Tag: Lord Scriven

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Scriven on 2016-06-20.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of Médecins Sans Frontières’ refusal to take any funds from the EU in protest against the EU’s refugee policy, whether they will reconsider their support for the EU–Turkey refugee deal.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

The UK is committed to the successful implementation of the EU/ Turkey migration deal. The numbers of migrants arriving on Greek islands has significantly reduced since this deal came into effect and it is making a genuine difference to managing the flows of migration; preventing people from dying in attempting the crossing or putting themselves in the hands of smugglers.

We continue to deploy expert staff to the Greek islands to act as interpreters and help with the processing of migrants. These teams help ensure that vulnerable people, including children, are identified and can access asylum procedures as quickly as possible.

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what rules they have put in place to ensure that transgender persons are placed in prisons that are appropriate for them based on their gender identity.

Lord Faulks

Prison Service Instruction 07/2011 sets out NOMS policy on the care and management of prisoners who live or propose to live in a gender other than the one assigned at birth. Prisoners are normally placed according to their legally recognised gender. However, the guidelines allow room for discretion and senior prison staff will review the circumstances of every case in consultation with medical and other experts in order to protect the physical and emotional wellbeing of the person concerned along with the safety and wellbeing of other prisoners.

A review of the current policy on transgender and transsexual prisoners began earlier this year and revised policy guidance will be issued to reflect NOMS’ responsibilties to transgender offenders in the community as well as in custody. The intention is to implement the guidance early in the New Year.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Scriven on 2015-11-30.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government when it was decided that the Chief Executive of NHS England could appear on political debate shows such as Any Questions?, and who made that decision.

Lord Prior of Brampton

NHS England is an independent body established by the Health and Social Care Act 2012. Its Chief Executive, Simon Stevens, decided to accept the invitation to appear on the ‘Any Questions?’ programme several months ago.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Scriven on 2016-02-26.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the status of the Sheffield City Region Devolution Deal, in the light of the Leader of Sheffield City Council refusing to accept the current Deal; what the areas of disagreement are; and what their position is on each of those areas.

Baroness Williams of Trafford

The Sheffield City Region devolution deal is a ground-breaking agreement that will see a major transfer of powers and responsibilities, including over transport. Local councils are in the process of ratifying devolution agreements and are working with the Government to ensure the timely implementation of all commitments.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Scriven on 2016-04-26.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Neville-Rolfe on 26 April (HL7673), whether there exists an internal Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) report called BIS2020 Finance and Headcount that contains information about the move of the Sheffield BIS office to London.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

The Government does not comment on internal or leaked documents.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Scriven on 2016-06-20.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the government of Turkey about the reported use of tear gas and rubber bullets at a LGBT pride march in Istanbul.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We have not discussed these specific cases with the Government of Turkey. We regularly underline the importance of all fundamental freedoms as part of our broader dialogue with the Turkish government, including the freedom of assembly and the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and/or intersex persons. We did not fly the rainbow flag over our Embassy in Ankara over the weekend commencing 24 June. British Missions overseas fly the Diplomatic, Union or Consular flag throughout the year, the flags of the constituent countries of the UK on their respective national days and in certain countries the European flag. Missions do not fly any other flags.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Scriven on 2015-10-21.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the review of the framework within which police forces use and retain custody images is yet complete; if so, what advice has been circulated to police forces as a result; and if not, why not.

Lord Bates

The review has not yet been completed. It is important that the issues identified by the review are properly tested with operational decision makers, so as to appropriately balance the protection of personal data and privacy with the public protection benefits and the operational need.

Due to the complexity of the operational and legal issues raised in the evidence gathering stage and the number of important stakeholders, this work is yet to be completed.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Scriven on 2015-10-21.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the action plan sent to the National Asylum Stakeholder Forum following the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration’s report in 2014 on asylum on grounds of sexual orientation has now been agreed and implemented in full.

Lord Bates

Following publication of the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration’s report last year and in consultation with key partners, UKVI produced and agreed an LGBTI ‘Action Plan’ to facilitate further improvements in the handling and management of asylum claims brought on the basis of sexual identity issues and to improve the training and guidance given to staff.

The key inspection recommendations have been reflected in this plan, specifically improving training and guidance to decision makers, improving claim recording mechanisms, ensuring policy compliance, and ensuring a consistent approach to explicit material and dealing with sexually explicit questioning. We continue to work with our partners in developing these strategies to ensure full implementation of the Chief Inspector’s recommendations.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Scriven on 2015-01-15.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many public bodies as defined in the Counter-Terrorism and Security Bill do not meet the provisions of the Prevent duty guidance consultation document, according to each category of public body.

Lord Bates

The duty outlined in Chapter 1 of Part 5 of the Counter-Terrorism and Security Bill (‘the Prevent duty’) falls on the specified authorities listed in Schedule 3 to the Bill. The authorities include local government, prisons and probation services, schools, further and higher education institutions, NHS bodies, and the police. The Government does not hold information about the Prevent policies and processes of all the authorities on which the duty would fall. There are many examples of good practice, but involvement in Prevent activity is not consistent across the country. In legislating, the Government’s intention is to spread that good practice, and ensure all apply the duty in a risk-based and proportionate way.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Scriven on 2015-09-17.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they plan to make to the government of Hungary about the use of tear gas and water cannon on those seeking asylum.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The UK expects all EU Member States to meet their obligations to comply with international standards including with regards to the fundamental values of respect for human dignity, freedom and respect for human rights, in the same way they have this expectation of us. The British Government recognises that Hungary has received the second highest number of asylum claims of any EU Member State this year to June, reaching unprecedented levels. We continue to follow closely the situation in Hungary and other Central European countries regarding the arrival of unprecedented numbers of people seeking entry and, often, passage onwards. Staff at our Embassy in Budapest have visited the border with Serbia and reception centres and have also met with Hungarian officials. More broadly as the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), has stated, the UK and its EU partners must pursue a comprehensive approach which addresses the causes of the migration problem as well as the consequences.