The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-06-27.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the result of the EU referendum, what is the current position of the British members of the European Parliament.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
While the UK remains a member of the EU, we retain the rights and obligations of membership.
British members of the European Parliament were elected to serve their constituents and will be able to do so until the UK leaves the EU.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-07-19.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they plan to ensure that Jobcentre staff and Jobcentre Plus advisers understand fully, and respond effectively to, mental health problems.
Lord Freud
The Department for Work and Pensions supports its staff in developing the skills required to identify and effectively support claimants with mental health conditions. A number of learning products such as ‘Introduction to Working with People with a Mental Health Condition’ and ‘Supporting Customers with a Vulnerability’ have been specifically developed to build capability for Jobcentre staff. Jobcentre staff also promote “Disability Confident” which is an initiative that includes working with employers to show that employing disabled people, including those with mental health conditions, is good for the individual, business and society.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-10-03.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they will ensure that the funds allocated for new housing are used promptly; what steps they are taking to ensure that the housing revenue account borrowing programme is fully used by local authorities and housing associations; and what assessment they have made of whether greater flexibility between allocations is now necessary.
Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
There are a number of government programmes that support the delivery of new homes including the biggest affordable housing programme since the 1970s.
Government affordable housing programmes are bid-based. The Homes and Communities Agency manages programmes outside London, and the Greater London Authority in London. A programme is normally launched through a bid round with a publication of prospectus which sets out information required for bids, eligibility and assessment criteria and grant conditions. Providers can submit bids to the grant-giving body who assess bids based on the criteria set out in the prospectus, focusing on value for money and deliverability. This allows for flexibility between allocations because value for money can be assessed across products, tenures, geographies and the types of providers. The Homes and Communities Agency carries out quarterly contract reviews with each provider to ensure delivery is on track. Through this route we have delivered 193,000 affordable homes between 2011 and 2015, exceeding the target by 23,000.
The Government also regularly monitors the additional borrowing that local authority have been allocated under the Housing Revenue Account borrowing programme to ensure delivery of the provision of new affordable homes. We also consider applications from local authorities seeking flexibility in the profiling of their borrowing allocations across years. However, flexibility is not needed between authorities’ allocations as the programme, which was time limited, is now closed, and authorities are making good progress in using their allocations to deliver affordable homes.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-11-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are discussing with the government of Greece ways to secure better documentation of refugees and migrants in transit through that country; and whether they intend to support any application to the EU for funds for this purpose.
Lord Bates
The UK has provided significant support to Greece on migration and asylum, both bilaterally and through the EU Agencies that are supporting operations in particular in the Aegean. The Government has every intention of continuing to engage with, and assist, the Greek government in their efforts to re-establish effective systems and structures, not least to ensure the registration of all migrants upon arrival, including improving Greece’s capacity to absorb the EU funding that was allocated over the summer. Further EU support must be focused on helping Greece to take control of the situation and implement the measures they have agreed to.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-11-23.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they are making to the government of Bahrain following the arrest of Issa Al-Tajer, the father of the president of Lawyers for Human Rights.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We understand from lawyer Mohammad Isa Al Tajer that his father is not in detention however his brother, Ali Isa Al Tajer, remains in detention following his arrest on 5th November 2015. His arrest was prompted by the discovery of a “secret tunnel” below one of the houses his company built in a village. Investigations are ongoing and charges remain unclear. We continue to monitor the situation closely.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-12-09.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to discuss with the government of Egypt the risk of salt-water infiltration into the agricultural land of the Gaza Strip resulting from the newly-constructed anti-tunnel canal.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We are aware of the construction of the anti-tunnel canal and of reports of a potential risk of salt-water infiltration into agricultural land in the surrounding area. We will continue to monitor the situation.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-12-21.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government over what period, and under what headings, the €3 billion offered by the EU to Turkey in respect of refugees and migrants will be spent; and what verification of expenditure there will be.
Lord O’Neill of Gatley
At the EU-Turkey summit on 29 November, the EU committed €3 billion of additional support to Turkey to help ease its refugee burden and prevent further irregular migration to the EU. The European Commission has proposed a Refugee Facility for Turkey to coordinate the €3 billion in 2016 and 2017, which will be financed in part by Member State contributions and in part from the EU budget.
The details of the Refugee Facility, including the financing, governance and monitoring arrangements, are currently being discussed by Member States. All contributions from the EU budget will be fully consistent with the spending limits set out in the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2014-2020.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-01-13.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the functions of the officials from the Home Office and other departments who are now serving in the north of France; whether they will instruct those officials to give priority to finding and assisting refugees there (1) who may be eligible for family reunion in the UK, or (2) for whom the Government have some responsibility, such as interpreters formerly employed by the Armed Forces; and if not, whether they will fund an NGO to do that work.
Lord Bates
Border Force officers are deployed to the Northern French ports to undertake immigration and customs functions as part of the juxtaposed controls arrangements with France, whereby elements of border control are completed prior to travel to the UK. Under the treaties which govern these arrangements, Border Force officers can only undertake official functions within defined “control zones” at the ports. Under the terms of the August 2015 UK-France Joint Declaration, Border Force officials additionally visit the migrant camps in conjunction with French officials to inform migrants of the dangers in seeking entry to the UK illegally and the importance instead of seeking asylum in France, and the fact that this is a prerequisite to apply for family reunion. French officials, as the responsible authority, also provide information to migrants during these visits.
Separate schemes have existed since 2013 to assist interpreters previously employed by the UK Armed Forces. These apply only to those who have remained in Afghanistan and, in recognition of their unique and exceptional service or the danger the interpreters may face because of their work, can lead to relocation to the UK if certain criteria are met.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-02-04.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the UK’s status as the largest European donor for relief in Syria and Iraq, and for refugee services elsewhere, what progress they are making toward greater burden-sharing within the EU and the European Economic Area in proportion to each country’s income per head.
Baroness Verma
The UK has been at the forefront of the response to the Syrian crisis. To date, we have committed over £2.3 billion, our largest ever response to a humanitarian crisis. As a result of the rise of Daesh, a separate humanitarian crisis has also emerged in Iraq. To date, we have committed £79.5 million to the humanitarian crisis in Iraq.
We continue to play a leading role in encouraging the international community to contribute generously to the UN appeals. At the Supporting Syria and the Region Conference we co-hosted in London on 4 February 2016, leaders came together to pledge more than $11 billion, the largest amount raised in one day for a humanitarian crisis. The money pledged at the Conference will save lives, give hope and give people a chance for the future.
We welcome the generous pledge of $2.5 billion in immediate and long-term funding from Germany at the Conference. Likewise, the EU pledged €915 million for 2016, €1.275 billion for 2017-20 and a further €200 million in concessional finance. Like the UK, Germany and the EU have pledged much more than in previous years.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-02-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether the UN High Commissioner for Refugees has access to the refugees in camps at Calais and Dunkirk; and if not, whether they will discuss the matter with the government of France.
Lord Bates
The UK is in regular contact with France on all matters related to Calais and the migration situation, and engages with EU and multilateral partners, including the UN on a wide range of migration issues in order to find an effective and sustainable solution.
The management of the migrant camps in Calais is the responsibility of the French Government. However, we understand that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has made visits to the camps in Calais and Dunkirk, and we note the welcome given by the UNHCR to the joint declaration to address the issues in Calais signed by the UK and France on 20 August 2015.