Tag: Lord Roberts of Llandudno

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2016-04-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many UK citizens have been prosecuted for non-payment of taxes in the last 10 years; and how many of these were prosecuted for avoiding paying £1,000 or less.

Lord O’Neill of Gatley

The information is not held in the form requested.

The smallest amount of revenue loss prevented in respect of individuals prosecuted between 2011/12 and 2014/15 is £162. The person prosecuted was a member of aircrew who attempted to bring 600 cigarettes into the UK without declaring them, thus attempting to evade the correct excise duty on them. Aircrew are deemed to hold privileged positions due to their unrestricted airport access and HM Revenue and Customs has a zero tolerance approach to prosecution should they not declare dutiable goods when entering the UK.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2016-06-09.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the estimated income from tourists from the EU who visited the UK in each of the last five years.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

In 2011, tourists from the EU spent £8.26 billion in the UK. This was £8.28 billion in 2012, £9.19 billion in 2013, £9.55 billion in 2014 and £9.71 billion in 2015. This Government is committed to further growing the tourism industry across the whole of Britain, encouraging more visitors to travel beyond the capital.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2016-09-06.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government why in some areas doctors will not prescribe the blood testing strips for use in devices intended to help control blood glucose levels.

Lord Prior of Brampton

There are no national restrictions on the prescribing of blood glucose testing strips to patients with diabetes. A variety of brands of blood glucose testing strips are listed in the Drug Tariff for general practitioners to prescribe for their patients as required. It is for local commissioners and clinicians to make decisions on how these strips should feature in the provision of diabetes services for their local populations.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2016-10-03.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many claims made by young asylum seekers in Calais in the past 12 months are still being processed; and how long is the average process time for such cases.

Baroness Williams of Trafford

The number of asylum claims made in France over any given period, and their outcome, is a matter for the French authorities.

The Dublin Regulation is the mechanism for determining responsibility for considering an asylum claim. If accepted for transfer to the UK, the asylum claim is considered in the UK after the individual has been transferred.

The Home Office has accepted responsibility to consider the asylum claims of over 80 unaccompanied minors from France under Dublin since the start of the year and many more are in train.

Dublin transfer requests involving children are now generally processed within 10 days by a dedicated team in the Home Office. Children can then be transferred within weeks and are now arriving in the UK on an almost weekly basis. A senior Home Office official has been seconded to the French Interior Ministry to help speed up the process of identifying children who may qualify for transfer to the UK.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2015-11-03.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 21 September (HL1909), what assessment they have made of the impact of the large number of migrants camped at Calais on the United Kingdom’s relationship with France.

Lord Bates

The French Government is responsible for the care of migrants in Calais, including support over the winter. However, both governments are committed to finding a sustainable solution to the situation in Calais. One aspect of the UK-France Joint Declaration of 20 August committed the UK to providing £3.6 million (or €5 million) per year for two years to help support a range of work to manage the migrant population in Calais. Additionally, the UK has provided £530,000 to fund a project to identify those in the camps at risk of trafficking and exploitation, and to provide them with appropriate support within the French system.

The UK and French Governments are unified in their response to these migratory pressures and both governments recognise the importance of close partnership and collaboration.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2015-12-01.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many adults applying for a passport for the first time have failed the personal interview test in each year since such interviews were required.

Lord Bates

Interview offices were established in 2008 for first time adult applicants. From 2008 to 2010 information on failed interviews was held in each Interview Office and not collated or transformed into centrally held data. A failed interview does not automatically mean the passport application has failed. It indicates that the interviewer was not fully satisfied with the answers given within the allotted interview time and the application requires further investigation.

During this period a number of changes were made to the way in which we conduct our interviews; these changes have led to fewer interviews being failed. Our new interview processes are more flexible and allow us to gather more details from the applicant at the interview stage. This means that interview staff are able to progress the application to a point where they can advise central examining teams that a passport should be issued. Previously, with less freedom in the questions they could put to the applicant they may have had to fail the interview so that these details could be established by another means later on in the process.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2016-01-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to transport food supplies by air into the town of Madaya in Syria to alleviate severe food shortages.

Earl of Courtown

The UK has pledged over £1.1 billion in response to the crisis in Syria and the region, making us the second largest bilateral donor after the US. By the end of June 2015, UK support inside Syria and in the surrounding region had, for example, delivered almost 20 million food rations that feed one person for a month; over 2.5 million medical consultations; and relief items for 4.6 million people. The UK co-sponsored and lobbied hard for the passage of UN Security Council Resolutions 2165, 2191 and 2258 which call on the parties to allow rapid, safe and unhindered access for humanitarian aid to besieged and hard to reach places.

The UK will consider any option compliant with international law that might save lives in Syria. We rule nothing out. However, the use of air drops is high risk and should only be considered as a last resort when all other means have failed. Attempting air drops without the consent of the parties to the conflict may risk undermining negotiations on humanitarian access to the 4.5 million people in hard to reach areas across Syria. Even in uncontested space air drops poise significant challenges. There is a requirement to identify clear drop zones, ensure safe access for the intended recipients and to co-ordinate with authorities on the ground. Instead, the UN, the Red Cross Movement and NGO partners are best placed to deliver aid to vulnerable people in besieged and hard to reach areas.

The most effective way to provide assistance to people who are starving is for all parties to adhere to international humanitarian law and to provide sustained, permanent and safe humanitarian access to humanitarian agencies.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2016-02-29.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what qualifications are required for Immigration Officers who decide the success or failure of asylum applications.

Lord Bates

The Home Office does not employ Immigration Officers to assess asylum claims. Staff employed to make asylum decisions are either Executive Officers or Higher Executive Officers with a minimum educational requirement of 2 GCE A Level passes A-C and 5 GCSE passes including Mathematics and English.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2016-04-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action is being taken by the Crown Prosecution Service following the publication of the Panama Papers.

Lord Keen of Elie

The Government has announced plans to create a cross-agency taskforce to investigate all evidence of illegality that has emerged from the so called “Panama Papers” revelations. The Government will take whatever action is necessary after the work of the taskforce has been completed.

The Crown Prosecution Service will advise on any criminal investigations commenced by HMRC, the police or the National Crime Agency and will bring criminal proceedings if cases pass the evidential and public interest stages of the Code for Crown Prosecutors.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2016-06-09.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many hospitality industry employees in the UK were from other EU member states in each of the last five years, and which countries they were from.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

In 2011, 2.8 per cent of employment in all UK tourism industries came from the pre-accession EU 15 member states. An additional 3.9 per cent of employment in all UK tourism industries came from the newer EU states: Poland, Lithuania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Romania, Latvia, Czech Republic, Malta, Estonia, Cyprus, and Slovenia. This data is the most up to date that we hold.