The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2014-04-02.
To ask the Attorney General, when he expects to answer question No. 191801 tabled by the Rt hon. Member for Leeds Central on 12 March 2014.
Mr Dominic Grieve
I have done so today.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2014-05-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the total number of refugees and asylum seekers from Syria resident in the UK.
James Brokenshire
While published statistics provide data on the number of Syrian’s who have
applied for asylum in the UK (4,714 between 2001-2013), how many have been
granted refugee status (2,182) or refused (2,065) and how many have been
removed (305 between 2004 and 2013), it is not possible to confirm the total
number of refugees and asylum seekers from Syria resident in the UK.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2014-06-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what training (a) Atos staff and (b) staff of his Department are given in mental health for the purposes of assessing whether claimants are fit for work.
Mike Penning
All healthcare professionals receive training in mental health issues as part of their induction training, are required to engage in a programme of continuing medical education which includes modules on mental health issues, and have access to Mental Function Champions.
Atos training and guidance materials are regularly reviewed and external experts including the Royal College of Psychiatrists are involved in quality assurance.
All healthcare professionals are monitored to ensure that their work meets the required quality standards. If a problem is identified, the healthcare professional may be required to undertake tailored training, which may involve training in mental health issues if required.
DWP staff receive training in respect of decisions concerning medical or disability issues, including mental health. Specifically learning is provided on:
Within the learning emphasis is placed on the on-going support available to Decision Makers from Atos Healthcare to interpret and understand medical information.
In the Independent Review of the Work Capability Assessment published in December 2013, Doctor Litchfield made a number of recommendations related to training in mental health which have been accepted subject to further scoping work.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2014-04-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how self-reported data from local authorities on the Troubled Families programme is audited.
Kris Hopkins
All results are approved within each local authority’s internal audit arrangements and under the statutory authority of the Chief Executive. My Department then undertakes a verification process on a sample of claims made.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2014-05-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) asylum seekers and (b) refugees from Syria have applied for leave to remain since the start of the Syrian conflict; and how many such people have been granted leave to remain.
James Brokenshire
The published available figures only relate to asylum seekers.
The latest published Home Office data shows that between 1 April 2011 and 31
December 2013 there were 3,796 applications for asylum from Syrian nationals
(including main applicants and their dependants) in the UK. During the same
period, 2,507 Syrian nationals and dependants were granted leave to remain in
the UK, including asylum, humanitarian protection or discretionary leave. These
grant decisions do not all necessarily relate to applications made in the same
period. In addition, given the need to give each asylum claim careful
consideration on its merits, not all the asylum applications made during that
period will have received a decision during that time.
Eurostat data based on provisional management information shows that between 1
April 2011 and 28 February 2014 there were 4,105 applications for asylum from
Syrian nationals (including main applicants and their dependants) in the UK.
Eurostat data on grants of asylum are only available annually. There are some
definitional differences between National Statistics published by the Home
Office on a quarterly basis and monthly figures published by Eurostat.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2014-06-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have currently been waiting (a) up to one month, (b) one to two months, (c) two to three months, (d) three to four months, (e) four to five months and (f) more than six months for their appeal against their being deemed fit for work to be determined.
Mr Shailesh Vara
The First-tier Tribunal—Social Security and Child Support (SSCS), administered by HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) hears appeals against Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) decisions on a range of benefits including a person’s entitlement to Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).
Whilst a work capability assessment (WCA) can be a key factor in an ESA decision, it is not the only consideration. Appeals are brought against ESA refusals, and not WCA decisions themselves. The Tribunal does not record information on those ESA appeals in which the WCA decision is a factor, and as such HMCTS does not hold the specific information requested.
Information on appeals against ESA decisions is published by HMCTS in Tribunal Statistics Quarterly. The most recent report for the period January to March 2014, published on 12 June 2014, can be viewed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tribunal-statistics-quarterly-january-to-march-2014
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2014-04-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much grant-in-aid his Department has provided to Tell MAMA since May 2010; and what further funding he expects to provide.
Stephen Williams
TELL MAMA is the first service to record and monitor anti-Muslim hatred incidents and support victims. DCLG provided initial start-up grant funding to TELL MAMA of £395,500 between January 2012 and September 2013. TELL MAMA has subsequently received Big Lottery funding of £255,450 over two years from October 2013.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2014-05-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what average length of time is taken for asylum seekers and refugees from Syria to have an initial interview.
James Brokenshire
Between 1 January 2013 and 31 December 2013, the average length of time taken
for asylum seekers and refugees from Syria to have an initial interview was
28 days from initial claim.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2014-06-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the current average waiting time is for personal independence payment assessments to be completed and a decision made in (a) England and (b) Leeds.
Mike Penning
The information you have requested is not currently available.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2014-04-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many staff have (a) taken voluntary redundancy or (b) been made compulsorily redundant from his Department since May 2010; and how many of these (i) received special severance payments or (ii) were subject to compromise agreements.
Brandon Lewis
[Holding Reply: Monday 7 April 2014]
The number of staff that left the Department on (a) voluntary redundancy and (b) compulsory redundancy terms from May 2010 to March 2014 is set out below.
|
May 2010 to March 2014 |
|
|
Compulsory Redundancy |
8 |
|
Voluntary Severance or Redundancy |
522 |
|
Total |
530 |
None of these staff (i) received special severance payments or (ii) were subject to compromise agreements.
Exit figures through 2010 – 2012 reflect the completion of the Department’s major restructuring programme. Our departmental audited annual accounts for the core Department show that total staff costs fell from £216 million in 2009-10 to £99 million in 2012-13, a reduction of 54% in cash terms, or a saving of £117 million a year. The number of staff has been reduced from 3,781 full-time equivalent in 2009-10 to 1,681 in 2012-13, a reduction of 56%.