The below Parliamentary question was asked by George Kerevan on 2015-11-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to secure a fair contribution from offshore digital betting operators to the 55th levy scheme.
Tracey Crouch
The statutory Horserace BettingLevy Scheme does not cover offshore digital betting operators, although some operators supplement the statutory scheme with voluntarycontributions.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-12-02.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken, in conjunction with the government of France, (1) to enable refugees now in France to come to Britain, such as for family re-union, and how many have come since 2013; (2) to assist those in irregular camps to apply for asylum in France; and (3) to register unaccompanied refugee children, wherever they may be; and what plans they have for further action.
Lord Bates
All migrants, including families and children, in Calais who wish to seek asylum should do so in France. We will consider any request made to us by the French asylum authorities to take responsibility for an asylum applicant in France because they have close family in the UK in accordance with the terms of the Dublin Regulation concerning the principle of family unity and the best interests of the child. If not claiming asylum, individual migrants in France, as in any other country, are entitled to apply under the Family Reunion provisions to join relatives in the UK by making the appropriate application. Statistics for transfers of asylum applicants from France to the UK on the basis of family ties since 2013 are not routinely recorded.
The UK-France Joint Declaration of 20 August 2015 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, in particular to provide support and facilities elsewhere in France. This includes increasing the frequency of communications campaigns involving British officials speaking to migrants in Calais to inform migrants of the reality of life in the UK and of their rights to claim asylum in France.
The French Government has opened up new places in its asylum system, away from Calais and migrants have started to voluntarily leave Calais to take up these places. Additionally, the UK has provided £530,000 (€750,000) to fund a project to identify those in the camps at risk of trafficking and exploitation, to transfer them briskly to places of safety; and to provide them with appropriate support within the French system.
Unaccompanied migrant children who apply for asylum following arrival in the UK have their details recorded by the Home Office and are issued with an Application Registration Card. There are no plans for the UK to register the details of asylum seeking children in another country as this role will fall to the relevant authorities in that country.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2016-01-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he has taken to improve the time to respond to correspondence from hon. Members and Peers since the tabling of the statement on 3 June 2015, Handling Members’ Correspondence in 2014, HCWS11.
Brandon Lewis
I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 15 December 2015, PQ 19650.
The reporting of performance of Government Departments in handling correspondence from hon. Members is co-ordinated by the Cabinet Office and published annually.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sadiq Khan on 2016-02-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many ambulances waited more than 30 minutes to offload their patients in (a) England, (b) London and (c) each health trust area in London in each year from 2010 to 2015.
Jane Ellison
This information is not available in the format requested. NHS England collect winter daily situation reports which, up until the end of winter 2014/15, included data on ambulance handover delayed over 30 minutes. This is published at the following address:
http://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/winter-daily-sitreps/winter-sitrep/
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2016-02-29.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many applications for consent have been determined by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency since 2010.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has given consent for five Oil Transfer Licences since 2010 and all remain extant.
The MCA has made determination on 800 formal applications for Ship-to-Ship Transfers in the Southwold area since 1 January 2010. Of these, the MCA gave consent on 686 occasions, some of which were caveated; the MCA has refused 16 and the applicant or their clients have cancelled 98.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Tebbit on 2016-03-23.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people held in Immigration Control Centres are not free to leave to go to other jurisdictions.
Lord Keen of Elie
There are no countries to which, as a matter of immigration policy, the Home Office does not return people if they wish to return voluntarily.
There may be a small number of people who might be detained for immigration purposes who are not free to leave the jurisdiction of the UK because, for example, of ongoing criminal proceedings but this is not centrally recorded.
For those being detained with a view to removal, detention may continue lawfully only for as long as there is a realistic prospect of removal within a reasonable period of time. Home Office guidance is clear that detention must be used sparingly and for the shortest period reasonably necessary to achieve its purpose.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2016-05-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reasons and in what roles Air Accident Investigation Branch officials are attending the scene of the fatal crash of an EC225L Super Puma helicopter on the south west coast of Norway on 29 April 2016; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) are assisting the Norwegian Safety Investigation Authority with an Accredited Representative and two advisors to the EC225 accident on 29 April. This is due to the death of a UK national on board the helicopter and previous experience with EC225 accidents in the North Sea. The AAIB also successfully downloaded the combined cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder (black box) last weekend and have provided that information to the investigation.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeremy Lefroy on 2016-06-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many undergraduates studying (a) soil biology, (b) soil chemistry and (c) combined soil biology and chemistry her Department is sponsoring at (i) UK universities and colleges and (ii) universities and colleges in third countries.
Mr Nick Hurd
DFID is not currently centrally funding any undergraduates studying (a) soil biology, (b) soil chemistry or (c) combined soil biology and chemistry at (i) UK universities and college or (ii) universities and colleges in third countries.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-09-05.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, following North Korea’s launch of three ballistic missiles on 5 September, the UN Security Council will be convened to consider the implications of that launch and an international response.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The UN Security Council (UNSC) met on 6 September to discuss a response to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) ballistic missiles launches on 5 September. The UNSC subsequently issued a statement condemning these launches as a flagrant violation of UN Security Council Resolutions. The UK strongly supports this statement, as we have with previous UNSC statements condemning DPRK provocations in 2016. We will continue to discuss at the UNSC, and with close partners, further measures in response to the DPRK’s destabilising and provocative actions.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by James Duddridge on 2016-10-20.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make representations to the Belgian government on allowing owners of UK leisure craft to use Belgian port facilities without fear of prosecution where those vessels are powered by red diesel purchased in the UK in accordance with UK tax regulations; and if he will make a statement.
Jane Ellison
The use of red diesel with full duty paid to propel private pleasure craft is allowed within UK waters under UK legislation. If red diesel is used outside UK waters the national legislation, including restrictions and prohibitions, of other Member States applies. This includes Belgium, or any other country in whose coastal waters it is used.