Tag: Imran Hussain

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2015-11-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received of (a) disqualifications of parliamentary candidates, (b) disenfranchisement of ethnic groups and (c) inaccuracy and omissions from the voter lists in elections in Burma in November 2015.

Mr Hugo Swire

The British Govenment was concerned by the disqualification of parliamentary candidates, which disproportionately affected Muslim nominees. Of the 6,074 candidates who registered, 99 nominations were rejected, of which 22 were Muslim. Of these, 67 appealed, and 24 decisions were overturned of which 11 were Muslim. The EU Election Observation Mission’s (EOM) preliminary statement of 10 November stated that since the rejections predominantly focused on the strict application of the citizenship requirement, this impacted particularly heavily on Muslim candidates. The EU EOM estimated that only 28 Muslim candidates stood in total. The UK has regularly expressed its deep disappointment with the decision to revoke Temporary Residence Cards (‘White Cards’) which effectively disenfranchised the Rohingya community from the vote, as well as some other minorities. The EU EOM noted that, as a result, universal suffrage was not properly provided for, and the elections were not fully inclusive. Improving the conditions for the Rohingya remains a top priority for the UK. As the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymead and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) said in his statement of 10 November: ‘The UK stands ready to support the people of Burma as they continue to work towards a more democratic and accountable government, including those unable to vote in this election.’ Ahead of polling day there were widespread concerns about the accuracy of the voter lists. However, on the day, the EU EOM noted that: ‘Most voters, in polling stations visited, found their names on the voter list, but in 7% of polling stations visited some absences on the list were observed.’

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2015-11-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that claimants with limited English are referred to a structured programme to improve their English skills.

Priti Patel

All Jobseekers are screened for their ability in English Language skills and referred to appropriate English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) training to improve their skills to help support them into employment.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, which (a) fixed and (b) mobile structures funded by her Department in Area C of the Occupied Palestinian Territory have been (i) demolished and (ii) confiscated by the Israeli authorities in (A) 2015 and (B) 2016.

Mr Desmond Swayne

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I provided on 17 March to Question number 30955

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

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with his Cabinet colleagues on the effect of tax avoidance and evasion on developing countries as part of his preparations for the forthcoming UK Anti-Corruption Summit.

Mr David Gauke

Treasury ministers are in regular dialogue with cabinet Colleagues on a range of issues.

The UK has been at the forefront of the G20-OECD Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) project to tackle tax avoidance and aggressive tax planning by multinational enterprises. The project represents an unprecedented international effort that involved over 60 countries, including developing countries, working together to better align the taxation of profits with economic activity and value creation. A dedicated work stream was set up to target the issues which developing countries identified as their highest priorities, including unnecessary tax incentives and tools to undertake BEPS-risks assessments.

The BEPS project was completed on 5 October 2015, and the focus is now on implementing the internationally agreed proposals. The UK is chairing a group of over 90 countries who are working together in 2016 to develop the Multilateral Instrument, which will simultaneously update the global network of over 3000 bilateral treaties to implement some of the changes resulting from the BEPS project. The group includes emerging economies and developing countries as well as OECD members. The vice-chairs of the group of representatives from China, Morocco and the Philippines, highlighting the importance of the multilateral instrument to developing countries and their central involvement in its design.

As a result of our G8 Presidency, more than 90 countries have agreed to automatically exchange taxpayer financial account information. These global agreements will provide a step change in the ability of countries to tackle tax evasion as participating countries will be automatically sending and receiving information about the offshore financial accounts of taxpayers.

All countries will be able to benefit from these changes to the international tax system, but some will require additional support if they are to do so. International organisations are therefore producing practical toolkits to help developing countries implement BEPS standards and the Government is funding international organisations to assist developing countries in obtaining technical assistance on issues such as transfer pricing. The Government funds the Global Forum and World Bank to support developing countries in implementing exchange of information systems and last year the Government announced a partnership with the Ghana revenue authority to pilot the new standard on automatic exchange of information. The Government also funds tax capacity building in the vast majority of its priority developing countries bilaterally and multilaterally, as well as through peer-to-peer technical assistance from HMRC.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2016-05-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department has made an assessment of (a) the adequacy of its expenditure on and (b) the value for money of its work on violence against women and girls.

