Tag: Lord Greaves

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Greaves on 2016-01-21.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will extend to government departments, government agencies and other public bodies the requirement for local authorities to publish lists of the brownfield land they own.

Baroness Williams of Trafford

Government records details of its land and property holdings on the electronic Property Information Management System database. The Government Property Finder website draws on this information and allows the public to search and map the estate. The Cabinet Office is currently considering future data requirements, including whether there should be any specific reporting requirements on brownfield land.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Greaves on 2016-03-07.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government on which dates the Community Engagement Forum met following the first meeting in October 2015; what were the main topics discussed at each meeting; and who attended each meeting.

Baroness Williams of Trafford

The Community Engagement Forum met on 19 November 2015 and focused on education and the role it can play in promoting integration. The following individuals attended:

Rt. Hon. Nicky Morgan MP, Education Secretary and Minister for Women and Equalities

Lord Ahmad, Minister for Countering Extremism

Louise Casey, Independent review on isolated communities

Alun Francis, Principal and Chief Executive of Oldham College

Aina Khan, Head of Islamic Department, Duncan Lewis Solicitors

Sajda Mughal OBE, Managing Director at Jan Trust

Mary Ney, Supporting Commissioner, Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council

Syima Aslam, Organiser of Bradford Literary Festival

Farook Yunus, Leader of Kumon Y’all

Sara Khan, Director and Co-founder of Inspire

Shaukat Warraich, Chief Executive, Faith Associates

Anil Bhanot OBE, Managing Trustee and Director of Hindu Council UK

Gillian Merron, Chief Executive of the Board of Deputies of British Jews

William Nye, Secretary General of the General Synod of the Church of England

Lord Singh of Wimbledon CBE, Director of the Network of Sikh Organisations

Christine Fischer, Catholic Education Service

Pascale Vassie, Executive Director, National Resource Centre for Supplementary Education

Martin Pratt, Director of Children, Schools and Families, Camden Council

Matthew Coffey, Chief Operating Officer, Ofsted

Phil Champain, Director 3 Faiths Forum

Her Honour Judge Khatun Sapnara, Circuit Judge East London Family Court and Kingston Crown Court

Sue Robb, Head of Early Years, 4Children

The Community Engagement Forum also met on 14 January 2016 and focussed on the contribution of Muslim women in Britain. The following individuals attended:

Rt. Hon. David Cameron, Prime Minister

Rt. Hon. Nicky Morgan MP, Education Secretary and Minister for Women and Equalities

Lord Ahmad, Minister for Countering Extremism

Baroness Williams, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government

Louise Casey, Independent review on isolated communities

Camilla Cavendish, Head of the No. 10 Policy Unit

Max Chambers, Special Adviser, Home Affairs and Justice, No.10

Sajda Mughal OBE, Managing Director at JAN Trust

Syima Aslam, Organiser of Bradford Literary Festival

Sara Khan, Director and co-founder of Inspire

Diana Nammi, Executive Director of Iranian and Kurdish Women’s Rights Organisation

Aysha and Kiran Iqbal Patel, Directors of Odara

Fahma Mohamed, FGM activist and Trustee of Integrate Bristol

Faeeza Vaid, Chair of ‘Sister 2 Sister’ in Birmingham and Executive Director of the Muslim Women’s Network

Henna Rai, Director for the Association of British Muslims

Yasmin Khan, Director of Staying Put and Aspire-I

Hasina Khan, Chair and founder of Saheliyaan Asian Women’s Forum and Councillor on Chorley Council

Nahid Rasool, Director of Shantona Women’s Centre

Farmida Bi, Head of Islamic Finance and a partner at Norton Rose.

Zahra Al-Alawi, Presenter of Woman’s View on Ahlulbayt TV

Farah Mirza, TV Presenter and previous UN representative for Islamic Human Rights Commission

Sarah Joseph OBE, Chief Executive and Editor of emel magazine

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Greaves on 2015-10-28.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 21 October (HL2528), why it was possible to vote daily in the Great British High Street of the Year competition for up to 30 days, and from multiple email addresses; who decided that voting should be allowed to take place in that way; and what assessment they have made of the impact of that decision on the outcome of the competition.

Baroness Williams of Trafford

The Great British High Street Competition was an initiative launched by the Future High Street Forum, a group bringing together retailers and sector experts to lead work to support high streets. The Great British High Street Competition, now in its second year, is overseen by a sub-group of the Forum.

The results of the Great British High Street Competition will be decided on by the combination of two scoring mechanisms. The first element will be based on scoring from a visit from our independent panel of judges which includes expert senior representatives from Boots, Costa, Google and the Post Office.

