Category: Speeches

Biography information for Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Biography information for Emily Thornberry on Work and Pensions.

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is available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/456074/nino-registrations-adult-overseas-nationals-june-2015.pdf

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Statistics on employment of UK and EU nationals is already published by the Office for National Statistics. The latest information is available at:

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/lms/labour-market-statistics/december-2015/table-emp06.xls

Information on benefit receipt by current nationality is not available. The department has published statistics on working age benefit recipients claiming within 6 months of National Insurance Number (NINO) registration. This information is known as “Nationality at point of National Insurance number registration of DWP benefit claimants” and is included in the “Statistical Bulletin on National Insurance Number Allocations to Adult Overseas Nationals.”. The latest benefits data

01/01/2023
Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-01-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 19 January 2016 to Question 22026, what proportion of the £47 million paid to local authorities under the Communities and Business Recovery Scheme was subsequently paid by local authorities to households which were not entitled to flood compensation payments.

James Wharton

Local authorities are responsible for the administration and delivery of the Communities and Business Recovery Scheme.

They determine how to use the money to best meet local need and ensure value for money. My Department does not collect detailed information on the payments that have been made through the Scheme. However, officials are aware that of more that 15,000 payments made to households, fewer than 50 have been found to be incorrect. Those have been returned to the local authority in question.

01/01/2023
Caroline Nokes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Nokes on 2016-02-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the potential psychological effect on victims of domestic abuse who are representing themselves as litigants in person in the family court of being cross-examined by their alleged abuser.

Caroline Dinenage

The Government is committed to supporting victims of domestic violence and abuse.

The Ministry of Justice is undertaking research to explore how the family judiciary are currently managing cases where unrepresented alleged perpetrators of abuse can cross-examine vulnerable witnesses in the family court, and to establish what, if any, additional provisions could be considered to support them in doing so. A report will be published in due course.

The research did not aim to assess the psychological impact of any cross-examination on victims of domestic abuse. However, some of the findings relate to the considerations the judiciary make in managing such cases appropriately, and the report will outline options to further protect vulnerable witnesses in the family court. It was out of scope of this research to explore cases where an unrepresented litigant who is a victim of domestic abuse may have to cross-examine their alleged abuser.

Family judges have a range of powers and training to manage difficult court room situations and to ensure they are handled sensitively for victims of domestic violence and other vulnerable witnesses. Judges can intervene to prevent inappropriate questions or have questions relayed. Practical protections, for example, protective screens, video links, separate waiting rooms and separate entrances are available where appropriate. It is for the judge involved, on the basis of the evidence, to determine how the framework will be applied in a particular case.

The family courts take the issue of domestic violence extremely seriously. The Child Arrangement Programme and Practice Direction 12J set out a strong and clear framework where domestic violence is alleged and all judges receive specific training on this framework.

01/01/2023
Nick Thomas-Symonds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Thomas-Symonds on 2016-03-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the minimum income floor on levels of relative child poverty.

Priti Patel

The Government is committed to eliminating child poverty and improving life chances for children. The objective of the Minimum Income Floor is to incentivise work and thereby raise the incomes of families and reduce dependency on benefits. Work remains the best route out of poverty and Universal Credit is designed to strengthen incentives for parents to move into and progress in work. Evidence shows claimants move into work significantly faster and earn more than under the legacy system. In addition, from April 2016 Universal Credit provides for 85% of childcare costs meaning more support for hardworking families.

01/01/2023
Philip Hollobone – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Hollobone on 2016-04-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information he holds on when Greece will have taken steps to ensure that its asylum system is compliant with Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights and the ruling of the European Court of Human Rights on 21 January 2011 in the case of MSS vs Belgium and Greece.

Mr David Lidington

The Asylum Agency in Greece was founded in 2011 in response to criticism of the previous system and the case of MSS v. Belgium and Greece. The same law adapted Greek legislation to Directive 2008/115/EC on returning illegally residing third country nationals and related issues.

The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe monitors the case of MSS v. Belgium and Greece under the “enhanced supervision” procedure. They last considered it in December 2015 and will do so again in December 2016. There was no debate in 2015, which means the Secretariat were satisfied with the information Greece had provided.

The UN’s Universal Periodic Review of Greece will take place in early May. The review will cover the full range of human rights in Greece, including the asylum system. Greece’s self-assessment will be available on the website of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

01/01/2023
Martyn Day – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Martyn Day on 2016-05-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment the Government has made on the effect of the CXL duty on (a) the number of jobs in and (b) exports from the UK’s cane refining sector in the years up to (i) 2017 and (ii) 2025.

George Eustice

No assessment has been made of the effect of the CXL duty on the number of jobs in and exports from the UK’s cane refining sector. An economic modelling paper assessing the effect of the ending of the EU sugar quota regime on the price of white sugar within the EU was published in November 2015. This paper is particularly focussed on the likely impact on the cane refining industry in the EU. However it does not model any changes to the structure of either the beet or cane refining industries. The paper can be found on the GOV.UK website.

01/01/2023
Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Women and Equalities

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-07-13.

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what assessment her Department has carried out of the effect of proposed changes to the size of the budget for the Equality and Human Rights Commission on (a) the service it is able to support and (b) access to justice for (i) people who do not qualify for legal aid, (ii) people who cannot afford tribunal fees and (iii) people who do not have a local law centre or whose local Citizens Advice Bureau has closed.

Caroline Dinenage

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has and will continue to receive sufficient funds to enable it to fulfil its statutory functions. These functions include duties to promote and encourage equality and diversity and human rights, and powers for implementing inquiries, investigations and enforcement actions for equality and diversity. As now, the EHRC will continue to support people in individual cases where these are of strategic significance, for example in clarifying the relevant law.

Advice for individuals more generally is available from the Equality Advisory and Support Service, which is also funded by the Government.

01/01/2023
Yvonne Fovargue – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Yvonne Fovargue on 2016-09-14.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people employed in the UK by the high-cost, short-term credit sector.

Simon Kirby

The information requested is not centrally held.

01/01/2023
Anne Marie Morris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne Marie Morris on 2015-11-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to develop a strategy for rural healthcare.

Jane Ellison

The Five Year Forward View published by NHS England sets out the healthcare strategy for the whole of England, including rural areas. Rural areas have their own health needs, which should be taken into account in planning and developing healthcare services.All healthcare services will benefit from the Government’s commitment of an additional £10 billion for the National Health Service by 2020, to back the NHS’s own plan for the future Five Year Forward View.

01/01/2023

Baroness Byford – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Byford on 2015-12-16.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many doctors currently employed by the NHS qualified outside the UK.

Lord Prior of Brampton

The latest data on the number of doctors who qualified outside the United Kingdom is in the following table. This is taken from the Health and Social Care Information Centre’s annual workforce census, which shows the data as at 30 September 2014. The next census will be published in March 2016.

Headcount Data at 30 September 2014

	Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS) Drs	General Practitioners (GP)(excluding registrars and retainers)	GP registrars
Qualified in the UK	70,470	27,807	3,585
Qualified in other European Economic Area (EEA) Country	8,307	1,600	124
Qualified outside EEA	27,398	6,403	803
Unknown	463	9	0

Source: Health and Social Care Information Centre annual workforce census

Notes: The figures for HCHS doctors includes doctors in training

01/01/2023