Tag: Andrew Smith

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2016-09-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the date of receipt was of the oldest outstanding further submission related to an asylum claim.

Mr Robert Goodwill

Home Office records indicate that the oldest outstanding further submissions application related to an asylum claim is dated 12 December 2001.

In March 2015 the Home Office implemented a new policy for individuals who make new further submissions in person in Liverpool and has significantly improved the handling and processing times of applications submitted since 30 March 2015.

The Home Office is currently developing internal plans to address the older further submissions whilst deciding new applications submitted through the Further Submissions Unit in Liverpool. It is important to note there will always be exceptional cases that can not be dealt with due to circumstances outwith the control of the Home Office.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2015-11-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many NHS (a) standalone midwife-led units, (b) midwife-led units situated alongside consultant-led units and (c) consultant-led maternity units there are in each region of England; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Gummer

Information on the number of standalone midwife-led units, midwife-led units situated alongside consultant-led units and consultant-led maternity units in each region of England is set out in the table below:

Women can expect a range of choices over place of birth. As set out in the NHS Choice Framework for 2015/16, these choices include giving birth at home with the support of a midwife, in a midwifery facility with the support of a midwife, or in any available hospital with the support of a maternity team. Choices will depend on what is best for the woman and her baby, as well as what is available locally.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2016-01-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policy on Bahrain of the analysis and conclusions of the report by Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain, entitled Shattering the Façade, published in November 2015.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We have noted the report by Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain which assesses the progress the Government of Bahrain is making against the recommendations of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry Report (BICI). In June 2014, the UN Human Rights Council presented similar findings by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. That is why we continue to encourage plus support the Government of Bahrain in ensuring full implementation of the BICI recommendations, as well as those accepted in their UN Human Rights Council Universal Periodic Review. We are offering UK assistance to help them achieve this.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people applied to have their circumstances changed to give them recourse to public funds in the last quarter; and what proportion of such applications were successful in (a) the first quarter of 2016 and (b) the second quarter of 2015.

James Brokenshire

Data for Q1 2016 is not yet available. However, in the last quarter for which statistics are publicly available (October – December 2015), 765 people applied to have their circumstances changed to give them recourse to public funds and of these 3.9% were successful, however a significant proportion of these cases are pending their final decision and as such the final proportion may be higher.

In Q2 2015 (April – June 2015), 750 people applied to have their circumstances changed to give them recourse to public funds. 735 of those applications had been concluded by the end of the publicly available statistics and 270 had been successful, which equates to a proportion of 36.7%.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2016-04-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the timetable and process is, including parliamentary scrutiny, for ratification by the UK of the EU-Israel Civil Aviation Agreement.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The EU-Israel Aviation Agreement was signed on 10 June 2013. Prior to this it was subject to UK parliamentary scrutiny (EM 16502/12 & 16650/12 dated 4 December 2012). Scrutiny clearance was received from the European Scrutiny Committee on 12 December 2012 and the UK government therefore agreed to the Council Decision to sign the Agreement at the Council held on 20 December 2012.

The Agreement is currently being amended due to the accession of Croatia to the European Union. The Decision to sign the amendment was agreed by Council on 8 October 2014 and is currently being considered by the European Parliament. Once this is complete, the Agreement and the amendment will then be concluded at a later date. The amendment will not be subject to UK parliamentary scrutiny as the European Scrutiny Committees of both Houses have agreed to waive parliamentary scrutiny of all amendments to EU-3rd country agreements, where the sole purpose of the amendment is to accede Croatia to an agreement.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2016-06-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the legal status is of the changes to health and social care proposed in Sustainability and Transformation Plans.

George Freeman

The Sustainability and Transformation Plans (STP) has no legal basis. Any plans submitted will be proposals that will form the basis for discussion. Depending on the level of local and national agreement, they may form the basis for further plans and actions that will be subject to the same legal and best practice requirements that govern the National Health Service.

The local, statutory architecture for health and care remains, as do the existing accountabilities for Chief Executives of provider organisations and Accountable Officers of clinical commissioning groups. Organisations are still accountable for their individual organisational plans, which should form part of the first year of their footprint’s STP.

The June STP submissions will be work-in-progress, and as such we do not anticipate the requirement for formal approval from boards and/or consultation at this early stage. Plans have no status until they are agreed. When plans are ready, normal rules around engagement and public consultation will apply.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to increase capacity at the Asylum and Immigration Chamber.

Sir Oliver Heald

The First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) is administered by HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS). HMCTS have provided an additional 4,500 tribunal sitting days for this financial year compared to 2015/16. HMCTS keeps performance and resource levels under close review.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2015-11-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have not been able to request employment and support allowance paid at the assessment rate pending an appeal since March 2015.

Priti Patel

The information requested is not available.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2016-01-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to advance democratic rights in Bahrain.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

Governance of Bahrain is a matter for all political parties in Bahrain. That is why we encourage all political parties, including Al Wefaq who boycotted elections in November 2014, to engage constructively in political dialogue in order to reach an inclusive political settlement. Although we were disappointed by the opposition’s decision to boycott the 2014 elections, we commended the participation of a broad range of candidates which saw 14 independent Shia candidates win seats, of which three were women.

We regularly discuss human rights and reform with the Government of Bahrain including at the biannual UK-Bahrain Joint Working Group meeting which was most recently held in November 2015. Reform programme activities delivered through the Causeway Institute have used lessons from Northern Ireland to improve community outreach and communication – particularly to a youth audience.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2016-03-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what criteria her Department applied in selecting the areas for the campaign, Together we can tackle child abuse.

Edward Timpson

This is the first ever nationwide campaign on this issue promoted by the Government. Its aim is to raise awareness amongst the public about abuse and neglect and how to report suspected instances. This is a nationwide campaign and we have been working with all local authorities to promote it. We have provided a toolkit of materials, which can be used across the country to support the campaign locally.

This year, we ran a pilot, paid-for campaign in 33 local authorities in the West Midlands and Outer London where we have paid for out-of-home, digital and radio advertising. These areas were chosen because of their dense and diverse populations. The overall cost of the campaign has been up to £1m.