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1126818

registered interest
date	15/05/2019
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum: Humanism
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans he has to improve his Department's ability to assess asylum applications made on the grounds of humanist beliefs.
tabling member constituency	Bury South
tabling member printed	Mr Ivan Lewis
uin	254746
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2019 answer text <p>The Home Office has been working closely with the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for International Freedom of Religion or Belief and the Asylum Advocacy Group (AAG) for many years, to help improve their approach to religious based claims and have recently worked with them recently to develop and produce a specialist training package.</p><p>The Asylum Learning and Development Team started to deliver the specialist training package on religious claims on Monday 8 April 2019, which will be mandatory for all asylum decision-makers.</p><p>The aim of this course is to ensure that where religion or belief is raised in an asylum claim, decision makers appropriately consider all the available evidence in accordance International, European &amp; Domestic law and Home Office policy, when interviewing asylum seekers and making decisions on their claims.</p><p>In order to alleviate any concerns about the way in which vulnerable claims are dealt with, a review has been commissioned to investigate the way claims based on religious grounds and LGBT+ are assessed. The aim and approach of the Review will be to ensure that empathy and religious literacy is considered by Decision Makers when assessing these highly complex claims, acknowledging the impact of their decision whilst ensuring appropriate rigour is applied as these routes can be open to fraudulent claims.</p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes grouped question UIN 254745 254747 question first answered 22/05/2019 13:03:17 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
tabling member	441 label Biography information for Mr Ivan Lewis

1126819

registered interest
date	15/05/2019
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum: Religion
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what training is provided to all asylum decision-makers on how to assess religious and belief-based persecution claims.
tabling member constituency	Bury South
tabling member printed	Mr Ivan Lewis
uin	254747
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2019 answer text <p>The Home Office has been working closely with the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for International Freedom of Religion or Belief and the Asylum Advocacy Group (AAG) for many years, to help improve their approach to religious based claims and have recently worked with them recently to develop and produce a specialist training package.</p><p>The Asylum Learning and Development Team started to deliver the specialist training package on religious claims on Monday 8 April 2019, which will be mandatory for all asylum decision-makers.</p><p>The aim of this course is to ensure that where religion or belief is raised in an asylum claim, decision makers appropriately consider all the available evidence in accordance International, European &amp; Domestic law and Home Office policy, when interviewing asylum seekers and making decisions on their claims.</p><p>In order to alleviate any concerns about the way in which vulnerable claims are dealt with, a review has been commissioned to investigate the way claims based on religious grounds and LGBT+ are assessed. The aim and approach of the Review will be to ensure that empathy and religious literacy is considered by Decision Makers when assessing these highly complex claims, acknowledging the impact of their decision whilst ensuring appropriate rigour is applied as these routes can be open to fraudulent claims.</p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes grouped question UIN 254745 254746 question first answered 22/05/2019 13:03:17 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
tabling member	441 label Biography information for Mr Ivan Lewis

1126820

registered interest
date	15/05/2019
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Overseas Students: English Language
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 13 May 2019 to Question 249833, how many students who have taken the TOEIC English language test since 2016 sat the exam in the UK.
tabling member constituency	Leicester East
tabling member printed	Keith Vaz
uin	254741
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2019 answer text <p>I refer the Honourable Member to my previous answer. ETS were removed from the list of approved test providers for immigration purposes on 1 July 2014. TOEIC has not been accepted for immigration purposes since that date.</p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes question first answered 22/05/2019 13:04:25 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
tabling member	338 label Biography information for Keith Vaz

1126826

registered interest
date	15/05/2019
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Arts: Secondary Education
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to promote arts and creative subject provision in secondary schools.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Hall Green
tabling member printed	Mr Roger Godsiff
uin	254735
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2019 answer text <p>All state-maintained secondary schools must teach art and design and music to pupils at Key Stage 3 (pupils aged 11 – 14). Drama is taught as part of the English curriculum and dance is included in PE &amp; sport. At Key Stage 4 (pupils aged 14 – 16), there is a statutory entitlement for every pupil to take an arts subject, if they wish to do so. Academies must teach a broad and balanced curriculum.</p><p> </p><p>Ofsted’s new education inspection framework, which comes into effect in September, has a strong emphasis on ensuring schools provide a broad and balanced curriculum for all their pupils.</p><p> </p><p>Between 2016-20 we are spending almost £500 million on a range of arts and cultural education programmes.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 21/05/2019 16:42:39 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	304 label Biography information for Mr Roger Godsiff

