Tag: Thangam Debbonaire

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2016-03-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications to the Disclosure and Barring Service from people in Bristol West constituency have taken more than 60 days to process in the last 12 months.

Karen Bradley

The number of applications to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) from people living in the Bristol West constituency that have taken more than 60 days to process in the last 12 months (for which data is available) is listed in the table below.

Month	Number of certificates issued by DBS to applicants in Bristol West	Applications that took longer than 60 days
February 2015 – January 2016	12,934	392

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2016-04-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what criteria will be used to decide which 70 regions will be reached by the cultural citizens programme; and by what criteria the success of that programme will be judged.

Mr Edward Vaizey

The Cultural Citizens Programme will be piloted from September 2016. As outlined in the Culture White Paper Annex 1 (measuring the impact), we will commission a bespoke evaluation of this pilot and the findings from this will determine how the programme will develop in subsequent years. The programme will operate in up to 70 areas across the country by the end of the third year, and will be focused in areas where cultural participation is lowest and where young people’s opportunities are likely to be more limited. We want everyone regardless of background to have the opportunity to experience culture.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2016-05-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans the Government has to accelerate the process of identifying and processing people who are eligible for family reunification transfers from Greece to other EU countries under the Dublin III Regulation in addition to the two UK experts already sent to Greece to support Greek immigration officials dealing with applications under Dublin III Regulation and a further one to be deployed in May.

James Brokenshire

As notified in my statement of 21 April, HCWS687, 75 UK expert personnel will be deployed to Greece to support implementation of the EU-Turkey Migration Agreement and will conduct a number of duties. A proportion of the UK expert personnel will work closely with European Asylum Support Officer (EASO) coordinators and the Greek Asylum Service to process cases through the admissibility process and provide expert support to the Greek authorities and other EU partners on overall co-ordination of the response. Supporting the operation of the Greek asylum service is a fundamental part of this Government’s approach to identifying individuals in need of protection at the earliest possible opportunity and ensuring they are identified as eligible for family reunification consideration under the terms of Dublin Regulation.

This is in addition to the support that we are already providing to European partner Dublin Units. Two UK experts have already been deployed to the Greek Dublin Unit and have provided valuable assistance. A third was due to be deployed, however, EASO has informed us that support to the Greek Dublin Unit is currently at full complement. We stand ready to deploy our experts as soon as they are required. We are confident that through our cooperation and concerted joint efforts we can identify and facilitate the swift transfers of cases through our national systems and make effective use of the Dublin Regulation.

As announced on 4 May we are now looking to transfer children who were already present in Europe before the EU-Turkey deal came into force on 20 March, where it is in their best interests. It is important that we ensure we fulfil our obligations to children who are already in UK, as well ensuring we have the right support for those who may be brought to the UK from Europe. We are working with the relevant Member States, the UNHCR and other Non-Governmental Organisations and local authorities to establish the best way to implement the provisions of the Immigration Act 2016 for the transfer of unaccompanied refugee children from Europe to the UK.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2016-05-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to prevent the publication of books, papers and other material containing health advice which does not have a sound evidence base; and if he will make a statement.

George Freeman

We have no plans to make such an assessment. The Department’s policies and advice are informed by the best available evidence.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2016-07-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to provide an integration support service for refugees to help those refugees who have recently arrived in the UK to integrate into local communities.

Mike Penning

We are working towards achieving more integrated communities and creating the conditions for everyone to live and work successfully alongside each other.

Those who are granted refugee status are given access to the labour market, mainstream benefits and housing assistance from their local authority. There are therefore no plans to allow refugees to stay in asylum support accommodation.

The Home Office offers integration loans to recognised refugees. The loan is designed to help refugees integrate into UK society by offering financial support towards housing costs, employment and training.

The Home Office also funds strategic migration partnerships which provide coordination and support services for those organisations working with migrants and refugees in local communities.

Earlier this year the Government announced that £20 million of additional funding for English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) courses would be introduced in October 2016. This funding will reach the most isolated communities in the UK.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what monitoring her Department has carried out to ensure that no one is denied access to justice, regardless of ability to pay for legal representation.

Sir Oliver Heald

We have made sure that legal aid continues to be available in the most serious cases, for example where people’s life, liberty, or housing is at stake or where their children may be taken into care. The operation of, and expenditure on, the legal aid scheme is continually monitored by the Ministry of Justice and the Legal Aid Agency.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2016-10-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what responsibilities the Government has for delivering services to teenagers and young adults with cancer.

David Mowat

Cancer services for teenagers and young adults are delivered by a network of Principle Treatment Centres and Designated Hospitals, commissioned centrally by NHS England. Services include:

– All cancer chemotherapy and radiotherapy;

– Specialist palliative care services;

– Survivorship;

– Long-term follow up; and

– Specialist therapies and rehabilitation.

Cancer services for teenagers and young adults reflect the unique needs of this age group. The delivery of care is arranged similarly to adult services, but there are important differences including the delivery of care in an age-appropriate environment and multi-disciplinary teams include social workers, youth workers, and activity coordinators.

Services also support teenagers and young adults with the late effects of cancer treatment which particularly affect this age group. Because cancer is a rare condition in this age range, teenage and young adult services work very closely with other agencies to deliver emotional, psychosocial and specialist therapies to support each teenager and young adult to maximise their physical, emotional, cognitive, social and functional potential.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2015-11-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that public opinion is taken into account in its input to the BBC Charter review.

Mr Edward Vaizey

A public consultation which began on Thursday 16 July and closed on 8 October received in excess of 190,000 responses. We are now in the process of analysing these responses.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2016-03-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of (a) the number of people resident in refugee camps in Northern France, (b) the proportion of such people who are unaccompanied children and (c) how many extra reception places for asylum applicants have been created by the French authorities.

James Brokenshire

The management of the migrant camps in Calais, including healthcare provision is the responsibility of the French Government.

The French Government has recently stated that there are approximately 3,700 migrants living in the Calais camp and 1,050 in Dunkirk. The UK Government does not routinely assess the numbers of migrants in northern France or hold a breakdown of the ages of migrants.

The UK has funded a project aimed at identifying and protecting vulnerable people in the Calais migrant camp. The project is being delivered by the French NGO Terre D’Asile.

In addition, France has opened 102 reflection centres away from Calais and Dunkirk to help migrants with their asylum options and the UK is contributing towards the funding of this programme.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2016-04-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people who applied for UK citizenship in the year ending June 2015 (a) applied for exemption from the language requirements and (b) were granted such an exemption.

James Brokenshire

The Secretary of State may waive the Knowledge of Language and Life in the UK requirement for British citizenship on the basis of a person’s age, physical or mental condition.

A person will normally be exempted from this requirement if they provide evidence from an appropriate medical practitioner that their condition is so severe that it prevents them from being able to learn English or prepare for or sit an English test or the Life in the UK test. Each application is considered on its own merits.

Information cannot be obtained from UKVI data systems to show how many exemption requests were made and granted. This information could only be obtained from looking at individual records at disproportionate cost.