The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-01-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made on the effect of the visa refund fee scheme on the number of Chinese people visiting the UK.
James Brokenshire
The Home Office has made no assessment of the effect of the visa refund fee scheme because it is operated by Visit Britain on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Durkan on 2016-02-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions his Department is having with NHS England on ensuring patients continuing access established precision treatments for colorectal cancer.
George Freeman
We are not aware of any discussions with NHS England on this matter.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2016-03-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, reference to her speech of 18 November 2015, if she will take evidence from the CoalImP and the World Coal Association in her Department’s forthcoming review of coal; and if she will make a statement.
Andrea Leadsom
My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced in her speech that the department will be launching a consultation on proposals to close unabated coal generation by 2025. Coallmp, the World Coal Association and any other interested parties are encouraged to engage and respond.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2016-04-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the reasons are for the reduction in the proportion of his Department’s budget spent with small and medium-sized enterprises between 2013 and 2015.
Anna Soubry
It is an established convention that Ministers of one Administration cannot see the documents of a previous Administration. I am therefore unable to provide the information requested by the hon Member.
However, the Department continues to improve its data collection so that the full extent of indirect spending with SMEs is captured, working closely with the Crown Commercial Service and prime contractors. The Department actively explores the possibility of contracting directly with SMEs throughout its procurement processes whilst adhering to the relevant public procurement regulations.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.