Asked by: Louise Ellman (Independent - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has plans for a new direct high speed rail link between Liverpool and High Speed Two; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
Improvements to rail connectivity between Liverpool and Manchester are being considered as part of the Northern Powerhouse Rail project. Options include a direct connection from the HS2 line to Liverpool.
Transport for the North is working closely with partners across the North to develop the strategic outline business case for NPR. This is an important milestone for the Northern Powerhouse Rail programme, and I look forward to receiving their advice in the new year.
Asked by: Louise Ellman (Independent - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether the recent statement he agreed with the President of the European Commission and President of the European Council, that Gibraltar will not be included in the territorial scope of agreement to be concluded between the EU and the UK (a) replaces or (b) amends the provisions of Article 24 of the Article 50 guidelines which provided for the application to Gibraltar of agreement between the EU and the UK after the UK leaves the EU; and will he make a statement.
Answered by Robin Walker
The UK has not agreed that Gibraltar will be excluded from the territorial scope of the future relationship between the EU and the UK. The UK, in a letter to the EU Council, and the Council, in the minutes of the Special November Council, set out their shared interpretation that Article 184 of the Withdrawal Agreement, which concerns the UK and the EU’s future relationship, imposes no obligations regarding the territorial scope of future agreements. The UK also made clear we will only agree a deal on the future which works for the whole UK family and we will negotiate a deal that works for Gibraltar.
The Article 50 Council guidelines are an internal matter for the Council in Article 50 format. Statements or actions by the EU institutions or other member states have no effect on the United Kingdom’s sovereignty over Gibraltar.
On Gibraltar, we have worked constructively with both the EU and the Government of Gibraltar throughout the process of agreeing the Withdrawal Agreement. We have ensured that Gibraltar is covered by both the Withdrawal Agreement and by the Implementation Period. We look forward to taking a similar approach for the future.
Asked by: Louise Ellman (Independent - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to alter the timetable to roll out universal credit in Liverpool; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
The national roll-out of Universal Credit is nearing completion with over 85% of job centres already live, with this process set to fully complete by the end of 2018.
Stopping roll-out would result in confusion for claimants already receiving Universal Credit, and for others who would be trapped for longer in a legacy benefit system consisting of 6 different benefits, each with separate rules, interacting in complicated ways, and creating perverse incentives. Universal Credit replaces these benefits simplifying the system and making work pay. As a result, people claiming Universal Credit move into work faster, stay in work longer and spend more time looking to increase their earnings.
Asked by: Louise Ellman (Independent - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations has he made to his Yemeni counterpart on incitement against members of the Baha'i community in that country; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Alistair Burt
We continue to follow the treatment of the Baha'is in Yemen closely, including through meeting their representatives in the UK and lobbying the relevant authorities. Yemen is a human rights priority country for the UK, and the persecution of individuals on the basis of their religious beliefs is a serious violation of international human rights law. We are concerned by reports of arbitrary detention of members of the Baha'i community, and abuse of detainees, in areas of Yemen under Houthi control. We wholly condemn this mistreatment. We are working closely with our partners to raise these concerns directly with the Houthi authorities and press for the release of detained individuals.
Asked by: Louise Ellman (Independent - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Bahraini counterpart on human rights violations in that country; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The UK and Bahrain enjoy an open dialogue where we are able to discuss a range of issues, including human rights.
During my visit to Bahrain 26-28 October I had a range of bilateral meetings with Bahraini interlocutors and covered many issues, including human rights.
Asked by: Louise Ellman (Independent - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 2 July 2018 to Question 158169 on personal independence payment, what estimate she has made of the average time taken between a submission for an appeal and the resolution of that case; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Sarah Newton
Statistics on the average length of time for Personal Independence Payment appeals to be cleared are provided in Table T.3 of the quarterly bulletin “Tribunals and gender recognition certificate statistics quarterly – April to June 2018” published by the Ministry of Justice. These can be found here:
Asked by: Louise Ellman (Independent - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he plans to publish the names of those businesses with a turnover of more than £36 million who do not comply with Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 in (a) 2018 and (b) 2019; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The Home Office plans to carry out an audit of organisations’ Modern Slavery Statements after 31 March 2019 and intends to publish a list of non-compliant organisations after this date.
Asked by: Louise Ellman (Independent - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the effect of the proposed roll-out of universal credit in Liverpool Riverside constituency on the household finances of claimants of benefits in that constituency; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
When fully rolled out, Universal Credit will support low income families with around £60 billion a year across the whole of Great Britain. In addition, Universal Credit covers up to 85% of childcare costs, up from 70% in the old system.
The Department has made no assessment in Liverpool Riverside specifically. However we continue to evaluate progress as we roll out Universal Credit nationally in a careful and co-ordinated way, reviewing against key measures, to ensure safe and secure delivery.
We know that work is the best route out of poverty, and Universal Credit is designed to strengthen incentives to move into and progress in work. The impact of Universal Credit cannot be considered in isolation– it is a key component of a broader strategy to move Britain to a higher wage, lower welfare, lower tax society.
Asked by: Louise Ellman (Independent - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effect of a requirement for EU students to obtain Study Visas on student numbers in (A) universities and (b) English Language Teaching after the UK has left the EU; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Sam Gyimah
EU students make a powerful contribution to our world-class higher education sector. The government wants that contribution to continue and we are confident – given the quality of our higher education sector – that it will. We are similarly committed to the English language teaching sector and recognise the opportunities and value this brings to institutions in both the UK and abroad.
The government is undertaking a comprehensive and wide-ranging programme of ongoing analysis in support of our EU exit negotiations and preparations. In addition, the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) recently published its report on the impact of international students in the UK, which highlighted the important part that international students play in the UK education sector, the economy and our society. The MAC report will inform our decision-making and we will consider their recommendations carefully before setting out further detail on the UK’s future immigration system; the government plan to publish a white paper on the future immigration system later this year.
In the meantime, to help provide certainty for prospective students and the sector, we have given assurances on student finance for EU students starting courses in 2019/20 academic year or before. We have also reached an agreement with the EU guaranteeing the rights of EU citizens living in the UK and of UK nationals living in the EU. EU citizens living in the UK by 31 December 2020, along with their family members, will be able to stay with the same access to work, study, benefits and public services that they enjoy now.
Asked by: Louise Ellman (Independent - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effect of a requirement for EU students to obtain Study Visas on student numbers in (A) universities and (b) English Language Teaching after the UK has left the EU; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Sam Gyimah
EU students make a powerful contribution to our world-class higher education sector. The government wants that contribution to continue and we are confident – given the quality of our higher education sector – that it will. We are similarly committed to the English language teaching sector and recognise the opportunities and value this brings to institutions in both the UK and abroad.
The government is undertaking a comprehensive and wide-ranging programme of ongoing analysis in support of our EU exit negotiations and preparations. In addition, the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) recently published its report on the impact of international students in the UK, which highlighted the important part that international students play in the UK education sector, the economy and our society. The MAC report will inform our decision-making and we will consider their recommendations carefully before setting out further detail on the UK’s future immigration system; the government plan to publish a white paper on the future immigration system later this year.
In the meantime, to help provide certainty for prospective students and the sector, we have given assurances on student finance for EU students starting courses in 2019/20 academic year or before. We have also reached an agreement with the EU guaranteeing the rights of EU citizens living in the UK and of UK nationals living in the EU. EU citizens living in the UK by 31 December 2020, along with their family members, will be able to stay with the same access to work, study, benefits and public services that they enjoy now.