The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2016-05-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has service standards in place for considering fee waiver applications.
James Brokenshire
There are no service standards for fee waiver applications.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effect on people detained in immigration removal centres of there being no time limit on immigration detention.
Mr Robert Goodwill
Although there is no formal time limit on detention for the purposes of immigration removal, individuals cannot be detained indefinitely. However, the Government commissioned Stephen Shaw to carry out a review of the welfare of vulnerable people in immigration detention and, as part of this, Mr Shaw commissioned Professor Mary Bosworth to assess the evidence in respect of the impact of immigration detention on mental health. The Government has been taking forward reforms of immigration detention in the light of Mr Shaw’s report.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2015-10-29.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of substantive replies to hon. Members her Department has answered within the targets it has set for such correspondence since May 2015.
Karen Bradley
The proportion of substantive replies to hon. Members answered within target since 1 May 2015 is 95%
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2015-12-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 22 October 2015 to Question 12325, whether encouraging UK military exports to that country form part of the Defence Attaché’s duties in each case.
Mr Julian Brazier
Yes, Defence Attachés are to support and promote UK Defence Exports.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his Indonesian counterpart on freedom of access by journalists to West Papua.
Mr Hugo Swire
We welcome the Indonesian government’s commitment to improving the situation in the Indonesian provinces of Papua and West Papua. President Joko Widodo has visited 3 times since his election, most recently spending New Year in Papua. During his visit in May 2015, he granted clemency to a number of prisoners and announced the lifting of travel restrictions for foreign journalists and international organizations. Since then, a number of foreign journalists have successfully visited and reported from Papua and West Papua. Our Ambassador in Jakarta last visited Papua in January. As well as raising these issues, he also discussed ways to ensure the sustainable and equitable development of the provinces with members of the police, and religious and community leaders.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2016-04-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the total number of visit visa applications was from Sri Lanka in 2015; and how many such applications were refused.
James Brokenshire
The information requested is as follows:
Applications: 16745
Issued : 10940
Refused : 5785
*These figures are based on Management Information, not published statistics, and are therefore liable to change.
*These figures relate to all visit visa applications made via the Visa Application Centre in Columbo, Sri Lanka, in 2015. It will therefore incorporate applicants other than Sri Lankan nationals.
*Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 5.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2016-05-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has service standards for considering applications for the change of conditions of leave granted on the basis of family or private life.
James Brokenshire
There are no service standards for a change of conditions application.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to introduce a maximum time limit on the length of time for which a person can be detained under immigration powers.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The Government does not believe that it is appropriate for there to be a formal time limit on immigration detention. A statutory time limit would serve only to encourage individuals to frustrate asylum and immigration processes in order to reach a point at which they have to be released.
However, the Government is committed to ensuring that individuals are detained for the shortest period necessary and is introducing a range of reforms to the way in which immigration detention is managed, including greater judicial oversight of immigration detention through the Immigration Act 2016. Section 11 of Schedule 10 imposes a duty to arrange consideration of bail before the First-tier Tribunal at four months from the point of detention, or the most recent Tribunal consideration of bail, and every four months thereafter.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2015-10-30.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much centrally-provided capital funding has been provided to each further education college in each of the last five years.
Nick Boles
The amount of centrally-provided capital funding provided to each further education college in each of the last five years is shown in the attached table.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2015-12-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the likely financial benefit to the UK from sales of Watchkeeper unmanned aerial vehicles to other countries.
Mr Philip Dunne
Watchkeeper is being considered by other nations alongside other capabilities to fulfil their own defence requirements. The details of these negotiations are commercially sensitive.