Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Ian Murray – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Ian Murray – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Murray on 2016-05-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what arrangements have been made to guarantee access to legal representation for an asylum claim for asylum seekers dispersed to (a) current dispersal areas, (b) new dispersal areas and (c) Scotland.

    James Brokenshire

    The Home Office maintains an active partnership with local governments across the UK, including those in Scotland, and funds Strategic Migration Partnerships to plan for the most appropriate dispersal of asylum seekers. The partnerships consider the impact on communities and local services so that adjustments to dispersal patterns can be made where appropriate.

    Free access to NHS healthcare is provided to asylum seekers. Asylum Health Teams are commissioned by NHS England and Scotland to provide healthcare and screening. Strategic Migration Partnerships work with Care Commissioning Groups to plan for the health care needs of asylum seekers in their regions.

    All children are entitled to free primary and secondary education. To enable access to education, internal checks are in place to triage applications involving children of school age for priority dispersal into permanent accommodation. Strategic Migration Partnerships discuss education provision as part of their local authority engagement. Asylum seekers are able to access legal advice via the Legal Aid system and are provided details of local solicitors as part of their induction into their dispersal region.

    Local authorities are consulted before asylum seekers are placed in their area, so that the potential impact on communities and local services is fully considered. During discussions on widening dispersal in Scotland we are and will continue to ensure that Local Authority leads and partners on health and education, as well as the Scottish Government and the Scottish Law Society, are involved to address any concerns and to ensure the close and successful partnership working in Glasgow is replicated elsewhere.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-07-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with Chinese government on protection of freedom of religious belief and human rights in Hong Kong.

    Alok Sharma

    We take a close interest in the respect of all rights and freedoms guaranteed for Hong Kong in the Sino-British Joint Declaration and the Basic Law, including freedom of religion. In the Government’s six monthly report to the House published in February 2016 (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/six-monthly-report-on-hong-kong-july-to-december-2015), we raised concerns about freedom of the press. During his meeting with the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing on 9 April, the former 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.

  • Ian C. Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Ian C. Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian C. Lucas on 2016-10-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) reported crimes, (b) arrests, (c) charges, (d) cautions and (e) other disposals for (i) anti-social behaviour and (ii) public order offences, committed by young people in North Wales were recorded in each of the last six years.

    Brandon Lewis

    Data for (a) the number of public order offences and (c-e) detections and outcomes in each of the last six years are provided in Table 1. These figures are not available by age of suspect. Data on crime and outcomes are routinely published here:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-recorded-crime-open-data-tables

    Figures for the total number of anti-social behaviour incidents are provided in Table 2. Outcomes, arrests and age of suspect for anti-social behaviour incidents are not collected by the Home Office. Data on anti-social behaviour are routinely published here:

    http://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/policeforceareadatatables/current/crimeinenglandandwalesyearendingmarch2016policeforcearea.xls

    Figures for (b) the number of arrests specifically for public order offences were collected and published for the first time for 2015/16, and are shown broken down by the available age groups in Table 3. These data are published here:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-powers-and-procedures-england-and-wales-year-ending-31-march-2016

  • Douglas Chapman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Douglas Chapman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2015-10-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the costs of infrastructure improvements at RAF Waddington were in each year from 2010-11 to 2014-15.

    Mark Lancaster

    The costs of infrastructure improvements at RAF Waddington in each financial year from 2010-11 to 2014-15 are shown in the following table:

    Financial Year

    Grand Total

    2010-11

    £1,494,929.99

    2011-12

    £2,794,486.46

    2012-13

    £2,503,485.61

    2013-14

    £1,044,565.26

    2014-15

    £18,857,704.44

    Grand Total

    £26,695,171.76

    The significant increase in Financial Year 2014-15 is due to the Waddington boiler replacement work, the upgrade of Single Living Accommodation, and the start of the construction phases of the reconstruction and resurfacing of the runway and hangar refurbishments.

