Tag: Stuart C. McDonald

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stuart C. McDonald on 2016-01-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 9 September 2015 to Question 8772, how many people have been rescued from the Mediterranean Sea each week since then by (a) HMS Enterprise and (b) all Royal Navy vessels.

Penny Mordaunt

The total number of migrants rescued each week by all Royal Navy vessels in the Mediterranean in support of the EU Naval Forces Operation tackling migrant smuggling and trafficking (EUNAVFOR Op SOPHIA) since 9 September 2015 are:

Week commencing	Number of Migrants Rescued by HMS ENTERPRISE	Number of Migrants Rescued by HMS RICHMOND
07-September 2015	0
14-September 2015	377
21-September 2015	220
28-September 2015	0
05-October 2015	639
12-October 2015	0
19-October 2015	0
26-October 2015	439	102
02-November 2015	134
09-November 2015	0
16-November 2015	0
23-November 2015	54
30-November 2015	414
07-December 2015	0
14-December 2015	0
21-December 2015	0
28-December 2015	188
04-January 2016	0
11-January 2016	0
18-January 2016	0
Total	2,331	236 Total 2,537

HMS ENTERPRISE deployed to the Mediterranean on 3 July 2015 and is the current UK contribution to EUNAVFOR Op SOPHIA.

In addition, the UK contributed HMS RICHMOND to EUNAVFOR Op SOPHIA from 25 October 2015 to 21 November 2015.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stuart C. McDonald on 2016-03-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many care leavers who were aged 19, 20 or 21 in the years ending 31 March (a) 2013, (b) 2014 and (c) 2015 were former unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.

Edward Timpson

Data on the number of care leavers aged 19 to 21 years is published in table F1 of the statistical first release ‘Children looked after, including care leavers and adoption’[1].

Data is not published on the number of care leavers who were formerly unaccompanied asylum seeking children.

[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2014-to-2015

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stuart C. McDonald on 2016-03-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish all correspondence between her Department and ETS relating to allegations of English language text fraud.

James Brokenshire

There are on-going criminal investigations and prosecutions into matters connected with cheating in ETS tests and it would be inappropriate to release any information or details of correspondence in the circumstances.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stuart C. McDonald on 2016-04-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many take charge requests under each article of the Dublin regulations were (a) received, (b) accepted and (c) rejected by the Government in each month since April 2015.

James Brokenshire

Whilst all asylum claims, including those accepted under Dublin III, are registered on the main immigration database the specifics of each case are not currently available in the form requested as the data is not held in a way that allows it to be reported on automatically.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stuart C. McDonald on 2016-06-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the implications for the Government’s policy on asylum of the report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom of Religion or Belief, entitled Asylum report: inadequate assessment of religion-based claims, published in June 2016.

James Brokenshire

We are currently carefully considering the report and its recommendations. The report acknowledges the progress made by the Home Office with regards to guidance and training provided to its staff but highlighted the Group’s view that there were some discrepancies between the Home Office policy and practice.

The Home Office carefully considers all asylum claims on their individual merits and grants protection for those who genuinely need it, in accordance with our international obligations under the Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). In every asylum case the particular circumstances of the individual are considered in light of published country information, which includes issues relating specifically to religious freedoms.

Published guidance on the interviewing and consideration of religious claims is regularly reviewed and takes into consideration the views of religious groups and other stakeholders.

All asylum decision makers are currently receiving credibility training. This course trains decision makers on how to assess the evidential value of their interview questions (including when assessing religious based claims and religious conversion), the various reasons why someone may not come across as credible in an asylum interview and discusses issues such as speculation and implausibility. The 5-week Foundation Training Programme (FTP) for new decision makers trains staff on all aspects of the asylum decision making process, including religious based claims and religious conversion has been endorsed by the UNHCR.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stuart C. McDonald on 2016-01-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government plans to endorse the Safe Schools Declaration; and whether it plans to encourage other states to endorse that Declaration.

James Duddridge

The intention of the Safe Schools Declaration is for countries to support the Guidelines for Protecting Schools and Universities from Military use During Armed Conflict.

While we welcome the spirit of the initiative, we have concerns that the Guidelines do not mirror the exact language and content of International Humanitarian Law. We consider that the full implementation of International Humanitarian Law provides the best protection for civilians in all situations of armed conflict. The UK, along with the US, France, Australia and other countries, were therefore not able to sign the Safe Schools Declaration in Oslo in May 2015.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stuart C. McDonald on 2016-03-24.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to consult with local businesses in Cumbernauld on the proposed closure of HM Revenue and Customs Cumbernauld office.

Mr David Gauke

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) plans to create two new Regional Centres in Scotland, in Glasgow and Edinburgh in 2019-20, accommodating between 5,700 and 6,300 employees. HMRC’s new Regional Centres will give its staff all they need including a modern office environment, close to good travel and transport links. They will provide stable, high quality jobs and offer a wide range of opportunities for training and promotion and allow its staff to follow more varied career paths than have previously been possible.

HMRC will help all its staff work through their options. It will give everyone the opportunity to discuss their personal circumstances with their manager ahead of any office closures or moves, so they know about any issues that need to be taken into account when making decisions.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stuart C. McDonald on 2016-03-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will commission an independent inquiry into the role of (a) her Department and (b) ETS related to allegations of English Language Test fraud.

James Brokenshire

The investigation into the abuse of English language testing in 2014 revealed extremely serious, large scale, organised fraud and it is right that the Home Office took decisive action in respect of those against whom there was evidence of cheating. We are disappointed by the decision of the Upper Tribunal and, once we have the full determination, we will consider our next steps carefully, including an appeal of this decision.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stuart C. McDonald on 2016-04-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many take charge requests under each article of the Dublin regulations have been (a) received, (b) accepted and (c) rejected by the Government in each year since 2010.

James Brokenshire

Whilst all asylum claims, including those accepted under Dublin III, are registered on the main immigration database the specifics of each case are not currently available in the form requested as the data is not held in a way that allows it to be reported on automatically.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stuart C. McDonald on 2016-07-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will collect regularly statistics on the (a) number of and (b) reasons for exceptional family reunion cases relating to children where indefinite leave to remain is granted at her discretion outside of the rules.

James Brokenshire

The Home Office does not hold the specific information in the format requested. The questions cover a number of different casework operations and the information is not recorded centrally in a way which can be reported on directly.

To obtain the information would involve examining individual case records and would incur disproportionate cost. We do not currently plan to change the data that is centrally recorded and published on this category of applications.