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Patrick Grady – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2016-02-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will issue a response to EDM 1011, Fire at Mzuzu University, Malawi.

Mr Nick Hurd

The UK recognises the terrible loss for Mzuzu University and academia in Malawi caused by the fire in December 2015 which destroyed the university library and its stock of 45,000 books.

We commend the Scotland Malawi Partnership for coordinating efforts in Scotland to appeal for donations for the restocking and rebuilding of the library. Officials have met with the Scotland Malawi Partnership and the Mzuzu University Vice Chancellor to discuss possible funding opportunities. It is encouraging that Scottish Universities are again demonstrating Scotland’s unique people to people approach to supporting Malawi at a time when the country is also facing a humanitarian crisis and funding priorities are in strong competition.

01/01/2023
Martyn Day – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Martyn Day on 2016-02-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will increase aid to Jordan in order to help that country cope with the inflow of Syrian refugees.

Mr Desmond Swayne

At the Supporting Syria and the Region Conference, the Prime Minister announced that the UK will more than double our total pledge to the Syria crisis from £1.12 billion to over £2.3 billion. This funding will support those in need inside Syria and in the surrounding region which is dealing with the impact of the crisis, including Jordan. Final country allocations are still being decided but it is clear that aid from the UK in Jordan will rise compared to previous years.

01/01/2023
Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-02-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what account the police takes of mental health conditions when deciding whether to prosecute people under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997.

Mike Penning

The police and Crown Prosecution Service work together to take decisions on whether to pursue a prosecution under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, applying the evidential and public interest tests set out in the Code for Crown Prosecutors. The Code provides that prosecutors should have regard to whether the suspect is, or was at the time of the offence, suffering from any mental or ill health as, in some circumstances, this may mean that it is less likely that a prosecution is required.

01/01/2023
Julian Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Knight on 2016-02-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to counter people trafficking.

Karen Bradley

We are committed to tackling people trafficking and all forms of modern slavery. The Modern Slavery Act 2015 gives law enforcement agencies the tools they need to tackle modern slavery, ensures that perpetrators can receive suitably severe sentences up to life imprisonment, enhances support and protection for victims and places a duty on large businesses to report on what they are doing to stop modern slavery occurring in their global supply chains. We have successfully lobbied for the establishment of the first ever UN Sustainable Development Goal to end modern slavery and are working with a range of international partners to tackle slavery and its causes. We are also piloting a new approach to identifying and supporting potential victims of slavery through the National Referral Mechanism and we have appointed an Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner to spread best practice in the UK and overseas.

01/01/2023
Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-02-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 28 January 2016 to Question 23729, what the Government’s policy is on the confiscation of the belongings of Syrian refugees over a certain value to help meet the cost of their stay in the UK.

James Brokenshire

The Government does not confiscate the belongings of Syrian refugees or refugees of any other nationality to help meet the cost of their stay in the UK.

01/01/2023
Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-02-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2016 to Question 26859, if she will update her Department’s response to e-petition 104867, on legalisation of medicinal cannabis, in respect of the information on availability of the drug Sativex.

Karen Bradley

The Government’s position is unchanged. The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency has issued a marketing authorisation and the Home Office has amended the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 to enable Sativex to be available to patients via health care practitioners.

01/01/2023
Jim McMahon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim McMahon on 2016-02-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what direct funding has been provided to local authorities in Greater Manchester to manage the community impact of asylum placements in those areas.

James Brokenshire

The Government has a legal obligation to provide support to asylum applicants who would otherwise be destitute. Support is provided in form of subsistence allowance and accommodation. The Government provides funding for Strategic Migration Partnerships which act as a focal point for all local authorities in the relevant region to consider and resolve any issues relating to dispersals and migration. The funding for the North West Strategic Migration Partnership for 2015/16 was £139,216.

The Government also provides additional funding to local authorities to support Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children, those leaving care and asylum seekers who are turning 18. The total funding for this population in 2014/5 financial year for Manchester City Council was £441,113.

01/01/2023

Stuart C. McDonald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stuart C. McDonald on 2016-02-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much was levied in respect of service credits in each key performance indicator designated met in respect of each Compass region in each year from 2012-13 to 2015-16 to date.

James Brokenshire

The Home Office has a rigorous contract compliance regime in place to ensure that the required performance standards expected of all providers, as defined in the contracts, are met. This includes monthly contract management and quarterly strategic review meetings, as well as regular daily discussions with COMPASS providers’ operational delivery managers about day to day issues. The Home Office investigates complaints it receives from service users and third parties and works with contractors to ensure that any issues raised are addressed promptly.

Performance against each key performance indicator (KPI) is measured and may, dependent upon the level of non-conformance, lead to the application of a KPI score. The overall/total score across all KPIs is then used to determine the value of Service Credit (rebate) which should be deducted from the monthly invoice. If an individual KPI is met, no score is accrued and no service credit applies. The following table indicates the amount of service credits recovered following KPI non-conformance for each of the COMPASS contracts from the start of the contracts.

	2013-2014	2014-2015	2015-2016 (YTD)	TOTAL
Serco SNI	£773, 792	£156,156	£443, 545	£1,373,493
Serco NW	£3,137, 017	£1,974	0	£3,138,991
G4S MEE	£1,349, 475	0	0	£1,349, 475
G4S NEYH	£368, 107	0	0	£368, 107
CRH WSW	0	0	0	0
CRH LSE	0	0	0	0
TOTAL	£5,628, 391	£158,130	£443, 545	£6,230,066

01/01/2023

Stephen Doughty – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-02-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department was informed of plans by Clearsprings to expand asylum accommodation into East Cardiff.

James Brokenshire

The Home Office works with its contractors, local authorities and the Strategic Migration Partnerships to ensure that impact of the dispersal of asylum seekers to local authorities is reviewed regularly. The Home Office was aware of the expansion of existing accommodation in East Cardiff. Decisions on the use of accommodation including which premises are used are made by the individual contractors, who bear the cost.

01/01/2023
Stephen Doughty – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-02-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many social media accounts promoting extremist content were recommended for closure by her Department in each of the last 12 months; and what proportion of such content related to Daesh.

Mr John Hayes

We have seen an increase in the scale and pace of terrorist communications by groups like ISIL, encouraging vulnerable young people to travel to conflict zones like Syria and Iraq. This Government takes seriously the threat from online terrorist and extremist propaganda, which can directly influence people who are vulnerable to radicalisation.

Since 2010 over 140,000 pieces of terrorist-related material have been removed by industry from various online platforms at the request of the dedicated police Counter-Terrorism Internet Referral Unit (CTIRU). Approximately 55,000 removals were made in 2015 alone. Removal requests are now at over 1,000 a week and approximately 70% of CTIRU’s caseload is Daesh related.

We are pressing industry to take a lead in tackling the abuse of their services by terrorist and extremist groups.

01/01/2023