Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the Written Statement of 22 February 2024 on UK withdrawal from the Energy Charter Treaty, HCWS279, what her planned timetable is for withdrawal from the Energy Charter Treaty.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
The UK has initiated the process to withdraw from the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) and will provide notification to the ECT depository in Portugal as soon as possible.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps her Department has taken to raise awareness of carer's leave amongst employers.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department for Business and Trade has carried out a range of activities to raise awareness of Carer’s Leave with employers. This includes producing associated guidance, which is available through GOV.UK (https://www.gov.uk/carers-leave), and working closely with a range of stakeholders, including Carers UK and the Business Representative Organisations, to communicate the changes directly to employers, for example through newsletters and webinars. The Department is also promoting Carers Leave through the ‘Help to Grow’ website (https://helptogrow.campaign.gov.uk/new-changes-to-employment-law/).
Acas has also produced guidance (https://www.acas.org.uk/carers-leave).
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an estimate with Cabinet colleagues of the number of Afghans in Pakistan who are eligible for reunification with family members resident in the UK under the (a) Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy and (b) Afghan citizens resettlement scheme.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The Government remains committed to providing protection for vulnerable and at-risk people fleeing Afghanistan. This includes eligible immediate family members of those being resettled under both the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) and the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS).
Public data on the number of Afghans in Pakistan who are eligible to join family members already resettled under both the ARAP and ACRS is unavailable. However; the latest published statistics, summarised at Afghan Resettlement Programme: operational data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk), show that, at the end of December 2023, 14,423 people have been relocated to the UK under the ARAP so far, and a further 10,520 have been relocated under ACRS.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will take steps to ensure that information on how to challenge decisions is available through the Child Maintenance Service portal.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Significant improvements have been made to the online service ‘My Child Maintenance Case’ allowing Child Maintenance Service customers to digitally report a large range of changes that impact their case.
If a customer believes the Child Maintenance Service have made the wrong decision about how much child maintenance must be paid or received, they can ask the Child Maintenance Service to look at the decision again under their mandatory reconsideration process.
Information on how to request a mandatory reconsideration is included within any decision notification. Further information is also available on gov.uk. Child Maintenance Service: What child maintenance is - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) & Challenge a benefit decision (mandatory reconsideration): Eligibility - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
A dispute or a mandatory reconsideration cannot currently be reported online. However, following a decision being made, if a parent raises a linked change via My Child Maintenance Case within 32 days of the original decision, this will automatically be considered as a mandatory reconsideration request. For example, a parent raises a shared care change on My Child Maintenance Case within 32 days of a shared care decision being made, the Child Maintenance Service will look at the original decision under a mandatory reconsideration.
Plans are in place to improve the information provided to child maintenance customers. This will provide a clear digital route to guide customers on how to challenge a decision through My Child Maintenance Case. These changes are being looked at in 2024/25.