The below Parliamentary question was asked by Pete Wishart on 2014-04-30.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, at what gestation stage each pregnant women in Scotland granted section 4 support under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 received the decision to grant that support.
James Brokenshire
The information requested is not routinely collected and could only be provided
by examining individual case records, which would result in disproportionate
cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Pete Wishart on 2014-04-30.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will place in the Library a copy of all guidance and benchmarking criteria used by her Department, its contractors and agents when assessing the adequacy and suitability of placement accommodation allocated to pregnant women and nursing mothers in receipt of section 4 support under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.
James Brokenshire
The guidance and procedures on providing accommodation to pregnant women in the
asylum support system is contained in the policy document "Healthcare needs and
Pregnancy Dispersal guidance", which can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/healthcare-needs-and-pregnancy-disper
sal-instruction
The Home Office is currently considering some changes to the document following
consultation with the Refugee Council and Maternity Action.
Pregnant women are already recognised as a vulnerable group in the asylum
support system. Regulation 4 of the Asylum Seekers (Reception conditions)
Regulations 2005 provides that their special needs must be taken into
consideration.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Pete Wishart on 2014-04-30.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to ensure that pregnant women and nursing mothers in receipt of section 4 support under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 are recognised as a vulnerable group when contracting and allocating placement accommodation.
James Brokenshire
The guidance and procedures on providing accommodation to pregnant women in the
asylum support system is contained in the policy document "Healthcare needs and
Pregnancy Dispersal guidance", which can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/healthcare-needs-and-pregnancy-disper
sal-instruction
The Home Office is currently considering some changes to the document following
consultation with the Refugee Council and Maternity Action.
Pregnant women are already recognised as a vulnerable group in the asylum
support system. Regulation 4 of the Asylum Seekers (Reception conditions)
Regulations 2005 provides that their special needs must be taken into
consideration.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Pete Wishart on 2014-06-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of people who have applied for passports using the (a) fast track and (b) premium service in the last month; and how many recent passport applications will receive compensation from her Department.
James Brokenshire
In June 2014, (a) 59, 692 people applied and paid for fast track and (b) 31,
289 applied for premium service. Her Majesty’s Passport Office (HMPO) only
normally offer compensation for financial loss as a result of delays in their guaranteed
(Fast Track and Premium) services. HMPO does not have an estimate of how much
compensation may be paid this year in line with their policy. As the Home
Secretary announced on 12 June 2014, customers who need to travel within 7 days and who
have waited more than the three weeks service standard for a straightforward application to
be processed through no fault of their own, are fast-tracked free of charge.
To 15 July, HMPO has issued 13, 461 passports as a result of this change of
policy.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Pete Wishart on 2014-06-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of people who cancelled holidays in 2014 due to delays in passport applications.
James Brokenshire
Her Majesty’s Passport Office do not collect this data.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Pete Wishart on 2014-06-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the savings generated by closing passport offices in the last five years; and what estimate she has made of the total cost of (a) cancelled and (b) altered flights due to delayed passport applications in 2014.
James Brokenshire
No passport offices have been closed in the last five years.
Restructuring of passport operations between 2010 and 2012 entailed the closure
of some interview offices and relocation of the Newport passport office. These
changes realised annual savings of approximately £7.2 million per year.
We do not collect data on the costs of cancelled and altered flights
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Pete Wishart on 2014-06-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effect of changes in the number of staff in the Glasgow Passport Office since 2008 on the speed of the processing of applications for passports by that office.
James Brokenshire
Her Majesty’s Passport Office does not consider that changes in its office in
Glasgow have had any impact on the speed of processing applications for passports.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Pete Wishart on 2014-03-10.
To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, whether he plans to meet charities and other interested parties to discuss the issuing of guidance on the implementation of the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Act 2014.
Greg Clark
Guidance is being produced by the Electoral Commission regarding the operation of the rules for non-party campaigners. The Commission are working with the UK’s three charity regulators and other organisations to ensure that the guidance is clear and helpful.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Pete Wishart on 2014-06-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what account her Department took of the timing of school holidays in Scotland in formulating plans to deal with passport application delays.
James Brokenshire
Each year Her Majesty’s Passport Office plans its capacity, taking into account
the likely level of demand during specific periods, including the run-up to school
holidays.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Pete Wishart on 2014-03-10.
To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, whether he plans to publish guidance to inform charities and other affected organisations about the implementation of the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Act 2014.
Greg Clark
Guidance is being produced by the Electoral Commission regarding the operation of the rules for non-party campaigners. The Commission are working with the UK’s three charity regulators and other organisations to ensure that the guidance is clear and helpful.