Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Rushanara Ali – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Rushanara Ali – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rushanara Ali on 2016-06-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people from (a) Burma, (b) Afghanistan and (c) Syria are held in immigration removal centres in England.

    James Brokenshire

    As at 31 March 2016, the latest published statistics, there were 66 Afghan and 19 Syrian nationals in detention in the UK. There were no Burmese nationals held in detention on the 31 March 2016.

    The Home Office publishes quarterly and annual statistics on the number of persons removed or departed voluntarily from the UK within Immigration Statistics. Information on those in detention by nationality is available in the latest release, Immigration Statistics: January to March 2016, table dt_13_q from GOV.UK on the statistics web pages at: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office/series/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release.

    We are currently not enforcing returns to Syria, although Syrians may be removed to safe third countries, for example where they have been identified as the responsibility of an EU Member State.

  • Drew Hendry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Drew Hendry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Drew Hendry on 2016-09-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of UK premises has access to ultrafast broadband; and what steps she is taking to increase the number of such properties.

    Matt Hancock

    There is no agreed definition of ultrafast broadband. According to the independent broadband information website thinkbroadband.com – who define ultrafast as download speeds of more than 100mbps – approximately 50% of UK premises have access to ultrafast broadband.

    Virgin Media have announced plans to extend their coverage by up to 4 million premises by 2019 through their Project Lightning roll-out. This roll-out has funding support from the UK Guarantee Scheme which has been put in place the government. BT also plan to make available ultrafast speeds to 10 million premises by 2020. Smaller providers, such as CityFibre, Gigaclear and Hyperoptic, are also investing to provide ultrafast services.

  • Lisa Nandy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lisa Nandy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lisa Nandy on 2016-10-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what correspondence she has received from members of the panel of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse on the conduct of Dame Lowell Goddard between her appointment as Chair and the date of her departure from that position.

    Sarah Newton

    The Secretary of State did not receive any correspondence from panel members on the conduct of Dame Lowell Goddard between her appointment as Inquiry Chair and the date of her departure.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andy Slaughter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2015-11-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to his oral Answer to the hon. Member for Hampstead and Kilburn of 3 November 2015, Official Report, column 866, how much revenue the criminal courts charge has generated since its introduction.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    Data relating to the Criminal Courts Charge and information on the enforcement of financial impositions is contained within an annex to Criminal Court Statistics Quarterly statistical bulletin published quarterly by the Ministry of Justice at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-court-statistics.

    The cost of enforcing the criminal courts charge cannot be separated from the total cost of enforcing all types of court ordered financial impositions. Enforcement action is taken against the total amount an offender owes and offenders are often ordered to pay more than one type of financial imposition.

    “

  • Ian Mearns – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Ian Mearns – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Mearns on 2015-12-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the National Maritime Information Centre holds live records on the range of merchant shipping that is UK-owned.

    James Brokenshire

    The National Maritime Information Centre (NMIC) plays an integral role in the delivery of the UK National Strategy for Maritime Security. One of the NMIC’s roles is to monitor and track maritime activity around the UK and in areas of national interest around the globe in response to taskings from Government departments or agencies. This is achieved by using a variety of systems which include the interpretation of Automatic Identification System (AIS) transponder data which enables the NMIC to identify and monitor all vessels transmitting on the AIS system. The systems available to the NMIC can identify all Red Ensign Group vessels using AIS, that is vessels registered on one of the international shipping registries operated by the UK (including a Crown Dependency or an Overseas Territory). There are vessels owned by UK entities that are registered in other states and therefore fly the flag of that state. It may not be immediately apparent that such vessels have a UK owner, however, they will still appear on the NMIC systems.

  • Clive Efford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Clive Efford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Clive Efford on 2016-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he expects repairs to the Bexleyheath line to be completed; and if he will make a statement.

    Claire Perry

    I am glad to inform the House that Network Rail re-opened the Bexleyheath line on the morning of 15 January following the landslide that temporarily closed the line.

  • Lord Harrison – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Harrison – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

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

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to the finding of the report by the Fair Admissions Campaign and the British Humanist Association last year An Unholy Mess that a significant proportion of religiously selective schools are not properly publishing their admission arrangements, thereby depriving parents of the information they need to navigate the admissions process.

    Lord Nash

    Admission authorities for all state-funded schools, including schools with a religious designation, are required to comply with the mandatory provisions of the School Admissions Code and other admissions law.

    Where an objection is made to the Schools Adjudicator, if the arrangements are found to be unfair or fail to comply with the Code, the admission authority must make changes to ensure their arrangements are compliant without undue delay. Where an admission authority fails to implement decisions of the adjudicator, the Secretary of State may direct the admission authority to do so.

    We continue to keep the Code under review, and, where we consider any changes are necessary to make the admissions system work more effectively for parents, these will be subject to a full public consultation.

  • Kevan Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Kevan Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2016-02-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many UK armed forces personnel are currently deployed in (a) the Baltic states and (b) Poland as part of the Transatlantic Capability Enhancement and Training initiative; and from which units these personnel are drawn.

    Penny Mordaunt

    In February 2016 the UK became a Lead Nation, alongside Germany and the US, in the Transatlantic Capability Enhancement and Training initiative (TACET). Royal Navy, Army, and Royal Air Force personnel have met Baltic States’ and Polish representatives to discuss how to deliver TACET’s objectives, and training needs analysis teams will deploy shortly to take the initiative forward. UK training deployments will start from April 2017, and we expect the initiative will be fully operational by the Warsaw Summit this July, but precise numbers to be deployed and their Units have not yet been confirmed.

  • Hilary Benn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Hilary Benn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-03-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the incidence and nature of human rights violations in South Sudan.

    Mr Philip Hammond

    The UK is deeply concerned by the deteriorating human rights situation in South Sudan. A range of reports indicate that sexual violence and attacks on civilians remain widespread and that war crimes and/or crimes against humanity may have been committed, if established in a court of law. Bilaterally we are raising our serious concerns directly with the Government of South Sudan and pressing for action. At the regional level we are calling on the African Union to rapidly establish the Hybrid Court for South Sudan. And internationally we are pressing for a UN arms embargo to be put in place. We also undertook extensive lobbying to help secure a new Commission for Human Rights for South Sudan at the UN Human Rights Council in March.

  • Robin Walker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Robin Walker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robin Walker on 2016-04-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effect of the introduction of Flood Re on people seeking to access affordable flood insurance in areas of high flood risk.

    Rory Stewart

    Flood Re launched last month, and will ensure people will have access to affordable flood insurance. Flood Re will achieve this by providing reinsurance, with high risk customers having their policies ceded to Flood Re by their insurer. Flood insurance policies ceded to Flood Re have premiums and excesses within set limits based on Council Tax band.

    As of today, 29 insurers are using Flood Re and it remains important that consumers shop around to obtain the best price. A review of the Flood Re scheme will take place in 2019.