Tag: Keir Starmer

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keir Starmer on 2015-11-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans his Department has to fund additional support for disabled people who might require assistance to fill in job applications and to attend job interviews.

Justin Tomlinson

DWP already provides a range of support for people who require assistance to fill in job applications and to attend job interviews.

Programmes such as Work Choice, Work Programme and the new Specialist Employability Support offer tailored support for any participants who need help with their jobseeking. This may include help with activities such as filling in job applications and attending job interviews. Access to Work can provide practical support for people who need help with attending interviews due to a health condition or disability.

Jobcentre Plus continues to offer a range of support, including a free helpline for claimants who have difficulty making their claims for benefit online because of dyslexia or a similar conditions, and Claimant Computer Suites manned by Jobcentre Plus Customer Service staff. In addition, a Jobcentre Plus Work Coach, or where appropriate, a Disability Employment Adviser (DEA), can signpost claimants to local sources of support such as Work Clubs, third sector organisations or the National Careers Service.

The Department is constantly seeking ways to improve these services, but at present there are no plans to fund additional support nationally. However, the support we provide nationally both complements, and is complemented by, our engagement with support provided locally by stakeholders such as third sector organisations, local councils, Work Clubs and other partners.

We are also exploring innovative new ways to deliver support. For example, the Personalisation Pathfinders project running in three Jobcentre Plus Districts, which will test a new localised approach to helping people with Disabilities and long term health conditions.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keir Starmer on 2016-05-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to consider the final report of the Home Affairs Committee’s planned inquiry into asylum accommodation before she makes her decision on whether to extend Compass asylum accommodation to 2019.

James Brokenshire

The Home Secretary will consider the Home Affairs Committee’s report on their planned inquiry into asylum accommodation when it is published.

The timing of any decision to extend the COMPASS contracts is subject to ongoing discussions with providers and is commercially sensitive. In deciding whether to extend the contract the Home Office will take a number of things into account, including the performance of the contracts and the value for money that they offer to the taxpayer.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keir Starmer on 2015-12-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of (a) the effect of the drought in the Horn of Africa on Eritrea and (b) the response of the Eritrean government and the international community to that drought.

Mr Nick Hurd

Official food security and nutrition data for Eritrea for this year has not yet been released, but the late onset of rains, relatively low volume of rainfall, and significant soil moisture deficits are likely to have had a negative impact on both farming and pastoral communities. The country and regional offices of the World Food Programme and UNICEF are monitoring the situation closely.

DFID is funding nutrition support activities in areas affected by El Nino in the Horn of Africa through UNICEF’s regional programme, which covers Eritrea

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keir Starmer on 2016-05-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, who on the Government’s warnings index is known to have travelled to which destinations during the Semaphore eBorders system national power outage in June 2015.

James Brokenshire

Home Office systems are used for the purposes of border and national security and the detection and prevention of crime. It is longstanding policy not to discuss the specific data held on these systems, the source of the data or how it is used for national security reasons.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keir Starmer on 2016-01-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps the Government has taken to transpose the EU Directive on Victims’ Rights into UK law.

Mike Penning

The Ministry of Justice fully transposed the EU Victims’ Directive 2012/29/EU (the Victims’ Directive) on 16 November 2015. In conjunction with existing legislation, the Code of Practice for Victims of Crime (Victims’ Code) is the main mechanism used to transpose the Victims’ Directive into the law of England and Wales.

The UK government is responsible for transposing the Directive in England and Wales. The Devolved Administrations are also required to implement the Directive under their devolved powers and we have been working closely with them to do so.

The transposition table which sets out how we have implemented the Victims’ Directive through the Victims’ Code can be found at:

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/1817/pdfs/uksitn_20151817_en.pdf

In the Queen’s Speech we made a commitment to bring forward measures to increase the rights of victims of crime. Further detail on our plans will be published in due course.

“

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keir Starmer on 2016-01-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he has taken to introduce a Victims’ Law since May 2015.

Mike Penning

In the Queen’s Speech we made a commitment to bring forward measures to increase the rights of victims of crime. Further detail on our plans will be published in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keir Starmer on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 5 July 2016 to Question 41593, when the additional works on passenger train impacts from any transportation of excavated and construction materials at Euston is planned to be completed.

Andrew Jones

The detailed timetable for this work is being developed with Network Rail. However, we would hope that it would be complete in early 2017. This work will be undertaken in close dialogue with the Greater London Authority, London Borough of Camden and Transport for London.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keir Starmer on 2016-02-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress her Department has made on developing the planned annual asylum strategy; and when she expects that strategy to be published.

James Brokenshire

The asylum strategy will outline how we will focus our efforts on the most vulnerable refugees, and how we will take a tougher approach to those whose asylum claim is unfounded or could reasonably have been made in another country. This will include looking again at the end-to-end asylum process from upstream to in-country.

We will publish the strategy annually, as set out in the Home Secretary’s party conference speech. There are no plans to run a formal consultation but officials are engaging with a range of partners in preparing the strategy.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keir Starmer on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 5 July 2016 to Question 41593, for what reason HS2 Ltd is supporting a two rather than three railhead option at Euston for the transportation of excavated and construction materials.

Andrew Jones

The decision to pursue a two railhead solution was based on a detailed consideration of the environmental, socio-economic and value for money benefits of that option as compared to the value for money disbenefits of the option that included a third railhead. HS2 will, however, continue to seek ways to mitigate the construction programme impacts and to respond to feedback, which will include exploring, during the detailed design phase, additional and/or alternative opportunities to move material by rail including, but not limited to, the third railhead option.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keir Starmer on 2016-02-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans that the Government’s proposed annual asylum strategy will include third-country asylum application processing arrangements for people who have attempted to claim asylum in the UK at port or in-country.

James Brokenshire

The asylum strategy will outline how we will focus our efforts on the most vulnerable refugees, and how we will take a tougher approach to those whose asylum claim is unfounded or could reasonably have been made in another country. This will include looking again at the end-to-end asylum process from upstream to in-country.

We will publish the strategy annually, as set out in the Home Secretary’s party conference speech. There are no plans to run a formal consultation but officials are engaging with a range of partners in preparing the strategy.