Tag: Caroline Lucas

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-01-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to paragraph 7.3 of the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015, whether she plans to maintain international language requirements for both universities and pre-university students.

James Brokenshire

It is important to ensure that students who come to study in the UK under the Tier 4 route of the points-based system can speak English, in order that they can truly benefit from their British education and will be able to properly integrate with their peers. We will continue to have English language requirements for these students.

We have an excellent offer for international students who wish to study at our world-leading institutions and there remains no limit on the number who can do so. As a result, the UK remains the second most popular destination in the world for international higher education students. Annual visa applications from international students to study at British universities are now 17 per cent higher than they were in 2010, with visa applications to our elite Russell Group universities up by 39 per cent since 2010.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-01-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make representations to the French government on ensuring that NGOs and volunteers are allowed continual access to the Dunkirk refugee camp for the provision of aid and other humanitarian assistance.

James Brokenshire

The UK Government recognises the exceptional pressures on the French Government and its citizens caused by the migrant situation in the Calais region. Both Governments are clear that the right course of action is, as far as possible, to move migrants away from Calais and for genuine refugees, to be offered protection within the French asylum system. This is why the UK has committed to providing £3.6 million (or €5 million) per year for two years to help provide support and facilities elsewhere in France.

The UK is in regular contact with France on all matters related to Calais and the migrant situation. However, operational decisions relating to the management of the camps are the responsibility of the French Government.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-01-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Answer of 22 July 2014 to Question 205815, what progress he has made on providing a secure and accessible on-line Personal Independence Payment claim form; and if he will make a statement.

Justin Tomlinson

We are developing the streamlined PIP digital claim process which brings the current PIP telephony claim and paper form together.

We are working closely with the Cabinet Office to ensure this meets the government standards for digital services which focus on the needs of users. We have user tested a number of different design approaches and based on feedback are ensuring that the claim process is tailored to individual needs and moves away from ‘one size fits all’.

The digital claim process continues to be improved and tested with a wide range of users and disability organisations for implementation in 2016. It will be available to everyone once the online claim process has been fully tested.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-02-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department plans to take to implement the recommendations of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman in its Insights into selected government departments, published on 10 November 2015, on scrutiny of the quality of its overall performance.

James Brokenshire

The cases referred to in the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman report do not reflect current visa and asylum processes. We have made significant improvements in our handling of complaints in recent years and have a clear plan to improve this element of our service further.

This plan takes account of feedback from the Public and Health Services Ombudsman and we will continue to work with the Ombudsman to identify further service improvements.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-02-19.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 15 February 2016 to Question 26319 on the national minimum wage, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the increase in the arrears identified between April 2015 and November 2015; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Gauke

The Government takes the enforcement of National Minimum Wage very seriously. Any worker who believes that they are being paid below the minimum wage should make a complaint to the Acas helpline on 0300 123 1100. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) respond to every complaint that is referred to them by the Acas helpline. Additionally, HMRC collate and analyse data from various sources in order to identify those employers who are potentially more likely to be underpaying National Minimum Wage, so that they can undertake targeted enforcement against those employers.

The Government has increased annual funding of National Minimum Wage enforcement by nearly 60% since 2013/14, providing a budget of £13.2m in 2015/16. This has enabled a significant expansion of resources dedicated to enforcing the minimum wage; there are currently 237 staff in HMRC’s National Minimum Wage teams, up from 151 at the start of 2013/14. HMRC have also reviewed their ways of working to ensure a more efficient and effective service for workers.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-04-18.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, on how many occasions between 2006 and 2011 HM Revenue and Customs officials (a) met and (b) communicated with Peter Twiddy, a consultant who worked at Bircham Dyson Bell.

Mr David Gauke

HM Revenue and Customs officials meet with and receive representations from a wide variety of organisations as part of the policy formulation and delivery process. As has been the practice of successive administrations, it is not the Government’s practice to give details of any such discussion.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-05-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 18 April 2016 to Question 33551, when he expects the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission to report; what information he holds on the number of reported mass arrests, beatings and killing of protesters, journalists and opposition party leaders and members in (a) the Oromia region and (b) Ethiopia in the last two years; and if he will make a statement.

James Duddridge

The UK Government remains deeply concerned about the handling of demonstrations in Oromia and the reported deaths of a number of protestors, and has repeatedly made representations to the Ethiopian Government over the ongoing situation in Oromia. Justine Greening, the Secretary of State for International Development, raised our concerns with Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn on 21 January, as did I, with the Ethiopian Foreign Minister, Dr Tedros, at the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa on 27 January. Our Ambassador did the same in a meeting with Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn on 26 April.

The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has been appointed to look into the handling of the protests in Oromia, and we await the publication of its report. We will continue to urge the EHRC and the Government of Ethiopia to ensure that their report is credible, transparent and leads to concrete action.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-06-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department is on target to resettle 20,000 Syrian refugees by the end of the current Parliament.

Richard Harrington

We are continuing to work productively with local authorities and International Partners to deliver the Government’s commitment to resettle 20,000 Syrian refugees by the end of this Parliament. We are on track to do this.

The number resettled in a particular period will depend on a range of factors. This includes the number of referrals we have received from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the number of confirmed places we have received from local authorities that are suitable for the specific needs of those who have been accepted for resettlement. Progress on resettlement will be indicated in quarterly immigration statistics.

The last set of statistics, published on 26 May 2016 showed that 1,602 Syrians were relocated to the UK under the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement scheme between October 2015 and March 2016.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-06-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will wait until the Committee on Climate Change report on the compatibility of UK onshore petroleum with meeting UK carbon budgets and the Government’s response is published before taking any decision to reverse (a) the planning decision against fracking made by Lancashire County Council and (b) any other planning decisions that are made by local authorities concerning the extraction of shale gas.

James Wharton

Secretary of State planning casework decisions are taken on the basis of the material considerations before the Secretary of State.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-07-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department’s costings for nuclear power of the findings of the National Audit Office in its report published in July 2016 on Nuclear power in the UK, HC 511, paragraph 2.11, on the effect on running costs of nuclear power facilities of increased terrorist threats.

Jesse Norman

The Government considers safety and security at nuclear power plants to be of paramount importance. The operator bears most of the security costs for nuclear power plants. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy seeks independent costs estimates for new nuclear power, which incorporate security costs – the Department’s most recent cost estimates are available in the Electricity Generation Costs report, available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/269888/131217_Electricity_Generation_costs_report_December_2013_Final.pdf

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