Tag: Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh on 2015-12-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many meetings of the Community Engagement Forum have taken place in 2015 to date; and how many such meetings are planned in the next 12 months.

Karen Bradley

In his speech on countering extremism on 20 July, the Prime MInister said that he wanted to hear directly from all those in our society who are tackling extremism. The Community Engagement Forum is one of the ways the Prime Minister plans to do this. The Forum provides a platform for people to share their experiences and learn from each other. Attendance varies from meeting to meeting to ensure Ministers can hear from a wide range of people.

To date, the Community Engagement Forum has met on 13 October 2015 and 19 November 2015. The attendees have been from a wide range of backgrounds and were representing interests at both a local and national level.

Further Forums are planned for 2016.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh on 2016-06-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many rejected mandatory reconsiderations submitted in relation to re-assessments of entitlement of disability living allowance for children resulted in an appeal tribunal being conducted in the last three years for which figures are available.

Mr Shailesh Vara

The information requested is not held centrally.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh on 2015-12-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many representatives from (a) England, (b) Northern Ireland, (c) Scotland and (d) Wales attended each meeting of the Community Engagement Forum to date.

Karen Bradley

In his speech on countering extremism on 20 July, the Prime MInister said that he wanted to hear directly from all those in our society who are tackling extremism. The Community Engagement Forum is one of the ways the Prime Minister plans to do this. The Forum provides a platform for people to share their experiences and learn from each other. Attendance varies from meeting to meeting to ensure Ministers can hear from a wide range of people.

To date, the Community Engagement Forum has met on 13 October 2015 and 19 November 2015. The attendees have been from a wide range of backgrounds and were representing interests at both a local and national level.

Further Forums are planned for 2016.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh on 2016-06-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many appeal tribunal decisions in relation to re-assessments of entitlement of disability living allowance for children found in favour of the Department for Work and Pensions in the last three years for which figures are available.

Mr Shailesh Vara

The information requested is not held centrally.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh on 2015-12-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, when he plans to publish the Government’s response to the report, The role and contribution of women in the Scottish economy, published in March 2015.

David Mundell

The Government will be responding to the recommendations in the report in due course, and discussions between Professor Sawers and the UK Government are continuing on this matter.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh on 2016-06-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many mandatory reconsiderations were submitted in relation to entitlement to disability living allowance for children in each of the last three years.

Justin Tomlinson

The table below shows the number of Mandatory Reconsiderations received for the last three years.

Disability Living Allowance	2013/14	2014/15	2015/16
Child Mandatory Reconsiderations received	18,543	21,647	27,015

The information for the second question could only be supplied at disproportionate cost.

Notes: Mandatory Reconsiderations were introduced from October 2013 as part of Appeals Reform. The figures shown in the table above for 2013/14 include reconsideration clearances (pre-reform) to enable the full year to be provided.

Source: Department of Work and Pensions, Disability Living Allowance Computer System

This type of internal management information does not form part of the official statistics outputs that are released by the Department in accordance with the UK Statistics Authority’s Code of Practice and should be used with caution.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh on 2016-01-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 17 December 2015 to Question 18865, who has attended each meeting of the Community Engagement Forum to date; and who has been invited to attend future meetings.

Karen Bradley

In his speech on countering extremism in July 2015, the Prime Minister said that he wanted to hear directly from all those in our society who are tackling extremism. The Community Engagement Forum is one of the ways the Prime Minister is doing this. The Forums provide a platform for a wide range of partners to share their experiences and learn from each other. Attendance at the Forums is fluid to ensure Ministers can hear from a wide range of partners. To date, the Community Engagement Forum has met on 13 October 2015 and 19 November 2015. The attendees have been from a wide range of backgrounds and were representatives of all parts of the UK.

The following individuals attended the first meeting of the Community Engagement Forum on 13 October 2015

David Cameron, Prime Minister

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister for Countering Extremism

Theresa May, Home Secretary

Louise Casey, Department for Communities and Local Government

Max Chambers, Special Adviser on Home Affairs

Camilla Cavendish, Number 10

Brendan Threlfall, Number 10

Arooj Shah, Councillor, St Mary’s Ward, Oldham

Sean Harriss, Chief Executive, Lambeth Council

Paul Martin, Chief Executive, Wandsworth Council

Sheikh Musa Admani, Imam and Muslim chaplain, City University, London

Fareed Ahmad, Ahmadiyya Muslim Association

Farooq Aftab, General Secretary, Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association

