Tag: Andrew Smith

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2016-04-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate he has made of the amount of staff time that has been used in assisting representatives of British overseas territories and Crown dependencies in preparation for meetings with the European Commission in the most recent period for which information is available.

James Duddridge

The UK is responsible for the international relations of the Overseas Territories, which have a specific status within the European Union Treaties. The Overseas Association Decision is the instrument which sets out the relationship between the European Union and the Overseas Territories of the Member States. In 2015 I attended the annual Forum bringing together Territory leaders, senior representatives from the European Commission and the Member States. Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials meet approximately six times a year with the Territories and the Commission to take forward cooperation under the Overseas Association Decision. Other government departments provide officials when required if the subject matter falls within their area of competence.

The United Kingdom is also responsible for the international relations of the Crown Dependencies which have a special relationship with the European Union under Protocol 3 to the United Kingdom’s Treaty of Accession to the European Community.

United Kingdom Government officials meet regularly with Crown Dependency and Overseas Territory representatives to discuss forthcoming business; information sharing is a matter of routine. The Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories make their own preparations for meetings with the European Commission but Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials assist when asked to do so. Support is also available from other government departments and the UK Permanent Representation to the European Union should it be required.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2016-07-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of the correspondence her Department has received from hon. Members has related to matters about visas in the last 12 months.

Mr Robert Goodwill

Published data between April 2015 and March 2016 shows UKVI received a total of 32095 enquiries from hon. Members. Of these, management information shows that approximately 18% related to visas.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2015-11-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her Department’s current service standard is for the time taken to process further submissions related to an asylum claim.

James Brokenshire

There is not a formal service standard for deciding further submissions from failed asylum seekers. The Home Office is balancing resource between those failed asylum seekers with no leave to remain who have made further submissions on the one hand and, on the other, those who were granted a limited period of leave following the refusal of their application who have outstanding applications for Further Leave.

With regard to further submissions lodged by failed asylum seekers, there is dedicated resource in place to decide cases in the existing stock of further submissions and to also decide new submissions quickly, wherever possible within 5 days of their being lodged. With regard to cases in the stock of further submissions, the Home Office is prioritising cases where applicants are in receipt of asylum support and cases where the applicant may be removed from the United Kingdom in the eventuality their submission is refused. The Home Office will also give priority to further submissions case that have been outstanding for the longest period of time.

The figures in the below table relate to failed asylum seekers who had outstanding further submissions as of 30 June 2015:

Timescale (Years) Total

1 – 2 2383

2 – 3 1426

3 or more 1267

Total 5076

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2016-02-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what consultation he plans to undertake on changes to the planning process for applications for fracking.

James Wharton

The Government has in place a local government led process for the consideration of planning applications for shale gas exploration. As part of this, mineral planning authorities have a responsibility to consider such applicationsunder the Town and Country Planning regime. The Government has taken steps to ensure this locally led regime is effective, as set out in Written Ministerial Statements made on 16 September, HCWS201 and HCWS202. This includes making available £1.2 million to ensure mineral planning authorities have adequate resource to reach timely decisions.

Community involvement in planning applications and people’s safety and the environment will remain paramount. No decision has been made to take shale gas exploration out of this local government led process and there are no plans currently to consult on such a change.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2016-03-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of people on temporary admission who travel for mandatory reporting from Oxfordshire to London have their transport costs paid from the public purse.

James Brokenshire

Immigration Enforcement retains a record of tickets that are issued to people on temporary admission for the purpose of travel to report at an Immigration Reporting Centre.

Immigration Enforcement does not keep a record of the area from which those individuals have travelled. We are required to provide a travel ticket if the subject resides more than 3 miles away from the reporting centre and is in receipt of Asylum Support. We do not routinely provide travel tickets for anyone else who reports unless they reside over 25 miles away and there is an exceptional reason to do so. Each case is assessed and considered on its own merit.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2016-04-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, on how many occasions UK Government officials have prepared briefings or provided information to representatives of British overseas territories and Crown dependencies to assist in their dealings with the European Commission in the most recent period for which information is available.

James Duddridge

The UK is responsible for the international relations of the Overseas Territories, which have a specific status within the European Union Treaties. The Overseas Association Decision is the instrument which sets out the relationship between the European Union and the Overseas Territories of the Member States. In 2015 I attended the annual Forum bringing together Territory leaders, senior representatives from the European Commission and the Member States. Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials meet approximately six times a year with the Territories and the Commission to take forward cooperation under the Overseas Association Decision. Other government departments provide officials when required if the subject matter falls within their area of competence.

The United Kingdom is also responsible for the international relations of the Crown Dependencies which have a special relationship with the European Union under Protocol 3 to the United Kingdom’s Treaty of Accession to the European Community.

United Kingdom Government officials meet regularly with Crown Dependency and Overseas Territory representatives to discuss forthcoming business; information sharing is a matter of routine. The Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories make their own preparations for meetings with the European Commission but Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials assist when asked to do so. Support is also available from other government departments and the UK Permanent Representation to the European Union should it be required.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2016-07-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports he has received on the security situation in Juba, South Sudan.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We have been kept regularly updated on the security situation in Juba. Senior officials and the former Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Rochford and Southend East (James Duddridge), have been in touch with leaders in the region and joined the United Nations and the African Union in calling on President Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar to immediately end all violence and protect all South Sudanese civilians. The ceasefire announced on 11 July is currently holding.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2015-11-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to improve the reliability and collection of data on nutrition in countries in Asia and Africa.

Mr Desmond Swayne

DFID has been taking a range of steps to improve the reliability and collection of data on nutrition. These include organising an informal expert consultation on nutrition data gaps in June this year; working with the European Commission to establish National Information Platforms for Nutrition; developing innovative metrics and methods for agriculture for nutrition; continuing to fund the Global Nutrition Report, which gives particular focus to data quality and availability and continues to undertake analysis to identify priority areas for investment; funding the Global Open Data for Agriculture and Nutrition (GODAN) programme; and continuing to work with other donors to coordinate our funding on nutrition.

In addition, the UK and US jointly announced that they will partner with the GODAN Secretariat to organise a 2016 GODAN Summit. We will also commission research in early 2016 to test innovative and feasible approaches to collect data, with sufficient frequency in more fragile settings, which should enable better management of malnutrition when shocks and disasters arise.

The UK will continue to provide strong leadership to maintain global momentum on nutrition and will continue to work hard to deliver its promises to scale up its work on nutrition between now and 2020.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions his Department has had with the US administration on the siting of a US drone operation centre at (a) RAF Lakenheath, Suffolk and (b) other UK locations.

Penny Mordaunt

The UK and US have routine discussions on all aspects of US visiting forces in the UK.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2016-03-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the cost to public funds was of transport to London for people on temporary admission in Oxfordshire for mandatory reporting in each of the last four quarters.

James Brokenshire

Immigration Enforcement retains a record of tickets that are issued to people on temporary admission for the purpose of travel to report at an Immigration Reporting Centre.

Immigration Enforcement does not keep a record of the area from which those individuals have travelled. We are required to provide a travel ticket if the subject resides more than 3 miles away from the reporting centre and is in receipt of Asylum Support. We do not routinely provide travel tickets for anyone else who reports unless they reside over 25 miles away and there is an exceptional reason to do so. Each case is assessed and considered on its own merit.