  • Karen Buck – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Karen Buck – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karen Buck on 2015-11-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 23 March 2015 to Question 228147, by when his Department plans to complete its detailed consideration of the policy and processes for validating the arrears accrued on all existing Child Support Agency cases, including arrears accrued from Interim Maintenance Assessments; and what steps he plans to take to ensure that the final policy and processes arising from that consideration and the timetable for implementation are fully transparent.

    Priti Patel

    As part of the case closure process expected to run until 2017, all existing Child Support Agency (1993/2003) cases with outstanding arrears will go through a series of checks to validate their arrears balance.

    We have already started closing Child Support Agency cases by segments based on case characteristics, prioritising those with on-going liability before closing arrears only cases.

    Where the arrears balance has been validated and the receiving parent has not indicated that they want their arrears written off, the stable balance will then be transferred to the 2012 Child Maintenance Scheme. Our approach to other historical debt, including Interim Maintenance Assessments remains under consideration.

  • Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2015-12-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he plans to respond to the letter of 11 October 2015 from the hon. Member for Bishop Auckland to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, which was passed to his Department.

    Brandon Lewis

    I replied to the hon. Member on 4 January.

  • Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-01-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) First Tier Tribunal (mental health) hearings in England and (b) Mental Health Review Tribunal hearings in Wales there have been in each year since 2010.

    Caroline Dinenage

    The First-tier Tribunal (Mental Health), administered by HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS), hears applications for the discharge of patients detained in psychiatric hospitals, and applications to change community treatment orders in England.

    The following table shows the number of First-tier Tribunal (Mental Health) hearings which took place in England in each year from 2010 to March 2015 (the latest full year period for which statistics are available).

    Year Number of hearings [1]

    April 2010 – March 2011 17,799

    April 2011 – March 2012 19,330

    April 2012 – March 2013 19,945

    April 2013 – March 2014 22,008

    April 2014 – March 2015 22,246

    HMCTS does not hold information on the number of Mental Health Review Tribunal hearings in Wales. The Mental Health Review Tribunal for Wales is an independent judicial body administered by the Welsh Government.

    1 Although care is taken when processing and analysing the data, the details are subject to inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale case management system, and are the best data that are available.

  • Stephen Metcalfe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Stephen Metcalfe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Metcalfe on 2016-02-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans are in place to upgrade the existing Dartford Crossing and the A282.

    Andrew Jones

    There are no current plans for upgrading the Dartford crossing and the A282. However, we are undertaking studies to identify options that could improve the traffic flow through the area.

    Until 24 March 2016 we are holding a public consultation on the proposed Lower Thames Crossing. This scheme would provide additional capacity to the existing Dartford-Thurrock crossings between Kent and Essex. This additional route should help reduce congestion on the current Dartford crossing and surrounding area.

  • Neil Parish – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Neil Parish – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Parish on 2016-03-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of recent reports of Iran testing a new long-range ballistic missile.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    Reports that Iran carried out ballistic missile tests earlier this month are of great concern. These tests are inconsistent with UN Security Council Resolution 2231, and the UK is raising these concerns in writing with the UN Security Council. The UK continues to urge Iran to refrain from further tests.

  • Rebecca Long Bailey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Rebecca Long Bailey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rebecca Long Bailey on 2016-04-19.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many businesses had signed up for the Alcohol Wholesaler Registration Scheme by the 31 March 2016 application deadline; whether the number of businesses was in line with the 20,000 businesses that HM Revenue and Customs estimated could be required to register; and what steps are being taken to tackle any shortfall in numbers.

    Damian Hinds

    From April 2017, HMRC will be making publicly available details of alcohol wholesalers who are approved. From then, retailers who buy from unapproved wholesalers will be liable to a fine.

    HMRC is now assessing the applications it has received against the scheme’s approval criteria. The number of applications received are lower than HMRCs initial estimate of 21,000 businesses that could be wholesaling alcohol. There could be a number of reasons for this, and HMRC is currently comparing the applications received with original expectations and encouraging businesses that have not applied to do so, to mitigate penalties and the likelihood of enforcement action.

    Where businesses have been purposefully fraudulently trading, HMRC will take action. It is too early to report outcomes of any investigations into illicit trading that HMRC are undertaking since the introduction of the scheme.