Category: Speeches

  • Siobhain McDonagh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Siobhain McDonagh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Siobhain McDonagh on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Urdu speakers are employed at the (a) Home Office in Marsham Street, London and (b) British High Commission in Islamabad to investigate the background of people applying for entry clearance.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    There are no Urdu speakers employed by the Home Office in Marsham Street involved in processing Entry Clearance, as entry clearance applications are not considered at that location. There are 11 Urdu speaking staff employed at the British High Commission in Islamabad and seven at the British embassy in Abu Dhabi involved in the processing of visa applications, including investigating the background of people applying for entry clearance.

    Under our ‘hub and spoke’ arrangements, applications lodged in Pakistan for settlement, applications under the Points Based System, and EEA applications are processed at the Visa section in Sheffield. Applications lodged in Pakistan for visits are processed in Abu Dhabi. The British High Commission in Islamabad processes Official applications made in-house.

  • Lord Harris of Haringey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Harris of Haringey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Harris of Haringey on 2016-10-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the implications for UK-based airlines of the Single European Sky when the UK leaves the EU.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The Government is considering carefully all the potential implications arising from the UK’s exit from the EU for our aviation industry. This includes the implications for UK-based airlines relating to Air Traffic Management and the Single European Sky after the UK leaves the EU.

  • Lord Greaves – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Lord Greaves – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Greaves on 2015-11-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the report by KPMG Skills to Build?, stating that housebuilding capacity could be restricted by a construction skills shortage; and whether they will take steps to increase the amount of education and training places for construction trades.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    The Government has made no separate assessment of the KPMG report. There are a number of reports that provide a good indication of the skills the construction industry believes it will require between 2015 and 2019, for both housing and wider construction.

    The Government values post-16 education, including construction education and training, highly. We have made substantial progress driving up the quality and rigour of the post-16 offer, and area-based reviews of 16+ provision are providing an opportunity for institutions and localities to restructure provision to achieve maximum impact.

    Initiatives, by the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), or flowing from the work of the Construction Leadership Council, are seeking to encourage more young people into construction careers including the launch of the GO-Construct website and work with the National Careers Service and Construction Ambassadors for schools. In addition the CITBhas developed a range of initiatives, working closely with the Department for Work and Pensions, the Armed Forces resettlement service and Local Enterprise Partnerships, to encourage experienced individuals into the sector.

    While CITB returned over £42m last year, supporting 18,500 first, second and third year construction apprentices, it is clear that the sector is not currently offering enough apprenticeships nor opportunities for young people to train. The 17,000 apprenticeships starts in 2015/16 is still some way below the 27,000 offered in 2006. The CITB has developed a number of shared apprenticeships schemes and reformed the grant process to encourage apprenticeship take up. In addition, the Government continues to pay AGE grant, on top of its usual support for the training of young apprentices, to encourage companies to take on their first apprentices.

    At the summer budget the Chancellor announced a levy on large employers across all sectors to fund apprenticeships. This will link larger employers directly to its skills investment and promote the value, and drive the uptake, of apprenticeships.

    The Chancellor will announce further details of the apprenticeship levy, including the scope and rate, at the Spending Review.

  • 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 2016-01-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what financial support they are offering to French authorities and NGOs to improve hygiene conditions at the Grande-Synthe refugee camp, in the light of reported concerns from the British Red Cross.

    Lord Bates

    The UK Government is not providing funding to support the migrant camps in Dunkirk or Calais. Instead, and in line with the joint approach of the UK and France as set out in the Joint Declaration of 20 August, the UK has committed to providing £3.6 million (or €5 million) per year for two years to help provide support and facilities elsewhere in France. This is so that migrants can be helped to enter the French asylum system in a safe, systematic and humane manner. Additionally, the UK has provided £530,000 (€750,000) to fund a project to identify those in the camps at risk of trafficking and exploitation, to transfer them to places of safety and to provide them with appropriate support within the French system.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-02-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the likelihood of a bilateral ceasefire in Colombia as a result of a final peace agreement being signed; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    President Juan Manuel Santos announced in October 2015, that the Government was prepared to declare a bilateral ceasefire on completion of point 5 of the agenda ‘end of conflict’, which is still being negotiated in Havana. However, he said repeatedly that the FARC must first agree to lay down their weapons and give up their armed struggle before a ceasefire is declared.

