Category: Speeches

  • Gill Furniss – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Gill Furniss – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gill Furniss on 2016-10-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, under what circumstances documents associated with (a) asylum applications and (b) other forms of visa application are retained by her Department after verification.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    Documents associated with an asylum claim will be retained when :-

    1. The claim is ongoing, if a claimant is subsequently granted leave their passports or identifying documents will be returned to them at that point.

    2. When a negative decision is made we will retain documents that may be required to facilitate removal, the power to do this comes from Section17 of the Asylum and Immigration (treatment of claimants Act, etc) 2004.

    3. Any documents verified as being non genuine will be retained for disposal by the National Document Fraud Unit.

    4. In EEA/EU asylum claims if removal, deportation or extradition is being pursued, any documents must be retained until a decision is taken. If removal is not being pursued, for example if the claimant is exercising their free movement rights, any documents should be returned.

    A document that has been submitted with a visa application will be retained for 10 years if the document has been verified as being false and has been relied upon in a refusal decision. If it has been verified as being genuine, copies will be kept for up to 2 years. A copy of the application form is retained electronically with the case record.

  • Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-01-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many children in England have lived in overcrowded homes in each of the last five years.

    Brandon Lewis

    In 2013-14, an estimated 1.2 million children in England were living in overcrowded accommodation. Estimates for recent years from the English Housing Survey are shown in the attached table.

  • Christopher Chope – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Christopher Chope – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2016-02-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the terms are of the Dorset Growth Deal; and how much funding from the public purse has been provided to the Dorset Local Enterprise Partnership.

    Anna Soubry

    To date Dorset LEP has received £88.3m in funding (£79m from the Local Growth Fund and £9.3m from the Growing Places Fund) to support investment in schemes that drive local economic growth, along with £1.88m in grants.

  • Virendra Sharma – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    Virendra Sharma – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what the (a) policy and (b) other responsibilities are of each special adviser in his Department.

    David Mundell

    I refer the hon Member to the answer given by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General on 29 February 2016.

  • 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 2016-03-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the definition of the term Commonwealth values” when used by that organisation.”

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We believe that Commonwealth values are those set out clearly in the Commonwealth Charter which was adopted by Heads of Government on 14 December 2012. These include democracy, human rights, international peace and security, through to gender equality and the role of civil society. We will continue to work with the Commonwealth Secretariat to ensure that commitments in the Charter are upheld, adhered to and kept under review by member governments, parliaments and civil society organisations. Hosting the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 2018 will give us the opportunity to build on the excellent progress made in Malta and reinforce the need for all members to observe the values outlined in the Charter.

  • Jess Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Jess Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2016-04-26.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what he expects the take-up rate of tax-free childcare to be.

    Damian Hinds

    Tax-Free Childcare is being designed to be as straightforward as possible for parents. It will be quick and easy to apply online for the vast majority who are able to do so. However, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs will ensure that assistance is provided to families who cannot access the internet so that they do not miss out on the support available via Tax-Free Childcare.

    Once the scheme is fully open, we estimate that up to 1 million families may take up the scheme in ‘steady state’.

    The Tax-Free Childcare system will be extensively tested before the scheme is launched.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2016-06-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many British citizens are resident in each European Union member state; how many from each of those states are resident in the UK; and in each case how many are of pensionable age.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    There is no legal obligation on a British citizen living overseas to register with the British Embassy, but the UN estimated that in mid-2015 there were more than 1.2 million UK citizens living permanently elsewhere in the EU. These estimates do not include British citizens travelling or residing for part of the year in another Member State.

    * Population of UK citizens permanently resident in the European Union; UN estimate, mid-2015

    Total (thousands)

    TOTAL UK IN EU

    1,216.0

    Austria

    11.0

    Belgium

    27.3

    Bulgaria

    5.3

    Croatia

    0.7

    Cyprus

    40.5

    Czech Republic

    4.8

    Denmark

    18.6

    Estonia

    0.5

    Finland

    6.9

    France

    185.3

    Germany

    103.4

    Greece

    17.7

    Hungary

    7.0

    Ireland

    254.8

    Italy

    65.0

    Latvia

    1.1

    Lithuania

    3.3

    Luxembourg

    6.6

    Malta

    12.0

    Netherlands

    49.5

    Poland

    34.5

    Portugal

    17.8

    Romania

    3.1

    Slovakia

    4.9

    Slovenia

    0.6

    Spain

    308.8

    Sweden

    25.0

    Office for National Statistics data show that, between January and December 2014, there were approximately 2.9 million European Union member state nationals resident in the UK.

    * Population resident in the United Kingdom, excluding some residents in communal establishments, by nationality; ONS statistics August 2015 (2014 data)

    Total (thousands)

    TOTAL EU IN UK

    2,940

    Austria

    18

    Belgium

    17

    Bulgaria

    59

    Croatia

    4

    Cyprus

    17

    Czech Republic

    37

    Denmark

    26

    Estonia

    14

    Finland

    14

    France

    160

    Germany

    131

    Greece

    54

    Hungary

    85

    Italy

    170

    Latvia

    108

    Lithuania

    155

    Luxembourg

    0

    Malta

    8

    Netherlands

    82

    Poland

    853

    Portugal

    175

    Republic of Ireland

    331

    Romania

    175

    Slovakia

    79

    Slovenia

    5

    Spain

    131

    Sweden

    32

    There are many different ways of defining and calculating migration data so different sources will not necessarily be comparable.

    No information is available on the numbers of UK and EU citizens in receipt of a UK State Pension broken down by nationality. This is because the UK State Pension is a contributory based pension, where nationality or citizenship do not form part of the eligibility criteria.

    There is no data available on the number of European Union member state nationals resident in the UK who are of pensionable age.

  • Paul Farrelly – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Paul Farrelly – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Farrelly on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans to publish NHS Sustainability and Transformation Plans for (a) Staffordshire and (b) other constituent parts of the UK.

    David Mowat

    Sustainability and Transformation Plan proposals are currently at a draft stage, but it is expected that all local leaders will be talking to the public and stakeholders regularly as it is vital that people are able to shape the future of their local services. No changes to the services people currently receive will be made without local engagement and, where required, consultation. There are longstanding assurance processes in place to make sure this happens. All footprints will submit an updated plan in October, with further formal public engagement and consultation taking place from this point, as appropriate. Many footprints are already publishing patient-facing summaries as part of their engagement programme.

  • Liz Saville Roberts – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Liz Saville Roberts – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liz Saville Roberts on 2016-10-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offices Working Links has in Wales for the administration of probation services; and what the locations are of those offices.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    The administration of probation services across the Wales Community Rehabilitation Company (CRC) is changing. There will be three operational hubs located in Swansea, Cardiff and Colwyn Bay. Frontline delivery office locations will exist across Wales and the Wales CRC are establishing community hubs to provide and deliver collaborative partnership working.

    All CRC providers set out an agreed operating model within their bid during the Transforming Rehabilitation competition. We are robustly managing the contracts to make sure the providers deliver services which reduce reoffending, protect the public and provide value for money to the taxpayer.

  • Ann Clwyd – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Ann Clwyd – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ann Clwyd on 2015-11-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the President of Egypt on that country’s protest and counter-terrorism laws.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) discussed a range of bilateral issues with President Sisi on 5 November, including our concerns about the application of laws regarding protests and counter-terrorism.