Tag: 2016

  • Lord Chidgey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    Lord Chidgey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Chidgey on 2016-07-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the potential effects on investment of uncertainty around issues of future market access, whether they plan to commit to (1) extending bilaterally the duty- and quota-free access that the least developed countries have had to the UK market since 2001 once the UK’s exit from the EU is completed; (2) honouring the duty- and quota-free market access granted to Caribbean countries since 2008 until new bilateral trade agreements have been concluded; and (3) unilaterally extending the duty- and quota-free access granted to sub-Saharan countries under the transitional arrangements established since 2008 until new bilateral trade agreements have been concluded.

    Lord Price

    While the UK is still a member of the EU, all rights and obligations will apply. There will be no initial change in the way we trade with developing countries. The new Department for International Trade will work with the Department for International Development on the structure and access to the UK’s markets to be offered to developing countries. This will reflect the UK’s longstanding support for Least Developed Countries and other developing country trading partners including through preferential trade agreements. This recognises that trade can be an effective way of growing economies and reducing poverty internationally.

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-09-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 5 September 2016 to Question 43315, on asylum: families, what additional support her Department provides to (a) requesting member states and (b) such people who have not had their asylum claims granted.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    We are committed to making the Dublin Regulation work effectively and will take responsibility for an asylum claimant from another Member State where there are grounds to do so. The UK has been working to strengthen the process for family reunification of unaccompanied minors under Dublin for some time. We have seconded a UK official to Greece, have a long-standing secondee working in Italy and will shortly be seconding another official to the French Interior Ministry to support these efforts.

    As stated in the answer of 5 September 2016 to Question 43315, the Dublin Regulation concerns the determination of the Member State responsible for examining a claim for asylum. It does not, however, concern the substantive assessment of whether or not asylum can be granted in individual cases. Asylum seekers and their dependants who are in the UK are supported by the Home Office if they would otherwise be destitute.

    The Home Office provides funding to local authorities for the care of unaccompanied asylum seeking children. Those who the Home Office have found not to be in need of protection and who have exhausted their appeal rights are expected to leave the UK.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-01-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for what reasons the National Offender Management Service decided not to impose financial penalties on private prisons on each occasion when such penalties were applicable in the last five years; and what the value of those fines so foregone was.

    Andrew Selous

    Performance points are accrued when a custodial service failure occurs. Charges are then applied when the total points exceeds the relevant performance baseline. A performance baseline is allowed in recognition of the complex operational nature of prisons where we know that there will be occasional incidents no matter how well the prison is run. This charge protocol is a longstanding practice in prison contracts.

    The performance points, and subsequent calculated charges, are signed off by all parties at the Quarterly Contract Review Meeting. Following this meeting, charge payable will, without exception, be collected by NOMS.

  • Rupa Huq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Rupa Huq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rupa Huq on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Egyptian counterpart on freedom of expression in Egypt.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), discussed human rights issues in Egypt with President Sisi during his visit to the UK in November. He raised a number of concerns, including around the detention of political activists, mass trials and restrictions on freedom of expression. In recent months the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) have continued to raise these issues with the Egyptian authorities. Most recently, Simon Gass, FCO Political Director, met the Egyptian Ambassador to London in February and raised our concerns on alleged human rights abuses.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-03-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations his Department has made to the government of the United Arab Emirates on the continued imprisonment of David Haigh.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has been providing consular assistance to Mr Haigh since his arrest, and has discussed his case with the Emirati authorities on a regular basis, most recently on Monday 21 March 2016. We are pleased that Mr Haigh has now been found not guilty and will soon be released.

  • Imran Hussain – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Imran Hussain – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to ensure that Government (a) departments and (b) contractors do not make use of tax havens.

    Matthew Hancock

    Procurement Policy Note 03/14 sets out the scope, background and detailed guidance for the policy of using the procurement process to promote tax compliance:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/procurement-policy-note-0314-promoting-tax-compliance

    The 2015 Public Contract Regulations introduced a new obligation for public bodies to exclude suppliers from a procurement where the supplier has been found guilty of breaching its obligations in relation to payment of taxes and this has been established by a judicial or administrative decision having final effect within the relevant jurisdiction.

    “

  • Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2016-05-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to require bus operators to make buses disability friendly.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    Single deck buses designed to carry over twenty two passengers on local and scheduled routes must already comply with the Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations (PSVAR), including incorporating a designated wheelchair space and boarding facilities, priority seating and colour-contrasting hand-holds. Double deck buses must comply by the 1st January next year, and coaches by 2020. As at 2014/15, 95% of buses in England were low floor or had an accessibility certificate, compared to 80% in 2009/10.

    Positive driver interactions and accessible on-board information also make a big difference for many disabled passengers. We are developing best practice guidance on providing disability awareness training for drivers, and have supported innovative approaches for providing next stop information on-board vehicles.

  • Lord Ahmed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Ahmed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ahmed on 2016-07-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of India about the reported killing and injuring of civilians by the Indian security forces in Indian-administered Kashmir.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    I am deeply saddened by recent reports of unrest in Kashmir and offer my condolences to the victims and their families. Our High Commission in Delhi is monitoring the situation closely and we have updated our travel advice. We have not made any representations to the government of India on this issue.

  • Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-09-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate her Department has made of the cost of an appeal being cancelled at (a) First-tier Tribunal and (b) Upper-tier Tribunal due to documents from the Home Office not being submitted before the hearing date in each of the last three years.

    Sir Oliver Heald

    The First-tier Tribunal and Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chambers) are administered by HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS).

    HMCTS does not routinely estimate the cost of the cancellation of individual postponement and adjournments because the Tribunal will, wherever possible, replace a cancelled hearing with cases that are available in reserve.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-01-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will bring forward proposals to require the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority to compensate families of victims of criminal offences.

    Mike Penning

    The Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme compensates victims of violent crime who have sustained physical or mental injuries.

    In cases where the victim of a violent crime has died, close family members of the deceased may be eligible to receive awards such as bereavement and dependency payments for the loss of a loved one. The rules governing such payments are set out in the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme.