Tag: Catherine West

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-10-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether it is her policy to undertake tooth checks for incoming unaccompanied child refugees.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Home Secretary’s statement on Calais on 24 October (Column 55) referred to the proper safeguarding, age assessment and security checks we carry out, working closely with local authorities and social workers in the UK, to ensure that the children transferred here are eligible to come and it is in their best interests to do so.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2015-11-30.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average waiting time is for an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check.

Karen Bradley

The average time taken to process an enhanced disclosure and barring service check over the last 12 months for which figures are available (November 2014 – October 2015) is 14.92 calendar days.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-01-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if his Department will renew its strategy for the abolition of the death penalty.

Mr David Lidington

This Government has decided to pursue human rights in their universality – a more ambitious and coherent approach than focusing on a small number of single issues. Our commitment to the Rules Based International Order underpins this work, including through bilateral and multilateral support to global efforts to abolish the death penalty. Because of our wider focus, we do not intend to publish a new strategy specific to the death penalty. However, on the 18 January we published a strategy for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) which shows how work to abolish the death penalty is important under all three of the strategy’s new themes. The FCO’s death penalty-related work will also be covered in future instalments of the FCO’s Annual Human Rights Report.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-01-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans for the Reaper User Group to (a) meet and (b) consider training, interoperability or asset-sharing.

Penny Mordaunt

The Reaper User Group will meet on 14-18 March 2016 and is likely to consider training, interoperability and asset sharing.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-02-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the evidence given by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State to the Foreign Affairs Committee on 10 February 2016, how many operations UK Reaper drones have undertaken in Libyan airspace this year.

Penny Mordaunt

The Government has a long-standing policy not to comment on intelligence matters.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-02-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much the Post Office has spent refurbishing the premises of the Crown Post Offices in (a) Crouch End and (b) Muswell Hill since January 2010.

George Freeman

Provision of its Crown branches is the operational responsibility of Post Office Limited.

I have therefore asked Paula Vennells, the Chief Executive of Post Office Limited, to write to the hon Member on this matter. A copy of her reply will be placed in the libraries of the House.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-02-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what the rate of pay is for cleaners in his Department.

David Mundell

For cleaning services the Scotland Office uses contracts through frameworks held by the Ministry of Justice and the Scottish Government. The Scotland Office does not set the wages paid by the contractors to its workers. Both contractors pay the national minimum wage, £6.70 per hour. From April, both contractors will increase their rate of pay to £7.20 in line with the new national minimum wage.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-03-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 25 February 2016 to Question 28610, which outsourced providers his Department uses for cleaning services; and if he will request information from those providers on the rate of pay for cleaners providing services for his Department.

Mike Penning

All employers are obligated to pay a minimum of the new National Living Wage from April 2016.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-03-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the human rights situation in Indonesia.

Mr Hugo Swire

Our Embassy in Jakarta engages with a wide range of Indonesian civil society organisations and regularly seeks their assessments of the human rights situation. Indonesia has a strong tradition of religious diversity and tolerance but there has been a rise in recent years of localised instances of inter- and intra-religious conflict and examples where the rights of religious and other minority groups have not been protected.

We will continue to raise our concerns on these important issues with the Indonesian authorities.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-04-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much government funding has been allocated to Cornish language schemes in the last five years.

James Wharton

The United Kingdom has recognised seven languages under the Council of Europe’s European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages: Welsh, Gaelic, Irish, Scots, Ulster Scots, Cornish and Manx. Cornish is the only language in England to have this status and since April 2010 the Department for Communities and Local Government has provided £650,000 to Cornwall Council for the development of the Cornish Language.