Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-01-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has received on the refusal of the Kurdistan Regional Government to pay tuition fees and living expenses to Kurd students studying in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    We are aware of instances of non payment of fees by the Kurdistan Regional Government and that a number of students and universities have been affected by the current situation in the Middle East. The Government is continuing to work with Universities UK and the Higher Education International Unit to identify ways to enable students from the region to continue their studies in the UK.

    A cross government body, the Responding to International Students Crisis Committee (RISC), has been established to look into issues faced by international students who have their studies disrupted due to crises in their home countries. The RISC provides a co-ordinated Government response on these issues so that affected parties know where to go for advice and guidance.

    The Government is committed to ensuring that international students are looked after by our universities as part of our efforts to maintain the excellent reputation our higher education sector enjoys overseas. However there is no scope in the existing student support legislation for the Government to provide funding support for students in the UK. Students facing such difficulties should speak to their University.

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of children and young people entering care complete the strengths and difficulties questionnaire to assess their wellbeing in (a) England and (b) Birmingham.

    Edward Timpson

    This Government is committed to supporting children in care and the unique challenges that they often face. That is why we’ve put in place a comprehensive package of support, including the introduction of the Pupil Premium Plus and compulsory Virtual School Heads to champion the attainment of children in care. We’ve also changed the rules so foster children can remain at home until 21 and have recognised long-term fostering as a placement in its own right, providing young people with greater stability as they prepare for independence and adult life.

    The Department collects Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) scores for children looked-after for at least 12 months. The data returned by local authorities are based on questionnaires completed by the child’s main carer. SDQs should inform a looked-after child’s annual health assessment.

    In England, 72% of 5-16 year olds, looked after for at least 12 months, have had an SDQ score submitted. In Birmingham, 85% of these children have had an SDQ score submitted. These figures are correct as of 31 March 2015. More information can be found in the Department’s Statistical First Release Children Looked After by Local Authorities in England at 31 March 2015[1].

    The SDQ is an internationally validated screening tool that provides information about the behavioural and emotional health of children. It has been part of the Department’s statistical collection for looked-after children since 2008. Where the SDQ score from the main carer suggests there may be a problem, the statutory guidance Promoting the health and wellbeing of looked-after children[2], which is issued jointly by the Department for Education and Department for Health, makes clear that consideration should be given to further assessment.

    The Department recently supported the research undertaken by the Rees Centre at the University of Oxford on The Educational Progress of Looked-After Children in England: Linking Care and Education Data[3]. This research demonstrates that having a high SDQ score was strongly predictive of poor GCSE outcomes. We are discussing the implications of this research with local authority Virtual School Heads.

    [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2014-to-2015

    [2] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/promoting-the-health-and-wellbeing-of-looked-after-children–2

    [3] http://reescentre.education.ox.ac.uk/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/EducationalProgressLookedAfterChildrenOverviewReport_Nov2015.pdf

    “

  • Jonathan Reynolds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Jonathan Reynolds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Reynolds on 2016-03-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure that environmental permitting rules for back-up electricity generating plants are up to date and continue to reflect requirements of (a) environmental legislation and (b) the electricity system operator.

    Rory Stewart

    Electricity generating plants with a rated thermal input equal to or greater than 20MW are already subject to environmental permitting rules.

    We will consult later this year on options to reduce pollution from smaller plants, including extending environmental legislation to set binding emission limit values on relevant air pollutants from backup electricity generating plants such as diesel engines, with a view to having legislation in force no later than January 2019 and possibly sooner. These limits would be likely to apply to generators or groups of generators with a rated thermal input equal to or greater than 1 MW and less than 50 MW irrespective of their number of hours of operation during any given year.

    Defra will work with the Department of Energy and Climate Change to ensure that impacts of environmental legislation on electricity supply are suitably managed.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-04-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of households that owned their home in each year since 2010; and if he will make a statement.

    Brandon Lewis

    Of the estimated 22.5 million households in England in 2014-15, 14.3 million or 64% were owner occupiers. The proportion of all households in owner occupation increased steadily from the 1980s to 2003 when it reached a peak of 71%. A period of gradual decline in owner occupation followed but this has recently abated with a slight increase in owner occupation rates between 2013-14 and 2014-15.

    The department publishes this information annually in the English Housing Survey headline report. Percentage of households that are owner occupiers, England:

