Category: Speeches

  • John McDonnell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    John McDonnell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John McDonnell on 2014-03-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how long the UK plans to host Syrian refugees who come as part of the resettlement deal; and whether such refugees will be issued with a visa for a specified time period.

    James Brokenshire

    The first beneficiaries of the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation (VPR)
    scheme arrived in the UK on 25 March. This is the result of excellent
    co-operation with UNHCR, the International Organisation for Migration and local
    authority services, which has allowed us to identify vulnerable individuals in
    need of evacuation and ensure that the support they need is in place in the
    UK. These support packages are tailored on a case by case basis to ensure that
    specific requirements for those relocated under the scheme are met and include
    health, education and integration support.

    Those admitted under the VPR scheme will be granted five years’ Humanitarian
    Protection, with all the rights and benefits that go with that status. This
    includes access to public funds, access to the labour market and the
    possibility of family reunion. If the situation in Syria stabilises, they may
    choose to return home. However, at the end of the five years, if they have not
    been able to return to Syria, they may be eligible to apply for settlement in
    the UK.

  • Robert Buckland – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Robert Buckland – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Buckland on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what funding is currently allocated to higher education institutes to assist them in fulfilling their responsibilities to disabled students under the Equality Act 2010.

    Mr David Willetts

    In the academic year 2013/14 £15 million was allocated to Higher Education Institutions through theHigher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) grant, to help them recruit and support disabled students. This figure was an increase of £2 million on the previous year and has been maintained by HEFCE for 2014/15. This is in addition to the direct support provided to disabled students through the Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSA). In England, £125.1 million was spent on providing DSA in 2011/12.

  • Lord Mendelsohn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Mendelsohn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mendelsohn on 2014-03-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what customer, user and satisfaction surveys were conducted in the last 12 months in the Department for Education and the agencies that report to it; which of them have been reported to the management board in the last 12 months; and which were commissioned by the management board.

    Lord Nash

    The Department for Education uses a range of feedback mechanisms across policy and delivery work to improve the experience of users and customers. Feedback is commissioned by the relevant teams; there is no central coordination of this activity. To collect details of this would incur disproportionate cost. The Department’s management board considers papers covering the range of the Department’s responsibilities, which reflect the results of the Department’s feedback mechanisms.

  • Alex Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Alex Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many soldiers who enlisted in the Army aged (a) under 18 and (b) 18 years and above dropped out before completing phase two training in the last 10 financial years.

    Mr Mark Francois

    ‘Enlistment’ has been interpreted as those who joined the untrained strength, for example those that begin Phase 1 training. Totals for the period between 1 April 2004 and 31 March 2014 are shown below:

    Age on Entry Untrained Strength
    Intake Outflow
    Under 18 35,190 12,300
    18 and over 64,950 17,250
    Unknown 430 430
    Total 100,570 29,980

    Source: Defence Statistics (Army).

    Personnel may leave the Army for a number of reasons, including medical and fitness factors, disciplinary reasons, or voluntary withdrawal. Those who join-up under 18 years of age have a statutory right to discharge from the Armed Forces within six months if they feel they are unsuited to service life.

    The figures in the table exclude Gurkhas, Full Time Reserve Service, Mobilised Reserves, Army Reserve and all other Reserves.

    Where an individual’s entry date is blank on the records, the age on entry has not been able to be calculated and is shown as ‘unknown’.

    Figures have been rounded to 10; numbers ending in ‘5′ have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias. Totals and sub-totals have been rounded separately and so may not be the sum of their parts.

  • Clive Efford – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Clive Efford – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Clive Efford on 2014-03-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many academy trusts did not submit their account returns on time in each year since 2011.

    Edward Timpson

    The number and proportion of academy trusts that did not submit an accounts return on time is detailed in the table below:

    Financial year

    Date due

    Number late

    Percentage late

    2012-13

    31 January 2014

    166

    7.6%

    2011-12

    31 January 2013

    119

    8.2%

    2010-11

    31 January 2011

    100

    17.4%

    Academies were not required to submit accounts returns prior to 2010-11.

  • Cathy Jamieson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Cathy Jamieson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cathy Jamieson on 2014-06-04.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he expects the Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority to publish their review on removing barriers to entry and expansion in retail banking.

    Andrea Leadsom

    Budget 2014 detailed that the Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority will publish a review of their work on removing barriers to entry and expansion in retail banking later this year.

  • Graham Evans – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Graham Evans – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Evans on 2014-03-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the nationality and gender was of each suspected victim of trafficking referred to the Trafficking Victim Support Scheme operated by the Salvation Army in January 2014; in which (a) region, (b) county, (c) metropolitan district, (d) district council area, (e) city and (f) parliamentary constituency each of the suspected victims was found; which agency referred each person to that Scheme; in which town the shelter to which such people were placed for the statutory period was; what continued contact is had with each such victim after they have exited the shelter to avoid re-trafficking; and if she will make a statement.

