Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Kate Green – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Kate Green – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2015-11-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many of her Department’s policies have been assessed against the family test; what steps she has taken to publish the outcome of such assessments that have been carried out; and if she will make a statement.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Family Test was announced by my rt. hon. Friend 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 the Department follows that guidance:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/368894/family-test-guidance.pdf.

    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.

    The objective of the Test is to introduce a family perspective to the policy making process, specifically to make the potential impacts on family functioning and relationships explicit.

    DECC has not applied the Test to date but is considering where it is appropriate to do so. In addition where relevant, DECC already publishes in Impact Assessments analysis of the impact of policies on energy bills across different types of households.

  • Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-12-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 4 December 2015 to Question 18390, if she will include within the scope of character education referred to teaching on the dangers of problem gambling.

    Edward Timpson

    All young people need strong academic skills as well as a complementary set of character attributes to be successful in life. That is why we have invested £5 million in character and resilience and made it very clear that schools should teach personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE).

    The non-statutory PSHE programme of study, published by the PSHE Association, includes teaching about all forms of gambling and its psychological and financial impact. The programme of study is available online at:

    https://www.pshe-association.org.uk/

    “

  • Mark Pritchard – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Mark Pritchard – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Pritchard on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had on increasing the number of armed response (a) officers and (b) vehicles in the West Mercia police force area.

    Mike Penning

    It is for Chief Officers in conjunction with Police and Crime Commissioners to determine the number of armed response officers and vehicles in their areas based on a thorough assessment of threat and risk. As announced in the Police Grant Report for England and Wales Written Ministerial Statement on 17 December 2015, this Government will provide £34 million in 2016-17 to enable a national uplift in armed policing capability and capacity to respond more quickly and effectively to a firearms attack. Decisions over where this money will be distributed are yet to be made, however for reasons of national security we do not publically disclose the detailed allocation of funding for counter terrorism by force area or by capability.

  • Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-02-09.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Department for Work and Pensions on ensuring equitable tax arrangements for flexible and contract workers.

    Mr David Gauke

    The taxation of temporary and contract workers’ income will depend on their employment status for tax, as is the case for direct employees and the self-employed.

    Decisions about tax policy are made by Treasury ministers. However, as recommended by the Office of Tax Simplification, officials from HM Treasury, HM Revenue and Customs, the Department for Work and Pensions, and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills will form a Cross Government Working Group for Employment Status early this year.

  • 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 2016-03-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the Saudi Arabian government on the role of religious police in that country.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    We have not recently discussed the role of the religious police in Saudi Arabia with the Saudi Government.

  • Sir Nicholas Soames – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Sir Nicholas Soames – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sir Nicholas Soames on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress has been made on delivering reforms agreed at the NATO Summit in Wales in 2014.

    Mr Julian Brazier

    Good progress is being made towards delivery of the commitments made at the Wales Summit. The UK is taking a leading role in the implementation of the Readiness Action Plan with delivery of a capable and effective UK-led Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (Land) Brigade in 2017 well on track. The Defence Investment Pledge to spend 2% of GDP on Defence, and 20% of that on equipment, has been met by the UK and some others. Enhanced partnership cooperation across many of NATO’s partnership frameworks and the Defence Capacity Building Initiative is steadily progressing. These commitments will be reviewed at the NATO summit in Warsaw in July, as part of NATO’s move to being "adaptable by design".

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Answer of 13 April 2016 to Question 32812, whether the figures provided for sums to be spent annually and in total are additional to each other; and if he will make a statement.

    Priti Patel

    The 2015 Spending Review agreed funding rising to £130m per year for the Work and Health Programme, focussing support for people with a disability or health condition and the long term unemployed (over 24 months). This figure is separate and in addition to the Prime Minister’s announced plans to provide further support and funding for people with mental health issues to retain or regain employment.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-06-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much his Department has allocated for Network Rail to produce a feasibility study on the Brighton Mainline Upgrade; and whether he plans for that funding to continue up to 2020.

    Claire Perry

    Network Rail has authorised £8m from its current financial settlement to develop proposals for the upgrade of the Brighton Main Line. The Government will subsequently consider what, if any, additional funding is required, based on its emerging priorities for improvements to the national network.

    This feasibility study is additional to the improvements that will already be delivered in the years up to 2020 by the massive Thameslink programme which will provide substantial additional capacity and improved frequencies together with 1,140 new carriages serving destinations including Brighton.

  • Kate Green – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Kate Green – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2016-09-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to improve access to public transport for disabled people.

    Andrew Jones

    The Government recognises how important improving access to public transport is for disabled people and is committed to making transport more inclusive.

    Since its launch in 2006, the £390m Access for All rail programme (which was further extended with £160m in 2014) has delivered accessible routes at over 150 stations. There are also 68 further projects at various stages of construction or development.

    We also recognise that positive interactions with bus drivers can make a big difference to disabled people’s experience of taking the bus. We are working with the bus industry and disabled people to design best practice guidance in delivering disability awareness training which, we hope, will help to give bus drivers the skills and knowledge to assist every disabled passenger.

    In addition, the Bus Services Bill will specifically allow enhanced partnership schemes to require all buses within a local area to provide audible and visual next stop information. Authorities using the new franchising powers will be able to place similar requirements on affected operators. The Government has also agreed to consider amendments on this issue which were tabled during the Bill’s committee stage in the House of Lords.

