Tag: Lord Hylton

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-07-19.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much of England is covered by Local Welfare Assistance Schemes; and what assessment they have made of whether those schemes have the necessary resources to make known the emergency financial support that is available to benefit claimants suffering from delays or other problems connected with Universal Credit.

Lord Freud

From April 2013, non-ring fenced funding was passed to local authorities in England and to the devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales, who all now administer Welfare Assistance Schemes on a devolved and localised basis. How those local authorities administer this support is for them to decide and outside of my Department’s remit.

In 2014 the Department undertook a review of this change and confirmed that local authorities were delivering targeted support more effectively than was the case with the previous provision under the Social Fund. This confirmed the Government’s wider view that local authorities are best placed to deliver help and support at a local level, ensuring effective provision for those who need it most, and coherent links with wider social care.

Further support is available from Universal Credit and Universal Support for claimants who are in financial difficulty or who are awaiting a Universal Credit payment. This includes advance payments, Alternative Payment Arrangements (more frequent payments, split payments within a household and the payment of rent direct to landlords) and Personal Budgeting support.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-10-03.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the consequences to date of the reduction in the foreign aid budget to the Palestinian Authority between 2013 and 2016.

Lord Bates

The UK provided £88 million in financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority (PA) from 2013-2016. UK aid has supported the PA to deliver basic services and promote economic growth. The PA continues to face challenges to ensure fiscal stability. As the Development Secretary is new to her role, she is conducting a full examination of DFID’s work in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including UK financial assistance to the PA.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-11-10.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have refused to interview and assess some of the boat people who arrived at the British Sovereign base in Cyprus; whether they plan to deport them as individuals to Lebanon; and what assessment they have made of whether deporting those individuals to Lebanon would be an instance of refoulement.

Lord Bates

Under an existing agreement with the Republic of Cyprus, those who claim asylum will be processed by the Cypriot authorities on behalf of the Sovereign Base.

Those migrants who do not claim asylum and have no other basis on which to remain, face removal to their country of origin or Lebanon.

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 Turkey, following the killing on 15 November in Nusaybin of Selamet Yesilmen; and whether they intend to call for full compensation for killed and injured civilians and property damaged throughout south-eastern Turkey.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We are aware of the case of Selamet Yesilmen, who was killed in clashes between the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and Turkish authorities in Nusaybin, and closely monitor the human rights situation across Turkey, including the southeast. As we have made clear, the PKK must cease its violence and the peace process needs to be resumed, in the interests of Turkey and the wider region.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-12-09.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that torture survivors who reach the UK, in particular those from Syria, have access to specialist rehabilitation; and whether they have plans to increase the number of places available via the Gateway Protection Programme for torture survivors from all states.

Lord Bates

Asylum seekers and refugees have access to health services and if they raise torture as part of their asylum claim, they are signposted to organisations that specialise in providing support for torture survivors.

We have no current plans to increase the number of places available under the Gateway Protection programme. The responsibility for identifying and referring refugees to the UK rests with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. We will continue to work closely with them to identify those in most need of protection.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-12-21.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how the £275 million offered by the Prime Minister to Turkey to secure its southern border” will be spent; whether that funding is intended to stop refugees entering Turkey in advance of any general ceasefire or peace agreement; and how that expenditure will be verified.”

Lord Bates

Turkey is a key partner in the response to the migration crisis and we should commend its generosity in hosting over 2.2m refugees from Syria and Iraq. Acknowledging this pressure, the EU has recently agreed an Action Plan with Turkey. Within this and building on the UK’s existing funding, our contribution of up to £275m (part of a wider European package of €3 billion) will be spent helping Turkey address the consequences of the Syria conflict. This funding will help control the flow of migrants to the EU from Turkey and improve education, health and labour rights for Syrian refugees in Turkey addressing potential push factors for further migration. Implementation of the funding will be jointly overseen by the European Commission and the Turkish government through the establishment of an EU-Turkey high-level working group on migration.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-01-14.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have for preventing destitution, in particular as it affects some migrants and asylum applicants.

Lord Bates

Asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute are provided with support by the Home Office. This generally consists of free accommodation and a weekly cash allowance to cover other essential living needs. Failed asylum seekers and other migrants without immigration status are generally expected to leave the UK, but may be eligible for support in certain circumstances. The Immigration Bill restricts the support provided by the Home Office to failed asylum seekers to those who are destitute and face a genuine obstacle to their departure at the point their appeal rights are exhausted. The Bill also clarifies the circumstances in which local authorities may need to provide support to destitute migrants without immigration status, pending resolution of their status or their departure from the UK.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-02-04.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they are having with the government of France about refugees and migrants near Calais and Dunkirk; whether those discussions include the provision of better information for camp dwellers and better coordination of volunteers and relief supplies; and when they will report to Parliament about those discussions.

Lord Bates

The Government is in regular discussion with French counterparts at ministerial and official level on all aspects of the migrant situation in Northern France.

In line with the UK-France Joint Declaration signed in August 2015, both countries carry out joint communications visits to the camps in Calais and Dunkirk to inform migrants about their rights and responsibilities.

The coordination of volunteers, charities and NGOs in France is the responsibility of the French authorities. However, the UK has issued advice for UK residents who want to help or donate to support migrants in Calais. The advice, offered directly on the FCO travel advice website (https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/france) is to give to registered and experienced humanitarian charities who are best placed to distribute donations in an organised manner.

Ministers regularly update Parliament on all aspects of the situation in Northern France.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-02-23.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they are making to the government of Bahrain concerning (1) the Bahrainis who have already been deprived of citizenship, (2) the 260 persons who may lose citizenship following alleged acts of terror, and (3) possible discrimination against members of the Shia Scholars Council and of Al Wefaq party; and whether they have had satisfactory replies.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We condemn all acts of terrorism and support Bahrain’s right to bring to justice those who commit terrorist acts. We also continue to encourage the Government of Bahrain to meets its human rights obligations and honour all conventions to which it is a party – including on citizenship rights. We regularly discuss human rights with the Government of Bahrain – including at the biannual UK-Bahrain Joint Working Group meeting which was most recently held in November 2015. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), most recently raised human rights with his Bahraini counterpart, Sheikh Khalid Bin Ahmad Al Khalifa, on 4 February 2016.

We believe that governance is a matter for all political parties in Bahrain. That is why we urge all political parties, including Al Wefaq who boycotted elections in November 2014, to engage constructively in the electoral process.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-03-02.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have plans to reinforce the Royal Navy’s operations in the Aegean Sea in order to save more lives and to arrest more traffickers.

Earl Howe

I refer the noble Lord to the statement I made to this House on Monday 7 March (Official Report, column 1079). The Royal Navy has deployed Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) Mounts Bay and a Wildcat helicopter to support NATO activity in the Aegean Sea. These will work alongside three Home Office vessels: VOS Grace, which has been deployed since November; the cutter Protector, which is en route to the region; and a further cutter that is expected to start operations later this month.

In addition to RFA Mounts Bay, there are five NATO ships on station at the moment. Canada, Germany, Greece, Italy, and Turkey have each deployed a ship.

NATO ships will provide information to enable Greek and Turkish civilian authorities to intercept migrant vessels and arrest traffickers. It is not an interdiction or search and rescue operation, but RFA Mounts Bay would give assistance to any vessel it found in distress, in accordance with international obligations.

With regards to sufficiency, we note the substantial contribution being made by the UK and other members of NATO, but we always look to see what further contributions members of the Alliance can make.