The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2016-06-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many live vacancies his Department currently has for policy roles.
Joseph Johnson
The number of policy vacancies in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills HQ currently advertised on Civil Service Jobs is 30.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2016-06-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Written Statement of 26 May 2016, on BIS consultation, HCWS30, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of split-site working and recruiting on a flexible location basis for policy officials.
Joseph Johnson
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) is implementing its BIS2020 strategy in order to become simpler, cheaper and better. This includes moving to a central policy headquarters based in London.
An assessment was made of the merits of split site working and of recruiting on a flexible basis through the consideration of alternative options (including maintaining the current model across split sites). This assessment took place throughout the consultation process and prior to the Executive Board’s decision.
BIS will continue to have many more people based outside London than inside.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2016-07-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many slavery and trafficking prevention orders on application have been (a) applied for and (b) made under section 15 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015.
Karen Bradley
16 Slavery and Trafficking Prevention Orders (STPOs) have been made on sentencing in the Crown Court under section 14 of the Modern Slavery Act. Data on the number of STPOs applied for on sentencing is not collated centrally. No STPOs have been applied for or made in the Magistrates’ Court.
No slavery and trafficking prevention orders have been applied for or made on application under section 15 of the Modern Slavery Act in the Magistrates’ Court.
Nine Slavery and Trafficking Risk Orders have been applied for on application to the Magistrates’ Court, of which three have been made. Of the remaining six, two were refused, one was withdrawn and three cases were adjourned.
This data has been run specifically to answer this question and is not verified to the same standard as Official Statistics.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2016-07-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how the effect of the Adults at Risk policy for vulnerable people detained under immigration powers will be measured.
Mr Robert Goodwill
Consideration is being given to arrangements for measuring the impact of the adults at risk policy and other initiatives aimed at improving the safeguarding of vulnerable people in immigration detention. The expectation is that these initiatives will result in a reduction in the number of the most vulnerable who are detained. The Government intends to ask Stephen Shaw to carry out a short review next year in order to assess progress against the key actions from his previous report.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether students from other EU member states who plan to start their studies in the UK in autumn 2017 will be considered eligible for student loans.
Joseph Johnson
The UK has a long-established higher education system that supports, and therefore attracts, the brightest minds, at all stages of their careers. Existing rules on EU and other EEA students remain in force and reassurances have been given for those starting their courses in 2016/17. Future arrangements for EU students wishing to study in the UK will need to be considered as part of wider discussions about the UK’s relationship with the EU.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2016-10-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to maintain the system whereby UK citizens who live and work in EU countries are able to build up their entitlement to a state pension in the UK, and EU citizens who live and work in the UK are able to build up their entitlement to a state pension in their native country, after the UK leaves the EU.
Damian Hinds
The EU social security regulations allow citizens to build entitlement to a state pension from the EEA country where they have worked and contributed toward their pension, rather than building up entitlement in their native country through work in another country.
The Prime Minister has been clear that she wants to protect the rights of British citizens currently living in European member states, in the same way that we want to protect the status of EU nationals already living here. The reciprocal rights and entitlements that will apply following the UK’s exit are subject to the wider negotiation on our future relationship with the EU. Those negotiations have not yet begun and so it is not possible to set out any positions in advance. However at every step of the negotiations we will seek to ensure the best possible outcome for the British people, at home and abroad.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2015-10-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the reasons are for his proposal to exclude taught masters students who are over the age of 30 from the new postgraduate loans scheme proposed for England.
Joseph Johnson
A consultation on the proposed postgraduate Master’s loan scheme was held earlier in the year. The consultation covered proposed terms and conditions, including an age eligibility criterion and the eligibility of distance learning. Consultation responses are currently being analysed and the Department will respond in the autumn.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2015-10-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the reasons are for the proposed exclusion from the new postgraduate loans scheme proposed for England of taught masters students who are studying via distance learning at a minimum of 50 per cent intensity.
Joseph Johnson
A consultation on the proposed postgraduate Master’s loan scheme was held earlier in the year. The consultation covered proposed terms and conditions, including an age eligibility criterion and the eligibility of distance learning. Consultation responses are currently being analysed and the Department will respond in the autumn.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2015-10-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the reasons are for the proposal to include in the new postgraduate loans scheme proposed for England part-time taught masters students studying at a minimum of 50 per cent intensity not via distance learning.
Joseph Johnson
A consultation on the proposed postgraduate Master’s loan scheme was held earlier in the year. The consultation covered proposed terms and conditions, including an age eligibility criterion and the eligibility of distance learning. Consultation responses are currently being analysed and the Department will respond in the autumn.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2015-10-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he made of the effect of NHS England taking over responsibility for commissioning health services within the immigration detention estate in England on the adequacy of health provision within that estate.
Ben Gummer
In 2014 Health and Wellbeing Needs Assessments were carried out at all Immigration Removal Centres to ascertain the needs of the detainees, which in turn informed the quality and standard of services commissioned by NHS England, from 1 September 2014, to meet those needs.
National standards have been developed, against which health care providers are measured as part of contract management. A suite of indicators of performance are now in place to support this and to provide national data to demonstrate improvements in service delivery and outcomes.