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  • Andy Slaughter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andy Slaughter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of changes to his Department’s policies on (a) the provision of secure colleges, (b) prohibiting prisoners from receiving books, (c) the sale of HM Courts and Tribunal Service, (d) Saudi prison contracts and (e) the timetable for the tender for criminal defence work.

    Andrew Selous

    I refer the honourable member to the answer given to PQ 13074 on 7th December 2015. There was never any plan to sell HM Courts and Tribunals Service. There is no cost to the public purse from the delay to implementation of new criminal legal aid contracts.

  • Kevin Brennan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Kevin Brennan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Syrian refugees have been admitted to the UK since September 2015 in each region; and how many she plans to admit by the end of 2016.

    Richard Harrington

    We will not be giving a running commentary on numbers. The refugees that we are bringing to the United Kingdom are very vulnerable people. Our prime concern is their safety and protection as they arrive in this country. We believe that one way to protect their privacy and ensure their recovery and integration is to limit the amount of information about them that we make publicly available. We want to ensure the understandable public interest in the scheme is not based on a running commentary on the numbers that have arrived.

    Notwithstanding this, the Home Office is committed to publishing data in an orderly way as part of the regular quarterly Immigration Statistics, in line with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics. The next set of figures will be in the quarterly release on 26 November 2015 and will cover the period July-September 2015.

    The programme is driven by need, and the number resettled in a particular period will depend on a range of factors. This includes the number of referrals we have received from UNHCR and the number of confirmed places we have received from local authorities that are suitable for the specific needs of those who have been accepted for resettlement. Rather than a monthly or yearly target we acknowledge that some months we will resettle more or less than others because it is based on the need in the region at that time and the progress of those people through the system. We cannot, therefore, state at this time how many confirmed places will be made available by the end of 2016.

  • Imran Hussain – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Imran Hussain – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the withdrawal of ESOL funding on levels of poverty.

    Priti Patel

    We are committed to supporting those who are unemployed to finding and keeping employment. In doing so, we ensure that any learning provision is delivered in the context of local employment and labour market demand. Data shows that the numbers of learners in England previously being referred to ESOL Plus (Mandation) provision was significantly lower than originally anticipated and the ESOL Plus (Mandation) budget was underspent in 2014/15.

    The decision to remove the specific English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Plus (Mandation) funding for 2015/16 enables providers, as independent organisations which manage their own budgets, to have the flexibility to use their adult skills budget more effectively to support jobseekers. They are able to continue to provide ESOL training for jobseekers where it is likely to result in the most effective labour market outcome, and jobseekers with poor English language skills can still be mandated to this training. All new claimants are screened for spoken English at their first interview and if below entry level 2, they are referred for a more detailed assessment and, if appropriate, training provision.

  • Imran Hussain – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Imran Hussain – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that claimants with limited English are referred to a structured programme to improve their English skills.

    Priti Patel

    All Jobseekers are screened for their ability in English Language skills and referred to appropriate English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) training to improve their skills to help support them into employment.

  • Imran Hussain – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Imran Hussain – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made on the effect of the withdrawal of ESOL plus mandation funding ESOL on employment prospects for refugees.

    Priti Patel

    We are committed to supporting those who are unemployed to finding and keeping employment. In doing so, we ensure that any learning provision is delivered in the context of local employment and labour market demand. Data shows that the numbers of learners in England previously being referred to ESOL Plus (Mandation) provision was significantly lower than originally anticipated and the ESOL Plus (Mandation) budget was underspent in 2014/15.

    The decision to remove the specific English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Plus (Mandation) funding for 2015/16 enables providers, as independent organisations which manage their own budgets, to have the flexibility to use their adult skills budget more effectively to support jobseekers. They are able to continue to provide ESOL training for jobseekers where it is likely to result in the most effective labour market outcome, and jobseekers with poor English language skills can still be mandated to this training. All new claimants are screened for spoken English at their first interview and if below entry level 2, they are referred for a more detailed assessment and, if appropriate, training provision.

  • Imran Hussain – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Imran Hussain – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assistance his Department provides to local authorities and housing associations for English language courses following the withdrawal of ESOL Plus Mandation funding.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    DCLG provides £8 million funding for the community-based English language programme that supports six projects delivering English courses to adults with the lowest levels of English – with the aim of supporting integrated communities. Delivery is over three years (2013-16) and will reach over 33,500 adults – largely Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Somali women. In addition, jobseekers on work-related benefits with poor spoken English can continue to access fully funded English Language training through BIS’s Adult Skills Budget.

  • 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 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assistance his Department is providing to help businesses to employ migrants with in-demand skills but poor English language skills.

    Nick Boles

    In our approach to skills, we aim to create a fair balance between the investment made by Government, the employer and the individual. We believe that non-native speakers of English, who choose to live in the UK, should be expected to invest in the improvement of their English, with some exceptions. Similarly, where employers seek to rely on non-English speaking labour, it is their responsibility to cover the cost of training employees.

  • 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 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent representations he has received on the Action for ESOL Manifestos.

    Nick Boles

    The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has not received any representations on the Action for ESOL Manifesto.

  • 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 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that the skills of ESOL tutors are not lost following the withdrawal of ESOL Plus Mandation funding.

    Nick Boles

    The decision to withdraw the 2015/16 English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Plus (Mandation) funding was taken in the knowledge that providers could use their adult skills budget to continue to maintain their ESOL courses and therefore mitigate any adverse impact. It is the responsibility of providers to ensure they have teaching staff with the right skills and expertise to deliver the range of courses they offer.

  • 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 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effect of the withdrawal of ESOL Plus Mandation funding on attainment levels of children whose parents participated in or were eligible for ESOL courses.

    Nick Boles

    Although there is a correlation between parental education levels and the attainment of children, many other factors are also relevant. Isolating the specific impact of this particular funding on children’s levels of attainment would be extremely difficult.

    The decision to withdraw the 2015/16 English Speakers of Other Languages (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.