Tag: Imran Hussain

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2015-11-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effect of withdrawal of ESOL Plus mandated funding on the ability of refugees in the UK to access ESOL courses.

Nick Boles

The decision to withdraw the 2015/16 ESOL Plus (Mandation) funding was taken in the knowledge that providers could use their adult skills budget to continue to provide ESOL training for jobseekers and therefore mitigate any adverse impact. Our data showed that the numbers of claimants being referred to ESOL Plus (Mandation) provision was significantly lower than originally anticipated.

Adults who are granted refugee status or humanitarian protection become eligible for skills funding through the adult skills budget, as any other English resident and are not subject to the normal 3 year qualifying period.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2016-03-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what contingency plans her Department has for additional support to Burundi in the event of a further escalation of violence in that country.

Mr Nick Hurd

DFID is supporting Burundian refugees in Tanzania and Rwanda, as the second largest donor to the regional appeal with £21.15 million in contributions since April 2015. DFID has deployed a humanitarian adviser to the region, and within Burundi we are supporting technical experts seconded to the UN. DFID will continue to work with counterparts across Whitehall, the international financial institutions (IFIs) and humanitarian partners in Burundi. DFID has prepared a response plan in the event of significant unmet humanitarian needs emerging. DFID is monitoring the situation closely with the FCO, and will consider additional funding should there be a further deterioration in the situation.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate her Department has made of the extent of tax evasion and tax avoidance in the global south.

Mr Desmond Swayne

DFID has not made an estimate of the extent of tax evasion and avoidance in the global south due to a lack of reliable data.

The UK has been an international leader in efforts to tackle tax evasion and tax avoidance since the UK’s G8 Presidency in 2013. A key part of DFID’s work in this area is to ensure that developing countries can partake in and benefit from international initiatives to challenge tax avoidance and evasion.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department plans to publish a specific strategy for policy-influencing work relating to violence against women and girls and monitoring of that work.

Mr Nick Hurd

The UK’s international policy relating to violence against women and girls is set out in the UK’s Ending Violence against Women and Girls Strategy 2016 – 2020. In her position as Ministerial Champion for tackling VAWG Overseas my colleague Baroness Verma will have a key role to play in international influencing to deliver this policy agenda. We do not intend to publish a policy influencing strategy.

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 ensure consistency of provision in the quality of care in mental health services across England.

Nicola Blackwood

Mental health is one of the six core clinical areas to be covered by NHS England’s new CCG Improvement and Assessment Framework. NHS England is working to ensure that this will provide as broad a view as possible of how well commissioners are supporting and driving improvement in mental health.

A dashboard for mental health will be published this autumn, containing a set of standard indicators to articulate progress in mental health services at a national level and allow benchmarking of services across the country.

NHS England will continue to ensure that mental health is represented within the full suite of levers and incentives at its disposal including Commissioning for Quality and Innovation payment framework (CQUINs), Quality Premium, the NHS Standard Contract and within the design of new models of care. The Technical Guidance for NHS planning covering 2017/18 and 2018/19 that accompanied the publication of the main NHS Planning Guidance earlier this autumn included a number of draft proposals for specific mental health CQUINs:

– Improving services for people with Mental Health needs who present to A&E;

– Improving physical health care for people with Severe Mental Illnesses; and

– Improving transitions for children and young people.

The Quality Premium is based on measures that cover a combination of national and local priorities, and on delivery of the fundamentals of commissioning. The Premium is paid to clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in 2018/19 and 2019/20 reflects the quality of the health services commissioned by them in 2017/18 and 2018/19. There will be six mandated indicators including a mental health indicator.

Mental health service providers are responsible for the consistency and quality in the services that they provide. Services in England are regulated by the Care Quality Commission which introduced a new regulation and inspection regime in 2014. CCGs are expected to increase their spending on mental health in line with overall growth in their baseline allocations.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effect of changes to the funding of English for speakers of other languages services on the ability of local authorities to provide access to English language classes to resettled Syrian refugees.

Mr Robert Goodwill

Learning English is a key factor in integration and is vital for gaining access to the employment market. Our experience is that most Syrians resettled under the programme are keen to learn English.

English language tuition is already provided as part of the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement scheme (VPRS) and will be available for adults entering the UK under the Vulnerable Children’s Resettlement scheme (VCRS). The recently announced additional £10 million of funding will increase the amount of training available for Syrian refugees resettled in the UK.

We will be working with local authorities to ensure that the funding is taken up in the most effective way, including providing funding for regional English Speakers of other languages (ESOL) co-ordinators to promote best practice, map provision, support authorities to commission services and coordinate volunteers. Many people across the country have also offered their time and support to help refugees improve English and integrate better into their community.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assistance the Government plans to provide to the Philippines to help that country deal with the aftermath of tropical storm Koppu.

Mr Desmond Swayne

Apart from a specific request to the UN humanitarian country team, the Government of the Philippines has not asked for international assistance following Typhoon Koppu. The UK continues to provide support to the Philippines for longer-term reconstruction and disaster resilience following Typhoon Yolanda in November 2013. This project contributed to the preparedness for Typhoon Koppu and there are no additional plans for UK assistance at this time.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to support development programmes in Yemen.

Mr Desmond Swayne

Given the current humanitarian crisis in the country, the principal focus of the UK’s support to Yemen is on meeting immediate humanitarian needs and delivering basic services. The UK is one of the largest donors to the humanitarian crisis and has announced £75 million commitment so far. UK aid is providing vital medical supplies, water, food and emergency shelter, as well as supporting the UN work to co-ordinate the international humanitarian response. Our support is delivered through UN agencies and international NGOs.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with ministerial colleagues on encouraging UK businesses with overseas supply chains to abide by fair practice and pay a fair wage.

Mr Desmond Swayne

All suppliers working with DFID sign up to our ‘Statement of Priorities and Expectations’. This confirms that suppliers agree to align with DFID’s standards and priorities including Corporate Social Responsibility, accountability and transparency and treatment of subcontractors.

Recently DFID wrote to all suppliers emphasising the importance of how they engage their supply chain and to demonstrate fair treatment of subcontractors throughout contract delivery. We have also strengthened our terms and conditions relating to treatment of subcontractors including requirement to pay promptly

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.