Tag: Ivan Lewis

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ivan Lewis on 2016-03-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of planned future budget reductions on the capacity of Greater Manchester police service to tackle organised crime and terrorism.

Mike Penning

As the Chancellor announced in the Spending Review, no PCC will receive a reduction in cash funding over the Spending Review period if they choose to maximise their precept. It is an operational decision for chief officers, working with their PCC, to determine how best to allocate their available resources taking into account local and national priorities. In total, including national transformation funding and other funding, policing will see a £900 million increase in funding by 2019/20 in cash terms. We will continue to allocate specific funding for Counter Terrorism Policing over the course of the Spending Review period to ensure that the CT policing network has the capabilities it needs to tackle changing threats. The settlement will increase counter-terrorism policing funding in real terms in 16-17 to £670m.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ivan Lewis on 2016-03-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps the Government has taken to help enforce the recently agreed ceasefire in Syria.

Penny Mordaunt

As a member of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG), the UK has been closely engaged with the cessation of hostilities and supported UN Security Council Resolution 2268, which endorsed its terms. The UK supports a range of organisations on the ground in Syria who are reporting violations, and we are working with the UN and ISSG co-chairs in Geneva to support their monitoring and verification efforts.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ivan Lewis on 2016-05-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to respond to the Fourth Report of the Home Affairs Committee, on Reform of the Police Funding Formula, HC 476.

Mike Penning

We will respond to the Home Affairs Select Committee’s report as soon as we are in a position to do so.

We have noted the Committee’s recommendations and are taking them into account as we consider the options for how best to take forward the work on the police funding formula.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ivan Lewis on 2015-12-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department’s fact sheet on the Syrian Resettlement Programme, what the evidential basis is for the Statement that Sudan is primarily a country of transit; what assessment her Department has made of the latest immigration statistics show that, in the year ending September 2015, Sudan was the country from which the second largest number of asylum applications originated; and if she will work more closely with the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on this policy area.

James Brokenshire

The fact sheet on resettlement referred to has been superseded. It is the Government’s current view that Sudan is both a country of transit and a source of refugees, as evidenced by the number of registered refugees in UNHCRcamps in Sudan and the number of Sudanese asylum seekers in the UK in the year ending September 2015 (2,842). The Home Office is working closely with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on tackling migration flows from and through a number of regions and countries, including Sudan.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ivan Lewis on 2016-03-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to promote good mental health among teachers and students.

Mr Sam Gyimah

Good mental health and wellbeing is a key priority for this Government. We have high aspirations for all children and want them to be able to fulfil their potential. Schools should consider how to provide appropriate support to students and staff, along with good teaching to support pupil attainment. We want schools to be able to decide on the best way to do this given their individual circumstances. One of the best ways is as part of a ‘whole-school’ approach. We have taken a range of actions to support them.

We have recently revised and updated our counselling guidance which provides practical, evidence-based advice, informed by experts on how to ensure school based counselling services achieve the best outcomes for all students, including vulnerable children and young people. Having this provision in schools also provides support for teaching staff as they are able to easily and quickly get advice from the counsellor about issues that they are concerned about.

We have also provided schools with other resources including: guidance and age-appropriate lesson plans on teaching mental health in PSHE; guidance on mental health and behaviour; and MindEd, a free online portal which has been developed to enable all adults working with children and young people learn more about specific mental health problems and how to support them.

We are providing opportunities to help young people support each other effectively. We recently launched a suite of peer support activities, which includes a call for evidence for stakeholders, children and young people and funding of up to £1.5m. This includes a new digital innovation fund to develop online reliable, engaging and trusted advice to help young people understand their own and their peers’ mental health.

In addition we are contributing to a £3m joint pilot with NHS England which is testing how single points of contact in CAMHS and schools can secure effective mental health support to pupils.

We are also working closely with the Department of Health on a national campaign to reduce stigma and raise awareness of mental health issues amongst parents and children, which includes resources for schools.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ivan Lewis on 2016-05-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of planned future budget reductions on the ability of the Greater Manchester police to fund implementation in Manchester of national projects.

Mike Penning

As the Chancellor announced at the Spending Review no Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) will receive a reduction in cash funding if they choose to maximise their precept over the Spending Review period.

It is an operational decision for chief officers, working with their PCC, to determine how best to allocate their available resources taking into account local and national priorities.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ivan Lewis on 2014-06-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many applicants for the Start-Up Loans Scheme have been received from Northern Ireland; and what value of such loans have been provided for new businesses in Northern Ireland since the scheme was launched.

Matthew Hancock

To date there have been 913 applications for Start-Up Loans in Northern Ireland including applications that have been withdrawn, declined or still in progress. Of these applications, 120 loans with a value of £562,110 have been drawn down to date.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ivan Lewis on 2014-06-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what work the National Space Agency is doing to support the development of a regional space small and medium-sized enterprise sector in Northern Ireland; and what steps his Department has taken to support space-related events and conferences for decision-makers, the public, industry or academia in Northern Ireland.

Mr David Willetts

The UK Space Agency recognises the strengths and interest of the Northern Ireland space sector. The Agency has recently established a small team to focus on supporting the development of a vibrant regional small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) community across the UK. It is already engaged with the Northern Ireland space office and will work with them to help them to understand the potential value of the space sector to the Northern Ireland economy, both in the traditional upstream and in downstream “space-enabled markets”. Areas of focus for regional engagement include aligning locally provided business support and the potential for further space business incubators. The team are working closely with colleagues in the Satellite Applications Catapult who are also engaging with Local Enterprise Partnerships & the Devolved Administrations and have a significant role to play in supporting SMEs in the space sector. As set out in the Northern Ireland Economic Pact, the Agency is considering the case for a new satellite propulsion test facility near Belfast. The Agency is also in receipt of Northern Ireland’s letter of intent to host the UK Space Conference 2017 and due consideration will be given to holding the conference in Belfast in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ivan Lewis on 2014-06-26.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much corporation tax was raised by HM Treasury in Northern Ireland in the last full financial year.

Mr David Gauke

The most recent available estimate of Corporation Tax receipts in respect of Northern Ireland relates to financial year 2012-13. This estimate was published by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) in ‘A Disaggregation of HMRC Tax Receipts between England, Wales, Scotland & Northern Ireland’. A link to the publication is provided below:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/285765/disagg-info.pdf

For 2012-13 the estimated portion of onshore UK Corporation Tax receipts relating to Northern Ireland was £476m. Estimates of offshore Corporation Tax receipts relating to Northern Ireland are available as produced by two methods: a geographic basis and a population based apportionment. The estimates for 2012-13 are nil and £137m respectively.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ivan Lewis on 2014-06-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what input officials in his Department sought from their counterparts in the Northern Ireland Executive in preparation for the UK’s attendance at the Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council held in Brussels on 20 and 21 May 2014.

Mr Edward Vaizey

DCMS officials seek to keep their counterparts in the Northern Ireland Executive informed of relevant EU developments on an ongoing basis. There was no specific contact prior to the meeting of the Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council on 20 and 21 May.