The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2016-03-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many full-time members of staff her Department employs in renegotiating tax treaties with developing countries.
Mr Desmond Swayne
Negotiation of UK tax treaties is a matter for HM Revenue and Customs.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lisa Cameron on 2016-03-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to assist the Nigerian government to support access for internally displaced children in that country to (a) education and (b) healthcare.
Mr Nick Hurd
In education, DFID is supporting the Government of Nigeria’s Safe Schools Initiative, which aims to restore safe access to learning for children affected by conflict. The Initiative has supported over 90,000 displaced children to return to school, providing learning materials and training teachers on psychosocial support. In health, DFID is supporting the International Committee of the Red Cross, who have helped restore basic health care services for 225,000 people affected by conflict, and provided 150,000 immunisations for children.
All of our programmes, including those that assist internally displaced children, work with government authorities and other donors to influence national plans and strategies, and to strengthen education and health systems.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Gethins on 2016-03-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 21 March 2016 to Question 31131, for what reason the amount of financial assistance her Department has provided to UNOCHA for its work in Libya since 1 April 2015 was not supplied in that Answer.
Mr Desmond Swayne
DFID has provided £19,867 to support UNOCHA for its work in Libya since 1 April 2015. This was to provide surge support for coordination to UNOCHA during the production of the Humanitarian Response Plan. The secondment came to a close unexpectedly early. Following a decision by OCHA not to replace the coordinator, we have used some of the remaining funds to second an Emergency Health Sector Coordinator within WHO since November 2015 at a cost of £34,614 in response to priority needs. In addition, we are currently brokering a further surge secondment to OCHA and at this point in time the costs are not finalised.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Evans on 2016-03-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment she has made of the humanitarian situation in Yemen; and if she will make a statement.
Mr Desmond Swayne
The United Nations report that 21.2 million people in Yemen require some kind of humanitarian assistance to meet their basic needs or protect their fundamental rights, as cited in the 2016 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP). The government uses this UN report as one if its primary data sources.
We continue to call on other donors to step up. In July 2015 the Foreign and Development Secretaries wrote to international donors to raise the profile of Yemen’s humanitarian crisis and encourage more funding to the response. In September, the Development Secretary co-hosted a meeting on Yemen’s humanitarian crisis at the UN General Assembly, at which donors (including the UK) pledged an additional £85 million.
The Co-Chairs statement from the meeting can be found here: http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/co-chairs-statement-ministerial-yemen-meeting-monday-28-september-2015
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-03-23.
To ask the Rt. hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington representing the House of Commons Commission, how much it costs to post a franked envelope from the House of Commons.
Tom Brake
The cost of postage for a bespoke DL sized pre-paid envelope, supplied to Members through the House provided stationery budget, is as follows:
1st class – £0.64
2nd class – £0.55
The cost of postage on a pre-paid envelope is the same as a stamp. Franked mail, used by departments of the House, is cheaper than pre-paid envelopes as franking is paid for in bulk and in advance which generates a slight discount to the price; costs are:
1st Class small envelope under 100g – £0.52
2nd Class small envelope under 100g – £0.39
1st Class large envelope under 100g – £0.81
2nd Class large envelope under 100g – £0.65
However, there are restrictions on where this can be sent from. 30 items or less can be sent from a standard post box but must be bundled and separated from standard mail; in excess of 30 items must be sent via a Post Office, Royal Mail Centre or Delivery Office or Business Post Box.
The list below details the different postage costs for envelopes which are available to Members through the bespoke stationery catalogue.
|
HC23-244S |
£0.55 |
|
HC23-245 |
£0.55 |
|
HC23-146S |
£0.64 |
|
HC23-246S |
£0.55 |
|
HC23-147S |
£0.64 |
|
HC23-247S |
£0.55 |
|
HC23-149WS |
£0.64 |
|
HC23-249WS |
£0.55 |
|
HC23-150 |
£5.50 |
|
HC23-151 |
£2.85 |
|
HC228 |
£0.55 |
|
HC129 |
£1.27 |
|
HC229 |
£1.20 |
|
HC130 |
£1.27 |
|
HC230 |
£1.20 |
|
HC3-16 |
£0.64 |
|
HC85 |
£0.55 |
|
HC86A |
£0.55 |
|
HC23-146EU |
£1.05 |
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-03-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum applications have been refused as a result of the good character test in each year for which information is available.
James Brokenshire
Guidance on the good character requirement is published at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/406368/Chapter18AnnexDv02.pdf
It is a requirement that applies to anybody over the age of ten who applies for naturalisation or registration and therefore plays no part in the assessment of asylum applications.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-03-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many leave to remain applications have been refused as a result of the good character test in each year for which information is available.
Mike Penning
We are unable to supply the information requested, as Leave to Remain (LTR) applications are not assessed or refused on the basis of ‘the good character test’ . LTR applications are assessed against a range of criteria, including on the basis of the applicants suitability – which may be their character, convictions, associations or other reasons which may mean that their being in the UK is not ‘conducive to the public good’.
The specific refusal reasons entered onto the Home Office IT system during the assessment of a case, consist of a free-form text field, which can only be accessed on a case-by-case basis and therefore a wider Management Information report is not available for this question.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Kane on 2016-03-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to reduce the number of asylum seekers placed in hotels while awaiting decisions on asylum applications.
Mike Penning
We have continued to make clear to our providers that the use of hotels is only acceptable as a short-term contingency arrangement and we are supporting all measures being pursued by providers to increase procurement to provide sufficient accommodation as a matter of urgency.
With the support of local authorities we, and our housing providers, are engaging with areas that to date have not participated in asylum dispersal with a view to negotiating voluntary agreements to do so. We are also working through a range of other options for accommodating asylum seekers safely and securely.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Wayne David on 2016-03-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what support is provided to special constables injured on duty to support recovery from such injuries.
Mike Penning
In order to ensure that special constables have legal protection, the Home Office provides legal assistance cover currently through Arc Legal Assistance. This is available to all special constables, free of charge, and includes personal injury cover including financial compensation for damages. It also includes cover for legal advice as well as representation at criminal proceedings.
In October 2014 we also allocated £10 million to help support emergency services personnel and volunteers, including special constables. This funding is focused on mental health, physical recuperation and bereavement support for those who need it.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Wayne David on 2016-03-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what advice her Department provides to special constables seeking to claim for loss of earnings due to injuries sustained while on duty.
Mike Penning
In order to ensure that special constables have legal protection, the Home Office provides legal assistance cover currently through Arc Legal Assistance. This is available to all special constables, free of charge, and includes personal injury cover including financial compensation for damages. It also includes cover for legal advice as well as representation at criminal proceedings.
In October 2014 we also allocated £10 million to help support emergency services personnel and volunteers, including special constables. This funding is focused on mental health, physical recuperation and bereavement support for those who need it.