The below Parliamentary question was asked by George Kerevan on 2015-11-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to secure a fair contribution from offshore digital betting operators to the 55th levy scheme.
Tracey Crouch
The statutory Horserace BettingLevy Scheme does not cover offshore digital betting operators, although some operators supplement the statutory scheme with voluntarycontributions.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-12-02.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken, in conjunction with the government of France, (1) to enable refugees now in France to come to Britain, such as for family re-union, and how many have come since 2013; (2) to assist those in irregular camps to apply for asylum in France; and (3) to register unaccompanied refugee children, wherever they may be; and what plans they have for further action.
Lord Bates
All migrants, including families and children, in Calais who wish to seek asylum should do so in France. 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 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 application. Statistics for transfers of asylum applicants from France to the UK on the basis of family ties since 2013 are not routinely recorded.
The UK-France Joint Declaration of 20 August 2015 committed the UK to providing £3.6 million (or €5 million) per year for two years to help support a range of work to manage the migrant population in Calais, in particular to provide support and facilities elsewhere in France. This includes increasing the frequency of communications campaigns involving British officials speaking to migrants in Calais to inform migrants of the reality of life in the UK and of their rights to claim asylum in France.
The French Government has opened up new places in its asylum system, away from Calais and migrants have started to voluntarily leave Calais to take up these places. Additionally, the UK has provided £530,000 (€750,000) to fund a project to identify those in the camps at risk of trafficking and exploitation, to transfer them briskly to places of safety; and to provide them with appropriate support within the French system.
Unaccompanied migrant children who apply for asylum following arrival in the UK have their details recorded by the Home Office and are issued with an Application Registration Card. There are no plans for the UK to register the details of asylum seeking children in another country as this role will fall to the relevant authorities in that country.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Natalie McGarry on 2015-11-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of Government expenditure on the carer addition element of pension credit in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland, (c) Glasgow and (d) Glasgow East constituency in the 2015-16 financial year.
Justin Tomlinson
Forecasts of expenditure as a result of the carer addition element of Pension Credit for 2015/16 are not available. However, estimates of the outturn expenditure (as a result of the carer addition element of Pension Credit) in 2014/15 are shown in the table below.
Tables show expenditure for Great Britain, not the UK, as expenditure in Northern Ireland is the responsibility of Northern Ireland Executive.
|
Pension Credit expenditure as a result of the carer addition, 2014/15 |
£, million |
…as a percentage of total pension credit expenditure in that area |
|
Great Britain |
£364.7 |
5.5% |
|
Scotland |
£39.6 |
6.7% |
|
Glasgow (City) |
£6.4 |
5.9% |
|
Glasgow East (constituency) |
£1.8 |
9.4% |
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Rana on 2015-12-02.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they plan to spend the £5 million pledged for the development of the new Commonwealth counter-extremism unit.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), announced UK funding of £5million over 5 years to establish a Counter-Extremism and Counter Radicalisation Unit in the Commonwealth Secretariat. Setting up a new unit recognises that Commonwealth countries must work together to counter extremist ideologies and build their counter extremism capabilities. The unit will:
•Provide technical assistance to governments developing counter-extremism strategies.
•Mobilise Commonwealth civil society networks to counter radicalisation through targeted counter-narratives and strategic communication training.
•Enable Commonwealth members to meet their international counter extremism obligations. There is a demand from Commonwealth countries for support in implementing international counter extremism obligations, for example in relation to UN Security Council Resolution 2178.
Other Commonwealth partners have also pledged a contribution to this unit. We will work closely with the Commonwealth Secretariat, Commonwealth members and key stakeholders to ensure that UK funding supports the work of countries across the Commonwealth to tackle the threat of extremism
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2015-11-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what (a) discussions he has had and (b) consultations he has undertaken with sector stakeholders on potential changes to earning repayment thresholds for 24+ Advanced Learner Loans.
Nick Boles
The consultation Freezing the student loan repayment threshold covered both higher education student loans and 24+ Advanced Learning Loans. Stakeholders with an interest in 24+ Advanced Learning Loans were notified of the consultation when it was published.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2015-12-02.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of political progress in Myanmar.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
Burma has made remarkable progress since beginning the reform process in 2011. The elections on 8 November were an important milestone in Burma’s transition to democracy, and we welcome the conduct of the process, which observers have characterised as well-managed, orderly and peaceful. However, the transition is not yet complete and the incoming administration will face many serious challenges. Of particular importance will be to build a sustainable and comprehensive peace with all groups in Burma and address human rights violations, most urgently those committed against the Muslim Rohingya community in Rakhine State.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl McCartney on 2015-11-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Government support for the tourism sector in Wales.
Alun Cairns
In July, the Government published its 5-point plan to ensure the benefits of tourism extend beyond London and across the UK. The Welsh economy continues to benefit from a thriving tourist industry, with recent figures showing the amount spent by overseas visitors increased by £34 million over the last year.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2015-12-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, on how many occasions a special adviser in his Department accompanied a Minister on an overseas trip since May 2015.
Joseph Johnson
As has been the case under successive Administrations, civil servants, including special advisers, may routinely accompany their Ministers on official visits
Information relating to Ministers’ overseas visits is published on my Department’s website, as part of the Government’s wider transparency agenda.
All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-11-09.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to enable refugees from the Middle East and other war zones who have close family connections with the UK to come to this country safely to apply for protection.
Lord Bates
There is no provision in our Immigration Rules for someone to be given permission to travel to the UK to seek asylum or humanitarian protection. However, we recognise that families may become fragmented because of the nature of conflict and persecution and the speed and manner in which those seeking asylum often flee their country of origin. Our refugee family reunion policy allows immediate family members of a person in the UK with refugee leave or humanitarian protection status – that is a spouse or partner and children under the age of 18, who formed part of the family unit before the sponsor fled their country of origin – to reunite with them in the UK.
We also operate three discretionary resettlement schemes for recognised refugees for whom resettlement is the most appropriate answer. We operate these schemes in partnership with the UNHCR: Gateway; Mandate; and the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation (VPR) scheme. Under the Syrian VPR Scheme we are working closely with the UNHCR to resettle close family groups where at least one member qualifies under the scheme.
We are also making a significant contribution to support refugees and their families in other ways. The UK has contributed over £1 billion in humanitarian aid in response to the Syrian crisis and we intend to resettle 20,000 Syrian refugees displaced to neighbouring countries over the lifetime of this Parliament.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2015-12-02.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department plans to publish an update of the National Infrastructure Plan and infrastructure pipeline before the end of 2015.
Greg Hands
The government will publish a National Infrastructure Delivery Plan next spring, setting out in detail how it will deliver key projects and programmes over the next 5 years. This will be underpinned by a refreshed National Infrastructure Pipeline.