The second part of the scoring is based on the outcome of a public vote which allows people to vote every day but from a single email address. The decision was based on advice from analysts and social media experts, which included Facebook, LinkedIn and Yahoo, and was introduced in order to allow the finalists to build local campaigns which generate interest across the course of the campaign and not just on one day. It was also designed to allow towns with varying populations to compete. Ministers had no role in this decision.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish the team in Colne and their competitors, every luck. We received 230 entries of an excellent standard so to reach the final is a huge achievement. The competition is shining a light on all the wonderful, hard work going on around the country and, once the competition is over, we look forward to continuing to work with all of the finalists to share and publicise their great work.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Greaves on 2015-11-25.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the reasons for the delay in the refranchising process for the West Coast Main Line.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

The re-timing will ensure that passengers and taxpayers get the maximum possible benefits from both the InterCity West Coast (ICWC) franchise and the HS2 project.

We are re-timing the ICWC franchise to ensure that it is well aligned with the HS2 programme which is currently progressing through Parliament. The ICWC operator will play an important role during the construction of HS2 and in facilitating the introduction of High Speed services in 2026. This retiming will allow us to continue to engage with the market on the best options for the franchise to do this.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Greaves on 2015-12-02.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government who appointed John Cridland as chair of Transport for the North and what recruitment process was followed to appoint him; how many hours a week he will work; how much he will be paid, and from which funds; whether this is a fixed term appointment; to whom he is responsible on (1) policy, and (2) pay and rations matters; and what are his terms of reference.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

John Cridland was appointed as Chairman of Transport for the North (TfN) by TfN with the agreement of the Secretary of State for Transport.

This followed an open competition and interview process. He will receive a remuneration of £30,000 per annum for a commitment of 30 days a year, which is commensurate with the level for similar positions. This will be met from the existing TfN budget. The appointment is for an initial two years, and can be extended for up to a further four years. The Chairman is responsible to the TfN Partnership Board in all matters and will receive any terms of reference from that body.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Greaves on 2015-12-17.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of (1) the number of citizens of other EU countries, other than the Republic of Ireland, who are working in the UK; (2) how many of those are receiving (a) tax credits, and (b) other in-work benefits; (3) how many of the people claiming such benefits have lived in the UK for less than four years; (4) how many UK citizens are working in other EU countries other than the Republic of Ireland; and (5) how many of these are receiving in-work benefits in those countries.

Lord O’Neill of Gatley

The information is not available in the format requested.

HM Revenue and Customs are planning to publish further information relating to EEA Nationals receiving tax credits early in 2016 once the information has been properly collated.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Greaves on 2016-01-25.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether persons coming to live in the UK on spousal visas are entitled to make use of existing schemes of English language tuition provided through public funds; and on what terms.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

Funding for english for speakers of other languages (ESOL) provision in England is normally restricted to people who have been resident in the UK or another EEA country for at least the previous 3 years on the first day of learning. For the 3-year residency rule not to apply to a person coming to live in the UK on a spousal visa, the spouse in the UK whom they are joining would have to have been resident in the UK for at least 3 years.

Full-funding is prioritised for people who are in receipt of certain work-related benefits and are mandated to undertake skills training to improve their English in order to find work. This is funded through a provider’s Adult Skills Budget. People on other state benefits who are unemployed and where poor English skills are a barrier to finding work, may still be eligible for full funding at the discretion of the training provider. All others can be co-funded but are expected to make a contribution towards the costs of training.

Other opportunities to learn English on publicly-funded programmes include BIS supported community-ESOL programmes and DCLG community-based English language projects.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Greaves on 2016-03-07.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their definition of community” in relation to the Community Engagement Forum.”

Baroness Williams of Trafford

In his speech on countering extremism in July 2015, my rt. hon. Friend, the Prime Minister said that he wanted to hear directly from all those in our society who are tackling extremism. The Community Engagement Forum is one of the ways the Prime Minister is doing this. The Forum provides a platform for a wide range of partners to share their experiences and learn from each other. Attendance at the Forum is fluid to ensure Ministers can hear from a wide range of partners. The attendees have been from a wide range of backgrounds and were representatives of all parts of the UK.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Greaves on 2015-10-28.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what safeguards are in place to prevent armed opposition fighters funded by Western countries from using their arms and training against unintended targets, or acting in a way that contradicts the Government’s overall strategy in the Middle East, in particular in Syria.

Earl Howe

The US-led programme to Train and Equip members of the moderate Syrian opposition, to which the UK has contributed, incorporated a screening process to determine the suitability of candidates. The training programme itself was designed to reinforce positive behaviours and on completion, successful candidates were required to make a formal declaration committing themselves to the fight against ISIL. Efforts continue to be made to monitor the activities of such individuals and the groups to which they are affiliated, to mitigate the risk that they engage thereafter in activities inconsistent with the aims of the programme.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Greaves on 2015-11-25.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government under what legislation the National Infrastructure Commission currently operates; whether the National Infrastructure Commissioners are being paid allowances or expenses for their work; and if so, on what basis, and how much.

Lord O’Neill of Gatley

The National Infrastructure does not currently operate under any legislation, but it will be legislated for when parliamentary time allows. Commissioners are being reimbursed all reasonable expenses properly and necessarily incurred in respect of their appointments. They are paid allowances in line with similar government positions.