Tag: 2016

  • Lord Green of Deddington – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Lord Green of Deddington – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Green of Deddington on 2016-03-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the remarks by Lord Faulks on 2 March (HL Deb, col 928), how many of those families of EU migrants in the UK that are supported by the benefits system, and which include at least one member who has arrived in the last four years, include (1) an adult member recorded for these purposes as of UK nationality, and (2) an adult member recorded for these purposes as a non-UK national who has not arrived in the last four years, where recorded for these purposes” relates to nationality at the time the person was first issued with a National Insurance Number.”

    Lord Freud

    The information requested is not available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

  • Kate Green – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Kate Green – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will place in the Library a copy of the Policy, Law and Decision Making Guidance used by Child Maintenance Service caseworkers when making decisions on the application of Section 137(2)(b) of the Welfare Reform Act 2012 and the unlikely to be paid test.

    Priti Patel

    The Department is currently revising the Policy Law and Decision Making Guidance, so it is not appropriate to make it publicly available at this time.

  • David Anderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    David Anderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2016-05-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps the Government has taken in response to Resolution 1815 of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on measures to reduce exposure, particularly of children, to electromagnetic fields, agreed on 27 May 2011.

    Jane Ellison

    Pre-existing precautionary advice remains available to the United Kingdom public and internationally recommended (ICNIRP) guidelines on limiting exposures to electromagnetic fields are in place. The Government has not responded specifically to this Resolution.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-06-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the government of Bahrain on the protection of the rights of the Shia population in that country to manifest their religion through teaching, worship and observance.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    We follow the political situation closely in Bahrain, including Shia interests. We regularly discuss freedom of religion and belief with the Government of Bahrain, including at the highest levels, I did so most recently on 2 June when I met with the Bahraini Foreign Minister at the biannual UK-Bahrain Joint Working Group meeting, and the Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) did so most recently with his Bahraini counterpart, Sheikh Khalid Bin Ahmad Al Khalifa on 14 June 2016.

  • Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2016-09-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have held with NHS Improvement and the Care Quality Commission on the quality, safety and effectiveness of services at the Royal Blackburn Hospital.

    Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen

    No such assessments have been made. The provision of accident and emergency (A&E) services at the Royal Blackburn Hospital is a matter for the local National Health Service. The NHS in East Lancashire has established an A&E delivery board to oversee system performance and the effective delivery of urgent and emergency care locally.

    Ministers consult weekly with NHS Improvement and the Care Quality Commission about A&E performance.

  • Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the rationale is for people on spousal visas resident in the UK being required to pay a health surcharge as part of their visa.

    James Brokenshire

    The Immigration Health Surcharge was introduced in April last year to ensure that temporary, non-EEA migrants (unless subject to an exemption), who apply to come to the UK to work, study or join family, for a time-limited period of more than 6 months or who make an application to remain in the UK, contribute to the extensive and high quality range of NHS services available to them in a manner in line with their immigration status. This includes individuals resident in the UK with temporary spousal visas of more than 6 months, until such time they are eligible for indefinite leave to remain in which case the Immigration Health Surcharge does not apply.

    It gives migrant’s access to the NHS on the same terms as a permanent UK resident. The surcharge is set at a competitive rate and is a lower cost over the period of stay than the cost of even basic private medical insurance. In setting the Immigration Health Surcharge level at £200 per annum per migrant and £150 for students, the last Government considered the range of health services available without charge to migrants, the valuable contribution migrants make to our country and the need to ensure that the UK remains an attractive destination for global talent.

    In the first 6 months since its introduction, the Immigration Health Surcharge collected more than £100 million in income for the NHS.

  • Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-02-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what recent representations they have made to the government of Israel concerning the case of the Hares Boys.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We continue to monitor developments in the case of the Hares boys and raise the issue with the Israeli authorities.

  • Lord Warner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Warner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Warner on 2016-03-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Nash on 25 February (HL5719), whether an NGO can assist individual parents, or groups of parents, to challenge the fairness of the admission arrangements in their local school or schools through the adjudication process, including legally challenging the fairness of the adjudication process itself.

    Lord Nash

    There is nothing in school admissions legislation which would prevent a parent or group of parents from seeking the assistance of a non-government organisation in referring an objection to the Schools Adjudicator or in bringing a legal challenge about the adjudication process. Similarly, there is nothing in admissions legislation to prevent an organisation from providing such assistance.

  • The Lord Bishop of Coventry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The Lord Bishop of Coventry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Lord Bishop of Coventry on 2016-04-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what conversations they have had with other members of the UN Security Council about referring the actions of Daesh against religious and ethnic minorities in Iraq to the International Criminal Court for further investigation.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We condemn in the strongest terms the targeting and persecution of Yezidis, Christians and other communities by Daesh. We continue to urge the Government of Iraq to do all it can to ensure the security and rights of all communities in Iraq.

    We are working with international partners, including members of the UN Security Council, to look at all options to ensure accountability for human rights abuses and violations committed in Iraq.

    Although the UN Security Council can refer situations to the International Criminal Court Prosecutor for investigation, we believe that any decision on further investigations must be made on the basis of what will be the most effective means of bringing perpetrators of atrocities to justice.

  • Alex Chalk – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Alex Chalk – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Chalk on 2016-05-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support tree planting in towns.

    Rory Stewart

    The Government recognises the social and environmental benefits of urban trees. We will champion the Vision for a Resilient Urban Forest, developed by the Urban Forestry and Woodlands Advisory Committee Network. This Vision sets the direction and challenges local decision makers and communities to consider how they can better value, manage and expand the urban forest in their areas.

    Millions of schoolchildren across England, mostly in urban areas, will have the chance to plant trees in their communities as part of a Government-backed scheme to give free trees to schools in partnership with the Woodland Trust.