Tag: Tulip Siddiq

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-07-07.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what funding was allocated to each of his Department’s sub-divisions in each year since 2009-10; and what forecasts of allocations have been made for future years.

Harriett Baldwin

The funding for each of Treasury’s sub divisions since 2009-10 can be found on the Main Estimates at www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-main-estimates.

The Treasury does not usually set detailed budgets more than a year ahead but have provided the Office for Budget Responsibility with a funding commitment for the period to 2020-21. This can be found at www.budgetresponsibility.org.uk/topics/governance-and-reporting/#letters.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-10-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an assessment of the implications for its policies of the recommendations of the Extra Costs Commission, initiated by the disability charity Scope in July 2014.

Sarah Newton

The Home Office has noted the findings of the Extra Costs Commission and officials will consider them in the course of policy development in the months and years ahead.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2015-12-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what amount of National Insurance contributions (a) FTSE100 companies, (b) businesses qualifying for Small Employer’s Relief and (c) other companies claimed from HM Revenue and Customs to pay for statutory maternity pay for their employers for the (i) first six weeks of their employees’ leave and (ii) subsequent 33 such weeks.

Priti Patel

DWP data on the amount of National Insurance Contributions claimed by employers to pay for Statutory Maternity Pay comes from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

The information is not available in the exact breakdowns requested as:

• HMRC do not hold information on the amount of National Insurance contributions claimed for SMP from (a) FTSE100 companies; and
• DWP are unable to provide an estimate of SMP recoveries by employer size and duration of employees’ leave. This information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2015-12-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many people took up ESOL Plus Mandation courses in each year such courses were available.

Nick Boles

An estimated 5,060 people in 13/14 and 20,530 in 14/15 were mandated to ESOL under the English Language Requirement policy.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-01-05.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many claimants of working tax credit (WTC) had an in-year change of circumstances to their income which required a change to their WTC entitlement in each year since 2009-10; how many such claimants’ entitlements (a) reduced and (b) increased; and what the net change in receipts to the Exchequer was as a result of these adjustments in that period.

Damian Hinds

The information requested could only be provided at a disproportionate cost.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-01-06.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many courts cases HM Revenue and Customs has initiated for tax abuse under the General Anti-Abuse Rule since its introduction; and how many people or companies found to have committed tax abuse under this Rule have been charged penalties.

Mr David Gauke

The General Anti-Abuse Rule (GAAR) was introduced in July 2013, and only applies to abusive tax arrangements entered into from this date.

This means that it will first apply to income tax returns for the tax year ending 5 April 2014, which must have been filed with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) by 31 January 2015. For corporation tax, returns are based on a company’s accounting period so, for example, returns for accounting periods ending 30 September 2013 have to be submitted to HMRC by the end of September 2014.

For cases to be tackled by the GAAR, HMRC must first enquire into tax returns once they are received, and gather all relevant facts. It is therefore early in the process of litigation action for cases to be tackled by the GAAR.

Nonetheless, the Government is committed to continually deterring the persistent minority from engaging in tax avoidance. As announced at Autumn Statement 2015, a penalty of 60% of the tax due for all cases tackled by the GAAR will be introduced in Finance Bill 2016.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-01-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 21 September 2015 to Question HC 1906, on Asylum, what recent progress has been made on resuming the Detained Fast Track system.

James Brokenshire

In line with my statement on 2 July 2015, Detained Fast Track will only be resumed once the right structures are in place to minimise any risk of unfairness.

A review of the policy and process has been conducted, informed by the recommendations in Stephen Shaw’s report into the welfare of vulnerable people in detention, which was published on 14 January 2016.

A statement will be made before we resume the operation of the Detained Fast Track.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-02-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what (a) funding and (b) personnel support was provided by her Department to the European Asylum Support Office in each year since 2009-10; how many (i) missions and (ii) expert days the UK provided for that office in each such year; and what her plans are for (A) funding, (B) personnel support, (C) missions and (D) expert days provided in 2015-16.

James Brokenshire

The European Asylum Support Office (EASO) is funded directly by the EU budget.

The first EASO operating plan to support the reconstruction of the Greek asylum system was signed on 1 April 2011. Support from Member States to support missions commenced after this date. We do not hold a precise record of personnel support provided to EASO from this period but in the last three years EASO advises that the UK has contributed over 1,000 expert working days in deployments to Greece, Italy, Bulgaria and Cyprus.

During the current financial year the UK has provided EASO with 11 asylum experts and an interpreter in over 16 separate deployments. This includes one UK expert on long term deployment to Greece to assist Greek authorities with European funding matters and an expert to support the Italian country of origin information unit for six months followed by one week a month until March 2016.

So far we have provided EASO with four experts to assist with their coordination and operation of ‘hotspots’ in Greece and Italy. These measures are due to continue until the end of 2017 and we envisage that we will continue to contribute for this duration. On 28th January the Government announced further initiatives to assist unaccompanied children in the region which include further resources to EASO to help identify and register children at risk on first arrival in the EU in “hotspots” such as Greece and Italy. We are working closely with EASO to monitor the situation and provide expertise as necessary.

Deployment lengths vary according the task but typically personnel providing support to a hotspot mission will be released for a month’s duration.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-02-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many refugee applications from migrants living in the Sovereign Base Areas started before 1 December 2008 had not been determined on 8 August 2014; how many such applications were determined as failed following the enactment of the Refugees (Amendment) Ordinance 2014; and how many migrants have been removed from the Sovereign Base Areas as a consequence of the enactment of that ordinance.

Penny Mordaunt

Thirty-eight refugee applications from migrants living in the Sovereign Base Areas before 1 December 2008 had been open but not determined on 8 August 2014. Delays in processing asylum applications were due to the migrants refusing to co-operate with case workers handling their claims. In 2003, an MOU was agreed with the Republic of Cyprus on the handling of illegal migrants in the Sovereign Base Areas. Under the terms of that agreement, all applications for asylum from migrants present in the Sovereign Base Areas at that time were considered by the Republic on behalf of the Sovereign Base Areas Administration by specialist staff of the Republic of Cyprus Asylum Service.

The 38 migrants were informed they were failed asylum seekers following their prolonged unwillingness to engage with Republic of Cyprus asylum case workers. The intent of the Refugees (Amendment) Ordinance 2014 was to regularise the residency status of failed asylum seekers residing in the Sovereign Base Areas, so as to grant them temporary residence until they could be returned to their country of origin or a third country. No persons amongst this group have yet been removed from the Sovereign Base Areas as a consequence of this ordinance. They remain liable for return.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-02-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, on how many occasions in each year since 2009-10 he has directed that a planning application appeal which would otherwise be determined by a person appointed by the Secretary of State will instead be determined by the Secretary of State, using his powers under Schedule 6, Paragraph 3 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

Brandon Lewis

The attached table shows the number of S78 planning appeals that have been recovered over the last decade.