Tag: Rupa Huq

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rupa Huq on 2016-10-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department plans to retain access to the Erasmus Plus programme after the UK leaves the EU.

Joseph Johnson

The referendum result has no immediate effect on students abroad under the Erasmus scheme or applying for 2016/17. Payments will be made in the usual way. Access to the programme after we leave the EU is a matter for the forthcoming negotiations. Consideration of other options will depend on the outcome of these negotiations.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rupa Huq on 2016-03-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health on the potential merits of the Children’s House model for children who are victims of abuse.

Mike Penning

This government has made tackling child abuse a priority. We set up the first ever cross-government Child Protection Taskforce to overhaul the way police, schools, social services and others work together in tackling this abhorrent crime. We have also invested an extra £100m to support vulnerable children and we are providing £7m for services supporting child abuse survivors.

We have not had any ministerial discussions about the Children’s House model, but more widely the Government is committed to improving the experience of child witnesses in the criminal justice system. We have increased the number of intermediaries to support them to give their best evidence. In addition, vulnerable witnesses can give evidence away from the courtroom and away from the court building at remote sites set up nationally in each criminal justice region.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rupa Huq on 2016-03-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many convictions for benefit fraud were overturned on appeal between 2010 and 2014.

Dominic Raab

The information requested is not available.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rupa Huq on 2016-03-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prosecutions conducted by local authorities resulted in convictions for benefit fraud between 2010 and 2014.

Dominic Raab

The information requested is not available.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rupa Huq on 2015-11-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the projected average age of a first time buyer in 2020.

Brandon Lewis

My Department does not produce forecasts of the average age of first time buyers.

The number of first time buyers is the highest for 7 years.

We are committed to turning Generation Rent into Generation Buy which is why this Government is committed to extending opportunities for homeownership. Since 2010, over 230,000 people have been helped to buy a home using government-backed schemes. The voluntary deal with the housing association sector means that 1.3 million housing association tenants will be given the Right to Buy.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rupa Huq on 2016-05-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of spending by each local authority was allocated to provision of facilities and services for children’s and young people’s physical activity in each of the last three years.

Jane Ellison

Information on local authorities’ total spending on physical activity services and facilities for children and young people is not collected centrally.

The decision on how much is spent on specific local public health services rests with individual authorities who are best placed to assess local population needs and priorities.

Local authorities are required to undertake Joint Strategic Needs Assessments and to develop Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategies which must inform local authority commissioning plans.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rupa Huq on 2015-11-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to allow local councils to ban overseas and off-plan sales.

Brandon Lewis

We have actively encouraged the property industry to ensure that homes for sale are marketed in the United Kingdom, and not solely overseas.

The Coalition Government took action to tackle tax avoidance and ensure that those individuals who ‘envelope’ UK residential properties, by owning or purchasing them through corporate structures without a commercial purpose, pay a fair share of tax. We also introduced capital gains tax on future gains made by non-residents disposing of UK residential property.

The Mayor of London has launched a Mayoral Concordat where signatories commit to marketing new homes on every development to Londoners before, or at the same time as, they are available to overseas buyers.

But overseas investment in new housing can be crucial in providing the finance that is needed to build new homes. Non residents purchasing and occupying a house in the UK contribute to the tax system, just as residents do, through stamp duty, land tax and council tax.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rupa Huq on 2016-05-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment the Government has made of the extent of variation between local authorities in their (a) per capita spending on physical activity services and (b) facilities for children and young people.

Jane Ellison

Information on local authorities’ total spending on physical activity services and facilities for children and young people is not collected centrally.

The decision on how much is spent on specific local public health services rests with individual authorities who are best placed to assess local population needs and priorities.

Local authorities are required to undertake Joint Strategic Needs Assessments and to develop Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategies which must inform local authority commissioning plans.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rupa Huq on 2015-11-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Disabled People of 27 October 2015, Official Report, column 101WH, what assessment he has made of the reason for the high proportion of young people receiving benefit sanctions.

Priti Patel

The department has not made a specific assessment of this. All claimants are required to meet the same conditionality rules regardless of age.

Jobseekers are only asked to meet reasonable requirements taking into account their circumstances and capability. These requirements are clearly explained and agreed by jobseekers with their Work Coach and set out in their individually tailored Claimant Commitment.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rupa Huq on 2016-05-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the government of Ethiopia on the (a) imprisonment of the journalist Eskinder Nega and (b) protection of freedom of speech in that country.

James Duddridge

We continue to have concerns about those who are detained under the Anti-Terrorism Proclamation, including members of the opposition groups, journalists, peaceful protesters, and others seeking to express their rights to freedom of assembly or expression. British Embassy officials in Addis Ababa have not directly raised the case of Eskinder Nega, but through our engagement with Ethiopia and in the FCO’s previous Human Rights Reports, we have highlighted the need for greater freedom of the press in Ethiopia. With our international partners, we will continue to monitor high-profile trials brought under the Anti-Terrorism Proclamation. We have also raised these concerns with the Ethiopian government through our Human Rights Dialogue, whilst welcoming the release of Zone 9 bloggers and Reeyot Alemu last summer.