Asked by: Allan Dorans (Scottish National Party - Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reasons MV Topaz Tanaroa was purchased for conversion to a Multi-Role Ocean Surveillance ship.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 25 January 2023 to Question number 128622 to the hon. Member for Gateshead (Ian Mearns).
Asked by: Allan Dorans (Scottish National Party - Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what progress the Government has made on negotiations to restore the ability of UK citizens to apply for an E- Visa to visit India as a tourist.
Answered by Jesse Norman
We regularly raise our concerns regarding our exclusion from the list of countries eligible for e-visas with the Government of India (GoI). The Prime Minister, whilst Foreign Secretary, raised this matter with the Indian External Affairs Minister during her visit to India in March. We continue to work closely with the GoI on this issue, while respecting it is for them to determine the types and validity of the visas it offers. British nationals can continue to use the GoI's regular/paper visa application services for all visa categories. We will update India Travel Advice with the latest information if there are any changes in India's visa rules.
Asked by: Allan Dorans (Scottish National Party - Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 21 September 2022 to Questions 47651 on Refugees: Ukraine, whether he plans to provide a substantive Answer to that Question.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Ukraine Family Scheme was set up to act as a light touch, temporary alternative to the existing family migration routes which existed before the Ukraine conflict
The UK-based family member is expected to provide support and accommodation for those coming to join them under the Family Scheme. We are aware however that in some cases, living arrangements for those on this scheme have not been able to be maintained
We have been engaging with stakeholders in local government, the devolved administrations, and the voluntary and community sector in order to inform the consideration of our options for the Ukraine visa schemes.
Asked by: Allan Dorans (Scottish National Party - Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help increase the facilitation of digital technology for formal age or other identification purposes.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
DCMS is working to enable the development of a secure and trusted digital identity marketplace in the UK so that people can more easily and safely prove their identity and eligibility for goods and services, and businesses can save time and money by using digital technologies with confidence in their identity verification processes. The latest prototype (beta version) of the UK digital identity and attributes trust framework is published on GOV.UK.
As of 6 April 2022 ID checks required as part of pre-employment, right to work, right to rent and criminal record checking processes have been enabled to be carried out digitally by identity providers certified against the UK digital identity and attributes trust framework. We have no plans to make digital identities compulsory.
Asked by: Allan Dorans (Scottish National Party - Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what progress his Department has made on enabling Ukrainian families to transfer from the Ukrainian Family Scheme to the Homes for Ukraine scheme since the engagement exercise with devolved Administrations, local authorities and third parties in August 2022.
Answered by Paul Scully
We continually review our immigration policy and schemes to ensure they deliver the intended aims.
Asked by: Allan Dorans (Scottish National Party - Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent progress she has made in discussions with the Chinese Government on the resumption of direct scheduled flights from the UK to China following the unilateral ban imposed by China in 2021.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The UK Government understands the impact that the ongoing suspension of direct flights has had on the business, academia and tourism sectors, as well as those separated from family and friends. The Department for Transport and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office have been working together to seek agreement from the Chinese Government for the necessary conditions to be met to provide for the resumption of direct scheduled passenger services. We continue to raise this in Beijing and London at the highest levels.
Asked by: Allan Dorans (Scottish National Party - Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of equalising the payments being made to families in the UK assisting Ukrainians arriving under the Family Reunion Scheme with the payments being made to those accepting refugees under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme.
Answered by Simon Clarke
This government cares deeply about helping those fleeing the conflict in Ukraine. This is why we have announced two visa schemes which both support the integration of Ukrainian refugees by providing them with full access to social services and welfare in the UK for up to three years.
The Ukraine Family Scheme is similar to existing family visa routes, and provision of public services from this route will be managed in the usual way. The UK-based family member is expected to provide support and accommodation for those coming to join them, who in turn benefit from the wider integration advantages in joining an existing family network.
Homes for Ukraine on the other hand is a unique scheme that has been set up specifically to support those escaping the conflict in Ukraine who are not able to rely on family support. The government is providing additional funding to local authorities which includes resource to enable them to carry out sponsorship-specific functions such as safeguarding checks and property checks, administering payments, as well as providing support such as English language training to help their integration into communities.
Asked by: Allan Dorans (Scottish National Party - Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government is taking to regulate the cost of (a) domestic and (b) non-domestic heating oil.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
It is essential that consumers of heating oil get a fair deal. There is an open market for the supply of both domestic and non-domestic heating oil in the UK. This provides the best long-term guarantee of competitive prices.
Asked by: Allan Dorans (Scottish National Party - Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, for what reason domestic feed-in tariffs are not issued on a variable rather than yearly basis to better reflect the variability of the electricity market.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave my Hon. Friend the Member for Stockton South on 28 February 2022 to Question 125580.
Asked by: Allan Dorans (Scottish National Party - Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to ensure Ofgem domestic feed-in tariff rates accurately reflect energy market pricing for those who generate energy.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave my Hon. Friend the Member for Stockton South on 28 February 2022 to Question 125580.