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  • Hilary Benn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Hilary Benn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2015-11-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of the creation of 28 states in South Sudan on the prospects for peace in that region.

    Mr Philip Hammond

    With our Troika partners, the United States and Norway, we issued a statement on 6th October expressing serious concern at President Kiir’s announcement of 2nd October concerning the creation of 28 states in South Sudan, as it contradicts the Government of South Sudan’s stated commitment to implement the peace agreement. The full text of this statement can be found at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/news/south-sudan-troika-statement

  • Hilary Benn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Hilary Benn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2015-11-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of Syrian children in Europe who are (a) vulnerable to trafficking and (b) unaccompanied.

    Mr Philip Hammond

    As of 2 November the number of people arriving in Europe had reached 745,229 according to the UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. Of these 149,045 are children, including around 79,000 Syrian children. Humanitarian organisations are expecting that, given the rate of arrivals, a total of 225,000 children will need assistance between September and December 2015. All of these are considered to be vulnerable to trafficking and exploitation.

  • Graham Jones – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Graham Jones – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Jones on 2015-11-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent contact the Government has had with the Free Syrian Army.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    On 4 November, the Foreign Secretary and I met Khaled Khoja, President of the Syrian National Coalition, and Osama Abu Zayd, Spokesperson for the Free Syrian Army. The meeting was an opportunity to hear firsthand about the situation on the ground inside Syria, as well as to underline to President Khoja and his delegation the British Government’s commitment to supporting the moderate Syrian opposition in pursuit of a political solution to the conflict in Syria.

  • Neil Coyle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Neil Coyle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Coyle on 2015-11-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average number of personal independence payment assessments undertaken each week was in September and October 2015.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

  • Neil Coyle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Neil Coyle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Coyle on 2015-11-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when his Department plans to update guidance to Jobcentre Plus staff on claimants that report suicidal thoughts; and how such existing guidance is made available to those staff.

    Priti Patel

    The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) takes seriously any declarations of intention to attempt suicide or self harm that are made by its customers. There is a clear, detailed action plan that staff must follow if a customer declares an intention to kill or harm themselves and DWP provides guidance to help its staff deal with these incidents. The policy, procedures and guidance are reviewed regularly to ensure that they continue to meet their objectives and to identify areas for improvement.

    DWP raises staff awareness through its own internal communication channels whenever guidance is reviewed and updated. This messaging ensures that related products such as learning and development for staff are also reviewed and updated concurrently.

  • Neil Coyle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Neil Coyle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Coyle on 2015-11-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many former service personnel are in receipt of Armed Forces Independence Payments.

    Mark Lancaster

    As at 31 October 2015, there were 869 Service and former Service personnel in receipt of Armed Forces Independence Payments.

  • Neil Parish – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Neil Parish – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Parish on 2015-11-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if she will take steps to promote the use of British welded steel instead of imported seamless steel in the shale gas exploration industry.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Government would like to see UK steel companies take advantage of the commercial opportunities that a shale hydrocarbon exploration and production industry will bring. However, the decision over the use of welded steel tubes will predominantly depend on the design and specification of the well and the geology. Government officials will continue to engage with the steel industry over this large potential opportunity and will encourage it to continue its dialogue with the onshore oil and gas industry.

  • David Burrowes – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    David Burrowes – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Burrowes on 2015-11-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will support the establishment of a full, international, independent investigation by the UN into claims of genocide against the Rohingya in Burma.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    The UK deplores the treatment of the Rohingya community in Rakhine State, who are subject to persecution and denied the most basic rights. We welcome the work of the highly effective UN Special Rapporteur on Burma, who has shone a spotlight on violations against the Rohingya in Rakhine. She has not characterised the treatment of the Rohingya as genocide, and neither did the UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide in his 4 November statement on Burma’s elections. However, any judgement on whether genocide has occurred is a matter for international judicial decision, rather than for governments or non-judicial bodies. A UN investigation would require high level international support for which, we assess, there is little prospect of agreement at this stage. Our approach is to seek an end to all violations, irrespective of whether or not they fit the definition of specific international crimes. I and other British Government Ministers take every appropriate opportunity, both publicly and in private, to press the Burmese authorities to take urgent steps to address the situation of the Rohingya. I did this with senior Burmese Ministers during my visit to Burma in July, when I travelled to Rakhine State for the second time. Most recently, I raised the issue with the Burmese Foreign Minister, Wunna Maung Lwin, in September in New York. After the 8 November elections, the UK will continue our efforts to address the serious ongoing human rights violations against the Rohingya in Rakhine State.

  • Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-11-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether NHS charges claim forms include a box for universal credit.

    Alistair Burt

    Some NHS Help with Health Costs claim forms, for example HC5 refund claim forms, have been amended to include a specific tick box to enable Universal Credit recipients to claim entitlement.

    Form HC1 (NHS Low Income Scheme application form) has been amended to include a sentence about Universal Credit, to advise those applying that until 31 October 2015, anyone in receipt of Universal Credit does not need to complete the form, as they will already be entitled to Help with Health Costs.

    Other forms, including: NHS prescription forms (FP10); dental treatment claim forms (FP17) and claims for NHS funded sight tests (GOS 1) and for vouchers for glasses or contact lenses (GOS 3) will be amended to include a Universal Credit box in due course.

    A patient can make a claim for entitlement by ticking the “gets income based Jobseekers Allowance” on relevant forms. Guidance for both the public and healthcare practitioners (such as pharmacists, dentist and opticians) has been included on NHS Choices with links from the Universal Credit webpages on Gov.uk.

  • Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-11-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effect on the financial sustainability of sixth form colleges of (a) VAT and (b) pension costs; and if she will estimate the average proportion of a sixth form college’s budget which is spent on those costs.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    The Education Funding Agency (EFA) regularly assesses the financial viability of sixth-form colleges on behalf of the department. Those assessments take account of all income and costs for colleges, including costs relating to VAT and pension liabilities.

    The department estimates that VAT accounts for about 3% of sixth form colleges’ expenditure each year.

    With regards to pension costs, sixth-form colleges may contribute to a number of pension schemes. The SFC financial returns are available online at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sfa-financial-management-college-accounts and show employer contributions to pensions. The EFA does not routinely collect data on the cost of other pension schemes through financial returns.

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