Michael Nazir-Ali, former Bishop of Rochester

Khatun Sapnara, circuit judge

Aina Khan, solicitor

Fiyaz Mughal OBE, Director, Faith Matters

Sadja Mughal OBE, Director, Jan Trust

Haras Rafiq, Managing Director, Quilliam Foundation

Sara Khan, Co-founder and Director, Inspire

Wahida Shaffi, Near Neighbours Coordinator; National Women’s Programme Lead, Christian Muslim Forum

Faiza Vaid, Executive Director, Muslim Women’s Network

Aysha and Kiran Iqbal Patel, Directors, Odara

Kamal Hanif OBE, Executive Head, Waverley School, Birmingham

Alun Francis, Principal and Chief Executive, Oldham College

Imam Qari Asim, Chief Imam, Leeds Makkah Mosque (was invited but unable to attend)

The following individuals attended the second meeting of the Community Engagement Forum on 19 November 2015:

Rt. Hon. Nicky Morgan MP, Education Secretary and Minister for Women and Equalities

Lord Ahmad, Minister for Countering Extremism

Louise Casey, Independent review on isolated communities

Alun Francis, Principal and Chief Executive of Oldham College

Aina Khan, Head of Islamic Department, Duncan Lewis Solicitors

Sajda Mughal OBE, Managing Director at Jan Trust

Mary Ney, Supporting Commissioner, Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council

Syima Aslam, Organiser of Bradford Literary Festival

Farook Yunus, Leader of Kumon Y’all

Sara Khan, Director and Co-founder of Inspire

Shaukat Warraich, Chief Executive, Faith Associates

Anil Bhanot OBE, Managing Trustee and Director of Hindu Council UK

Gillian Merron, Chief Executive of the Board of Deputies of British Jews

William Nye, Secretary General of the General Synod of the Church of England

Lord Singh of Wimbledon CBE, Director of the Network of Sikh Organisations

Christine Fischer, Catholic Education Service

Pascale Vassie, Executive Director, National Resource Centre for Supplementary Education (NRCSE)

Martin Pratt, Director of Children, Schools and Families, Camden Council

Matthew Coffey, Chief Operating Officer, Ofsted

Phil Champain, Director 3 Faiths Forum

Her Honour Judge Khatun Sapnara, Circuit Judge East London Family Court and Kingston Crown Court

Sue Robb, Head of Early Years, 4Children

The next Community Engagement Forum is scheduled for 14 January 2016. The government is also engaging directly at ministerial level with representatives from community, faith and civil groups, and have engaged directly with both the Scottish and Welsh governments.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh on 2016-06-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of existing claimants of disability living allowance for children were re-assessed and awarded a lower rate of entitlement in the last three years for which figures are available.

Justin Tomlinson

The information requested is not available. Children are given fixed term awards and it is the responsibility of the parent to make a new application once the award ends if the child still has additional needs as a result of disability. If a relevant change of circumstances is reported then the claim could be reassessed. Although data is held on numbers of renewals and supersessions we do not hold data on outcomes from these.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh on 2016-01-04.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of savings to businesses of his Department’s plans to introduce quarterly tax returns for businesses.

Mr David Gauke

The Government has no plans to introduce quarterly tax returns for business. The Government is introducing simple, secure and personalised digital tax accounts, removing the need for annual tax returns. Updating HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) through software or apps will deliver a light-touch process, much less burdensome and time-consuming than it is today.

The Government will consult on the details of these proposals throughout 2016 and will publish a Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) in the usual way. This will include an estimate of the impacts on business. The Government routinely publish TIINs for tax policy changes when the policy detail for those changes is finalised or near-finalised.

HMRC has discussed these reforms with a range of professional bodies and advisory groups representing small businesses and the self-employed. HMRC has also engaged extensively with a range of professional bodies and other stakeholders representing the accountancy profession.

On 14 December 2015, HMRC set out details of its plans at its annual stakeholder conference, which was attended by a large number of different organisations representing small businesses.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh on 2016-06-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many mandatory reconsiderations for re-assessments of entitlement to disability living allowance for children were (a) upheld and (b) rejected in the last three years for which figures are available.

Justin Tomlinson

The table below shows the number of Mandatory Reconsiderations received for the last three years.

Disability Living Allowance	2013/14	2014/15	2015/16
Child Mandatory Reconsiderations received	18,543	21,647	27,015

The information for the second question could only be supplied at disproportionate cost.

Notes: Mandatory Reconsiderations were introduced from October 2013 as part of Appeals Reform. The figures shown in the table above for 2013/14 include reconsideration clearances (pre-reform) to enable the full year to be provided.

Source: Department of Work and Pensions, Disability Living Allowance Computer System

This type of internal management information does not form part of the official statistics outputs that are released by the Department in accordance with the UK Statistics Authority’s Code of Practice and should be used with caution.