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Tag: 2015

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Tulip Siddiq – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of migrants granted leave to remain in the UK were subject to the No Recourse to Public Funds condition in each of the last five years.

    James Brokenshire

    The proportion of cases granted leave to remain in the UK who were subject to the No Recourse to Public funds condition in each of the last five years was as follows:

    2011: 95%

    2012: 97%

    2013: 94%

    2014: 92%

    2015*: 92%

    These figures have been provided by the Home Office database with figures rounded to the nearest 5, interpreting ‘migrants’ as ‘lead cases’, they exclude asylum applications and figures for 2015 are available up to 30 September 2015.

  • Catherine McKinnell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Catherine McKinnell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine McKinnell on 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to paragraph 8.1 of Transparency in Supply Chains etc: A practical guide, published by her Department on 29 October 2015, if she will provide a central database of slavery and human trafficking statements published by each organisation.

    Karen Bradley

    We are aware of a number of different proposals to create a central depository or database outside of government. Our priority is to ensure that the best possible platform is established.

  • Valerie Vaz – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Valerie Vaz – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Valerie Vaz on 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support her Department has given to New Alliance in respect of farming in Africa; and what criteria that organisation was assessed against to receive such support.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    In 2012 the UK pledged to support the New Alliance commitment to inclusive agriculture growth. The UK contributes to projects in six founding member countries. These projects aim to improve incomes from agricultural production, and strengthen the food security and nutrition of poor smallholders farmers.

    The UK also supports the Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme (managed by the World Bank) and other international agriculture research and policy initiatives.

    All DFID funding undergoes thorough scrutiny and is linked to performance. This includes the value for money proposition and poverty impact. Each project is subject to annual reviews that are posted on the DFID Development Tracker website.

  • Carolyn Harris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Carolyn Harris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Carolyn Harris on 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the number of animals exported to (a) EU member states and (b) countries outside the EU in the last year.

    George Eustice

    Figures for the last calendar year are provided below. The estimate for EU countries is based on figures obtained from HM Revenue and Customs which draw on information provided by VAT-registered firms. Actual trade levels may be higher.

    Exports to European Member States

    Breeding cattle

    4

    Sheep

    161

    Poultry

    10, 354

    Horses, asses and mules

    1

    Other animals

    5

    Total

    10,525

    Exports to countries outside the EU

    Poultry

    4,252

    Horses, asses and mules

    1

    Other animals

    2

    Total

    4,255
  • Margaret Ritchie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Margaret Ritchie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent assessment she has made of loyalist paramilitary activity in Northern Ireland.

    Mrs Theresa Villiers

    The Assessment of Paramilitary Groups published in October 2015 confirmed that all the main loyalist paramilitary groups remain in existence. It stated that the leaderships of the various groups are committed to their ceasefires but individual members continue to engage in criminality and also seek to exercise community control through unacceptable violence and intimidation.

    Paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland were not justified in the past and they are not justified today. I welcome the commitments contained within the Fresh Start Agreement aimed at achieving a Northern Ireland society free from the malign impact of paramilitarism.

  • Steve Rotheram – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Steve Rotheram – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Rotheram on 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, in what ways the UK’s military mission in Afghanistan is contributing to the protection of civilian Hazaras.

    Penny Mordaunt

    The UK’s military mission in Afghanistan, as part of NATO’s Resolute Support Mission, is helping train and advise the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces, who are responsible for providing security for the entire population of Afghanistan including civilian Hazaras. In particular UK Armed Forces are playing a vital role in mentoring instructors at the Afghan National Army Officer Academy, where the next generation of Afghan military leaders are being taught.

  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many illegal firearms were seized in each of the last five years; and how many of those were (a) pistols, (b) rifles, (c) shotguns and (d) machine guns.

    Mike Penning

    The Home Office does not maintain records of firearms seized by police forces in England and Wales.The National Ballistics Intelligence Service regularly assesses the volume and type of illegal firearms in use in the UK. The information is operationally sensitive and is not suitable for release.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 16 November 2015 to Question 15604, what information her Department holds on the (a) number of petroleum exploration and development licences which have been (i) applied for and (ii) issued in the last 12 months and (b) the location to which such applications and licences apply.

    Andrea Leadsom

    No landward Petroleum Exploration and Development Licences have been applied for, nor issued, during the last 12 months. However, in the latest (14th) Onshore Oil and Gas Licensing Round, which closed for bids on 28 October 2014, 95 applications were received from 47 companies covering 295 Ordinance Survey Blocks. The Oil and Gas Authority announced on 18 August 2015 that a first tranche of 27 onshore blocks will be formally offered to companies, and that a second group of 132 further blocks has been subjected to detailed assessment under the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2010. Subject to the outcome of this consultation, the OGA intends to announce offers for the second group of licence blocks later this year. A map showing the location of the first tranche blocks and those being considered further can be found here:

    https://decc-edu.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=29c31fa4b00248418e545d222e57ddaa.

    “

  • Luciana Berger – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Luciana Berger – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many and what proportion of clinical commissioning group transformation plans address the mental health needs of (a) children who have experienced abuse and (b) looked after children.

    Alistair Burt

    As part of improving transparency, all Local Transformation Plans must be published locally and made widely available.

    NHS England’s guidance Local Transformation Plans for Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing – Guidance and support for local areas is explicit about the need to promote equality and address health inequalities, and states that plans should ‘address the full spectrum of need including children and young people who have particular vulnerability to mental health problems for e.g. those with learning disabilities, looked after children and care leavers, those at risk or in contact with the Youth Justice System, or who have been sexually abused and/or exploited’.

    The assurance process requires local areas to evidence how they are meeting the needs of vulnerable groups including looked after children and children who have experienced abuse.

    An analysis of Local Transformation Plans has been commissioned and will include a thematic review of how the mental health needs of children and young people in vulnerable groups have been addressed.

    As set out in the guidance for Local Transformation Plans an integral part of the locally developed Children and Young People’s Mental Health Transformation Plans includes a tracking template that sets out local progress milestones and financial spend. This tracker will be used as the basis for assurance assessment in 2015/16 and from 2016/17 onwards progress on local transformation will become part of the mainstream planning assurance process.

    Local Transformation Plansrequire all key partners in a local area to agree how best to meet the mental health needs of children and young people in their local populations. 122 Local Transformation Planshave been developed that cover all 209 clinical commissioning groups.

    The assurance process for Local Transformation Plans for Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing was undertaken by NHS England regional teams and included assurance against each plan of standard self-assessment and tracker templates to enable a comparison of plans against objective success criteria.

    NHS England have commissioned a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the Local Transformation Plans, in order to support policy makers, local commissioners and services to understand and use the data that is contained within the plans to drive further improvements. Local Transformation Plans will be reviewed from a narrative, analytical and financial perspective, with thematic reviews carried out in key focus areas that align with Future in mind principles.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Andy Slaughter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect of the proposed expansion of Heathrow Airport on (a) London’s air quality and (b) greenhouse gas emission levels.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Government is currently considering the very detailed analysis contained in the Airports Commission’s final report.

    Any decision regarding future airport capacity will take into account the Government’s commitment to comply with EU air quality standards and its obligations under the 2008 Climate Change Act.