes

    The Government does not routinely comment on individual immigration cases. As certain information on this particular case has been publicly disclosed, however, I can confirm that on 25 June 2013 the Home Secretary personally directed that Robert Spencer should be excluded from the UK on the grounds that his presence here would not be conducive to the public good.

    The Home Secretary considered that Mr Spencer brought himself within scope of the unacceptable behaviours policy by making statements that may foster hatred which might lead to inter-community violence in the UK.

  • Peter Kyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Peter Kyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2016-03-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans for the statutory guidance for local authorities, entitled Post-16 transport to education and training, next to be reviewed to take account of the raising of the education and training participation age to 18; and if she will make a statement.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    The statutory guidance for local authorities on post-16 transport was updated in February 2014; it is reviewed annually and updated if necessary. The updated guidance includes information on the raising of the participation age, along with a link to local authority guidance on participation.

    The statutory responsibility for transport to education and training for 16- to 19-year-olds rests with local authorities who we expect to make reasonable decisions about the support they offer based on the needs of their young people, local transport infrastructure and the resources they have available.

    Most young people have access to some kind of discount or concession on bus or train travel, either from their local authority, local transport providers, or from their school or college. The 16 to 19 Bursary Fund is also available to support young people with the costs associated with attending education or training, and transport is the biggest single area of expenditure for which this fund is used.

  • Peter Kyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Peter Kyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2016-03-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what proportion of higher education students continued to (a) further study and (b) employment when leaving (i) university and (ii) a further education college in each of the last five years.

    Joseph Johnson

    Research by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) into the destinations of leavers from Higher Education by provider type was published as part of the report ‘Destination of Leavers from Higher Education in Further Education Colleges’. The report includes breakdowns of the activities leavers were engaged in six months after leaving their course and refers to the academic years 2008/09 to 2010/11.

    http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/year/2013/201301/

    More recent data showing combined employment and study rates has been published by HEFCE as part of the series ‘Higher Education Indicators for Further Education Colleges’. The most recent analysis covers the 2011/12 and 2012/13 academic years.

    http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/year/2016/201601/

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  • Peter Kyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Peter Kyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2016-03-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what average annual tuition fee is charged by further education colleges for higher education courses.

    Joseph Johnson

    The Office for Fair Access (OFFA) publishes an annual statistical report summarising the access agreements with Higher Education providers. This report includes estimates of the average fees charged by provider type. The latest statistics refer to the 2015/16 academic year and show that the average fee for the 51 English Further Education Colleges (FECs) with Access Agreements in the 2015/16 academic year was £6,941. Their estimate of the average fee across all 209 FECs was £6,561. More information is available at the following link:

    https://www.offa.org.uk/publications/analysis-data-and-progress-reports/

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