    The Government intends to publish an Accessibility Action Plan by the end of the year which will present its ambition for further progress on this important agenda.

  • Baroness Hamwee – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Baroness Hamwee – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hamwee on 2015-11-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many (1) parents of a minor, (2) siblings of a minor, and (3) other persons, were granted, on the basis of exceptional compelling, compassionate circumstances outside the Immigration Rules, a family reunion visa for reunion with a family member in the UK with refugee leave or humanitarian protection, in each year from 2011 to date; and from which countries those persons have come.

    Lord Bates

    Family reunion applications are considered within the scope of the Immigration Rules. Under these Rules, only pre-existing families are eligible for family reunion i.e. spouse, civil partner, unmarried/same sex partner and minor children who formed part of the family unit at the time the sponsor (the person granted protection in the UK) fled to seek asylum.

    Family reunion visas are available to help families that become fragmented. Family reunion is intended to allow family members who formed part of the family unit before the refugee fled their country of origin, to reunite in the UK.

    The number of Family reunion visas issued and the country of application from 2011 to date can be found in the table below. It is not possible to break down the data to the applicant’s relationship with the individual that has already gained asylum in the UK.

    To note: ‘*’ appears where there are less than three applications.

    Applications issued

    Country of application

    2011

    2012

    2013

    2014

    2015
    (Jan-Jun)

    Albania

    *

    *

    *

    5

    –

    Algeria

    –

    –

    *

    –

    5

    Bahrain

    *

    15

    10

    5

    5

    Bangladesh

    –

    10

    5

    10

    10

    Belarus

    *

    5

    –

    5

    –

    Belgium

    –

    5

    5

    –

    5

    Burma

    20

    25

    5

    5

    5

    Cameroon

    60

    40

    30

    55

    15

    Canada

    *

    *

    *

    –

    *

    China

    25

    15

    20

    20

    10

    Congo (Dem. Rep.)

    80

    55

    70

    45

    15

    Cuba

    –

    *

    –

    5

    –

    Denmark

    –

    *

    5

    –

    5

    Egypt

    20

    50

    145

    135

    120

    Ethiopia

    685

    475

    450

    295

    85

    France

    5

    –

    5

    *

    –

    Gambia

    40

    40

    40

    80

    50

    Georgia

    –

    5

    5

    *

    –

    Germany

    *

    –

    5

    –

    –

    Ghana

    15

    25

    25

    30

    10

    Greece

    *

    5

    5

    10

    5

    India

    45

    30

    30

    25

    15

    Iran

    190

    55

    *

    –

    –

    Iraq

    –

    –

    *

    35

    30

    Irish Republic

    *

    5

    –

    –

    –

    Israel

    5

    *

    10

    15

    –

    Italy

    5

    5

    5

    5

    *

    Ivory Coast

    –

    –

    –

    10

    *

    Jamaica

    5

    –

    –

    *

    –

    Jordan

    20

    40

    95

    385

    60

    Kazakhstan

    *

    *

    –

    –

    –

    Kenya

    160

    160

    105

    80

    20

    Kuwait

    25

    25

    30

    40

    40

    Lebanon

    10

    110

    280

    405

    260

    Libya

    *

    *

    5

    5

    *

    Morocco

    –

    –

    *

    10

    5

    Mozambique

    *

    *

    –

    –

    –

    Namibia

    *

    *

    *

    *

    –

    Nepal

    10

    –

    10

    15

    5

    Netherlands

    *

    *

    5

    5

    –

    New Zealand

    *

    –

    –

    –

    –

    Nigeria

    5

    10

    10

    10

    5

    No biometrics

    775

    595

    740

    630

    80

    Pakistan

    345

    305

    360

    525

    300

    Portugal

    –

    –

    5

    –

    –

    Qatar

    –

    *

    5

    *

    5

    Romania

    –

    –

    5

    –

    –

    Russian Federation

    5

    5

    *

    10

    –

    Rwanda

    5

    5

    5

    5

    –

    Saudi Arabia

    5

    10

    10

    25

    40

    Senegal

    5

    5

    5

    5

    5

    Sierra Leone

    35

    10

    15

    20

    5

    South Africa

    55

    25

    20

    25

    10

    Sri Lanka

    305

    250

    305

    220

    105

    Sudan

    215

    380

    360

    355

    230

    Sweden

    –

    5

    5

    *

    *

    Switzerland

    –

    –

    5

    –

    *

    Syria

    235

    105

    5

    –

    –

    Tanzania

    15

    5

    10

    10

    5

    Trinidad and Tobago

    –

    –

    –

    *

    5

    Tunisia

    5

    5

    –

    *

    –

    Turkey

    55

    215

    330

    550

    215

    Uganda

    85

    135

    225

    195

    45

    Ukraine

    *

    5

    *

    *

    –

    United Arab Emirates

    25

    100

    120

    75

    70

    United States

    *

    –

    5

    5

    5

    Uzbekistan

    10

    5

    5

    *

    –

    Vietnam

    5

    –

    –

    5

    *

    Zambia

    10

    *

    –

    10

    *

    Zimbabwe

    640

    265

    145

    110

    25

    Grand Total

    4305

    3670

    4120

    4540

    1940

    “