The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christina Rees on 2015-11-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many times he has (a) met and (b) corresponded with a minister of the Welsh Government on the draft Wales Bill in the last 12 months.
Dominic Raab
The Wales Office is the lead Government department on the draft Wales Bill, and is the primary point of contact with the Welsh Government on matters related to the draft Bill.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sue Hayman on 2015-11-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to abolish the feudal system of land tenure in England and Wales.
Dominic Raab
The government has no plans to change the basis on which land is owned in England and Wales.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sue Hayman on 2015-11-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what representations his Department has received on manorial rights in Cumbria in the last 12 months.
Dominic Raab
My Department has not received any representations on manorial rights in Cumbria in the last 12 months.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2015-11-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to support the Syrian people in establishing a framework for post-conflict reconstruction.
Mr Desmond Swayne
The UK has been at the forefront of the response to the crisis in Syria and the region. We have pledged over £1.1 billion to date, our largest ever response to a single humanitarian crisis. We are the second largest bilateral donor after the US.
In addition to humanitarian support, the Department for International Development is working closely with the Syrian National Coalition, NGOs, civil society, and human rights activists to strengthen the ability of the moderate opposition to provide governance and services inside Syria in a way that will help prepare the ground for post-conflict reconstruction. The UK is also helping the National Coalition to build its capacity as an institution, to meet the needs of Syrians and to represent their interests.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2015-11-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to improve the reliability and collection of data on nutrition in countries in Asia and Africa.
Mr Desmond Swayne
DFID has been taking a range of steps to improve the reliability and collection of data on nutrition. These include organising an informal expert consultation on nutrition data gaps in June this year; working with the European Commission to establish National Information Platforms for Nutrition; developing innovative metrics and methods for agriculture for nutrition; continuing to fund the Global Nutrition Report, which gives particular focus to data quality and availability and continues to undertake analysis to identify priority areas for investment; funding the Global Open Data for Agriculture and Nutrition (GODAN) programme; and continuing to work with other donors to coordinate our funding on nutrition.
In addition, the UK and US jointly announced that they will partner with the GODAN Secretariat to organise a 2016 GODAN Summit. We will also commission research in early 2016 to test innovative and feasible approaches to collect data, with sufficient frequency in more fragile settings, which should enable better management of malnutrition when shocks and disasters arise.
The UK will continue to provide strong leadership to maintain global momentum on nutrition and will continue to work hard to deliver its promises to scale up its work on nutrition between now and 2020.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Pennycook on 2015-11-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the effect of protests at border crossings between Nepal and India on the supply of (a) fuel, (b) medicine and (c) blood to Nepal.
Mr Desmond Swayne
The current disruption in the Terai and at a number of border posts has affected the importation and distribution within Nepal of supplies of goods. This has included fuel, food and health commodities, such as vaccines and medicines. Acute shortages of diesel, petrol as well as cooking gas have been felt across Nepal for the past weeks. This has had an impact on movement around the country as well as distribution networks for key commodities.
DFID Nepal is currently working with the Ministry of Health and Population, World Health Organisation and other partners to undertake a rapid assessment of the health impacts of the crisis, including the availability medicines and blood products at health facilities. DFID is also engaging with the Government of Nepal, as well as our development and humanitarian partners, to track the current situation. DFID continue to urge all parties to resolve their differences through peaceful dialogue as soon as possible and resolve the current difficulties.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2015-11-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many private hire vehicle drivers have been arrested in (a) London and (b) the UK for offences related to plying for hire in each of the last five years.
Mike Penning
The Home Office does not hold data centrally on the number of private hire vehicle drivers arrested.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2015-11-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with his ministerial colleagues on introducing a statutory definition of plying for hire in the taxi and private hire vehicle industry.
Andrew Jones
As part of the process of considering all the recommendations in the Law Commission’s report on reforming taxi and private hire vehicle legislation, my Department is continuing to discuss the proposals with colleagues in other Government departments.
The Government will formally respond to the Law Commission and announce its intentions in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2015-11-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to reduce the number of private hire vehicles illegally plying for hire.
Andrew Jones
The Government is responsible for the legislative structure within which local licensing authorities deliver the licensing regime for taxis and private hire vehicles. Enforcement of the licensing regime, including ensuring that private hire vehicles do not illegally ply for hire, is therefore a matter for local licensing authorities and the police.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2015-11-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her Department’s current service standard is for the time taken to process further submissions related to an asylum claim.
James Brokenshire
There is not a formal service standard for deciding further submissions from failed asylum seekers. The Home Office is balancing resource between those failed asylum seekers with no leave to remain who have made further submissions on the one hand and, on the other, those who were granted a limited period of leave following the refusal of their application who have outstanding applications for Further Leave.
With regard to further submissions lodged by failed asylum seekers, there is dedicated resource in place to decide cases in the existing stock of further submissions and to also decide new submissions quickly, wherever possible within 5 days of their being lodged. With regard to cases in the stock of further submissions, the Home Office is prioritising cases where applicants are in receipt of asylum support and cases where the applicant may be removed from the United Kingdom in the eventuality their submission is refused. The Home Office will also give priority to further submissions case that have been outstanding for the longest period of time.
The figures in the below table relate to failed asylum seekers who had outstanding further submissions as of 30 June 2015:
Timescale (Years) Total
1 – 2 2383
2 – 3 1426
3 or more 1267
Total 5076