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  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-03-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that (a) female HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) staff that work part-time and (b) other HCMTS staff with caring responsibilities will not be negatively affected by planned court and tribunal closures.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    Following the closure announcement HM Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS) began a period of staff consultation which includes discussions between all those affected and their management teams. Management teams will support staff in identifying suitable redeployment options taking into account their individual needs.

  • Martyn Day – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Martyn Day – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Martyn Day on 2016-03-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will press for an amendment of the current indicator for health within the Sustainable Development Goals, to ensure it accurately measures coverage of health services and financial risk protection.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    There are 25 proposed indicators for the health goal; the coverage of health services is included within these as is a measure relating to health financing. The United Nations Statistical Commission has asked the Inter-Agency Expert Group on Sustainable Development Goal Indicators to take forward further work on the indicator framework, including a review of the indicator on health financing due to the concerns over its ability to measure financial risk protection in its current form. The UK supported the request for review.

  • Charles Walker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the House of Commons Commission

    Charles Walker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the House of Commons Commission

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charles Walker on 2016-03-16.

    To ask the Rt. hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington representing the House of Commons Commission, what estimate the House of Commons Commission has made of the number of senior House officials who will potentially fall under the provisions of the 4th EU Money Laundering Directive, 2015/849.

    Tom Brake

    The Commission has made no estimate of the numbers, if any, of senior House officials who might be held to fall within the definition of “politically exposed persons” for the purposes of the 4th EU Money Laundering Directive, nor would there be any reason for it to do so. Several senior House officials will themselves be aware of the provisions of the Directive as a result of their parliamentary work.

  • Ian C. Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Ian C. Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian C. Lucas on 2016-03-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average travel time is for customers attending a first-time passport application interview; and what she estimates the average travel times will be after the proposed closure of interview offices in (a) Scotland, (b) Wales, (c) Northern Ireland and (d) England.

    James Brokenshire

    HM Passport Office does not collate any information on average travel times for applicants.

    In 2015, HM Passport Office interviewed 222,264 adult customers applying for their first passport. Under the planned changes to HM Passport Offices the vast majority of passport application interviewees will see no change to their travel time. In a small number of cases passport application interviewees will have to travel further but this should not be more than 65 miles or one and a half hours from their previous closest office.

  • Rupa Huq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Rupa Huq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rupa Huq on 2016-03-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to paragraph 6.158 of the Migration Advisory Committee’s review of Tier 2 migration, published in December 2015, if she will commission an in-depth review of skills shortages in the IT industry.

    James Brokenshire

    The Government thanks the Migration Advisory Committee for their report and we are currently considering the findings carefully. We will announce our response in due course.

  • Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne Main on 2016-03-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many nationals of other EU member states who have served custodial sentences have been deported back to their country of nationality at the end of their sentence.

    James Brokenshire

    The Home Office seeks to deport EEA nationals or their family members on grounds of public policy or public security where that person’s conduct repre-sents a genuine, present and sufficiently serious threat affecting one of the fundamental interests of society.

    The table below shows the number of EEA nationals deported on the basis of a criminal conviction, where their presence in the UK is not considered conducive to the public good.

    Year

    EEA FNO Removals (1)(2)(3)

    2011/12

    1,275

    2012/13

    1,727

    2013/14

    2,306

    2014/15

    3,026

    2015/16 (up to end of Q3)

    2,584

    (1) A Foreign National Offender (FNO) is defined as an individual with a criminal case on the Home Office’s Case Information Database, and may include individuals with asylum cases.

    (2) Quarterly Foreign National Offender (FNO) removals are published as National Statistics and available in table 7 of latest the published "Immigration Statistics release" https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-october-to-december-2015

    (3) Total FNO removals figures relate to those cases that have been deported, administratively removed or voluntarily departed from UK.
  • Rupa Huq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Rupa Huq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rupa Huq on 2016-03-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to section 5.9 of the Migration Advisory Committee’s review of Tier 2 visas, published in December 2015, whether he plans to introduce an Immigration Skills Charge for employers for all Tier 2 visa workers of £1,000 per year per worker.

    Joseph Johnson

    Following consideration of the Migration Advisory Committee’s recommendations on migration and other evidence, my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for Immigration has made a written statement on Tier 2 migration including the Immigration Skills Charge.

    The full statement can be viewed at: http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2016-03-24/HCWS660/.

    “

  • Ian C. Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Ian C. Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian C. Lucas on 2016-03-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2016 to Question 26844, whether the maximum customer travel of one and a half hours or 65 miles for an interview for a passport application refers to a one-way journey or round trip.

    James Brokenshire

    Please accept my apologies for an error which was made in the response to question 26844.

    Under the planned changes to HM Passport Offices the vast majority of passport application interviewees will see no change to their travel time. In a small number of cases passport application interviewees will have to travel further but this should not be more than 65 miles or one and a half hours additional one-way travel from their previous closest office.

  • Sarah Champion – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Sarah Champion – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Champion on 2016-03-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many women living in council housing have requested a change of tenancy because of violence in the last 12 months; and what proportion of those women were given a direct transfer within one month.

    Brandon Lewis

    We do not hold the information requested.

  • Sarah Champion – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Sarah Champion – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Champion on 2016-03-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will ring-fence long term funding for specialist domestic violence charities.

    Karen Bradley

    The Government published a new Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy on 8 March setting out an ambitious programme to make tackling VAWG everybody’s business, ensure victims and survivors get the support they need and inspire confidence in the Criminal Justice System to bring more perpetrators to justice as well as doing more to rehabilitate offenders.

    The strategy committed £80 million between 2016 and 2020 to protect women and girls from violence. This increased funding will help to deliver our goal to work with local commissioners to deliver a secure future for rape support centres, refuges and FGM and Forced Marriage Units, whilst driving a major change across all services which promotes early intervention and prevention including through specialist domestic violence charities.