Mr Nick Hurd

As part of the recent ICAI report on DFID’S efforts to eliminate violence against women and girls (VAWG), and building on a DFID mapping exercise from 2014, ICAI identified 127 VAWG programmes – up from 64 in 2012. The value of these programmes came to £184 million in 2015. The value for money question is specifically addressed in our pioneering violence against women and girls research and innovation programme called ‘What Works to Prevent Violence’, and we will be incorporating findings into programme development as they emerge.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support the British High Commissions in India and Pakistan are providing to British citizens affected by the violence in Kashmir.

Alok Sharma

The Foreign & Commonwealth Office encourages all British nationals to check the FCO’s Travel Advice web pages before travelling. This highlights the current unrest in Indian-administered Kashmir. It explains that due to the accessibility and current unrest in the area, the level of consular assistance that the FCO can provide is extremely limited.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of the changes outlined in the Reforming Healthcare Education Funding consultation on the take-up of Graduate Entry Midwifery Pre-Registration Programme courses.

Mr Philip Dunne

We expect this reform to enable universities to provide up to 10,000 additional training places to study pre-registration nursing, midwifery and the allied health subjects.

The Government response to the consultation acknowledged the risk that if funding was not available to prospective pre-registration postgraduate healthcare applicants, student numbers, and therefore workforce supply, could fall. As a transitional arrangement until a longer term solution can be found the Government set out it will, for the cohort starting in 2017/18 and for a capped number of students, provide a bursary for tuition and maintenance to meet the full costs of the course for postgraduate students, including those on midwifery programmes.

There are currently near record numbers of nurses and midwives in post in the National Health Service in England. The latest available figures from June 2016 show a total headcount of 25,832 midwives in post.

As at 31 March 2016 there were 6,350 midwives in training of which 471 are on the short 18 month course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2015-11-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assistance his Department has provided to the EU election observation mission overseeing elections in Burma in November 2015.

Mr Hugo Swire

The United Kingdom lobbied the EU to deploy an Election Observation Mission to Burma and we welcomed their deployment of a 136-person mission. The presence of international observers, including from the EU, was a key part of the United Kingdom’s strategy for deterring fraud in Burma’s elections on 8 November.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2015-11-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the withdrawal of ESOL funding on levels of poverty.

Priti Patel

We are committed to supporting those who are unemployed to finding and keeping employment. In doing so, we ensure that any learning provision is delivered in the context of local employment and labour market demand. Data shows that the numbers of learners in England previously being referred to ESOL Plus (Mandation) provision was significantly lower than originally anticipated and the ESOL Plus (Mandation) budget was underspent in 2014/15.

The decision to remove the specific English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Plus (Mandation) funding for 2015/16 enables providers, as independent organisations which manage their own budgets, to have the flexibility to use their adult skills budget more effectively to support jobseekers. They are able to continue to provide ESOL training for jobseekers where it is likely to result in the most effective labour market outcome, and jobseekers with poor English language skills can still be mandated to this training. All new claimants are screened for spoken English at their first interview and if below entry level 2, they are referred for a more detailed assessment and, if appropriate, training provision.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate she has made of the value of UK-funded structures that were demolished or confiscated in Area C of the Occupied Palestinian Territory in (a) 2015 and (b) 2016.

Mr Desmond Swayne

No UK funded structures have been demolished or confiscated in Area C in 2015 or 2016. A number of EU ECHO-funded structures have been demolished in recent months. The UK contributes to the EU budget as a whole, not individual instruments within it. The UK’s share on EU expenditure in EU instruments is approximately 15%.