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Tag: 2016

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-01-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many refugees were referred to her Department by the UN High Commission for Refugees under (a) the Gateway Protection Programme, (b) the Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme and (c) the Mandate Refugee Scheme in each year since 2009-10; and how many such refugees in each year and for each scheme her Department refused after carrying out checks.

    James Brokenshire

    We do not report on how many people have been identified for resettlement in the UK under these schemes. Not all referrals translate into arrivals for a variety of reasons. In some instances, refugees choose to withdraw, for example, following the death of a family member, marriage or childbirth. Furthermore the Home Office also retains the right to reject individuals on security, war crimes or other grounds. In addition we do not currently differentiate between cases that are refused or withdrawn and therefore do not hold the information on refusals in the format requested.

    Notwithstanding this, the Home Office is committed to publishing data on arrivals through the resettlement programmes in an orderly way as part of the regular quarterly Immigration Statistics, in line with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics. The next set of figures will be in the quarterly release on 25 February 2016 and will cover the period October-December 2015. These numbers will be updated each quarter.

  • Tania Mathias – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Tania Mathias – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tania Mathias on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has had discussions with the Israeli government on the displacement of Bedouin people from townships in the Negev.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    I discussed the Bedouin in the Negev with Head of the Joint List MK Ayman Odeh during my visit to Israel on 18 February. Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv are following developments closely, and we continue to encourage the Israeli authorities and Bedouin communities to work together to identify satisfactory solutions.

  • Kate Osamor – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Kate Osamor – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Osamor on 2016-03-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps she has taken to tackle human trafficking into the UK at source.

    Karen Bradley

    We are committed to tackling all forms of modern slavery, including human trafficking. The Government has secured commitment from other governments and institutions, including the UN, the Commonwealth and the EU, to tackle modern slavery. We have successfully lobbied for the establishment of the first ever UN Sustainable Development Goal to end modern slavery. We are also working bilaterally with priority countries to deepen law enforcement cooperation.

    The Work in Freedom programme is helping to prevent trafficking of girls and women from South Asia. We have also supported the work of the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner, who has visited source countries and identified further opportunities for prevention activity. Our world-leading Transparency in Supply Chains provision in the Modern Slavery Act 2015 will encourage business to eradicate slavery from global supply chains.

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-04-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his policy is on the Maritime and Coastguard Agency retaining core responsibility for the (a) commercial promotion and (b) auditing and assurance of the Red Ensign Group of Shipping Registers.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Secretary of State for Transport has ultimate responsibility for the safety of all British shipping and has delegated authority to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) to ensure that the standards maintained by Red Ensign Group (REG) shipping registries operated by UK Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies are in accordance with their International obligations.

    Commercial promotion and marketing is the responsibility of the individual shipping registries. The registers operate on the basis of mutual support rather than in direct commercial completion.

    The MCA’s promotion of the REG shipping registries is limited to ensuring that they all maintain the same core high standards and international obligations as the REG ship registers are represented as a single member state within the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) by the UK.

    Overseeing, monitoring, enforcing of standards, the audit and assurance of the REG shipping registries, is undertaken by the MCA’s Business Improvement and Assurance (BI&A) team which is independent from the UK Ship Register (UKSR). As part of this process, the BI&A team will monitor REG members to ensure that they have in place the necessary resources and infrastructure appropriate to the types and size of ships they wish to register.

  • Jess Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jess Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2016-05-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the budget is for the National Schools Commissioner Roadshow during June and July 2016.

    Nick Gibb

    The cost of the nine National Schools Commissioner Roadshows during June and July 2016 will be met from within Schools Commissioner’s Group (SCG) allocated programme budget. The programme budget is to cover the costs related to events and other communications activities. For the 2016/17 financial year, this budget is £425k.

    It is expected that approximately 1,500 system leaders will attend the nine National Schools Commissioner Roadshows taking place in June and July 2016.

    There was no specific allocation made for travel and subsistence costs for officials related to the National Schools Commissioner Roadshows during June and July 2016. These costs will be met from within SCG allocated administrative budget.

    An official in each of the RSC offices has been involved in organising the nine National Schools Commissioners roadshows, supported by a lead in SCG. We expect approximately five officials to attend each roadshow, plus the National Schools Commissioner and the relevant Regional School Commissioner (RSC).

    There has been no budget allocated to advertising the National Schools Commissioner Roadshows.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-07-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU on funding for the UK’s life sciences sector.

    Mr Robin Walker

    The Government recognises the importance of our research base, which is why we have protected the science budget in real terms from its current level of £4.7 bn for the rest of the parliament.

    The referendum result has no immediate effect on the right of researchers to apply to or participate in EU research programmes. We remain a part of the EU until negotiations are concluded. While the UK remains a member of the EU, current EU arrangements continue unchanged. UK participants, including those researching mental health issues, can continue to apply to programmes in the usual way. The future of UK access to these programmes is one of many issues to be addressed in our EU negotiations.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-10-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what representations she has received from existing grammar schools wishing to expand in each of the last 12 months; and if she will make a statement.

    Nick Gibb

    Records indicate that in the last 12 months eight selective academies have proposed an expansion of their school site via an application to their local Regional Schools Commissioner. We are unable to provide information for maintained grammar schools that wish to expand as this would be a matter for the relevant local authority. The Department does not have a role in these decisions.

  • Debbie Abrahams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Debbie Abrahams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Debbie Abrahams on 2016-01-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will extend the deadline for submissions on his Department’s Consultation on aids and appliances and the daily living component of personal independence payment.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The Department’s consultation on aids and appliances and the daily living component of PIP began on 10 December 2015 and is scheduled to run until 29 January 2015, a period of 7 weeks and one day.

    The time period for the consultation was decided in line with the Government’s consultation principles guidance. This advises that consultations should typically run for between 2 and 12 weeks, but that “the timing and length of a consultation should be decided on a case-by-case basis”.

    As we are consulting on the specific and discrete issue of how aids and appliances are accounted for when determining eligibility to the daily living component, we feel 6 weeks is an appropriate length. The last PIP consultation, on the Moving Around activity, also lasted for 6 weeks. As the consultation is running over the Christmas period this was extended by 8 days.

    The Department therefore believes that the existing consultation deadline allows reasonable time in which to respond.

  • Nigel Evans – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Nigel Evans – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Evans on 2016-01-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people who had been wrongfully released from English prisons were recalled in 2013.

    Andrew Selous

    The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost. My hon friend has very recently written to me about a specific case and I will reply to him shortly.

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the report of the independent cancer taskforce, Achieving world class cancer outcomes: A strategy for England 2015-2020, published in July 2015, what progress NHS England has made in putting a mandate in place to ensure that GPs have direct access to key investigative tests for suspected cancers.

    Jane Ellison

    The Independent Cancer Taskforce’s five-year strategy Achieving World-class Cancer Outcomes A Strategy for England 2015-2020 recommends improvements across the cancer pathway, including improved access to investigative testing.

    We have already announced funding of up to £300 million a year by 2020 to increase diagnostic capacity to meet the new target that patients will be given a definitive cancer diagnosis, or the all clear, within 28 days of being referred by a general practitioner (GP). The NHS National Cancer Director has set up a new Cancer Transformation Board to lead the roll-out of the recommendations of the new strategy, and a Cancer Advisory Group, chaired by Dr Harpal Kumar, Chief Executive of Cancer Research UK, will oversee and scrutinise their work.

    The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Suspected cancer: recognition and referral guideline which was published in June 2015 includes recommendations regarding when GPs should refer patients for direct access investigative tests. NHS England expects clinical commissioning groups to enable GPs to follow the guideline.