Tag: Roger Godsiff

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2015-11-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions the Government has had with the government of Saudi Arabia on ending the conflict in Yemen.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) met with King Salman, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir during his visit to Saudi Arabia on 28 October. He discussed the need for accelerating the political process in Yemen and humanitarian issues, particularly the importance of ensuring sustained access for shipping. The UK is actively supporting the UN’s efforts to achieve a lasting ceasefire and return to the political transition in Yemen. The UK has provided £85 million in humanitarian aid to Yemen.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2015-11-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will make an assessment of the implications for its policies of the report by Transparency International UK entitled, Gold Rush, published 15 October 2015; if her Department will retrospectively examine what transparency declarations can be required of existing investors who entered the UK on Tier 1 visas; what steps her Department takes to assess whether funds coming into the UK via those visas have been gained illicitly; and if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of strengthening those measures to address that issue.

James Brokenshire

The control of and provenance of the investment funds is central to the assessment of all Tier 1 (Investor) applications. In November 2014, we introduced new powers to refuse visa applications where there are reasonable grounds to believe that the Tier 1 (Investor) migrant is not in control and at liberty to freely invest the funds; where the funds were obtained unlawfully; or where the character, conduct and associations of a third party providing the funds mean granting the application is not conducive to public good.

To further strengthen the route against abuse, we now require all Tier 1 (Investor) migrants to have opened an account with a Financial Conduct Authority-regulated bank for the purposes of making their qualified investment. Additionally, if an investor is applying to enter the UK, then they must provide proof of criminal record checks. All Tier 1 (Investor) migrants are liable to have their leave to enter or remain curtailed in certain circumstances, for example if they are discovered to have used deception in seeking a grant of leave, or if they cease to meet the requirements of the Immigration Rules. Those who are already in the route are subject to further checks on their investment and criminality when they make an extension or indefinite leave to remain application.

We keep all immigration routes under review. We will make further changes to tackle abuse of the Tier 1 (Investor) route if required.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2015-11-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what procedures his Department follows when a jobcentre client requests a food bank voucher for the fourth time in any given year.

Priti Patel

The Department for Work and Pensions does not issue food bank vouchers.

Jobcentre Plus holds details of local organisations to which its staff can signpost claimants experiencing financial difficulty.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2015-12-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will issue a response to the report entitled Halving the Gap by Lord Law of Dalton, Baroness Meacher and Baroness Grey-Thompson, published in December 2015.

Priti Patel

The Government set out its assessment of the impacts of the policies in Bill on 20th July and we will review all reports which relate to the Welfare Reform and Work Bill.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-01-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment the Government has made of whether the TTIP trade deal will make the UK more vulnerable to lawsuits; if the Government will insist that TTIP does not contain provisions which would allow similar lawsuits to be brought in the UK; and if the Government will reconsider its support for TTIP in response to that lawsuit.

Anna Soubry

The Government does not comment on cases in which it has no involvement. Under UK laws a foreign investor can already sue the Government over allegedly unfair or unlawful treatment. UK domestic courts and our legal system will continue to be the main route for resolving the vast majority of disputes between foreign investors and the Government regardless of any investment protection provisions included in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). This is because our domestic courts typically offer a quicker and cheaper method of resolving disputes.

The European Commission has published its proposal for investment protections in TTIP. This includes various possible measures to ensure these provisions are fair and transparent, including prohibiting claims from being pursued simultaneously under investor-state dispute settlement provisions and in domestic courts.

The UK will continue to work with the Commission on the details of these latest proposals. We need investment protections that ensure UK investors are treated fairly overseas by foreign governments. But the UK will make sure that governments can continue to regulate lawfully in the public interest.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-01-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the NHS of (a) fixing eye operations contracted out by Musgrove Park Hospital which had a high failure rate and (b) paying compensation for eye injuries sustained as a result of operations outsourced by Musgrove Park Hospital.

Ben Gummer

The Department does not hold the information requested; a response has been supplied by the National Health Service Litigation Authority.

To date 10 claims have been received in relation to this initiative. Two claims have been paid at a total cost of £87,250 inclusive of legal costs. The remaining eight claims are outstanding and it would not be appropriate to reveal financial information at this stage.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-02-05.

To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission, whether the Local Government Boundary Commission is under an obligation to ensure that proposals for boundary changes reflect representations it has received from people in the areas affected.

Mr Gary Streeter

The Local Government Boundary Commission for England informs me that the procedure for electoral reviews is set out in the Local Democracy, Economic Democracy and Construction Act 2009. The Act requires the Commission to publish recommendations and consider representations made on them.

In drawing up new ward or electoral division boundaries, Section 58 of the Act requires the Commission to take into consideration any representations made to the Local Government Boundary Commission for England within its consultation periods.

In practice, the Commission always conducts at least two phases of public consultation for every electoral review. First, in advance of drawing up draft recommendations, the Commission will invite local proposals for new ward or electoral division boundaries.

Following the initial consultation, the Commission publishes draft recommendations and consults on them before finalising ward boundaries and the wider electoral arrangements for a local authority.

After each phase of consultation, the Commission will consider all local representations against the statutory criteria which are set out in Schedule 2 of the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009. The criteria oblige the Commission to have regard to delivering electoral equality for voters, to build electoral arrangements that reflect community interests and identities as well as ensuring that wards or divisions promote effective and convenient local government.

The Commission analyses all local representations to assess the extent to which they meet the statutory criteria. If submissions present a fair reflection of the criteria and can be accommodated within an authority-wide scheme, it will usually adopt them. In the event that multiple (but conflicting) submissions meet the statutory criteria, the Commission will choose the option which it believes most strongly reflects them. If no local representations provide a satisfactory reflection of the statutory criteria, the Commission will substitute its judgement and draw up its own pattern of wards or divisions for the area in question.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-02-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 16 February 2016 to Question 26010, when his Department plans to establish the reading room for classified documents relating to the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.

Anna Soubry

The reading room for classified documents relating to the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership is not yet open. Members of both Houses will be informed of the process and details of how to access the room shortly, once these have been finalised.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-02-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that the parents of children with mental health problems are aware that their child may be eligible to claim disability living allowance.

Justin Tomlinson

The DWP recognises the position of parents who have children with mental health problems and supports them through the award of Disability Living Allowance where the relevant entitlement conditions are met. As a Department we have multiple channels to ensure our customers are provided with the best possible information about their entitlement to benefits. These include:

Public Information

The Department provides information on benefits, including Disability Living Allowance (DLA), in a range of formats on www.gov.uk. This includes information relating to DLA for children and includes links to benefit eligibility calculators that will signpost the user to further information about DLA for children.

Customer Facing Staff

Learning and development for our customer facing/telephony staff raises awareness around the different needs of vulnerable customers. We also have a portal that all staff can access to appropriately signpost support available.

Staff would actively consider this in their dealings with parents of disabled children, offering information on claiming Disability Living Allowance if appropriate.

Partnership Working

The Department also works with a range of organisations that provide information and advice on claiming DLA for children, such as Disability Rights UK, Contact a Family, Young Minds, NetMums and Carers UK. Our policy teams ensure that national partner organisations are kept informed about policy changes.

Visiting

Where a family is identified as needing a visit, our visiting officers typically complete holistic benefit checks which would include DLA considerations for any child.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-03-10.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing requirements on responsible tax behaviour into government procurement policy.

Matthew Hancock

The Government requires good tax compliance behaviour in procurement. Procurement Policy Note 03/14 sets out the scope, background and detailed guidance for the policy of using the procurement process to promote tax compliance:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/procurement-policy-note-0314-promoting-tax-compliance

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