    On 25 January, the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 2261, drafted by the United Kingdom. The resolution establishes a Special Political Mission, to monitor and verify the ceasefire between the Government of Colombia and the FARC.

  • Lord Wasserman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Wasserman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Wasserman on 2016-02-24.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to introduce a scheme for the registration, regulation, accreditation and vetting by the Disclosure and Barring Service of self-employed personal trainers, especially those who offer personal training services in the area of fitness coaching to children and other vulnerable persons.

    Lord Bates

    There are no plans to introduce a scheme of this nature.

    Those wishing to engage a coach to work with children or vulnerable groups may request the coach provide a criminal record check. A self-employed coach can apply for an enhanced DBS check through an agency, who will process the application and confirm that the activity is eligible to request the check. Alternatively, any individual can apply directly for a criminal conviction certificate which is available from Disclosure Scotland which contains details of unspent convictions and cautions.

    Where parents do not want to engage a coach without the reassurance of a DBS check, they are free to limit their selection process to people who can show them a DBS certificate. Ultimately, it is for parents to decide who is a suitable person to coach their child and to take account of the information which is available to them.

  • Chris Stephens – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Chris Stephens – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Stephens on 2016-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with multiple sclerosis claiming benefits whose claim (a) partly and (b) solely relates to that condition have had their benefits payments (i) reduced and (ii) ceased after medical reassessment undertaken on behalf of the Department due to that person being in remission from that condition.

    Priti Patel

    The information requested is not available.

  • Mark Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Mark Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Field on 2016-04-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which organisations and agencies identified potential victims of trafficking in London boroughs in 2015; which UK regions victims were sent to for their reflection period; what information is held on those people after they exited the shelter; and what follow-up procedures are in place.

    Karen Bradley

    Of the 1,104 potential victims referred to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) in 2015 that presented in the Metropolitan Police Force area, 68 were EU nationals. The countries of origin of these EU nationals were: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, France, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and the UK. Information on the region of origin and location of recruitment of potential victims is not available.

    All 1,104 potential victims who presented in the Metropolitan Police Force Area in 2015 were referred to the NRM by a first responder organisation. A breakdown of referrals is available from published NRM statistics on the National Crime Agency website and can be found here: www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/publications/national-referral-mechanism-statistics. Breakdowns of data about the London boroughs where potential victims presented are not available.

    The Salvation Army and its subcontractors provide support in different locations within England and Wales for adult potential victims given a positive reasonable grounds decision. Following a reflection and recovery period, victims are assisted to move on within the UK or voluntarily return to their home country. The Home Office does not hold data on what happens to individuals once they leave the service.

  • Karl McCartney – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    Karl McCartney – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl McCartney on 2016-06-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, if he will estimate the level of structural funding that the EU Commission’s formula will allocate to Scotland in the post-2020 Multi Annual Financial Framework.

    David Mundell

    The post-2020 Multi Annual Financial Framework has not been proposed. I refer the hon Member to a letter signed by the former Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the Rt hon Vince Cable of 17th April 2014, on ‘European Regional Development Fund and European Social Fund: UK Allocations 2014 to 2020’. This is available at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/307492/bis-14-772-uk-allocations-eu-structural-funds-2014-2020-letter.pdf.

    “

  • Jo Stevens – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jo Stevens – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jo Stevens on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many prison healthcare appointments were cancelled or postponed in each prison in the last 12 months due to a lack of staff to escort prisoners.

    Nicola Blackwood

    The information is not held in the format requested.