Mark Lazarowicz

We expect both public and private sector service providers to comply with their duty to make reasonable adjustments for deaf people, but responsibility for enforcing this in particular cases is a matter for individuals themselves who may ultimately take their case to a court or tribunal; and the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

The Commission is responsible for monitoring and enforcing the equality duty in England and non-devolved bodies in Scotland and Wales. The range of enforcement tools set out for the Commission under the Equality Act 2006 also apply to the equality duty, these include: compliance notices, judicial review, assessments under section 31 of the Act, statutory agreements with employers or service providers, and interventions in legal cases.

The Commission publishes guidance on the public sector equality duty and its broader technical guidance provides an authoritative and comprehensive guide to the detail of the law for anyone who needs to understand the law in depth, or apply it in practice.

The Government is supporting the provision of Video Relay Services and the eAccessibility Forum. We are also looking at improving the accessibility of Government communications for deaf customers and participating in the Accessible Britain Challenge initiative, which aims to motivate communities, including local service providers, businesses, employers, community, voluntary and disabled people’s group to do more to be inclusive and accessible for disabled people.

In 2013/14 €116,760.90 of funding was provided by the European Commission for research projects relating to bees.

The UK has provided £1 million to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to deliver food, safe water, clothes, shelter material and other basic necessities to those people displaced following attacks by Boko Haram.

A further £1 million of UK funding is committed to the Nigerian Government’s “Safe Schools Initiative” to help protect children at school in North East Nigeria and provide schooling to children displaced by the violence. The UK has also contributed £1.7 million to the UN’s and EU’s relief efforts.

DFID has a number of large education programmes across northern Nigeria, the risks to which are being actively managed to ensure that we can still get 800,000 more children into better quality primary schools by 2015.

The UK has also committed £1 million to the Nigerian Government’s “Safe Schools Initiative” to help protect children at school in north east Nigeria and provide schooling to children displaced by the violence.

The UK objective for post-2015 is to agree a simple, inspiring, measurable set of goals centred on eradicating extreme poverty that should finish the job that the millennium development goals started. The goal should be outcome focused, measuring reductions in preventable death and disease and giving women and girls sexual and reproductive health rights.

The International Convention for the Control of Ships' Ballast Water is not yet in force internationally.

In order to achieve its widespread adoption Member States of the International Maritime Organisation including the UK are finalising the enforcement regime associated with the convention. Shipping is a reserved matter. The UK Government sought input from the Scottish Government in the development of the convention and the Scottish Government is being consulted on the negotiating position taken by the UK.

The International Convention for the Control of Ships' Ballast Water is not yet in force internationally.

In order to achieve its widespread adoption Member States of the International Maritime Organisation including the UK are finalising the enforcement regime associated with the convention. Shipping is a reserved matter. The UK Government sought input from the Scottish Government in the development of the convention and the Scottish Government is being consulted on the negotiating position taken by the UK.

To date the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has received five applications for an Oil Transfer Licence.

Of these three have been consented. These are:

• Shetland Island Council - Sullom Voe;

• Cromarty Firth Port Authority - Nigg Oil Terminal; and

• Port of Grangemouth.

The fourth application for the Finnart Ocean Terminal (Loch Fyne) has completed consultation and has been assessed by the MCA. A final decision is pending, awaiting legal clarification.

The fifth application, for Ship to Ship Transfers in Scapa Flow, has just been received and went out to public consultation on 10 July 2014.

The Local Government Authority, in whose area the proposed site is situated, is always consulted as part of the public consultation process that accompanies an application for an Oil Transfer Licence within the UK. Members of Parliament or the Scottish Parliament may get involved in the public consultation, as may Ministers in the Scottish Government, by replying to the consultation.

Both Scottish Natural Heritage and the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency are among the mandatory consultees for all applications for an Oil Transfer Licence, where the application is for a location in Scotland.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency, acting on behalf of the Secretary of State for Transport, is the Competent Authority for managing, assessing and issuing Oil Transfer Licenses within the UK. This is a reserved matter for the UK Government.

To date four applications for Oil Transfer Licences have required determination under Schedule 1 of the Merchant Shipping (Ship-to-Ship Transfers) Regulations 2010.

A fifth Oil Transfer Licence application went to consultation on the 10 July 2014. During its assessment it will require determination under Schedule 1 of the Merchant Shipping (Ship-to-Ship Transfers) Regulations 2010.

Information on the number of Work Programme referrals, attachments and job outcomes, by payment group can be found at:

http://tabulation-tool.dwp.gov.uk/WorkProg/tabtool.html

Guidance for users can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-tabulation-tool-guidance

Information for Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Department for Social Development in Northern Ireland.

http://www.dsdni.gov.uk/index/stats_and_research.htm

The information as requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

This information is not held in the format requested and can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

The clearance time for Funeral Payments, as published in the 2012/13 Social Fund Annual report, is an average of 14.76 days, against a target of 16 days

There are no current plans to review the rate of funeral payments. However, for those who are eligible to be considered for a budgeting loan payment, the scope of this scheme has now been expanded to include funeral costs.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office issued 2895 emergency travel documents in June 2013 and 5235 in June 2014 (as at 16 July).

As in the Answer to Question 225187 information relating to the possibility to challenge transfer decisions is given to applicants. The guide to completing appeal forms that accompanies a decision advises of an appeal right to the First-Tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) and refers to the time limit of 28 calendar days to appeal. The guide also lists organisations in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, such as the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner, Law Societies, Legal Aid Boards and Legal Service Commission, who are able to provide applicants with names and addresses of professional representatives. The organisations and/or professional
representatives may also advise on other avenues of challenge, such as judicial review in the relevant courts in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The Dublin Implementing Regulation (EU) No. 118/2014 is designed to ‘increase the efficiency of the Dublin system and improve the cooperation between national authorities’ by ensuring the ‘effective application’ by Member States of the Dublin III Regulation (EU) No. 604/2013 in practice. As part of that intent Article 4 of the Dublin Regulation concerns the provision of information to applicants, including the use of common leaflets. Many States, including the UK, are currently experiencing technical issues with the leaflets, delaying their implementation. However the necessary information they contain is provided to applicants by other means at relevant points during the consideration process.

In particular, information about the possibility to challenge a decision to transfer a case to another signatory state under the Dublin III Regulation, the national authorities to which appeals and reviews are to be lodged and the relevant time limits are provided to applicants in the papers accompanying the transfer decision.

Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No. 118/2014 is directly applicable, so does not require transposition into domestic law.

Cambridge English are operating nine language test centres across Ukraine. The Home Office is working with Cambridge English to monitor access to these test centres.

Although the Government’s attention is focused on the work of the Smith Commission at the moment, in respect of further devolution, and it would be inappropriate to pre-judge the outcome of that process, I can assure the hon. Gentleman that I am happy to work with him in seeking an agreed approach to address this particular issue.