Tag: 2016

  • David Burrowes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    David Burrowes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Burrowes on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many unaccompanied minors have had their take charge request accepted in (a) Calais, (b) Greece and (c) Italy in the latest period for which figures are available.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    Since the beginning of this year, over 120 unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in Europe have been accepted for transfer to the UK, over 70 of which are from France. The Government does not routinely publish statistics on the number of take charge requests accepted for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children transferring to the UK under the Dublin III regulation broken down by country or region.

  • Rehman Chishti – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    Rehman Chishti – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rehman Chishti on 2016-10-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what discussions he has had with (a) the government of Pakistan and (b) other key stakeholders on promoting UK trade with that country.

    Greg Hands

    The Department for International Trade and other departments, have extensive contact with their counterparts in Pakistan. Discussions routinely cover enhancing bilateral trade and investment, and business climate reform in Pakistan. The Prime Minister met Pakistan’s Prime Minister Sharif on 20 September, and they discussed trade relations.

  • Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-01-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many new homes have been built in National Flood Zone 3 in each of the last five years.

    Brandon Lewis

    The Department’s latest land use change statistics provide estimates on the proportion of new residential addresses created in national flood zone 3. The latest figures show that in 2013-14, 7% of new residential addresses were created in the national flood zone 3. This equates to an estimated 9,100 homes being built in national flood zone 3 in 2013-14.

    Prior to the publication of 2013-14 figures land use change statistics were calculated using a different methodology so they are not directly comparable to the 2013-14 figures. Figures produced using the previous methodology were last published for the calendar year 2011 and are provided in the attached table.

    National planning policy is designed to protect people and property from flooding. Local planning authorities are expected to avoid inappropriate development in areas at risk of flooding by directing development away from areas at highest risk.

  • Jim Fitzpatrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Jim Fitzpatrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2016-01-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how his Department plans to monitor whether higher education institutions comply with their duties under the Equality Act 2010 towards disabled students; and what remedies are available to such students in the event that an institution does not comply with those duties.

    Joseph Johnson

    Higher Education Institutions have a legal duty under the Equality Act 2010 to provide reasonable adjustments for disabled students and to monitor their compliance with their Equality Act duties. The Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties) Regulations 2011 require institutions to publish information as to their compliance with the general public sector equality duty.

    In those cases where a student is dissatisfied with the response from their higher education institution and have completed the institution’s formal complaints procedures, they can take their complaint to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) for Higher Education. The OIA is independent of Government and publishes an annual report setting out its performance in handling unresolved student complaints. In providing remedies, the OIA aims to return students to the position they were in before their complaint. In appropriate circumstances this can include financial payments.

  • Julie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Julie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Cooper on 2016-02-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people were admitted to hospital as a result of NHS 111 calls made in 2015 in (a) Lancashire and (b) Burnley.

    Jane Ellison

    The data is not held centrally.

  • Lord Shinkwin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Shinkwin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Shinkwin on 2016-03-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to ensure that the UK complies with its obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities if cell-free DNA, non-invasive prenatal testing techniques are made available to pregnant women on the NHS.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    There is a long established Fetal Anomaly Screening Programme that prospective parents can choose whether to participate in. The United Kingdom National Screening Committee recommendation on non-invasive prenatal testing does not change the choices available to prospective parents within the programme. We are satisfied that the UK is compliant with its obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and that the Programme is compliant with all obligations under the Equality Act 2010. We would also note that English law does not recognise a foetus as a separate legal person.

  • Tom Blenkinsop – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Tom Blenkinsop – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2016-04-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that broken accessibility equipment on buses is considered as a priority for repair.

    Andrew Jones

    From 1 January 2016 all single-deck buses designed to carry over twenty-two passengers on local and scheduled routes must comply with the Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations (PSVAR), which require them to incorporate a wheelchair space and boarding facility, priority seating and other features to make journeys easier for a range of disabled people. Double deckers must comply by January 2017, and coaches by 2020.

    Currently 89% of buses are compliant, and last year just 47 of the 7,343 public service vehicles subject to routine checks were found to have PSVAR related defects. Operators of vehicles found to be non-compliant are required to rectify faults promptly or risk enforcement action.

    We expect all operators to comply with the law and are working with the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency to ensure it continues to be enforced effectively.

  • Rob Marris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Rob Marris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rob Marris on 2016-06-06.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his Department’s policy is on requests from taxation treaty partners for changes to the levels of source taxation in such treaties.

    Mr David Gauke

    The UK responds positively to requests from developing countries for renegotiation of tax treaties.

    The UK recognises that treaty partners may now want higher levels of source taxation than are contained in treaties negotiated many years ago. However, the eventual level of source state taxation in a renegotiated treaty reflects the balance of the agreed priorities.

  • Tania Mathias – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Tania Mathias – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tania Mathias on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the (a) potential benefits to security and (b) viability of effective implementation of requiring proof of identification prior to purchase of a SIM card.

    Sarah Newton

    This issue was considered in detail by an expert group comprising representatives of law enforcement, the security and intelligence agencies and communication service providers following the terrorist attacks in London in July 2005. The experts’ findings remain valid. They concluded that the registration of ownership of mobile telephones would not deliver any significant new benefits to the investigatory process.

    Mobile phones are not the only devices capable of making calls or sending messages. Many laptops, computers, popular MP3 players and games consoles also support the sending of messages and phone calls. These devices are increasingly being used for communications. It would be necessary to include these other devices in any mandatory registration scheme.

    Separately, the person who buys the device is not necessarily the person who will use it. Mobile phones are often sold or given to family members or friends which would mean that such information would quickly become out of date.

    Furthermore, those who were keen to avoid providing details would still find ways to circumvent the scheme, such as purchasing or registering phones under false identities.

  • Emma Reynolds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Emma Reynolds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emma Reynolds on 2016-10-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to reduce youth unemployment in areas with high levels of youth unemployment.

    Damian Hinds

    Since 2010 the youth claimant count has fallen in all regions, and only 5.7% of the youth population are unemployed and not in full-time education, a rate that is near record low. We are investing further in an intensive support regime for young people, equipping them with vital skills to not only find a job, but build capability to sustain work.