The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne Main on 2016-05-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 9 May 2016 to Question 36490, for what reason information on the number of (a) EU and (b) non-EU nationals refused entry to the UK in each year prior to 2004 is not available.
James Brokenshire
Data on passengers initially refused entry to the UK were not collected by the Home Office prior to 2004.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Gethins on 2016-06-28.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU on regulation relating to air quality.
George Eustice
Until we leave the EU, current arrangements for farming, food and drink and our environment remain in place.
Defra will continue to ensure the right policies are in place for a cleaner, healthier environment for everyone. It is also vital that British farming is profitable and remains competitive – it is the bedrock of the food and drink industry, Britain’s largest manufacturing sector.
The priorities for negotiating our exit from the EU will be a matter for the new Prime Minister and their Cabinet.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-09-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to his Department’s paper, Infected Blood: Government Response to Consultation on Reform of Financial and Other Support, published in July 2016, whether he plans for people receiving discretionary support from the reformed scheme to continue to receive (a) prescription prepayment certificates, (b) advice on support with benefit applications and appeals, (c) one-off £1,200 lump sum payments for dependants and (d) means-tested top-ups to their income to lift them above the poverty line; and whether he plans for the partners of bereaved people to continue to receive annual payments topping their income up to £19,000 per year.
Nicola Blackwood
In 2017/18, a new, single, discretionary scheme will replace the current three discretionary support schemes (The Caxton Foundation, The Eileen Trust and The McFarlane Trust), and it is intended to be equitable, transparent, flexible and responsive to individual needs, that may change over time.
Details on the components that will make up a new discretionary scheme are still being worked through and will be publicised in due course. In the meantime, the current discretionary arrangements remain throughout the current financial year.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Rotheram on 2016-01-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to tackle skills shortages in the construction industry.
Nick Boles
The Construction Industry Training Board’s (CITB) Construction Skills Network estimates224,000 new construction jobs are set to be created throughout the UK in the next five years. This means that more than 44,000 jobs could be created every year for the next five years.
According to CITB estimates, 19% of UK construction workers are aged 55+, and are set to retire in the next 10 years (406,000 people), creating equivalent replace demand.
The Government has no estimate of the number of construction workers expected to leave the industry due to ill-health.
The Government is committed to significantly increasing the quantity and quality of all apprenticeships in England to 3 million starts by 2020; the construction industry will have an important part to play in achieving this target. Development of skilled labour can only be achieved with engagement of the industry. Construction employers in England are engaged in the Trailblazer process to develop apprenticeship standards that are fit for business, and we have announced a new apprenticeships levy which will put investment in training, and apprenticeships specifically, on a long-term, sustainable footing. CITB returned over £42m last year, supporting 18,500 first, second and third year construction apprentices.
Initiatives, by the Construction Leadership Council, or through the CITB are seeking to encourage more young people into construction careers. This work includes the launch of the GO-Construct website and work with the National Careers Service and Construction Ambassadors for schools. The CITB has also developed a range of initiatives, working closely with the Department for Work and Pensions, the Armed Forces resettlement service and Local Enterprise Partnerships, to encourage experienced individuals into the sector.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bridget Phillipson on 2016-02-09.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) on that body’s record of (a) call waiting times, (b) call handling and (c) the steps HMRC plans to take to increase the level of service to telephone customers.
Mr David Gauke
Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery.
Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at:
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/minister_hospitality.htm
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2016-03-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 2 March 2016 to Question 28094, on minimum wage: enforcement, if he will provide details of the assurance process used to make sure that employers who have been found to be non-compliant with the national minimum wage have fully self-corrected their pay system and paid all workers any national minimum wage arrears that they are owed.
Nick Boles
The assurance process involves Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) performing a sample check that arrears have been paid to workers under self-correction. Workers are selected and contacted by telephone and correspondence to confirm that they have received the arrears they are owed, and the amount that the employer has reported. If HMRC do not receive a self-correction report from the employer they will remind the company and then follow up with an unannounced visit, where appropriate. If HMRC has concerns following the above processes then an investigation is re-opened.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michelle Donelan on 2016-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to support the provision of medical supplies, water, food and emergency shelter for internally displaced people and children in Yemen.
Mr Desmond Swayne
The UK is the 4th largest donor to the crisis in Yemen and has more than doubled its humanitarian support over the last year to £85 million for 2015/16. We have so far helped more than 1.3 million Yemenis who have been affected by the conflict with food assistance, medical supplies, water, and emergency shelter, as well as supporting refugees and migrants in Yemen. We work through International Non-Governmental Organisations and United Nations agencies to deliver this assistance, ensuring the response is targeted towards the most vulnerable.
This funding includes support to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to provide over 750,000 Internally Displaced People and people affected by the conflict with access to a safe water supply and critical hygiene items. The UK has also provided funds to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), UNICEF and Save the Children to raise awareness of child rights, to monitor and support displaced children and to provide children with food, nutritional support, water and sanitation.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-05-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will bring forward regulations to allow re-sentencing of people serving imprisonment for public protection sentences on defined principles specially enacted by Parliament.
Dominic Raab
IPP prisoners are released where the Parole Board is satisfied that they can be safely managed in the community.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-06-28.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will bring forward regulations to prevent drug manufacturers excessively raising the cost of drugs to the NHS when they are the sole or dominant supplier.
George Freeman
The Department is already referring cases to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). To strengthen our work in this area we are considering putting measures in place to routinely and systematically monitor significant price increases of generic medicines and take action where appropriate, including the possible referral of suspected excessive pricing to the CMA, while taking into account the potential impact of any such action on the availability of medicines.
The CMA is currently conducting a number of investigations into anti-competitive practices in the pharmaceutical industry. It imposed fines totalling £45 million in one case (currently subject to appeal at the Competition Appeal Tribunal), and expects to reach a final decision by late summer in another. It opened two more cases in March and April 2016 in which it expects to decide in late summer whether there are grounds to take each investigation further.
The CMA is also considering evidence of other potential cases of anti-competitive practices in the sector, and may well open further investigations in the coming months.
The CMA is independent of Ministers and we cannot interfere in either the substance or the procedures of its decision-making.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hugo Swire on 2016-09-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had on putting the Maldives on the agenda of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group for the United Nations General Assembly.
Alok Sharma
Ministers and officials are in close contact with international partners about the situation in the Maldives. The Government welcomes the conclusion of April 2016 by the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) that its consideration of the situation in Maldives should continue. We also support its recommendations, in particular the need for the release of political leaders, the widening of space for civil society to operate in, and a swift implementation of reforms to strengthen separation of powers and independence of the judiciary in the Maldives. At its meeting in September, we hope CMAG will take firm action in line with its mandate to deal with persistent and serious violations of Commonwealth values.