Tag: Catherine West

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-01-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how the Government plans to respond to the terrorist bombings in Jakarta in January 2016.

Mr Hugo Swire

The UK and Indonesia are already working closely together on a broad range of issues, including counter-terrorism and counter-extremism. We continue to provide support and assistance to the Indonesian government as it works to defeat those who plan and perpetrate acts of terror.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-02-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports he has received on the situation in the Kurdish town of Cizre.

Mr David Lidington

Security operations, including military curfews, are continuing in Cizre and other towns in south-east Turkey against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and its youth wing, the YPS (Civil Protection Units, formerly the YDG-H). There has been intense fighting in recent days. One policeman and one soldier were killed on 9 February. Our condolences are with the families of the soldiers and police who have been killed, and with civilians caught up in the violence. We continue to call for the PKK to end its terrorist attacks and for the peace process to be resumed. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) and Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Turkey have emphasised to the Turkish government the need to respect human rights and avoid civilian casualties. We stand ready to help in any way we can.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-02-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether school funding for (a) inner London boroughs and (b) outer London boroughs will decrease in the next financial year.

Mr Sam Gyimah

I can assure my Hon Friend that per pupil funding for a) inner London boroughs and b) outer London boroughs will not decline in the next financial year. The dedicated schools grant schools block is maintained at cash flat per pupil for the 2016 to 2017 financial year for all local authorities. In addition, the pupil premium is also maintained at the current per pupil amounts for the 2016 to 2017 financial year. As announced in the Chancellor’s spending review statement, we will introduce a national funding formula from 2017. We will consult on proposals later this year.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the rate of pay is for cleaners in his Department.

Mr David Lidington

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) contracts out cleaning services relating to the FCO’s UK estate to Interserve as part of its facilities management contract. Interserve are responsible for setting rates of pay for their staff. They have informed the FCO that they currently pay £7.04 per hour to staff for cleaning the FCO’s buildings.

The National Living Wage will come into effect on 1 April and all employers, including Interserve, will be required to pay all staff, aged 25 years and above a minimum of £7.20 per hour.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-03-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many detainees have been held in the Kingfisher Isolation Unit in Yarl’s Wood in each year since 2010.

James Brokenshire

The accommodation in Kingfisher Unit is used for individuals removed from general association in accordance with Rules 40 (removed from association) and 42 (temporary confinement) of the Detention Centre Rules 2001.

Rule 40 states that an individual may be removed from association where it appears necessary in the interests of security or safety that they should not associate with other detained persons, either generally or for particular purposes.

Rule 42 states that a violent or refractory individual may be confined temporarily in special accommodation, but not as a punishment, or after he/she has ceased to be refractory or violent.

Management information held by the service provider, Serco, for Yarl’s Wood Immigration Removal Centre is only available for the number of instances that the accommodation was used for these purposes and cannot be provided for the numbers of individuals except at disproportionate cost.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-03-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 15 March 2016 to Question 30235, in how many instances the Kingfisher Unit was used under rule (a) 40 and (b) 42 of the Detention Centre Rules in 2015.

James Brokenshire

The use of Kingfisher Unit at Yarl’s Wood immigration removal centre for individuals removed from general association is managed in accordance with Rules 40 (removed from association) and 42 (temporary confinement) of the Detention Centre Rules 2001.

For the period 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2015 provisional management information from the service provider, Serco, indicates that the Kingfisher Unit was used on 91 occasions for Rule 40 and 18 occasions for Rule 42. Removal from association under these rules is limited to as short a time as possible.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-04-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what preventative programmes, other than for HIV prevention, are funded by Public Health England.

Jane Ellison

Public Health England (PHE) distributes the public health grant to local authorities; the grant funds a number of prevention programmes including NHS Health Checks, the national child measurement programme and sexual health services. PHE also provides social marketing campaigns such as Be Clear on Cancer, Stoptober and Act FAST.

In addition PHE provides advice and evidence to local authorities and NHS England on what works best, including providing expert advice on the diabetes prevention programme.

More information on PHE’s activities can be found in PHE’s Strategic Plan:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/516985/PHE_Strategic_plan_2016.pdf

which sets out how the organisation intends to protect and improve the public’s health and reduce inequalities over the next four years and outlines actions PHE will take over the next year to achieve these aims and deliver its core functions.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-04-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many instances of (a) illegal and (b) unregulated fishing have been recorded in Antarctic waters by the UK in each of the last five years.

James Duddridge

Over the last five years the UK has not identified any instances of illegal or unregulated fishing within the Convention Area. This is in part due to the reduction in the global illegal, unreported and unregulated fleet and the stringent measures put in place by the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (the Commission). Where other States Parties have identified illegal, unreported and unregulated operations, the UK has worked within the Commission to take steps to combat those activities.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-05-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether cluster bombs used in the Yemeni civil war are of British manufacture.

Mr Philip Dunne

I refer the hon. Member to the response I gave to the Urgent Question tabled by the hon. Member for Ochil and South Perthshire (Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh) on 24 May 2016 (Official Report, column 401).

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-07-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average waiting time is for a Disclosure and Barring Service local intelligence check to be completed by the police.

Sarah Newton

From June 2015 to May 2016, the average time taken to complete Disclosure checks by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) was 94 days and for the police as a whole, 22 days.

The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) is working closely with the small number of forces, including the MPS, whose performance does not meet turnaround time targets. The performance of police disclosure units is an operational issue for individual police forces and the MPS has established a Gold Group to oversee the recovery plan which they have in place to reduce the time taken. I have made clear to the MPS that its current delays must be addressed as a matter of priority and I continue to maintain close oversight of the progress being made.