The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2015-10-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will publish the Memorandum of Understanding entered into by his Department with the Saudi Arabian government.
Dominic Raab
The Information Commissioner’s Office has upheld the decision not to publish this Memorandum of Understanding. That correspondence can be found here: https://ico.org.uk/media/action-weve-taken/decision-notices/2015/1432375/fs_50579089.pdf.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Tyrie on 2015-10-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the value is of the freehold of Chichester Combined Court Centre.
Andrew Selous
There is no estimate of the market value of the freehold of Chichester Combined Court Centre. No decision has been taken to close the court.
Disposal strategies will be developed once a decision is made on individual courts following the outcome of consultation.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-10-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what funding has been made available to each local authority in London and Essex to resettle refugees in each of the next three years.
Richard Harrington
On 2 October local authorities received a letter to confirm that the first 12 months of a refugee’s resettlement costs (under the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme) are fully funded by central government using the overseas aid budget. To ensure that local authorities can plan ahead and continue to respond to the overwhelmingly generous response of the British people, the Government will also provide additional funding to assist with costs incurred in future years. These arrangements will be applied to all cases since the 20,000 expansion was announced.
We do not currently operate any of our other resettlement schemes in London and Essex.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-10-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to support refugee camps near the Syrian border in order to tackle the root causes of migration to Europe.
Justine Greening
DFID works to give Syrians hope and opportunities, so they will not have to risk their lives fleeing the region. The UK has been at the forefront of the response to the crisis in Syria and the region. To date, we have pledged over £1.1 billion, our largest ever response to a humanitarian crisis. Beyond addressing immediate needs, the UK is working with host countries to support their long-term resilience and expand opportunities for refugees, for example through funding to Lebanese and Jordanian municipalities for the running of essential public services.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2015-10-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 12 October 2015 to Question 11278, who is currently responsible for impeding humanitarian access to people in need in Yemen.
Mr Desmond Swayne
All parties to the conflict are responsible for impeding humanitarian access to people in need in Yemen. Intense fighting on the ground is making it increasingly hard for agencies to reach those in need within Yemen. This is compounded by restrictions on imports of commercial and humanitarian supplies into the country, including fuel. This in turn is hampering the distribution of humanitarian supplies within country, including essential food and medicines.
The UK continues to call on all parties to facilitate rapid, safe and unhindered access to all people in need in Yemen. The UK is one of the largest donors to the crisis and has announced £75m to respond to the crisis in Yemen. UK aid is providing vital medical supplies, water, food and emergency shelter, working with trusted and impartial actors who have a strong track record in delivering assistance in difficult and dangerous places. We also support a UN-led process on access negotiations and the establishment of the Access Working Group where partners report cases of obstruction and accessible routes.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2015-10-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 12 October 2015 to Question 11278, who is responsible for restrictions on commercial and humanitarian shipping to Yemen.
Mr Desmond Swayne
A number of parties are responsible for the conflict in Yemen which has led to the restrictions on commercial and humanitarian shipping to Yemen. At President Hadi’s request, Saudi-led Coalition airstrikes began in March 2015 following a rebellion against President Hadi and the Government of Yemen by the Houthi’s and forces loyal to former president Saleh. Intense fighting and insecurity on the ground has resulted in restrictions being placed on commercial and humanitarian shipping, and it is proving difficult to distribute food and fuel to those who need it making the humanitarian situation even worse.
The most important action to address the humanitarian situation, beyond a ceasefire, is to open up access for commercial and humanitarian goods to reach those most in need. All parties to the conflict should take all reasonable steps to allow and facilitate humanitarian access, to facilitate immediate access to life-saving supplies both into and within Yemen. The Secretary of State for International Development recently reinforced this message at the United Nations General Assembly in September.
The UK also supports the UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism, UNVIM, which is now being established to address commercial shipping needs. It involves setting up an internationally-staffed maritime verification centre to replace the existing informal Coalition mechanism. To be effective, all commercial cargo should be within the scope of UNVIM – including fuel.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2015-10-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people are engaged in the Organised Immigration Crime Task Force; and in which countries those people are deployed.
James Brokenshire
The Organised Immigration Crime Taskforce brings together officers from the National Crime Agency, Border Force, Immigration Enforcement and the Crown Prosecution Service to pursue and disrupt organised immigration crime. The Taskforce builds on existing extensive law enforcement capability in the UK and overseas to tackle organised immigration crime and target criminal networks in source and transit countries. The Taskforce will exploit every opportunity to smash the gangs’ criminal operations. There are currently 52 officers in post. It is expected that 89 of the operational posts will be filled by the end of 2015 with all posts in place by the end of March 2016. In addition to posts in the UK, officers have been deployed to Europe and East, West and North Africa. While we continue to fill the additional posts we have temporarily flexed resources from across Organised Immigration Crime Taskforce partners to prioritise tackling people smuggling.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Reed on 2015-10-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reasons humanitarian organisations do not operate inside the refugee camps at Calais.
James Brokenshire
The management of the migrant camps in Calais, including the involvement of any particular organisation, is the responsibility of the French Government. The UK has, however, provided specific financial assistance to fund a project aimed at protecting the most vulnerable people in the camps. This project was agreed by the Home Secretary and French Interior Minister in the UK-France Joint Declaration of August 2015. The project aims to increase observation in the camps to identify vulnerable migrants including those who may be victims of human trafficking; to provide medical help and protection where required; to put in place a system to transfer them briskly to places of safety; and to ensure they are offered the appropriate advice and support from the French system.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Reed on 2015-10-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the prevalence of sexual abuse of women in the Calais refugee camp; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure that women’s safety in that camp is protected.
James Brokenshire
The management of the migrant camps in Calais, including the involvement of any particular organisation, is the responsibility of the French Government. The UK has, however, provided specific financial assistance to fund a project aimed at protecting the most vulnerable people in the camps. This project was agreed by the Home Secretary and French Interior Minister in the UK-France Joint Declaration of August 2015. The project aims to increase observation in the camps to identify vulnerable migrants including those who may be victims of human trafficking; to provide medical help and protection where required; to put in place a system to transfer them briskly to places of safety; and to ensure they are offered the appropriate advice and support from the French system.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2015-10-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will set out the matters that have been discussed under the Memorandum of Understanding her Department entered into with the Saudi Arabia Ministry of the Interior in March 2014.
Mr John Hayes
The Home Office does not publish nor detail discussions relating to security co-operation agreements with international partners as to do so would undermine bilateral relations and prejudice our ability to conduct work under these agreements.