Tag: Imran Hussain

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2015-12-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that landlords receive rent from tenants who are in receipt of housing benefit.

Justin Tomlinson

Housing Benefit for claimants living in the social rented sector is paid direct to the landlord. Those renting in the private rented sector normally receive their benefit direct and are responsible for paying this over to their landlord. In certain circumstances the local authority can make direct payments to the landlord including when rent arrears of eight weeks or more have accrued and or when it would be in the best interest of the claimant to do so.

Authorities are not required to make direct payments to landlords that are not a “fit and proper person” to receive it.

The arrangements in Universal Credit allow for the housing costs element to be paid direct to the landlord where it is in the claimant’s or their families interests, including where the claimant is in rent arrears of the equivalent of two month’s rent.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what final estimate of damage in the Yorkshire and Humber region caused by recent flooding his Department has provided to the EU Commission.

James Wharton

The UK Government submitted an initial application to the European Union Solidarity Fund on Friday 26 February which included a provisional estimate of the costs of direct damage incurred by storms Desmond and Eva. We are in the process of refining our cost estimations and figures, and will update Parliament once the application is finalised.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2016-04-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on making tax information of UK-listed companies available to developing countries.

Mr Desmond Swayne

DFID Ministers and officials have regular discussions with other Government Departments on a wide range of issues relating to international development, including tax.

The UK supports efforts to improve tax transparency. We initiated international work on country-by-country (CbC) reporting during our G8 Presidency in 2013, calling on the OECD to develop a framework for CbC reporting to tax authorities as part of the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) project. This important initiative will enhance transparency between business and tax authorities, including those of developing countries.

The UK leads international efforts to help developing countries tackle tax evasion and avoidance. DFID funds the Global Forum and the World Bank to provide technical assistance to improve exchange of tax information in developing countries which will allow tax authorities to gain access to information such as country-by-country reports. We also support the OECD in helping developing countries tackle multinational practices such as transfer pricing and have provided HMRC tax auditors to Tax Inspectors Without Borders, which puts expert tax auditors in the field working on complex multinational audit cases.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2016-05-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to encourage donor organisations and partner countries to include action on violence against women and girls in their sectoral programmes.

Mr Nick Hurd

DFID worked hard with others to secure Global Goal 5, which includes targets on ending all forms of violence against women and girls, FGM and CEFM. In addition DFID has been at the forefront of work with OECD-DAC to create a new reporting marker for development programmes that will more comprehensively track donor spend on violence against women and girls from 2016. These measures will ensure that action on violence against women and girls enters into the core work of donors and UN agencies. DFID is also providing funding to the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women, which is testing and building evidence on interventions for the benefit of the whole international development community.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to increase understanding of dental care among young people.

David Mowat

We are committed to improving the oral health of school children. As part of every child having the Best Start in Life, Public Health England (PHE) has established a Child Oral Health Improvement Programme Board with a substantial programme of work, working with others to improve children’s oral health.

As part of this programme of work, PHE has produced a toolkit to support local authorities (LAs) in their responsibility to improve dental health and reduce inequalities among children and young people in their area. The toolkit supports LAs to invest in programmes which have demonstrated improvement in children’s dental health such as targeted community-based fluoride varnish programmes, targeted nursery and school based tooth brushing programmes and water fluoridation.

More broadly, sugar consumption is the primary cause of tooth decay in children. The Change4Life Sugar Smart app launched in January 2016 provides parents with a tool to show how much total sugar is in every day food and drinks, to help them make healthier choices. Dental health professionals have also been provided with Change4Life toolkits to help them have conversations with parents about their children’s oral health.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans her Department has to provide additional financial assistance to local authorities to help support resettled Syrian refugees who have physical and mental health needs.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Government has made available significant funding to support Syrians with physical and mental health needs who are resettled in the UK under the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme.

In the first year after arrival in the UK, each individual attracts a standard tariff for healthcare costs and additional funding is in place to cover the costs of exceptional medical cases during that period. This is a substantial level of funding which will enable local authorities to support these vulnerable people as they rebuild their lives in safe and secure surroundings, among supportive communities in the UK.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2015-10-27.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assistance her Department is providing to areas affected by the recent earthquake in Afghanistan.

Mr Desmond Swayne

We are in close contact with our governmental and non-governmental partners in Afghanistan and Pakistan who are assessing and responding to the situation on the ground. Whilst we have not received any official requests for assistance at this stage, we do have multi-year humanitarian programmes in both countries which could be drawn upon if needed.

In Afghanistan, DFID is providing up to £80 million of humanitarian support over 2015-2019, including through the UN-led Common Humanitarian Fund and the International Committee of the Red Cross. In Pakistan, our multi-year humanitarian programme could provide up to £100 million over 2014-2018 for immediate relief and early recovery, depending on the extent of emergencies which occur. In both countries we are also supporting work by local organisations to build resilience to natural disasters and increase preparedness for recurring events.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2015-10-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what non-financial aid her Department has provided to the African Union in the last five years.

Grant Shapps

In the last five years DFID’s non-financial support to the African Union has included the following projects at the cost of some £7m: two independent audits of international funding for the AU’s “Shared Values” Joint Programme Arrangement; technical advice to the AU Commission on developing a results based Logical Framework approach; support for the AUC Leadership Assessment Centre; technical advice on setting up the AU Institute for Statistics; technical support for AU work on Regional Trade Facilitation; capacity support to the AU Department of Political Affairs; and technical support for AU election observation missions which has received the bulk of DFID funding.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2015-10-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what proportion of equipment for UK aid projects was sourced from businesses in the UK in each of the last three years.

Mr Desmond Swayne

DFID does not procure goods and equipment directly, procurement agents, suppliers and partner organisations deliver this service on our behalf. DFID’s aid is untied with a focus on achieving the best value for money for the overall project aim.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2015-10-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate her Department has made of the number of people under the age of 18 displaced by the conflict in Yemen.

Mr Desmond Swayne

The UN reports that the number of people displaced internally in Yemen is 2.3 million; of those, the UN estimates that 21% are boys under the age of 18, and 22% are girls under the age of 18. The UN does not have age-disaggregated data for refugees who have fled from Yemen.

The UK is one of the largest donors to the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, and has announced a £75 million commitment. UK aid is providing vital medical supplies, water, food and emergency shelter, including for internally displaced people and children.