Tag: Tom Brake

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Sri Lankan government on water pollution from the Chunnakam Oil Plant in the Jaffna Pensinsula.

Alok Sharma

The British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka visited Jaffna in June and raised concerns about water contamination with the local authorities. He received assurances that they were aware of the issue and were addressing it. They also discussed water quality in general and longer term plans for providing water through desalination.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-09-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that its humanitarian response in Mosul does not involve screening procedures for children which separate them from their families.

Rory Stewart

The screening of fighting-age men fleeing from Daesh-controlled areas is conducted by the Government of Iraq as a security measure.

The UK and other major donors to the UN response in Iraq continue to vigorously lobby the Government of Iraq and other authorities to respect International Humanitarian Law during screening operations. We lobby for screening to take place in a transparent manner, under a fully accountable chain of command, and to be monitored independently by the UN and other neutral and impartial humanitarian actors.

On 21 September, the UK announced an extra £40 million of humanitarian funding to Iraq, taking our total commitment to £169.5 million since June 2014. This new support will be targeted specifically to enable a scale up of humanitarian assistance ahead of Mosul operations. An element of this support will aim to help protect civilians displaced as a result of the operations – including children.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his US counterpart on the Russia-US peace process in Syria.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The Foreign Secretary discusses Syria regularly with US Secretary of State John Kerry. They last discussed the situation in Syria and the prospects for resuming a political process on 16 October. The UK and US are both working to achieve a full cessation of hostilities, secure country-wide humanitarian access, and implement a strong monitoring mechanism to create the conditions for a resumption of political talks.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many EU citizens resident in the UK are eligible to apply for permanent residency.

Mr Robert Goodwill

EEA nationals who have exercised a Treaty right in the UK, for a continuous period of 5 years, acquire an EU right to reside here permanently. Exercising a Treaty right in the context means that the EEA national must have been a worker, a self employed person, a self sufficient person or a student.

Once they have fulfilled the relevant criteria, an EEA national automatically acquires this EU right to reside here permanently. They do not need to apply for documentation confirming this right.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if the Government will publish online near real time information collected from radars showing the flight paths of Russian and Syrian fighter jets in Syrian airspace.

Mike Penning

I am withholding the information as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

However, Russia appears to be partnering with the Syrian regime in the attacks on Aleppo which are causing large numbers of civilian casualties. Indiscriminate attacks which fail to distinguish between civilians and legitimate military targets would be a violation of International Humanitarian Law and we welcome the UN’s recent decision to establish an Internal Board of Inquiry into the attack on a UN aid convoy on 19 September.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2015-10-30.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission on transferring to that Commission responsibility for the maintenance of military graves currently maintained by his Department.

Mark Lancaster

Discussions between Ministry Of Defence (MOD) and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) are continuing regarding the transfer of maintenance responsibility for the graves of military personnel buried in the UK since 1948.

Annual costs for the maintenance of each grave for which MOD is responsible are estimated to be between £65 and £205 depending on the location and condition of the grave. The MOD’s annual grant to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission in respect of the graves they maintain is in excess of £47 million.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2015-12-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure there are enough neonatal nurses who have completed accredited training in specialised neonatal care to enable neonatal units to meet marker of good practice 2.2.3 in the Toolkit for High Quality Neonatal Services, published by the NHS and his Department in October 2009.

Ben Gummer

A key standard set out within NHS England’s service specification for specialised neonatal critical care is that hospitals trusts who do not meet the staffing levels recommended by the British Association of Perinatal Medicine, must be working towards an agreed plan with their respective Regional Specialised Commissioning Teams to meet and maintain the nurse staffing levels in line with the Department’s Toolkit for High Quality Neonatal Services.

The increasing demand for neonatal care has resulted in additional challenges for some trusts in meeting the recommended nurse to patient ratios. However, 71 (54%) of the 131 neonatal critical care services now meet required staffing ratios and NHS England Regional Specialised Services Commissioning Teams continue to work with their respective hospital trusts to improve this situation.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-01-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, in what circumstances his Department can terminate the (a) Southern, (b) Thameslink and (c) GTR contracts early.

Claire Perry

Whilst Southern and Thameslink are used as operating names by the franchisee, they are in fact part of the GTR franchise, which operates the Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern (TSGN) Franchise.

Schedule 10.2 of the TSGN Franchise Agreement (https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/488198/tsgn-franchise-agreement.pdf p.506) specifies how this franchise can be terminated by the Department.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-02-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential effect of a UK withdrawal from the EU on cultural, sporting and media initiatives within the UK currently supported by the EU.

Mr Edward Vaizey

As the Prime Minister said in his statement to the House on Monday, the Government’s view is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-02-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential effect on the number of people employed as IT professionals who are from non-EU countries of the salary threshold increase for Tier 2 visa applications to £35,000.

James Brokenshire

The Government announced in 2012 that from 6 April 2016 Tier 2 visa holders who apply for settlement in the UK will be required to meet a minimum annual salary requirement of £35,000. PhD level roles and those in recognised shortage will be exempt from the £35,000 threshold.

Data of the number of people employed in specific regions of the United Kingdom is not available. The Home Office holds individual records showing the working location of Tier 2 (General) migrants, but centralised records show the registered address of the Tier 2 Sponsor, which is normally that organisation’s Head Office.

The Home Office published a full impact assessment on the changes to Tier 2 settlement rules when they were laid before Parliament on 15 March 2012. This includes the impact on the top ten occupations and is available on the gov.uk website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/117957/impact-assessment-tier2.pdf