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Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Kate Green – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Kate Green – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many of his Department’s policies have been assessed against the family test; what steps he has taken to publish the outcome of such assessments; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Family Test was announced by the Prime Minister in August 2014 and introduced in October 2014. Department of Work and Pensions published guidance for Departments and officials on how the Test should be applied when formulating policy and my Department follows that guidance- Family Test Guidance

    The Family Test is an integral part of the policy making process and is applied in a proportionate way in the development of all new policy in line with the Family Test guidance. As a result potential impacts of policy on family functioning and relationships are considered as part of the normal process of agreeing policy and any outcomes will be incorporated into the impact assessments published on legislation.gov.uk.

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  • Tania Mathias – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Tania Mathias – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tania Mathias on 2015-12-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in the government of Saudi Arabia on the death sentence for Ashraf Fayadh.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    We are aware of, and concerned about, the case of Palestinian national Mr Ashraf Fayadh. We oppose the death penalty in all circumstances and strongly support freedom of expression in every country. We regularly make the Saudi Arabian authorities aware of our views, and will consider suitable opportunities for raising our concerns over this case.

  • Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top on 2016-01-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many houses they expect to be brought back into use through the Empty Homes programme in 2015–16.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    The Empty Homes Programme created 9,044 homes from empty properties between 2012-2015. The number of empty homes is now at its lowest level since records began.

    Local authorities have powers and strong incentives to tackle empty homes, and through the New Homes Bonus they earn the same financial reward for bringing an empty home back into use as building a new one. In addition, councils may also charge up to 150 per cent council tax for homes empty for over two years. Given these levers, the Government has no plans for a further empty homes funding programme.

  • Fiona Bruce – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Fiona Bruce – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona Bruce on 2016-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the implications of the reference to a number of protected characteristics in paragraph seven of the Government’s Counter-Extremism Strategy, Cm 9148, for the effect of the Equality Act 2010 on all the protected characteristics it includes.

    Karen Bradley

    The Government is required to impact assess its policies against the protected characteristics as set out in the Equality Act 2010. I am satisfied that the Counter-Extremism Strategy demonstrates compliance, where relevant, with Section 149 of the Equality Act and that due regard has been made to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations.

    The Counter-Extremism Strategy aims to tackle extremism in all its forms and reduce the harm it causes, iIncluding harms such as discrimination, harassment and victimisation. To tackle these harms the strategy focuses on four areas:

    • Countering extremist ideology;

    • Building partnerships;

    • Disrupting extremists; and

    • Building more cohesive communities.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-03-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum applications have been made from Calais in each year since 2010; and how many such applications have been unsuccessful.

    James Brokenshire

    Our international obligations under the Refugee Convention do not extend to accepting asylum claims from outside the United Kingdom. There is no provision in our Immigration Rules for someone to be given permission to travel to the UK to seek asylum or temporary refuge. Individuals currently in Calais in need of international protection are expected to claim asylum in France.

  • Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2016-04-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the correction by Lord Bates on 24 March to his Written Answer on 19 October 2015 (HL2297), why they gave incorrect figures for the number of young asylum seekers deported on reaching their 18th birthday in their initial answer, and why it took them five months to correct those figures.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The incorrect figures given in the original response to Question HL2297 resulted from the use of an incorrect definition which excluded former Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children who now had linked dependants and cases made prior to October 2006. This error was identified following the correction of PQ 13206 in February 2016, which prompted a review of other related answers resulting in correction of this and five related House of Commons answers.

    Such mistakes are rare and when they occur they are taken very seriously. It is regrettable that human error caused the original response to be incorrect. Improvements have been put in place to ensure that such mistakes will not be made in future. The appropriate definition has been reviewed, confirmed and made clear to the officials involved.

  • Cat Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Cat Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cat Smith on 2016-05-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what support he is providing for research into epilepsy medication for pregnant women.

    George Freeman

    The Department’s National Institute for Health Research is funding a £1.5 million evaluation of the effectiveness, cost effectiveness and acceptability of dose adjustment strategies in antiepileptic drug management in pregnancy. The report of the evaluation is expected to be published in February 2017.

  • John Spellar – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    John Spellar – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Spellar on 2016-06-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to ensure that her Department’s purchasing policies support British (a) industry and (b) agriculture.

    Karen Bradley

    The Department’s purchasing policies support the Government’s commitment to do all it can to ensure UK suppliers can compete effectively for public sector contracts, in line with our current international obligations and guidance issued by the Crown Commercial Service.

  • Lord Bruce of Bennachie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Lord Bruce of Bennachie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bruce of Bennachie on 2016-09-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what support they provide to deaf people in developing countries.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    People with disabilities are the largest minority group globally. An estimated one billion people have a disability globally, 80% of whom live in developing countries. People with disabilities are often the poorest in their community and many face considerable levels of stigma, discrimination and persecution.

    DFID follows a ‘twin-track’ approach to disability inclusion. This means we aim to attach priority to disability in all our policies and programmes as well as supporting disability-targeted programmes.

    Over the last two years, DFID has strengthened our capacity to work on disability inclusion, including by appointing a director-level champion, employing three full-time staff to work solely on disability, and developing a group of Internal Disability Expert Advisers from across our organisation.

    DFID’s efforts to date have included:

    • Furnishing schools with equipment and training teachers so children with disabilities can get a quality education.
    • Providing grants to local Disabled People Organisations, allowing people with disabilities to come together and lobby governments on the issues which affect them.
    • Collecting data on disability so we can fully understand the scale of impact and how best to support those people it affects.

    For example, two projects in the UK’s flagship Girls Education Challenge are exclusively focused on addressing the issue that girls with disabilities are less likely to access education. Specific interventions include provision of assistive devices and scholastic materials for girls with hearing impairments and improvement of teacher skills to enable them to communicate in sign language, which has encouraged parents to enrol their children in schools.

  • Kate Green – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Wales Office

    Kate Green – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Wales Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many of his Department’s policies have been assessed against the family test; what steps he has taken to publish the outcome of such assessments; and if he will make a statement.

    Stephen Crabb

    The Family Test was announced by the Prime Minister in August 2014 and introduced in October 2014. DWP published guidance for Departments and officials on how the test should be applied when formulating policy and my Department follows that guidance.

    The Family Test is an integral part of the policy making process and is applied in a proportionate way in the development of all new policy in line with the Family Test guidance. While the guidance states that departments should consider publishing assessments carried out under the Test, there is no requirement to do so.