Asked by: Geoffrey Cox (Conservative - Torridge and West Devon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of funding the construction of defibrillator networks from the NHS central budget.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
No specific assessment has been made. However, in partnership with The British Heart Foundation, the Resuscitation Council UK and the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives, NHS England and NHS Improvement have developed ‘The Circuit’; a database to register defibrillators in the United Kingdom. This will assist ambulance services to identify the nearest defibrillator at the time of an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
Asked by: Geoffrey Cox (Conservative - Torridge and West Devon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the cost of building the Government's planned national network of defibrillators; and what proportion of that cost his Department will cover.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
No estimate has been made as the Government has not funded the network. We have encouraged communities and organisations in England to consider purchasing a defibrillator as part of first aid equipment, particularly in locations where there are high concentrations of people. Many community defibrillators have since been provided in public locations through national lottery funding, community fundraising schemes, workplace funding or by charities.
Asked by: Geoffrey Cox (Conservative - Torridge and West Devon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to simplify the online visa application process; what recent assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the format of that process; and if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of making that process available in (a) Ukrainian and (b) other languages.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The Home Office is continually making efforts to simplify the application process for Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion, and keeps this under regular review.
As a result of this continuing review, the webpage for the Ukrainian Family scheme and the factsheet for Ukrainians looking to apply for the Homes for Ukraine Scheme are available in English, Russian and Ukrainian.
Asked by: Geoffrey Cox (Conservative - Torridge and West Devon)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the average time taken is for registrations of land by the land registry in each of the last three years; and what recent assessment he has made of adequacy of the efficiency of the land registry.
Answered by Paul Scully
HM Land Registry (HMLR) processed over 135,000 information service requests or applications to change the Land Register every day in 2021/22.
Approximately 88% were information service requests. Over 90% of these were delivered instantly via digital services, with the remainder delivered within three days. Applications to change the Register make up the other 12% of requests and vary widely in type and complexity.
Both customer demand and HMLR’s overall output is higher than three years ago. At the same time, HMLR has focused a greater proportion of its resource on the less frequent, but more complex applications that it best supports the needs of all customers. As a result, and while precise comparisons with three years ago are not straightforward due to differences in processes for customers and categorisation of case type, this rebalancing has increased the average waiting time for all cases, despite the increase in overall output. Over the last quarter, the average time to process changes for all cases was 7 weeks compared to 4 weeks during the same period last year. The time taken to process an application to change the Register should not impact a property sale because it takes place after a transaction has completed. However, if a delay might have a negative impact on future transactions, customers can request for any change to be fast tracked for no extra cost. HMLR is currently processing up to an average 950 of these applications each day (up from around 550 in April 2021). It has maintained a 95% rate of completion within 10 working days across all fast tracked applications.
HMLR is making significant investment in long-term transformation. In the next three years it will have automated most applications to amend the Register and re-focused its expert caseworkers onto processing the most complex applications. It will also have started to improve the quality and accessibility of geospatial data to realise its vision of a fully informed property market that supports the wider economy.
Asked by: Geoffrey Cox (Conservative - Torridge and West Devon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to ensure that the DVLA (a) clears the backlog of driving licence applications and (b) expedites the time taken for applicants to receive their renewed licences.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The quickest and easiest way to apply for a driving licence is by using the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s online service. There are no delays in successful online applications and customers should receive their licence within a few days.
However, many people still choose or have to make a paper application and the DVLA receives around 60,000 items of mail every day. The Government understands the impact that delays in processing paper applications can have on the daily lives of individuals and the DVLA is working hard to reduce waiting times. The DVLA has introduced additional online services, recruited more staff, increased overtime working and has opened new customer service centres in Swansea and Birmingham to reduce backlogs and provide future resilience. These measures are having a positive impact.
The backlog of vehicle paper applications has already been eliminated. Straightforward vocational driving licence applications and renewals are being processed within five working days with no backlog. The DVLA is on track to return to normal turnaround times on all paper driving licence applications by the end of May. Most straightforward paper driving licence applications are now being processed in around five weeks. Information on processing times for key DVLA workstreams is published online here.
The more complex driving licence applications where the customer has a medical condition(s) that must be investigated will take longer to recover. This area was targeted for industrial action by the Public and Commercial Services union last year and also DVLA cases were deprioritised by the NHS at a number of points during the pandemic. The large majority of applicants renewing an existing licence will be able to continue driving while their application is being processed, providing the driver can meet specific criteria. More information can be found online here.
