The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keir Starmer on 2016-05-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for how long the Semaphore system was subject to a national power outage between 12 and 17 June 2015.
James Brokenshire
For reasons of national security we do not comment on operational issues relating to border security systems.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keir Starmer on 2016-05-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people on the Warnings Index her Department knows to have entered the UK since 6 May 2010.
James Brokenshire
It is longstanding policy not to disclose details of records which may be held in relation to individuals’ arrival in the United Kingdom as to do so would not be in the interests of national security.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keir Starmer on 2016-05-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times the Semaphore eBorders system has been affected by a national power outage since 6 May 2010; and when each of those power outages (a) started and (b) ended.
James Brokenshire
For reasons of national security we do not comment on operational issues relating to border security systems.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keir Starmer on 2016-05-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to publish asylum support statistics by gender as part of the Government’s quarterly immigration statistics.
James Brokenshire
The information published in the quarterly Immigration Statistics is kept under review, taking into account the needs of users, burdens on suppliers and producers, in line with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics. There are currently no plans to publish data relating to asylum support statistics by gender.
Statistics on asylum seekers in receipt of Section 95, Section 4 or Section 98 support are available in Tables as_16_q, as_17_q and as_18_q of the quarterly Immigration Statistics release, available here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-october-to-december-2015
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keir Starmer on 2015-11-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how the extension of office to residential permitted development rights will be set out in legislative proposals.
Brandon Lewis
The extension of the office to residential permitted development rights will be brought forward as amendments to The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keir Starmer on 2016-05-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) single adult men, (b) single adult women, (c) families and (d) single-parent families were in receipt of support under section 95 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 at the end of 2015.
James Brokenshire
The Home Office publishes statistics on those supported under section 95, as at the end of each quarter, in the quarterly Immigration Statistics release.
Of the 34,363 main applicants that were supported under section 95 as at the end of December 2015, 12,561 were single adults. Where the gender of the main applicant is recorded, 9,987 were males and 2,135 were females.
There were 6,456 families supported under section 95 as at the end of December 2015. It is not possible to identify single parent families from the published statistics.
The figures provided are published in table as_17_q, in volume 4 of the Immigration Statistics asylum data tables. The data provided by gender are a subset of published figures. The latest release, Immigration Statistics September to December 2015, is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-october-to-december-2015
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.