1126831

registered interest
date	15/05/2019
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Dstl: Animal Experiments
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many marmosets at DSTL Porton Down were culled on the grounds they were deemed to be (a) surplus animals and (b) unsuccessful breeding animals in each of the last 3 years.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
uin	254793
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2019 answer text <p>The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) at Porton Down, Wiltshire, is licensed by the Home Office to conduct the Ministry of Defence's (MOD) in-house research involving the use of animals.</p><p>There are occasions when it is necessary to euthanise an animal for its own welfare or for the welfare of the remaining breeding population. Veterinary surgeons provide extensive advice on the welfare of the animals and on the overall health of the breeding colony.</p><p>For 2016, 2017 and 2018, no surplus marmosets were euthanised. Due to unsuccessful breeding, no marmosets were euthanised in 2016; for 2017, one breeding marmoset was euthanised, and for 2018, three breeding marmosets were euthanised on veterinary advice that it would not be good for the animal's welfare and/or may risk the animal's health to carry on breeding.</p><p>Dstl always considers what will be in the best interests for every animal's welfare and follows the Home Office's Animal in Science Regulation Unit's advice on rehoming and setting free, which is available to view on gov.uk.</p> answering member constituency Pudsey answering member printed Stuart Andrew question first answered 22/05/2019 15:06:07 answering member 4032 label Biography information for Stuart Andrew
tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas

1126838

registered interest
date	15/05/2019
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Asthma: Prescriptions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to respond to Asthma UK's stop unfair prescription charges campaign.
tabling member constituency	York Outer
tabling member printed	Julian Sturdy
uin	254816
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2019 answer text <p>The Department is aware of Asthma UK’s campaign in relation to prescription charges. The Department does not have plans to review the current system. Extensive arrangements are already in place to help people afford National Health Service prescriptions. These include a broad range of NHS prescription charge exemptions, for which someone with asthma may qualify.</p><p>To support those with greatest need who do not qualify for an exemption, cost of the prescription pre-payment certificates were frozen for another year. A holder of a 12-month certificate can get all the prescriptions they need for just £2 per week.</p> answering member constituency South Ribble answering member printed Seema Kennedy question first answered 22/05/2019 10:42:14 answering member 4455 label Biography information for Seema Kennedy
tabling member	4079 label Biography information for Julian Sturdy

1126839

registered interest
date	15/05/2019
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Asthma: Prescriptions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the current prescription charging regime on access to medication for asthma patients.
tabling member constituency	York Outer
tabling member printed	Julian Sturdy
uin	254817
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2019 answer text <p>The Department has made no such assessment. Extensive arrangements are already in place to help people access National Health Service prescriptions. These include a broad range of NHS prescription charge exemptions, for which someone with asthma may qualify.</p><p>To support those with greatest need who do not qualify for an exemption, cost of the prescription pre-payment certificates were frozen for another year. A holder of a 12-month certificate can get all the prescriptions they need for just £2 per week.</p> answering member constituency South Ribble answering member printed Seema Kennedy question first answered 22/05/2019 10:40:18 answering member 4455 label Biography information for Seema Kennedy
tabling member	4079 label Biography information for Julian Sturdy

1126843

registered interest
date	15/05/2019
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Dartford-Thurrock Crossing: Tolls
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the number of unofficial Dartcharge websites.
tabling member constituency	Dartford
tabling member printed	Gareth Johnson
uin	254797
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/05/2019 answer text <p>Dart Charge estimates that there are at least nine unofficial web sites in operation. This is subject to change as websites are added, removed, changed or temporarily unavailable.</p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman question first answered 23/05/2019 10:47:19 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
tabling member	3970 label Biography information for Gareth Johnson

1126850

registered interest
date	15/05/2019
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Sick Leave
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many and what proportion of officials in his Department took sick leave for reasons relating to stress in the last 12 months; what proportion that leave was of total sick leave taken in his Department; and what the cost was to his Department of officials taking sick leave over that period.
tabling member constituency	Carshalton and Wallington
tabling member printed	Tom Brake
uin	254713
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/05/2019 answer text <p>Based on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) human resources management system, 41 FCO UK-based staff took sick leave related to stress in 2018. This does not include staff who were absent but no sick leave reason is recorded against them. This accounts for 0.85 per cent of FCO UK-based staff using our headcount figure as of 31 December 2018 (4,839). Sick leave for reasons related to stress in 2018 accounted for 10.5 per cent of total recorded sick days, and equated to 0.3 Average Working Days Lost per person. The cost to the paybill of all sick leave taken by FCO UK-based staff in 2018 was £3,386,787. Of this, the cost of sick leave taken for stress-related reasons was £355,898.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Rutland and Melton answering member printed Sir Alan Duncan question first answered 23/05/2019 15:51:37 answering member 343 label Biography information for Sir Alan Duncan
tabling member	151 label Biography information for Tom Brake

1126854

registered interest
date	15/05/2019
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Personal Independence Payment: Medical Examinations
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has set targets for the performance of personal independence payment assessors.
tabling member constituency	Stroud
tabling member printed	Dr David Drew
uin	254723
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/05/2019 answer text <p>I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided by my predecessor to Written Question 182085.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 23/05/2019 16:48:35 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	252 label Biography information for Dr David Drew