The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Reed on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many EU nationals were living in the Borough of Croydon in September 2016.
Chris Skidmore
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2015-11-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to amend the Pet Animals Act 1951 to reflect the increasing number of animals sold over the internet.
George Eustice
Defra is reviewing the Pet Animals Act 1951, which already covers sales of pet animals over the internet, as part of a wider review of some of the animal related licensing schemes. We are aiming to consult on a set of proposals shortly.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Rana on 2015-12-14.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the humanitarian impact of cutting aid to India from 2016.
Baroness Verma
We selected this three year transition period specifically so that we could responsibly fulfil commitments to existing financial aid projects and ensure government partners were able to build the capacity needed to meet development needs after our support ends.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ruth Cadbury on 2016-01-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effect Tier 2 migration is having on the (a) pay and (b) terms and conditions of UK employees.
James Brokenshire
Tier 2, the skilled worker route, is designed to fill roles which cannot be filled by a suitable resident worker. The immigration rules, and UK employment law, do not allow workers to be made redundant and directly replaced.
It is a decision for businesses whether to outsource certain functions. We are, however, mindful of concerns that use of the Intra-Company Transfer (ICT) category for third party contracting may undercut or displace resident workers.
That is why, in June last year, we commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to examine the ICT category as part of its wider review on Tier 2. The MAC published its report on 19 January and it can be found on the gov.uk website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/migration-advisory-committee-mac-review-tier-2-migration
Chapter 6 of the report sets out the MAC’s findings on the ICT category, including its use for third party contracting, the salaries paid to IT workers and the impacts on the resident labour market. The MAC found that salaries for these transferees were clustered around the 25th percentile of earnings for resident workers in IT occupations (the current minimum permitted under the immigration rules).
The Government is currently considering the MAC’s findings carefully and will announce any changes in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Scriven on 2016-02-22.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what role they are playing in the EU to ensure that the dumping of cut-priced subsidised steel is brought to an end.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe
The government is strongly in favour of effective trade defences to tackle unfair trade practices. We voted in favour of anti-dumping measures on steel products in July and November. We also supported the imposition of provisional anti-dumping measures on reinforcing bar in January, an investigation for which we lobbied the European Commission successfully, and on cold-rolled flat steel products in February. We share the steel industry’s concerns about the level of duties imposed in both cases, and we are pressing the Commission to reconsider this. We also welcomed the opening of three new anti-dumping investigations in February.
The government is also pushing the Commission for faster, more effective action to deal with dumping of steel. This was one of the conclusions of the Extraordinary Competitiveness Council on Steel in November, a meeting which my Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills was instrumental in convening. In advance of the European Commission’s energy-intensive industry stakeholder’s summit on 15 February – another key action from the Competitiveness Council – the government and several other EU Member States sent a joint letter to the Commission, pressing it to make full and timely use of all trade defence instruments to tackle unfair trade. My Rt Hon Friend the Minister of State for Small Business, Industry and Enterprise played an active role at this summit. My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills has also raised these issues in discussions with Trade Commissioner Malmström, most recently on 25 February. I reiterated the need for faster and more effective action on dumping at the Competitiveness Council held on 29th February and the Presidency conclusions of that Council reflected this message.
The government is also supporting a robust discussion of the issue of overcapacity through the EU’s ongoing dialogue with the Chinese and other governments.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lucy Frazer on 2016-03-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support the Government is providing to enable developing countries to harness mobile phone technology.
Mr Nick Hurd
Our partnership with mobile phone operator group, the GSMA, has used mobile technology to improve the reach, delivery and affordability of basic energy, water and sanitation services for 1.3 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, and many of our other programmes in health, education and other sectors use mobile technology.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-04-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 25 February 2016 to Question 27772, if he will provide that data on overseas and UK-based ownership of property for each of those areas and in each of those categories in each financial year between 1997-98 and 2015-16.
Anna Soubry
The information will take time to collate. I will place this in the Libraries of the House as soon as the information is available.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-05-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what data Universal Credit recipients and claims in their area his Department will regularly release to local authorities.
Priti Patel
Work is underway to enable DWP to share data with Local Authorities for a range of specific purposes relating to welfare services and council tax. For example, to facilitate efficient and accurate administration of Local Council Tax Reduction Schemes or Universal Support.
In implementing any data sharing scheme DWP adheres to the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Human Rights Act 1998 and undertake a privacy impact assessment to establish, precisely what data the Local Authority requires; why they require it; and what they intend to do with it.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Mullin on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of applications for Tier 1 entrepreneur visas have been unsuccessful in each of the last four quarters.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The latest available information is published in table vi_01_q (visa data tables volume 1) in ‘Immigration Statistics, April – June 2016’, available from the Home Office website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-april-to-june-2016/list-of-tables#visas
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Kane on 2015-11-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how her Department is contributing to the co-ordination of work across Government to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Justine Greening
The UK welcomes, and is committed to championing, the Sustainable Development Goals. Through our commitment to global development, and by honouring our 0.7% aid commitments, we will play a key role in helping countries to achieve these goals – especially on eradicating extreme poverty, hunger and disease. This will be a cross-government effort, with DFID and other Departments contributing to the successful implementation of the Goals, both internationally and here in the UK.