    Karen Bradley

    In January, 2014 there were 90 referrals to the Government-funded support
    service for adult victims of human trafficking in England and Wales
    administered by the Salvation Army.

    In order to ensure that victims cannot be identified, the tables below only
    provide data at a regional level.

    Nationality

    Nationality

    Number of Referrals

    Albanian

    23

    Bulgarian

    2

    Cameroonian

    2

    Czech

    3

    Chinese

    1

    Ethiopian

    1

    Ghanaian

    2

    Hungarian

    3

    Indian

    2

    Iranian

    1

    Iraqi

    1

    Kenyan

    2

    Lithuanian

    4

    Moroccan

    1

    Nigerian

    10

    Pakistani

    1

    Polish

    3

    Romanian

    8

    Sierra Leonean

    1

    Slovakian

    7

    Sri Lankan

    1

    Togolese

    1

    Ugandan

    3

    Vietnamese

    6

    Not known

    1

    Total

    90

    Gender

    Gender

    Number of Referrals

    Female

    59

    Male

    31

    Transgender

    0

    Total

    90

    Region where victim was found

    Region

    Number of Referrals

    East

    4

    East Midlands

    2

    North East

    1

    North East

    3

    South

    28

    South East

    11

    South West

    5

    Wales

    2

    West Midlands

    12

    Yorkshire

    19

    Not Known

    3

    Total

    90

    Agency type that referred victims

    Agency type

    Number of Referrals

    GLA

    1

    Home Office

    27

    Legal Representative

    5

    Local Authority

    5

    NGO

    18

    Other

    5

    Police

    25

    Self Referral

    4

    Total

    90

    The victim care contract does not require support providers to maintain any form
    of formal contact after the recovery and reflection period. However, some survivors do maintain informal contact with their support provider, but we do not have this information.

  • Cathy Jamieson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Cathy Jamieson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cathy Jamieson on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the target time is for dealing with passport applications.

    James Brokenshire

    Expected service standards for passport applications are given at
    www.gov.uk.

    Information in respect of the Member’s constituency is not available and the
    cost of collating it would be disproportionate.

    The table below shows the proportions of UK passport applications in each of
    the last 12 months which have been processed within the published service
    standards.

    2013

    % straightforward applications processed within the published timescales

    % non-straightforward applications processed within the published timescales

    June

    100%

    97.8%

    July

    100%

    96.9%

    August

    100%

    96.4%

    September

    100%

    96.0%

    October

    100%

    95.9%

    November

    99.99%

    96.5%

    December

    99.99%

    96.3%

    2014

    January

    99.99%

    96.8%

    February

    99.98%

    98.1%

    March

    99.95%

    96.8%

    April

    98.59%

    99.6%

    May

    92.26%

    93.9%

  • Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-03-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 9 January 2014, Official Report, column 280W, on the work capability assessment, how many and what proportion of those who have undertaken a work capability test in each nation and region of the UK have been declared fit for work.

    Mike Penning

    Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) initial claims and Incapacity Benefit (IB) reassessment claims, by outcomes of work capability assessments by regions in Great Britain are published. The numbers and the proportion of fit for work decisions can be found in table 1a and table 11 at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/274091/esa_wca_140122.xls

    Notes:

    1. There is a reporting lag of approximately 8-months at the issuing date of this statistical output owing to the time needed to process data and time allowed to enable each cohort’s assessment phase to elapse.

    2. Caseload figures rounded to nearest hundred. Totals may not sum due to the rounding method use. Proportions are rounded to the nearest whole number.

    3. Figures include those cases where the functional assessment has not been completed.

    Information for Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Department for Social Development. Northern Ireland statistics can be found at:

    http://www.dsdni.gov.uk/index/stats_and_research/benefit_publications.htm

    “

  • Robert Flello – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Robert Flello – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Flello on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether officials from the British Embassy have visited Huber Ballesteros in La Picota prison in Bogota.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    The UK cannot interfere in Colombia’s judicial process but will continue to raise any concerns regarding due process and conditions with the Colombian authorities.

    The Embassy is currently awaiting authorisation from the Municipal Criminal Court to visit Huber Ballesteros in prison.

    To date, the British Embassy has not yet been authorised to visit Huber Ballesteros in prison, this is despite requesting permission on six different occasions.

    No representatives of the British Embassy were able to attend the preliminary hearings in the case of Huber Ballesteros due to unrelated security concerns. His trial will take place on 26 and 27 of June and the British Embassy intends to send Officials to observe this.