Tag: Dawn Butler

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dawn Butler on 2016-04-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will review the Shortage Occupation List to ensure that the £35,000 earnings threshold for tier 2 visa holders does not lead to the loss of highly skilled teachers of subjects other than mathematics and science.

James Brokenshire

The Shortage Occupation List is based on expert advice from the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) and is reviewed regularly. The MAC’s recommendations are evidence-based and the list comprises skilled jobs where there is an identified national shortage which is sensible to fill, at least in part, through immigration. The Government is currently considering the MAC’s future work programme, including commissioning a review of the Shortage Occupation List.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dawn Butler on 2016-06-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent progress has been made on the case of Andargachew Tsege and efforts to ensure proper legal and consular access for Mr Tsege and visitation rights for his family.

James Duddridge

The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) raised Mr Tsege’s case with the Ethiopian Prime Minister and Foreign Minister during his visit to Ethiopia on 1 June 2016. The Foreign Secretary received assurances that Mr Tsege will be allowed access to independent legal advice to allow him to discuss options under the Ethiopian legal system. We will continue to press the Ethiopians as necessary to ensure that Mr Tsege has legal representation. As a result of sustained lobbying by the British Government, we now have more frequent consular access to Mr Tsege. He has been visited by UK Government officials on 10 occasions, most recently by both Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Ethiopia and by the FCO’s Africa Director on 1 June 2016. Mr Tsege is also receiving regular visits from his family in Ethiopia, and the FCO continues to provide consular support to Mr Tsege’s family in the UK.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dawn Butler on 2016-10-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what equality impact assessment has been carried out on the consequences of selective education, as outlined in the Schools that work for everyone consultation document on the right for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities pupils to be in mainstream education.

Nick Gibb

This Government is committed to ensuring all children, including those with SEND, have the opportunity to achieve their potential and make a successful transition to adult life.

The Admissions Code and the Equality Act 2010 apply to all schools – both selective and non-selective – meaning they must make admission decisions over those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) fairly.

The Department is having, and will continue to have, due regard to equalities impact, both in the study of responses to the consultation document and throughout any development of policy areas, following the consultation.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dawn Butler on 2015-11-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will introduce new sentencing guidelines recommending strict penalties to assist magistrates in prosecuting caces under the Equality Act 2010 where a private hire or taxi driver has refused to provide transport to a visually impaired passenger and their guide dog.

Andrew Selous

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 14 September 2015 to Question 8187.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dawn Butler on 2016-02-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department’s timeline on its cycling and walking investment strategy, published in December 2015, what progress it has made on its obligation of being ready to announce its funding plans for investment in cycling and walking by the end of winter 2015-16.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Infrastructure Act 2015 does not place an obligation on Government to publish plans for investing in cycling and walking at any specific time. However, in December my Department published “Setting the first Cycling and Walking Strategy” which set out our proposed timescales for publication, including our intention to publish a Statement of Funds Available. My officials are currently working on the first Strategy, to be published in draft in spring 2016, which will contain information on financial resources as well as our ambition, objectives and actions for delivery.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dawn Butler on 2016-04-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether a decision has been reached on the composition of the UK delegation to the World Humanitarian Summit in May.

Mr Desmond Swayne

The final decision on who will be in the delegation will be taken nearer the time.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dawn Butler on 2016-06-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will bring before the House legislative proposals on requiring bus companies to instal audio-visual technology to aid visually impaired passengers.

Andrew Jones

I know that accessible on-board information can give a range of passengers the confidence to use bus services, safe in the knowledge that they will know when to alight.

Previously, the systems to provide such information have been expensive to fit and maintain, but I understand that new technology may make it more affordable.

We are currently considering the most appropriate next steps, but in the meantime I encourage bus operators to consider the benefits of better, more accessible information for all their customers.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dawn Butler on 2016-10-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what formal guidance the Government has issued to departments on equality impact assessments.

Caroline Dinenage

The Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) in the Equality Act 2010 ensures that public bodies take account of equality and consider the potential impact of decisions on groups with protected characteristics. All bodies exercising public functions are subject to the PSED and need to understand the impact of their policies and services on people with different protected characteristics, and be able to provide evidence that this has been taken into account during the decision-making process. However, the legislation does not prescribe how this information needs to be recorded and it is not a statutory requirement in England to prepare or publish information in a particular form, such as an Equality Impact Assessment.

The Government Equalities Office has published a quick-start guide on the PSED and has circulated PSED guidance across Whitehall. It also provides advice to other departments on their legal obligations by delivering workshops and presentations to staff. A range of guidance on the PSED is also available from the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dawn Butler on 2015-11-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support her Department is providing to aid agencies and international partners to prepare Syrian refugee camps for winter.

Mr Desmond Swayne

The UK has been at the forefront of the response to the crisis in Syria and the region. We have pledged over £1.1 billion to date, our largest ever response to a single humanitarian crisis. We are the second largest bilateral donor after the US.

DFID is supporting 11 implementing partners to prepare and respond to the onset of winter across Syria, Lebanon and Jordan. This financial year, we have provided £221 million to these 11 partners to support their emergency programmes, of which £12.9 million has been committed for specific winter response activities such as the provision of warm clothing, thermal blankets, fuel and cash to support thousands of vulnerable families across the region.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dawn Butler on 2016-02-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will undertake an urgent and comprehensive review into British arms export licences to Saudi Arabia.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The UK Government is satisfied that export licences for Saudi Arabia are compliant with the UK’s export licencing criteria. The Government takes its arms export responsibilities very seriously and operates one of the most robust arms export control regimes in the world. The Government routinely keeps factors relevant to the licensing of arms exports under active review, and Ministers are consulted in the event of any significant changes in the circumstances relating to UK-licensed exports to ensure that licences comply with the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria. Since the outset of the conflict in Yemen the Government has kept all extant licences and new licensing to Saudi Arabia under continuous review, and has exercised special caution and vigilance in granting new licences for exports to Saudi Arabia, handling each on a case-by-case basis. The conflict in Yemen is being monitored closely, and that monitoring is taken into account as part of the careful risk assessment for exports to Saudi Arabia.