Tag: Parliamentary Question

Lord Mawson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mawson on 2015-12-10.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the building developments in Stratford, the Olympic Park, and the Lower Lea Valley, what practical steps they are taking to ensure that Eurostar stops at Stratford International in future.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

I recognise the international importance of the HS1 network in allowing high-speed rail services from London to reach Europe, whilst noting that no international services currently serve Stratford International station.

Eurostar, in which the government recently sold its 40% stake, accesses the HS1 network on an open access basis and is not subject to the terms of a franchise agreement or a contract let by government. Government has no power to direct or specify that Eurostar stops at Stratford International station. A decision made by Eurostar not to serve Stratford International would be as a result of commercial imperatives and priorities, for example, the potential revenue derived from customers using the station or the increased journey time which a further stop would involve. It would not be appropriate for government to interfere with that decision-making process.

January 1, 2023
Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-01-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offences were committed by (a) escaped or (b) absconded prisoners in each year since 2010; and what those offences were.

Andrew Selous

The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

January 1, 2023
Ronnie Cowan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ronnie Cowan on 2016-02-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many foreign consulates or diplomatic offices have closed in Scotland since 2010.

Mr David Lidington

One such mission has closed in Scotland since 2010.

January 1, 2023
Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2016-03-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his policy is on protecting the dual citizenship of people with British citizenship living in Hong Kong.

Mr Hugo Swire

During his meetings with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing on 5 January and in London on 4 February, the Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), stressed the importance of respect for the fundamental rights and freedoms of all residents of Hong Kong. He also made clear our expectations that the Sino-British Joint Declaration and the Basic Law for Hong Kong should be respected. During those meetings, China reaffirmed its commitment to the implementation of ‘One Country, Two Systems’ and Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy.

During the visit to London by Hong Kong Chief Executive C Y Leung on 15 and 16 October 2015, the Foreign Secretary and I also discussed with him the importance of Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy and the need to preserve the rights and freedoms which are enshrined in the Joint Declaration.

The Foreign Secretary’s most recent six-monthly report to the House, published on 11 February (covering the period 1 July–31 December 2015), urged “the Chinese and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region governments to reassure the people of Hong Kong that the fundamental rights and freedoms of Hong Kong residents will continue to be fully protected, and respected by all, in accordance with the Joint Declaration and Basic Law.” The report also stated that “while we assess that during the reporting period ‘One Country, Two Systems’ has, in very many areas, continued to function well, there have been some areas which have given grounds for concern. These revolve principally around the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Joint Declaration, including academic freedom and the freedom of the press.” We will continue to raise such issues with the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities.

We aim to provide consular assistance to all British citizens, and to dual nationals in their country of other nationality in exceptional circumstances, in line with our consular guidance. We acknowledge that some countries do not accept dual nationality.

In the case of British citizen Mr Lee Po, the Government continues to call at the highest level on the Chinese Government for his
immediate return to Hong Kong. Despite formal requests which we continue to make, we have not been granted consular access to Mr Lee. We also stand ready to provide consular assistance to Mr Lee’s family.

The Government will continue to monitor rights and freedoms in Hong Kong through the Foreign Secretary’s six-monthly reports.

The full report can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/six-monthly-report-on-hong-kong-july-to-december-2015

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January 1, 2023
Andrew Bridgen – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Bridgen on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he has taken in response to the findings of the first set of operational data collected by NHS England on wheelchair services; and what steps he is taking to ensure that short-term wheelchair loans are available for people waiting for provision of NHS wheelchairs.

Alistair Burt

The national wheelchair services data collection was introduced by NHS England in July 2015 and requires clinical commissioning groups to submit quarterly data on their wheelchair services. Data has so far been published for quarter two and quarter three 2015/16. This is a new collection and therefore does not yet provide an opportunity to draw national or regional comparisons. The vast majority of short term wheelchair loans are provided through charities such as the Red Cross and not via the National Health Service.

January 1, 2023
Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-05-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 5 May 2016 to Question 36169, how many taxi journeys his Department paid for in each of the last five years.

Mr Mark Francois

The Department records all travel spend under the category of travel and subsistence costs. This is reported in DCLG annual accounts. We are unable to break down the travel and subsistence costs to identify the number of taxi journeys in the last 5 years. This would involve manually analysing individual supplier transactions and could only be done at disproportionate cost.

January 1, 2023
Lord Storey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2016-06-29.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what funding contingencies are in place in the event that the UK exiting the EU results in a drop in foreign nationals studying in Britain and Northern Ireland.

Baroness Evans of Bowes Park

We remain an EU member until the time we complete successful exit negotiations, with all the rights and obligations that derive from this. The UK has, and will continue to have, a world-class education system that attracts students from across the world including the EU.

January 1, 2023
The Lord Bishop of Durham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Lord Bishop of Durham on 2016-09-08.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what financial and diplomatic assistance they are providing to the East African Community and the UN to support them in their efforts to reduce existing tensions between the governments of Burundi and Rwanda.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The East African Community (EAC) has a central role to play in resolving the crisis in Burundi and mediating dialogue between Burundi and its neighbours. We strongly support the EAC mediation process, led by former Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa. We have provided extensive diplomatic support to the process through lobbying of regional leaders and attendance by our Special Envoy to the Great Lakes at meetings of the dialogue in May and July in Arusha, Tanzania.

Through our UN Security Council Membership we have worked with partners to ensure that EAC efforts are fully coordinated with, and supported by, the United Nations. In January 2016 our Ambassador to the United Nations participated in a Security Council visit to Burundi. In July the Security Council passed Resolution 2303 which welcomed the EAC’s efforts so far and called for all parties in the region to participate fully with the process.

January 1, 2023
Hannah Bardell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hannah Bardell on 2015-11-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her policy is on accepting asylum claims from (a) Syrian refugees who have reached the UK travelling through other EU member states without claiming asylum in one of those states and (b) such refugees who reside with family members who have a right to reside in the UK.

James Brokenshire

Asylum seekers should not travel through safe countries illegally and then choose where to claim asylum.

If we have evidence that a Syrian asylum seeker is the responsibility of another European country we can and will seek to return them there under the Dublin Regulation. Similarly, if we have evidence that the person claiming asylum in the UK has already been granted international protection by another European country we will also seek to remove them to the country that granted protection. When making a decision on whether to remove refugees under the Dublin Regulation full consideration is given to the right to family and private life under Article 8 of the ECHR.

The Dublin Regulation does contain family unity provisions which may result in the responsible State being that where an asylum seeker’s close family members are legally present. The asylum seeker would, however, in the first instance need to make an asylum application in the country that they are in, in order for the provision to be considered.

January 1, 2023
Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2015-12-10.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of how many asylum seekers facing deportation committed self harm or suicide in the past year.

Lord Bates

The number of cases where individuals facing deportation have committed self harm or suicide cannot be extracted without incurring disproportionate cost. Figures therefore cannot be provided.

The Home Office is committed to ensuring adequate safeguards are in place for those where there are concerns about self harm or suicide. Guidance has been provided to immigration case workers, and there is a requirement to share concerns with other officers involved in the case by noting such concerns on the Department’s case information database (CID).

January 1, 2023