Category: Speeches

  • Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws on 2016-01-20.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the letter by Lord Bates to Lord Rosser on 8 January (DEP2016–0028) and the remarks by Lords Bates on 18 January (HL Deb, col 624), which immigration offences led, following conviction, to the forfeiture of assets totalling £966,024 in 2014–15; and how much was forfeited in total for each offence.

    Lord Bates

    There were 16 confiscation orders amounting to £966,024, these are broken down to the following offences.

    Offence

    Amount

    Forgery and Counterfeiting

    £162,997.55

    Facilitation investigation

    £10,665.95

    Sham Marriage – assisting unlawful immigration

    £85,519.29

    Fraud and Money Laundering

    £2.00

    Conspiracy to Facilitate a Breach of Immigration Law

    £25,466.62

    Conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration

    £330,352.72

    Fraud by false representation

    £1,020.32

    Assisting Unlawful Immigration into the UK

    £350,000.00

    In the case of Money Laundering, the small total is because of nominal confiscation orders. A nominal confiscation order for a small amount (such as £1), may be imposed where the court finds that the defendant has benefitted from his criminal conduct, but has no realisable assets. If circumstances change then the order can be revisited.

  • Kwasi Kwarteng – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Kwasi Kwarteng – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kwasi Kwarteng on 2016-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if the Government will provide assistance to farmers in Zimbabwe who are forced from their land by the policies of the government of that country.

    James Duddridge

    I share My Right Honourable Friend’s concerns about the devastating impact of land seizures in Zimbabwe. The British Embassy in Harare frequently raises land security – and the importance of upholding the rule of law – with the Government of Zimbabwe. Most recently, they highlighted the British Government’s serious concerns that the seizure of the land of Zimbabwean farmer, Mr Philip Rankin, did not follow the provisions of the Zimbabwean constitution. The British Government has always said that it would support a fair, transparent and pro-poor land reform programme in Zimbabwe. This is vital if Zimbabwe is to realise its great economic and social potential.

  • Mark Prisk – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Mark Prisk – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Prisk on 2016-03-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans to publish the revised Carr-Hill formula.

    Alistair Burt

    NHS England is committed to reviewing the Carr-Hill formula which underpins the payments made to general practitioner (GP) practices under the General Medical Services contract. A technical working group and steering group have been established and are meeting regularly.

    Whilst the technical work is expected to complete in 2016, the new formula is not expected to impact GP contracts before 2017/18, following negotiation with the British Medical Association.

  • Jonathan Reynolds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jonathan Reynolds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Reynolds on 2016-04-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what requirements are placed on the building of new academies to demonstrate (a) local need and (b) parental demand.

    Edward Timpson

    When applying to set up a new mainstream or 16-19 free school, applicants must demonstrate that there is a need for the school. They could do this by showing that there is either a projected shortage of school places in the relevant phase in the area where the school is proposed; a need for more high quality school places; or a need for greater local choice and diversity.

    Applicants applying to set up special or alternative provision free schools must demonstrate that they have a commitment from commissioners that they will purchase places at the free school.

    In relation to demand, all applicants must demonstrate that the proposed school will be popular and fill to capacity. To do this, applicants must provide evidence that they have effectively marketed the school to a cross-section of the local community and parents.

    The department publishes guidance for applicants on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/opening-a-free-school

    “

  • Ian Paisley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Ian Paisley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Paisley on 2016-05-18.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he plans to take to ensure that importers of soft drinks from outside the UK are subject to the soft drinks industry levy.

    Damian Hinds

    The levy will apply to importers of sugar-sweetened soft drinks and we will consult on the appropriate compliance arrangements.

  • Danny Kinahan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Danny Kinahan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Danny Kinahan on 2016-06-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the US State Department on changes to the US visa waiver programme affecting people who have visited Iraq since 2011.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    While US immigration processes are a matter for the US authorities, we have raised with the US administration the importance of clearly communicating changes to their immigration policy. We remain in close contact with the US Embassy in order to avoid inconvenience to British nationals travelling to the US.

    The Secretary of State for Home Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May) raised migration issues with Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson in Washington on 17 February.

  • Tom Watson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Tom Watson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2016-09-13.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will take steps to ensure that parliamentary questions are answered in full where the requested information is already available.

    Ben Gummer

    Ministers are responsible for the answers they give to Parliamentary questions. The practice of providing links or references to published material is long standing. There are currently no plans to update the Guidance to Departments on drafting answers to Parliamentary questions given it was previously updated in the last Parliament.

  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with her French counterpart on the possible introduction of fingerprinting at Schengen zone borders.

    James Brokenshire

    The Home Secretary and her French counterpart have had a number of discussions concerning the need to fingerprint individuals at the external border of the Schengen area as part of the strategy to manage the unprecedented flow of migrants.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Gregory Campbell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2015-12-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to promote international support for and defence of religious minority communities in the Middle East.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    We remain deeply concerned about the plight of Christians and other religious minorities across the Middle East and North Africa. In March this year at a United Nations Security Council debate on the persecution of minorities in the Middle East, I called for bold leadership in the region to continue working for tolerance and reconciliation.

    In September the UK participated in an international conference in Paris on the subject, and called on the international community to do more to assist vulnerable populations. On 19 November Baroness Anelay and I convened a workshop with non governmental organisations and experts in the field to examine what more Her Majesty’s Government might do to practically support Christians and other minorities in the Middle East and protect Freedom of Religion or Belief. Officials are now examining how to put these ideas into practice.

    On a practical level, we assisted Kurdish and Yezidi fighters to liberate vulnerable minority groups in Sinjar in Iraq in November. The Royal Air Force provide vital air support for local, legitimate ground forces, focused on defeating ISIL and minimising civilian casualties.

    We raise violations with individual countries, and work with them to ensure that discriminatory legislation and practices are tackled. We also ensure that the international consensus in the UN on tackling religious intolerance is maintained.

  • Lord Black of Brentwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Black of Brentwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Black of Brentwood on 2016-01-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what has been the total cost to date of Operation Midland into allegations of historic child sex abuse.

    Lord Bates

    The resourcing, and cost, of police investigations into non recent child sexual abuse allegations is a matter for the relevant Chief Officer.