Tag: Gareth Thomas

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-02-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what additional funding she plans to commit to tackling illegal immigration; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire

The Chancellor the Exchequer announced the 2015 Spending Review to Parliament on 25th November 2015. Home Office ministers are in the process of allocating budgets for the next financial year to ensure that the department supports its key objectives of preventing terrorism, cutting crime and controlling immigration.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-04-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many meetings the UK Ambassador to Afghanistan has had with non-governmental organisations in that country in the last six months; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

Our Ambassador in Afghanistan regularly meets a full range of international and Afghan civil society representatives in Afghanistan and will continue to do so. The UK has made long-term commitments to the country’s future through financial aid and political support. The international and Afghan civil society community will continue to play an important role in the future stability and prosperity of Afghanistan and remains a key relationship for the Embassy.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-06-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she has taken to improve the ability of Border Force to gather and exploit information to improve its performance in enforcing general maritime security; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire

Border Force works very closely with law enforcement partners to harness the collective knowledge of risks associated with maritime and aviation security. This includes intelligence flows to Border Force and partner agencies from overseas partners, the maritime and aviation industries, voluntary organisations and the public. Border Force also works with the NCA through a series of Joint Border Intelligence units to share and develop intelligence across all modes including maritime and aviation.

The National Maritime Information Centre (NMIC), for which Border Force provides the executive lead, acts as the focal point for all agencies maritime information and provides the UK with unified maritime situational awareness to assist in countering potential threats to UK Maritime Security.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-06-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many employers received (a) one, (b) between two and four and (c) more than five fixed penalty fines for illegally employing immigrants in each of the last seven years.

James Brokenshire

The information provided refers to civil penalties for illegal working served to employers and is included in the table below.

Civil penalties for illegal working issued to employers
	Employers issued 1 penalty in year	Employers issued 2 – 4 penalties in year	Employers issued 5+ penalties in year	TOTAL penalties issued (matches certified data)
2009/10	2167	172	0	2339
2010/11	1788	111	0	1899
2011/12	1291	50	0	1341
2012/13	1230	40	0	1270
2013/14	2046	98	5	2149
2014/15	1847	122	5	1974
2015/16	2328	220	46	2594

The data provided is for initial penalties only and penalties may have been reduced or cancelled at the objection or appeal stage.

N.B The data provided is sourced from a Home Office management information system which is not quality assured under National Statistics protocols.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-06-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what training and assistance the UK Border Force provides to transport carriers and port operators who are required to collect Advance Passenger Information to identify false documents; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire

Border Force has worked closely with carriers and port operators to ensure that Exit Checks are carried out in accordance with Home Office requirements.

Immigration Enforcement’s Risk and Liaison Overseas Network (RALON) has staff in key locations providing training and support for airlines and their handling agents operating services to the UK. Training covers UK visa requirements, security safeguards in passports, national identity cards, travel documents and visas, and how to identify cases of impersonation. In addition to the safeguards described above, RALON staff also raise awareness of current trends or specific types of abuse that the UK is encountering.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-10-11.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which agreed EU directives have not yet been transposed directly into UK law; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Gummer

Until exit negotiations are concluded, the UK remains a full member of the European Union and all the rights and obligations of EU membership remain in force. During this period the Government will continue to negotiate, implement and apply EU legislation. The outcome of these negotiations will determine what arrangements apply in relation to EU legislation in future once the UK has left the EU.

The only agreed EU directive which has not yet been transposed directly into UK law from the perspective of the Cabinet Office is as follows:

Directive 2014/55/EU on electronic invoicing in public procurement has yet to be transposed.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-10-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will bring forward proposals for a further round of Regional Growth Funding; and if he will make a statement.

Margot James

Following the 2015 Spending Review no future rounds are proposed. The economic context has changed since 2011 when the first round of the Regional Growth Fund (RGF) was launched. The economy has recovered significantly and the employment rate has now reached record levels. The RGF is already achieving its task to deliver jobs and sustainable private sector led growth to areas previously dependent on the public sector.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-10-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which agreed EU directives have not yet been transposed directly into UK law; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Robert Goodwill

Until exit negotiations are concluded, the UK remains a full member of the European Union and all the rights and obligations of EU membership remain in force.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-10-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential level of volatility of local authority income once business rates income is fully retained by local authorities; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Marcus Jones

We recently conducted a consultation on our approach to the implementation of 100% Business Rates Retention. This consultation included questions on how to take account of changes in need over time, how to manage volatility in business rates income and how to distribute funding between different tiers of government. My officials are currently considering the 454 responses we have received to this consultation and we will publish a summary of the responses and our proposed way forward in due course. In the meantime, we will continue close collaboration with the Local Government Association, other groups representative of local government, and individual local authorities, in taking this work forward.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2015-10-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to encourage the European Commission and the World Bank to promote road safety in their infrastructure funding; and if she will make a statement.

Grant Shapps

Road traffic injuries cost developing countries an estimated 1-2% of their gross national product, equivalent to over US$100 billion annually, with a widening of the disparity between advanced and developing countries. Road accidents kill an estimated 1.3 million people and injure up to 78 million people each year.

DFID is committed to supporting the international community to reach the Sustainable Developments Goals, including Goal 11 which includes improving Road Safety as one of its targets.

DFID recently increased its funding to the Global Road Safety Facility (GRSF) hosted at the World Bank and will contribute £4.5 million between 2013 and 2017. The GRSF provides funding, knowledge, and technical assistance that lever road safety investments into transport sector programmes.

We also work with the European Commission through the Africa Infrastructure Trust Fund for financing transport projects. Through our role on the Global Road Safety Facility and our work on transport with Multilateral Development Banks we require all such projects to include stronger components on road safety.