    Thousands of households

    percentages

    1980

    9,680

    56.6

    1981

    9,860

    57.2

    1982

    10,237

    58.6

    1983

    10,613

    60.0

    1984

    10,990

    61.3

    1985

    11,305

    62.4

    1986

    11,619

    63.5

    1987

    11,934

    64.6

    1988

    12,248

    65.7

    1989

    12,515

    66.3

    1990

    12,782

    67.0

    1991

    13,050

    67.6

    1992

    13,069

    68.2

    1993

    13,280

    68.3

    1994

    13,429

    68.7

    1995

    13,467

    68.5

    1996

    13,522

    68.5

    1997

    13,629

    68.6

    1998

    13,817

    69.0

    1999

    14,091

    69.9

    2000

    14,340

    70.6

    2001

    14,359

    70.4

    2002

    14,559

    70.5

    2003

    14,701

    70.9

    2004

    14,678

    70.7

    2005

    14,791

    70.7

    2006

    14,791

    70.1

    2007

    14,733

    69.6

    2008

    14,628

    68.3

    2008-09

    14,621

    67.9

    2009-10

    14,525

    67.4

    2010-11

    14,450

    66.0

    2011-12

    14,388

    65.3

    2012-13

    14,337

    65.2

    2013-14

    14,319

    63.3

    2014-15

    14,324

    63.6
  • Stuart C. McDonald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Stuart C. McDonald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stuart C. McDonald on 2016-05-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people of each nationality were held in detention for over (a) six and (b) 12 months between 2005 and 2015 for the purpose of removal.

    James Brokenshire

    The table attached shows the number of people removed on leaving detention, by nationality who were held for over six and over twelve months.

    Published statistics relating to immigration detention are only available from 2010 onwards. It is not possible to provide pre-2010 figures and this information could be provided only by examining individual case records, which would result in disproportionate cost.

    The Home Office publishes quarterly and annual statistics on the number of people detained in the United Kingdom for immigration purposes, within the Immigration Statistics release on the GOV.UK website:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office/series/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-07-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 30 June 2016 to Question 41302, whether he has made an estimate of the total cost to his Department of hiring additional lawyers, and financial and trade experts as a result of the outcome of the EU referendum; and if he will make a statement.

    Greg Hands

    The new unit established by the Cabinet Office will review arrangements for the UK’s exit from the EU.

  • Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    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 were refused, and on what grounds.

    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.

  • Conor McGinn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Conor McGinn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Conor McGinn on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 2 June 2015 to Question 428, what progress has been made in ensuring funding from the Armed Forces Covenant (Libor) Fund is distributed across the UK; and which organisations in each region of the UK have benefited from that fund to date.

    Mark Lancaster

    Further to my answer of 2 June 2015 to Question 428 which detailed the information held centrally by the Ministry of Defence. The final project under the Veterans Accommodation Fund (VAF) was announced on 20 July 2015 and that was for £50,000 to the RAF Benevolent Fund, for replacement windows at Forge House in England. The £40 million VAF and the £35 million LIBOR Fund have now closed.

    This year saw the implementation of a permanent commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant through a £10 million per annum Covenant Fund, and will be ring-fenced from the UK Defence Budget. Assessments of the first-round of small grants (up to £20,000) are currently taking place and those selected will be announced around the New Year. The deadline for the second round of applications is 17 December 2015.

    The deadline for expressions of interest for the large grant scheme (£20,000 to £500,000) has now closed. Those projects accepted for round two will also be informed by 26 November 2015, the deadline for stage two applications is 13 January 2016 with stage two decisions communicated by 10 March 2016.

    Although we welcome applications from across the whole of the UK, these will be selected on the basis of defined criteria. The selection panel is made up of MOD officials, sector experts and representatives from each of the Devolved Administrations.

  • Richard Burden – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Richard Burden – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2015-12-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies (a) in general and (b) on road safety of each region’s road users’ satisfaction survey published by Highways England on 11 December 2015.

    Andrew Jones

    The recently published National Road Survey Satisfaction Survey is based on responses from interviews of approximately 2,000 road users per annum. The results are analysed on an ongoing basis and provide insight to inform the development of Highways England‘s work.

    We aim to reduce the number of cyclists and other road users killed or injured on our roads every year. We have been working closely with road safety groups to consider what more can be done and expect to publish our Road Safety Statement shortly. The Road Safety Statement will set out the high level plan and overarching approach to road safety that we expect to take over the rest of the Parliament, and will be followed by a series of more detailed proposals and consultations.

    Highways England has recently announced their new road safety ambition that no one shall be harmed while working or travelling on the network. In support of this, they have launched their 5 year Health and Safety Plan which contains specific actions relating to road safety.

  • David Burrowes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    David Burrowes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Burrowes on 2016-01-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress is being made on conducting antenatal mental health assessments.

    Alistair Burt

    Our commitment to improving perinatal mental health was demonstrated by the Prime Minister’s recent announcement of a £290 million investment over the next five years to 2020/21 in perinatal mental health services. This builds on the initial investment of £75 million announced in the March 2015 Budget, making a total investment from 2015/16 to 2020/21 of £365million.

    The National Institute for Health Care and Excellence guidelines recommend that during a pregnant women’s first contact with primary care or when booking her first appointment she should be asked how she is feeling. This will enable a sensitive conversation and, if appropriate, for a referral to her general practitioner for further assessment or, if a severe mental health problem is suspected, to a mental health professional.

    It has been recognised that more information is needed about perinatal mental health. The Health and Social Care Information Centre is working on the implementation of a new Mental Health Services Dataset which will seek to increase the amount of data available about antenatal mental health assessments. We expect that some initial data on perinatal mental health will be available later this year. We will use this initial information to refine how data on perinatal mental health is collected going forward.