The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison Thewliss on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will bring forward proposals to reduce the maximum stake on fixed odds betting terminals.
Tracey Crouch
The Triennial Review of Stakes and Prizes is due to be published shortly, and will consider stakes and prizes of all gaming machines.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison Thewliss on 2016-01-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what proportion of Greater Manchester City Deal procurement contracts have been given to SMEs in the Greater Manchester area.
James Wharton
The Department for Communities and Local Government does not collect this data on contracts awarded by local authorities.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison Thewliss on 2016-03-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of reductions in international student numbers on employment.
Mike Penning
Such an assessment has not been made because the Government is delivering a strong labour market which has seen the employment rate for UK nationals grow to 74.6% in Q4 2015 – an increase of 0.8 percentage points compared to the previous year and the highest since records began.
The student migration system we inherited was too weak, and open to widespread abuse, damaging the UK’s reputation as a provider of world-class education. The National Audit Office reported that in 2009/10 up to 50,000 students may have come to work, not study.
We have clamped down on immigration abuse from poor quality institutions selling immigration rather than education, and since 2010 we have struck off more than 920 bogus colleges. Visa applications for the further education sector, where abuse has been most prevalent over recent years, are down 75 per cent compared with 2010.
At the same time, we have maintained a highly competitive offer for international students who would like to study at our world-class institutions. This is borne out by the figures: visa applications from international students to study at British universities are up by 16 per cent since 2010, whilst visa applications to our world-leading Russell Group institutions are up by 39 per cent since 2010. There remains no limit on the number of genuine international students who can study in the UK.
We will continue to reform the student visa system to tackle abuse and deliver an effective immigration system that works in the national interest.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison Thewliss on 2016-04-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people from Yemen claimed asylum in the UK in 2015.
James Brokenshire
There were 66 and 111 asylum applications from Yemeni nationals in 2014 and 2015, respectively.
The Home Office publishes figures on asylum applications by nationality in the quarterly Immigration Statistics release. A copy of the latest release, Immigration Statistics, October to December 2015, is available from:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-october-to-december-2015.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison Thewliss on 2016-06-15.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to revise references to handicapped people in Schedule 8 to the Value Added Tax Act 1994.
Mr David Gauke
The references to ‘handicapped’ people in Schedule 8 to the Value Added Tax Act 1994 are being considered alongside some other outdated terms that are used in the Schedule. This work will be taken forward carefully to ensure there are no unintended consequences as the terminology carries meaning that is derived from and interacts with other UK legislation.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison Thewliss on 2016-09-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to promote breastfeeding.
Mr Philip Dunne
Public Health England (PHE) works with local services to create breastfeeding friendly communities, with midwives and health visitors to promote best practice, and, through our Start4Life social marketing programme, to provide parents with trusted National Health Service advice.
PHE has developed an infant feeding commissioning resource in partnership with Unicef to support local authorities in the delivery of a comprehensive approach to the commissioning of services that protect, promote and support breastfeeding. PHE also shares innovative approaches for supporting breastfeeding.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison Thewliss on 2016-10-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of Part 10 of the Gambling Act 2005.
Tracey Crouch
The Government continues to keep under review all aspects of the Gambling Act 2005. The Triennial Review of Stakes and Prizes is due to be published shortly, and will consider stakes and prizes of all gaming machines.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison Thewliss on 2016-01-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he had with foodbank providers on the planned introduction of Jobcentre staff in foodbanks.
Priti Patel
Jobcentre Work Coaches undertake outreach work every day in local communities, and have recently been helping people with back-to-work support and advice in Manchester, where a food bank sits alongside other support services.
The Department is in the early stages of testing the outreach activity, and will reflect on the findings.
Where Jobcentre Plus is invited to work in partnership with a food bank provider, and where there is a local need, Jobcentre Plus District Managers will be able to apply the best practices identified.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison Thewliss on 2016-03-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many employment support allowance claimants in (a) Scotland (b) Glasgow and (c) Glasgow Central constituency stopped claiming that allowance after participation in the Work Programme.
Priti Patel
The available information on the number of people who have completed the Work Programme is published and can be found at:
http://tabulation-tool.dwp.gov.uk/WorkProg/tabtool.html
The information requested for those who stopped claiming Employment and Support Allowance after participation in the Work Programme is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison Thewliss on 2016-04-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which companies were contracted to facilitate enforced returns to Yemen for failed asylum seekers from that country in 2014.
James Brokenshire
All escorting services to facilitate enforced returns are provided by the Home Office’s main contractor, Tascor. In 2014, detainee custody officers from the Pilgrims Group, who are sub-contracted by Tascor were used on one occasion on 23rd July to facilitate the enforced return of an individual to Yemen.