The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lisa Nandy on 2015-12-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times her Department has met Wigan Council in 2015 to date.
James Brokenshire
The Home Office meets regularly with local councils throughout the year on a number of different matters. A central record of all the meetings that are held is not maintained.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2015-12-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many appeals were heard in the First-Tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum) relating to immigration decisions made by her Department in each of the last five years; for how many of those cases her Department did not appoint a legal representative; and in how many of those cases where no legal representative was appointed the appeal was upheld.
James Brokenshire
The Ministry of Justice publishes data at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics on the total number of appeals disposed at the First-Tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum) which includes all types of immigration appeal. Due to the way that data is recorded on Home Office systems, overseas appeals have been excluded from the data set included in the table attachment. The data also excludes paper cases at which a Home Office representative is not required.
The Home Office is usually represented at appeal hearings by a Home Office Presenting Officer acting as a Crown representative on behalf of the Secretary of State for the Home Department (SSHD) in immigration appeals pursuant to s84 (6) of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. Section 84 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 covers who can act as legal representatives in immigration appeals. Subsection 6 specifies that persons acting on behalf of the Crown or relevant Government Department can represent the SSHD at immigration appeals and do not need to be a legally qualified person. However in some cases barristers have also been used.
The proportion of oral appeals not represented increased between January – September 2015 in comparison to the previous 2 years. This was the result of the availability of Presenting resource in the Home Office to match court listing schedules which varied from forecasts used for planning purposes to a significant extent. Resources were put in place to ensure that representation rates increased in the final three months of the calendar year.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lisa Nandy on 2015-12-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, by what date her Department has instructed SERCO to no longer house asylum seekers in hotels.
James Brokenshire
The use of hotels is permitted under the terms of the COMPASS contract as a contingency accommodation when usual accommodation cannot meet demand. The Home Office is clear that this is only ever acceptable in an emergency and providers must move clients into suitable accommodation quickly. No instruction has been given to Serco to cease use of hotels, however we and the housing providers are pursuing all options to reduce hotel use and put in place alternative contingency options.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lisa Nandy on 2015-12-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many visits her Department has made to Wigan in 2015 to date.
James Brokenshire
The Home Office meets regularly with local councils throughout the year on a number of different matters. A central record of all the meetings that are held is not maintained.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lisa Nandy on 2015-12-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department last met Wigan Council.
James Brokenshire
The Home Office meets regularly with local councils throughout the year on a number of different matters. A central record of all the meetings that are held is not maintained.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Thomas-Symonds on 2015-12-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department has taken to seek the views of pensioners on (a) his Department’s policies and (b) dementia since the closure of the UK Advisory Forum on Ageing.
Alistair Burt
We are committed to continuing to listen to and act on the wishes of older people. For example the Department plans to carry out an engagement programme with stakeholder groups representing older people as part of the forthcoming Carer’s Strategy.
The Government is clear that dementia remains a priority and will implement the Prime Minister’s Challenge on Dementia 2020 in full to make sure that dementia care, support, awareness and research are transformed by 2020. The 2020 Challenge aims to build on the achievements of the Prime Minister’s challenge on dementia 2012-2015.
The Department continues to engage with a range of people with dementia and carers including stakeholders who represent them in both delivering the Prime Minister’s Challenge 2012-2015 and in developing and implementing the Prime Minister’s Challenge 2020. The Department also works closely people with dementia and carers through its work with the Dementia Action Alliance.
The Department has funded a number of projects on dementia education and training which have worked directly with people with dementia, in order to better understand the training needs of the staff who support and care for them.
More generally through the Health and Care Voluntary Sector Strategic Partner Programme, the Department, NHS England and Public Health England are already able to work directly in partnership with well-connected voluntary sector organisations. The programme provides a way for policy makers to reach thousands of voluntary and community sector organisations. Many of these groups whom support and represent older people within their communities through the extensive depth and reach of the partners’ networks. This helps to ensure that the voice of small voluntary and community sector organisations is in direct contact with national bodies at the heart of decision making. Age UK is one of the 22 strategic partners, ensuring that older people’s needs are strongly represented.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-12-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of Britain’s exit from the EU on access to healthcare for older British citizens who are resident in other EU countries.
Jane Ellison
The Prime Minister believes Britain’s best future lies within a reformed European Union. He is focused on addressing the concerns of the British people and is confident that the right agreement can be reached.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Kawczynski on 2015-12-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department made of the potential effect on Libya of the suspension of the Temporary Financial Mechanism before that suspension occurred.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
The UK led thinking on the Temporary Financial Mechanism (TFM), established by the Contact Group in Doha in 2011 as a temporary response to the urgent financial needs of the new Libyan National Transitional Council, intended to be used until the new Libyan administration was able to take control of Libyan state assets and revenues that supported Qadhafi’s regime. The UK provided the funding to prepare the TFM and to establish operating procedures that would provide confidence that there was transparent and independent oversight of the funds, and that they would be used in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions.
After National Transitional Forces (NTC) forces took control of Tripoli on 22 August 2011, the UK sponsored UN Security Council Resolution 2009. This established the UN Support Mission in Libya to support stabilisation in Libya, modified the asset freeze on four key listed state entities, provided for a new exemption to unfreeze their assets and mandated the Sanctions Committee to lift the remaining freeze as soon as practical (in consultation with the Libyan authorities). The TFM was used to provide a range of critical financial support, including the import of refined fuel, the treatment of injured Libyans, and family support payments to Libyans who had depended on government welfare payments.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2015-12-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to his Department’s Policy paper, UN Human Rights Council: United Kingdom 2017-2019 candidate, published on 9 December 2015, for what reason reference to the prevention of torture included in previous candidature policy papers was omitted from that policy paper.
Mr David Lidington
Our UN pledges reflect our enduring commitment to promoting universal human rights. Our work to prevent torture globally is intrinsic to this. Our pledges renew the UK’s commitment to encourage the ratification and implementation of core UN human rights instruments – this includes the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and its Optional Protocol. As the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the member for Witney (Mr Cameron) has said, “torture is always wrong”. We continue to call on all states to set up meaningful national preventative mechanisms to put an end to all use of torture and remain committed to torture prevention work globally as evidenced by the launch of the new edition of the Torture Reporting Handbook on 24 September.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Kawczynski on 2015-12-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for future Government policy of the suspension of the Temporary Financial Mechanism on Libyan assets following the 2011 revolution in that country.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
The Temporary Financial Mechanism (TFM), established by the Contact Group in Doha in 2011, was a temporary response to the urgent financial needs of the new Libyan National Transitional Council, intended to be used until the new Libyan administration was able to take control of Libyan state assets and revenues. The TFM was used to provide a range of critical financial support, including the import of refined fuel, the treatment of injured Libyans, and family support payments to Libyans who had depended on government welfare payments.
Our focus now is on supporting the expected signature of the Libyan Political Agreement and the establishment of a Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA). In addition to restoring stability and dealing with the threat of terrorism in Libya, a priority for the new GNA will be returning oil and gas production to pre-crisis levels to sustain stability and growth to the benefit of all Libyans.