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  • Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2016-01-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures they have in place to ensure that asylum seekers in Calais have access to legal advice on their rights to enter the UK.

    Lord Bates

    All migrants, including families and children, in Calais who wish to seek asylum should do so in France and provide information to the French asylum authorities about any family members in other Member States, including the UK. We will consider any request made to us by the French asylum authorities to take responsibility for an asylum applicant in France because they have close family who are legally in the UK in accordance with the terms of the Dublin Regulation concerning the principle of family unity and the best interests of the child.

    If not claiming asylum, individual migrants in France, as in any other country, are entitled to apply under the Family Reunion provisions to join relatives in the UK by making the appropriate visa application.

    Under the UK-France Joint Declaration of 20 August 2015, the UK has increased the frequency of communications campaigns involving British officials, French authorities and NGOs speaking to migrants in Calais to inform migrants of the reality of life in the UK, and their rights to claim asylum in France. The UK is also helping to fund dedicated facilities away from Calais to allow migrants to reflect on next steps and to consider an asylum claim.

  • Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2016-01-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the measures that are in place to ensure that asylum seekers in refugee camps in Calais have access to the Family Reunification system.

    Lord Bates

    All migrants, including families and children, in Calais who wish to seek asylum should do so in France and provide information to the French asylum authorities about any family members in other Member States, including the UK. We will consider any request made to us by the French asylum authorities to take responsibility for an asylum applicant in France because they have close family who are legally in the UK in accordance with the terms of the Dublin Regulation concerning the principle of family unity and the best interests of the child.

    If not claiming asylum, individual migrants in France, as in any other country, are entitled to apply under the Family Reunion provisions to join relatives in the UK by making the appropriate visa application.

    Under the UK-France Joint Declaration of 20 August 2015, the UK has increased the frequency of communications campaigns involving British officials, French authorities and NGOs speaking to migrants in Calais to inform migrants of the reality of life in the UK, and their rights to claim asylum in France. The UK is also helping to fund dedicated facilities away from Calais to allow migrants to reflect on next steps and to consider an asylum claim.

  • Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2016-01-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to lift the ban on aid entering the Grande-Synthe refugee camps.

    Lord Bates

    The management of the camp – both in terms of humanitarian aspects and maintaining law and order – is the responsibility of the French Government and operational needs may require for them to restrict access under certain circumstances. Aid is not restricted as a matter of course, and we work with the French to ensure those who need help are able to receive it.

    To help protect vulnerable people (including children and other potential victims of trafficking) the Home Secretary and French Interior Minister agreed in the UK-France Joint Declaration in August 2015 to set up a project to identify and direct vulnerable individuals to existing protection, support and advice within France. The UK has contributed €750,000 (£530,000) to fund the project which formally launched in December 2015.

  • Lord Patten – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Patten – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2016-01-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether any of the UK’s fellow members of NATO are currently using military force against their own citizens.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The British Government has not made any such assessment. Through signature of the Washington Treaty, all members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) have reaffirmed their faith in the purposes and principles of the Charter of the UN, and their commitment to the principles of security, democracy, individual liberty and the rule of law. The UK expects all our NATO Allies to live up to these commitments.

  • Lord Patten – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Lord Patten – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2016-01-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of how many new homes will be built on green belt land in England during 2016.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    We do not collate information centrally on the number of sites that are available for residential development. Local planning authorities are required to identify and update annually a supply of specific deliverable sites sufficient to provide five years worth of housing against their housing requirements. Whether those sites are in the Green Belt is again a matter for local planning authorities to consider in line with national planning policy, which makes clear that Green Belt boundaries should be altered only in exceptional circumstances.

  • Lord Moonie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Moonie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Moonie on 2016-01-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many UK civil servants are seconded to the European Commission.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    There are a total of 156 UK secondees working across the EU institutions, as either Seconded National Experts or National Experts in Professional Training. 127 of them are currently working in the European Commission.

  • Lord Laird – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Lord Laird – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2016-01-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Dunlop on 1 July 2015 (HL811), on what dates the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference has discussed human rights; what specific topics were discussed; who attended those meetings; and what actions were taken as a result.

    Lord Dunlop

    Article 2 of The Belfast Agreement made provision for the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference (BIIGC). The BIIGC last met in 2007.

  • Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-01-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have for new or additional housing to which single and other occupants of existing hostels could move; what assessment they have made of the plans of London boroughs, and others, to provide such housing; and when they expect that additional housing to be completed.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    This Government is committed to increasing the supply of housing. We have doubled our plans for affordable housing delivery from 2018-19 to £8 billion, to deliver 400,000 affordable housing starts.

    It is the responsibility of local authorities to plan and assess the likely housing needs for their areas as part of the process for bringing forward a Local Development Plan. Our planning guidance asks local planning authorities to factor in market signals such as household affordability and land prices, as well as forecast employment trends when calculating their overall housing need. The primary objective of identifying need is to identify the future quantity of housing needed, including a breakdown by type, tenure and size.

  • Lord Framlingham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Framlingham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Framlingham on 2016-01-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much public money has been spent on HS2 to date; how much is estimated to be spent in the next financial year; what is the estimated final cost to the public purse; and what is the projected completion date.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    To date (2009/10 – Dec 2015) the government has spent £1.4bn on the HS2 programme. The Department for Transport and HS2 Ltd are currently in the process of finalising their estimates for the next financial year (2016/17). The 2015 Spending Review reconfirmed the Government’s commitment to a long-term funding envelope for delivering the HS2 programme at £55.7bn in 2015 prices. Phase One and Phase 2a are scheduled to be complete by 2026 and the remainder of Phase Two is expected to be completed by 2034.

  • Baroness Doocey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Baroness Doocey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Doocey on 2016-01-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress they have made in implementing the reforms to the National Referral Mechanism; and whether they will publish the names of the independent chairs of the multi-disciplinary panels.

    Lord Bates

    The National Referral Mechanism (NRM) pilot commenced in August 2015 and in the period up to 40 cases have been considered by the multi-disciplinary panels. 33 of these cases were from potential victims identified in West Yorkshire, and 7 from potential victims identified in the South West.

    We anticipate the pilot will run for 12 months following which decisions will be made about the future of the NRM to better identify and support all victims of modern slavery. In reaching these decisions we will consult with key partners including the police, local authorities and the NHS.

    The names of the independent chairs of the multi-disciplinary panels have been published and can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/review-of-the-national-referral-mechanism-for-victims-of-human-trafficking/pilot-evaluating-the-proposed-reforms-to-the-national-referral-mechanism