Tag: 2016

  • Thangam Debbonaire – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Thangam Debbonaire – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2016-07-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what support the Government is providing to Greece to ensure that refugees have access to clear information on the Dublin III regulation and its family unity provisions in a language they can understand; and what steps expert personnel deployed to Greece in May 2016 are taking to ensure that detailed and coherent information is provided to refugees who are in accommodation sites across mainland Greece.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    Home Office staff seconded to the Greek Government and the European Asylum Support Office are there to support the overall asylum system in Greece and improve the Dublin process. Two applicants have arrived in the UK since May 2016.

    Providing refugees with access to clear, detailed and coherent information is the responsibility of the Greek authorities. The UK believes that member states should meet their international obligations and provide due process and adequate care to those seeking protection within their territories.

    The Commission Implementing Regulation No 118/2014 clearly sets out the obligations for Member States to provide an information leaflet for applicants for international protection, including a specific leaflet for unaccompanied children.

    Following the EU-Turkey agreement and discussions with the European Commission and the Greek Government, the UK has offered a further 75 expert personnel to help with the processing and administration of migrants in reception centres, act as interpreters, provide medical support and bolster our existing team assisting the Commission to ensure effective and efficient coordination.

  • Amanda Solloway – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Amanda Solloway – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Amanda Solloway on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to remove the presence of asbestos on school sites in (a) England and Wales and (b) Derby North constituency.

    Nick Gibb

    The issue of asbestos in schools is a serious one. Policy on the effective management and removal of asbestos at Welsh school sites is devolved to the Welsh Government, but in England it is one of the department’s priorities in order to ensure that our schools are safe for children and teachers.

    The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which is the lead regulator on managing asbestos, advise that as long as asbestos is in good condition and unlikely to be damaged or disturbed, it is not a significant risk to health.

    The Department directly funds the removal of asbestos through schemes such as the Priority Schools Building Programme and provides capital funding for asbestos management and removal where appropriate for those schools that have identified that asbestos is in poor condition or poses a high risk of deterioration.

    We also provide support to those who are legally responsible for managing asbestos in schools by providing targeted guidance to schools on the effective management of asbestos in their schools.

    The duty holder has the legal responsibility of effectively managing asbestos in schools. In schools where asbestos poses a high risk of disturbance or is deteriorating, the duty holder should remove asbestos using capital funding that has been provided by the Department.

    The Department is not committing to the removal of asbestos in all schools, as blanket and accelerated removal of asbestos in schools is potentially more dangerous and may involve greater risk to school children and staff.

    It is, however, the aim of the government that, over time, as more school buildings are replaced and refurbished, all asbestos will be removed from schools.

  • Gavin Robinson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Gavin Robinson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Robinson on 2016-01-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been re-admitted to an immigration holding or removal centre having been previously removed from the UK in the last three years.

    James Brokenshire

    The information requested is not routinely collected and could be provided only by examining individual case records, which would result in disproportionate cost.

  • Bill Wiggin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Bill Wiggin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bill Wiggin on 2016-01-26.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, to which (a) government departments, (b) agencies, (c) commercial companies and (d) charities HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) Fast Stream civil servants are (i) attached or (ii) seconded; what the average length of time is for such (A) attachments and (B) secondments; and what assessment HMRC makes of the benefits of those attachments and secondments to its own work and to the tax payer.

    Mr David Gauke

    Civil Service Resourcing coordinates the Fast Stream for the Civil Service and manages all Fast Streamers on the central corporate schemes.

    A list of Government departments, Agencies, Arms Length Bodies, NDPB’s, Commercial (private) organisations and charities to which Fast streamers are currently posted to as at January 2016 can be found at Annex A.

    • Fast stream postings in the Civil Service are either 6 or 12 months depending on the timing of the posting

    • The average length of time for a secondment to an external organisation is 6 months.

      Civil Service Resourcing assesses the value of these postings and placements to the Civil Service (including HMRC) in the following ways:

    • Individual performance management through postings; mid and end of scheme assessments to track developments against the Fast Stream aims (core skills, competency framework and leadership potential)

    • Posting and secondment evaluation to ensure the effectiveness of each posting in supporting Fast Streamers’ development.

    • Overall assessment via Fast Stream Annual survey to measure ongoing effectiveness of the Fast Stream

  • Gavin Newlands – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Gavin Newlands – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Newlands on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the number of businesses which are planning to pass on the increase in their National Insurance contributions from April 2016 to their employees.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The Department does not currently collect this information.

  • Michelle Donelan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Michelle Donelan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michelle Donelan on 2016-03-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have had their initial assessments for personal independence payments assessments payments upheld on appeal in (a) the UK, (b) Wiltshire and (c) the Chippenham constituency in each of the last 12 months.

    Andrew Selous

    The information requested is not held centrally.

  • Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick on 2016-04-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they plan to protect people against fraud as they are automatically enrolled into a pension scheme, in the light of the recent cuts to the pensions watchdog.

    Baroness Altmann

    The resources allocated to the Pensions Regulator to cover its regulatory responsibilities, together with those for automatic enrolment compliance activity, increased by £3.4m to £79.5m for the financial year 2016/17.

    Schemes that can be used by employers to meet their automatic enrolment duties are subject to specific quality requirements. The Pensions Regulator and the Financial Conduct Authority both play an active role in monitoring schemes used for automatic enrolment to ensure that they meet these standards. The Pensions Regulator has also published a list of independently audited ‘master trusts’ pension schemes that employers may wish to use for automatic enrolment.

    Both Regulators carry out targeted activity to investigate and mitigate risks, including indicators of possible fraud.

  • Julian Lewis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Julian Lewis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Lewis on 2016-05-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether obligations on private owners to preserve scheduled monuments and listed buildings are applicable to government departments; and what his policy is on fulfilling such obligations.

    Mark Lancaster

    There is no legal requirement for the Ministry of Defence (MOD), to maintain a listed building or scheduled monument.

    The MOD acts in accordance with the ‘Protocol for the care of the government historic estate 2009’. This is mandatory across central government, and can be found via the following link:

    https://content.historicengland.org.uk/images-books/publications/protocol-for-the-care-of-the-government-historic-estate/careofgovernmenthistoricestate-2009.pdf/.

  • Kirsten Oswald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Kirsten Oswald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2016-07-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that former service personnel from other Commonwealth countries who wish to reside in the UK are supported through the immigration process.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    Under the Immigration Act 1971 Commonwealth Nationals are exempt from immigration control whilst serving in HM Forces. They may qualify for Indefinite leave to remain in the United Kingdom on discharge from the Services, if they have completed more than four years’ reckonable service and meet the other requirements of the Immigration Rules.

    To assist the transition of serving personnel to civilian life, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) offers a wide-ranging resettlement programme. Home Office officials work closely with MoD colleagues and the Tri Services to ensure that those discharged from HM Forces receive advice on their immigration status.

  • Chris Leslie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Chris Leslie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Leslie on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how existing schools embedded in hospitals for pupils with medical needs will be supported financially if planned changes to the commissioning of alternative provision proceed; and if she will make a statement.

    Edward Timpson

    We will announce more detail on the funding for alternative provision under the new commissioning arrangements in due course. We are mindful of the diverse range of provision which comes under the banner of alternative provision, and the particular logistical and geographical issues related to hospital schools.