The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dawn Butler on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 5 November 2015 to Question 14463, what the timetable for the equality impact assessment referred to will be.
Ben Gummer
The Government and NHS Employers have made clear that an Equality Impact Assessment will be published alongside the new national contract, 90% of which was agreed with the British Medical Association in talks up to 10 February 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dawn Butler on 2016-04-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 23 March to Question 31122, what assessment his Department has made of the reasons for the (a) decrease in the number of women and (b) increase in the number of men bringing equal pay tribunal cases against their employers.
Mr Shailesh Vara
The apparent increase in the number of complaints to the Employment Tribunals of equal pay made by men in 2015 was principally due to two large multiple claims issued during the year, involving mainly male claimants. Multiple claims are inherently more variable than single claims and comparisons which include multiple claims can be misleading about the trends in Tribunal caseloads.
We are undertaking a review of the impact of the introduction of fees in the Employment Tribunals. This will include an assessment of the impact of fees on the volumes of Employment Tribunal claims including in relation to gender and other protected characteristics.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dawn Butler on 2016-05-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to promote religious freedom in Saudi Arabia; and what recent representations the Government has made to Saudi Arabia on that matter.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
We strongly support the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, which is restricted in Saudi Arabia, reflecting views which are widely held in Saudi society. The authorities are encouraging reforms at a pace that is acceptable to Saudi society. This includes allowing foreign workers in Saudi Arabia to practice religions other than Islam in private.
We regularly raise human rights issues, including in relation to the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, with the Saudi Arabian authorities.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dawn Butler on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what operational orders are given to the armed forces serving in Yemen on the protection of cultural property.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
The UK is not a member of the Saudi Arabian-led Coalition and British military personnel are not directly involved in the Saudi led Coalition’s operations. We remain concerned about any damage to cultural property in Yemen and are aware of reports of alleged damage by actors in the conflict. Yemen and many members of the Saudi Arabian-led Coalition are parties to the 1954 Hague Convention on the Protection of Cultural Property in the event of Armed Conflict and to the 1972 World Heritage Convention. We have raised our concerns regarding protection of cultural property with both the Government of Yemen and the Saudi Arabia.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dawn Butler on 2015-10-27.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the average annual amount by which working families affected by changes to tax credits will be compensated by the increase in the level of the minimum wage.
Damian Hinds
This Government is committed to moving from a high welfare, high tax, low wage economy to a lower welfare, lower tax, higher wage society. As the Chancellor made clear on [Monday / 26 October], the Government will set out at Autumn Statement how we plan to achieve the same goal of reforming tax credits, saving the money we need to save to secure our economy, while at the same time helping in the transition.
The Summer Budget offered a new deal for working people. A new National Living Wage for workers aged 25 and above, initially set at £7.20 per hour from April 2016, will directly benefit 2.7 million low wage workers, and up to 6 million could see a pay rise as a result of a ripple effect up the earnings distribution. The new National Living Wage will boost pay for those currently earning the National Minimum Wage by £4,800 a year by 2020 when the National Living Wage is expected to rise to over £9 per hour.
To help working families keep more of what they earn, the personal allowance will increase to £11,000 in 2016-17 and £11,200 in 2017-18. The government has committed to increase the personal allowance to £12,500 by 2020 which will mean that a typical basic rate taxpayer will see their income tax cut by £1,205 a year compared to 2010.
The government set out its assessment of the impacts of the Summer Budget policies in the Welfare Reform and Work Bill on 20th July 2015.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dawn Butler on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 5 November 2015 to Question 14463, what the timetable for the equality impact assessment referred to will be.
Ben Gummer
The Government and NHS Employers have made clear that an Equality Impact Assessment will be published alongside the new national contract, 90% of which was agreed with the British Medical Association in talks up to 10 February 2016.
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.