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  • Andrew Percy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Andrew Percy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2015-11-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment the Government has made of the effect on the likelihood of people’s reemployment of their prior length of absence from work; and what steps the Government is taking to address that matter.

    Priti Patel

    It is not possible to quantify the exact effect of benefit duration on the likelihood of re-employment as information on the destinations of people leaving benefits is not recorded for all claimants.

  • Andrew Percy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Andrew Percy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2015-11-17.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what progress the Government has made on increasing the level of employment in (a) North Lincolnshire, (b) East Yorkshire and (c) England since 2010.

    Mr Rob Wilson

    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

  • Chris Davies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Chris Davies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Davies on 2015-11-17.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to prevent local high street bank branches from closing.

    Harriett Baldwin

    I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave on 25 June 2015 in response to PQ 3380. The answer can be accessed using the following link:

    www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-questions-answers/?page=1&max=20&questiontype=QuestionsWithAnswersOnly&house=commons%2clords&use-dates=True&answered-from=2015-06-25&answered-to=2015-06-26&member=4107.

  • Imran Hussain – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Imran Hussain – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2015-11-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effect of withdrawal of ESOL Plus mandated funding on the ability of refugees in the UK to access ESOL courses.

    Nick Boles

    The decision to withdraw the 2015/16 ESOL Plus (Mandation) funding was taken in the knowledge that providers could use their adult skills budget to continue to provide ESOL training for jobseekers and therefore mitigate any adverse impact. Our data showed that the numbers of claimants being referred to ESOL Plus (Mandation) provision was significantly lower than originally anticipated.

    Adults who are granted refugee status or humanitarian protection become eligible for skills funding through the adult skills budget, as any other English resident and are not subject to the normal 3 year qualifying period.

  • Daniel Zeichner – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Daniel Zeichner – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2015-11-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the numbers of 16 to 24 year olds who have turned down training or further education for transport reasons in the last 12 months.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    The statutory responsibility for transport to education or training for 16- to 18-year-olds rests with local authorities who are expected to make appropriate decisions bearing in mind local circumstances. However, most young people have access to a discount or concession on local travel, from their local transport providers, their local authority, or from their education or training provider.

    Young people are participating at their highest rate since consistent records began with 90.8% of 16- and 17-year-olds being in education and work based learning (apprenticeships) at the end of 2014.

  • Chris Heaton-Harris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Chris Heaton-Harris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Heaton-Harris on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent diplomatic steps he has taken to promote peace in Somalia.

    James Duddridge

    Earlier this month, my Rt Hon Friend the Foreign Secretary chaired a UN Security Council meeting to rally international support on Somalia. This included adoption of the UK drafted resolution to strengthen the UN’s logistical support to AMISOM and the need for progress on an electoral process in 2016.

  • Rebecca Harris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Rebecca Harris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rebecca Harris on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the progress of negotiations to reform the EU and the UK’s relationship with the EU.

    Mr David Lidington

    The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) has set out substantial reforms in four key areas to fix the problems in the UK’s relationship with the EU. Technical talks have been ongoing since July. The Prime Minister updated leaders at the October European Council and wrote to President Tusk on 10 November. Leaders will return to the issue at the December European Council.

  • Wendy Morton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Wendy Morton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Wendy Morton on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in the EU, Africa and the Middle East on diplomatic steps to tackle the refugee crisis in the Mediterranean.

    Mr David Lidington

    Ministers discuss the current migration crisis with EU counterparts and those from other affected regions on a regular basis. Last night, The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) met with African and EU representatives as part of a British Chairmanship of the Khartoum Process.The UK is playing a leading role in taking forward joint efforts.

    For example, countering people smuggling will be a priority for the UK in its engagement with a new Libyan Government resulting from the UN-led process.The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron)announced in Valletta £200 million of new UK money for projects in Africa to address the root causes of migration. 31 European nations and 36 African nations attended the Valletta Summit on Migration earlier this month.

  • Callum McCaig – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Callum McCaig – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Callum McCaig on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he plans to take to ensure that potential breaches of international humanitarian law by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen are investigated.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    We have raised concerns with the Saudi Government on alleged breaches of international humanitarian law and have received repeated assurances of compliance. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) discussed this with the Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister during his visit to Riyadh on 28 October, and most recently in Vienna on 14 November.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his French counterpart on the ISIL attacks in Paris and the implications of those attacks for the Government’s foreign policy.

    Mr David Lidington

    The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) met his French counter-part Laurent Fabius in Vienna the day after the cowardly terrorist attacks and offered hiscondolences to the French people. The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the member for Witney (Mr Cameron) met President Hollande yesterday to discuss how we can strengthen the counter-terrorism co-operation between our two countries and work together to defeat ISIL.