Tag: Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh

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.

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

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions his Department has had with organisations representing small businesses on plans for introducing quarterly tax returns.

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, what percentage of disability living allowance for children re-assessments resulted in a change in the award 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 2016-01-27.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many missions have been flown by UK military forces in Syria to provide direct humanitarian aid to civilians; where those missions took place; what aid was supplied; and what the cost was of those missions.

Penny Mordaunt

UK military forces have not flown any missions to provide humanitarian aid in Syria. The UN has not requested the use of air drops, which are not currently the best way of getting help to those in need.

The UN, Red Cross and Syrian Arab Red Crescent have successfully delivered aid by road to Madaya, Foah and Kefraya. The UN and non-governmental organisation partners are best placed to deliver humanitarian aid and have the mandate, expertise and capacity to assess needs and deliver an appropriate, timely response.

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 re-assessments for people already receiving disability living allowance for children have been conducted in the last three years for which figures are available.

Justin Tomlinson

For Disability Living Allowance 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.

The table below shows the number of Renewal decisions cleared on an existing award and the number of Supersession decisions cleared which relate to a change of circumstance on an existing award, for the last three years.

Disability Living Allowance	2013/14	2014/15	2015/16
Child Renewals total clearances	54,772	68,148	69,436
Child Supersessions total clearances	17,339	16,275	19,588
Total Child Supersessions + Renewals	72,111	84,423	89,024

Source: Department of Work and Pensions, Disability Living Allowance Computer System – RDA 80123 report

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 2016-01-27.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 4 January 2016 to Question 20771, how many staff are employed in the Coalition Communications Cell; and what the annual operating budget of that unit is.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

There are currently nine full time equivalent members of staff working in the Coalition Communications Cell, including two secondees from Canada and the Netherlands.

The operating budget is the amount the Prime Minister announced at the United Nations General Assembly in September 2015 which is £10 million; this covers staff costs and all project activity over two financial years. In addition, we are working with Coalition Partners to seek additional resources.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if he will publish his Department’s budget for the next four years.

Greg Hands

The newly created Department for International Trade (DIT) has been forged out of the forerunner (non-ministerial) Departments UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) and the Trade Policy Unit responsibilities previously held by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS). My Rt. Hon Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade also has responsibility for UK Export Finance (the Export Credits Guarantee Department), which has its own budget.

The estimated annual budgeted operating costs of the department for the next four years are currently being established and will be submitted to parliament later this financial year.