Asked by: Geoffrey Cox (Conservative - Torridge and West Devon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her Department's policy is on ensuring that those who assisted UK efforts in Afghanistan are referred to the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme; and what assessment she has made of the potential merits of expanding the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy to include applicants who were not directly employed by UK armed forces.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) commenced on 6th January. The ACRS will provide up to 20,000 women, children and others at risk with a safe and legal route to resettle in the UK. This includes those who supported the UK and international community effort in Afghanistan, as well as those who are particularly vulnerable, such as women and girls at risk and members of minority groups.
The first to be resettled under the new ACRS will be some of those already evacuated and in the UK. They include women’s rights activists, journalists, and prosecutors, as well as the Afghan families of British Nationals. From Spring, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) will refer refugees to the scheme, based on assessments of protection need.
In Year One, we will also resettle individuals who supported the UK and international community effort in Afghanistan, including those British Council and GardaWorld contractors and Chevening alumni who are most at risk. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office will be in touch with those eligible to support them through the next steps.
There will not be an application process for the ACRS. More detail on the three referral pathways can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/afghan-citizens-resettlement-scheme.
The Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy was expanded in December 2021 to accommodate individuals not directly employed by UK armed forces.
Asked by: Geoffrey Cox (Conservative - Torridge and West Devon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that British citizens in Russia and Ukraine are able to make contact with UK authorities; and what assistance is being provided to British citizens in Russia and Ukraine who wish to leave those countries.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
British nationals still in Ukraine are encouraged to register their presence with the FCDO on the GOV.UK website so we can provide them with the latest information. We advise British nationals to leave Ukraine immediately if you judge it is safe to do so, and those who require consular assistance can call our 24 hour helpline or send any enquiries via the web contact form. Full, in person consular assistance is available in neighbouring countries. The 'Returning to the UK' section of our travel advice for Ukraine lists the main border crossing points for Poland, Hungary and Slovakia.
All British nationals should continue to read and follow FCDO Travel Advice. If they are in Russia and their presence is not essential, we strongly advise them to consider leaving by remaining commercial routes, checking the latest information with the airline or travel provider. British nationals in need of consular assistance should call the British Embassy in Moscow, via the number on the GOV.UK website, and then select the option for consular assistance. Phone lines are answered 24 hours a day. There is also our returning to the UK page, for information on exiting Russia and onward travel to the UK, including information about leaving via the Baltic States using bus services to leave Russia.
Asked by: Geoffrey Cox (Conservative - Torridge and West Devon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure (a) that EU Settled Status applications are efficiently processed and (b) that applicants are able to contact UKVI in an effective and timely manner.
Answered by Kevin Foster
We are committed to ensuring our operational teams have the resources they need to run an efficient and effective system, and we actively monitor workflows to ensure sufficient resources are in place to meet demand.
Our aim is to process all applications to the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) as quickly as possible, yet each individual case is considered on its own facts. Cases may take longer dependent on the circumstances of the case, for example, if the applicant is facing an impending prosecution or has a criminal record.
The following link details the expected processing times for EU Settlement Scheme applications:
Anyone awaiting the outcome of their in-time application to the EUSS can evidence their rights with their Certificate of Application which is issued as soon as possible after a valid application is received
Applicants can contact UKVI by calling our Settlement Resolution Centre (SRC) which is open 7 days a week. Customers can also contact us using an on-line enquiry form.
Further information can also be found at www.gov.uk/help-eu-settlement-scheme
Asked by: Geoffrey Cox (Conservative - Torridge and West Devon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what financial support his Department has provided for the purchase of defibrillators for installation in public places in the last five years; what recent assessment he has made of the need to install community defibrillators in public places; and what steps he is taking to support the installation of more defibrillators in public places.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
In 2015/16, we provided £2 million to increase the availability of Automated External Defibrillators and the number of people trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Since then, we have encouraged communities and organisations across England to consider purchasing a defibrillator as part of first-aid equipment, particularly in locations where there are high concentrations of people. Many community defibrillators have since been provided through national lottery funding, community fundraising schemes, workplace funding or by charities
No recent assessment has been made of the need to install community defibrillators in public places. The NHS Long Term Plan has a programme funded in 2022/23 which includes national projects to improve bystander response in relation to out of hospital cardiac arrests.
Asked by: Geoffrey Cox (Conservative - Torridge and West Devon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government has taken to provide refuge for Afghan women judges who are eligible for the Afghan Citizens' Resettlement Scheme; and when that scheme will open.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
We are working across government and with partners such as UNHCR to design the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS), amidst a complex and changing picture. We are committed to working in step with the international community to get this right, and we will set out more details soon.
The first to be resettled through the ACRS will be some of those who arrived in the UK under the evacuation programme, which included individuals who were considered to be at particular risk.
Eligible people will be prioritised and referred for resettlement to the UK as set out in the policy statement published on gov.uk on 13 September, available at www.gov.uk/government/publications/afghanistan-resettlement-and-immigration-policy-statement