The below Parliamentary question was asked by Natalie McGarry on 2016-07-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assistance his Department has provided to Kurdish forces in Syria in their fight against Daesh in the last 12 months.
Michael Fallon
As part of the Global Coalition, the RAF has conducted airstrikes and surveillance in support of Syrian Democratic Forces offensives in the east of Syria and more recently around Manbij.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Natalie McGarry on 2016-09-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which reports commissioned by his Department from external bodies between 1 January 2015 and 31 August 2016 have not yet been published; when each report was commissioned for research; what the nature of the research commissioned was; from which external body or individual person the research was commissioned; what the value was of each such piece of research commissioned; on what date each report was received by his Department; for what reasons the research has not yet been published; and when he plans to publish each report.
Caroline Nokes
During this period the Department has commissioned a significant number of research reports. Of these, most are either still in progress, or have been completed and published on GOV.UK in line with our standard process. Two publications are currently with the Department awaiting publication. Both comply with the Department’s research publication protocol in accordance with Government Social Research Service guidance. To collate the requested information on all reports commissioned during this period that are yet to be published would incur disproportionate cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Natalie McGarry on 2015-11-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the cost of providing carer’s allowance was to people in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland, (c) Glasgow and (d) Glasgow East constituency in the most recent period for which figures are available.
Justin Tomlinson
Due to the geographical level of information requested it has been assumed that the question refers to benefit expenditure.
The information on requested is shown in the table below.
Tables show expenditure for Great Britain, not the UK, as expenditure in Northern Ireland is the responsibility of Northern Ireland Executive.
| Carers Allowance Expenditure £ million | 2014/15 |
| Great Britain | 2,319.2 |
| Scotland | 202.7 |
| Glasgow (City) | 34.5 |
| Glasgow East (constituency) | 6.5 |
Benefit expenditure information is published and can be found using the following URL:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/benefit-expenditure-and-caseload-tables-2015
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Natalie McGarry on 2016-01-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues about the Turkish government’s military action against Kurdish militants in predominately Kurdish areas of Turkey.
Mr David Lidington
The ongoing violence in the predominantly Kurdish areas of south east Turkey is extremely concerning. The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) continues to kill members of the Turkish police service and security forces in violent terrorist attacks. The Turkish Government has responded by striking PKK targets in Turkey and Northern Iraq. They have also launched large-scale security operations involving curfews in some towns and cities in order to clear them of suspected terrorists.
We are aware of reports of civilian casualties in the region, and a worsening humanitarian situation in certain areas in south east Turkey. The Turkish Government have said that 48 civilians lost their lives in clashes between 23 July and 23 December 2015. They also said that 93,000 people have fled their homes. We also understand that there have been investigations launched against elected officials and politicians. Any such investigations should be undertaken transparently and fully respect the rule of law.
We believe Turkey has a legitimate right to defend itself against the PKK, whose attacks we condemn as we condemn all terrorism. Our thoughts are with the victims of these attacks, and the civilians who have been caught up in the violence. As in any conflict, civilian casualties should be avoided and human rights need to be fully protected. We have been clear, in public and private, that PKK violence must end and we support a return to the peace process, in the interests of Turkey and the region. We stand ready to help in any way we can.
We continue to monitor the situation closely. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge and our Ambassador to Turkey have emphasised to the Turkish government the need to respect human rights, avoid civilian casualties and return to the peace process. I raised these issues with my Turkish counterpart the last time we met in August 2015.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Natalie McGarry on 2016-09-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to include Scottish universities in the Government’s tier 4 Visa Pilot.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The Tier 4 visa pilot has been introduced to test the benefits of a differentiated approach within the education sector on the basis of compliance with immigration sponsorship requirements.
The pilot is deliberately narrow in scope, with institutions selected due to their consistently low visa refusal rates. This is to ensure that the outcomes can be adequately monitored, whilst minimising the risk of unintended consequences, before considering rolling-out the scheme more widely.
Should the pilot be successful, the Home Office will liaise with stakeholders, including Scottish universities, over plans for extending the scheme.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Natalie McGarry on 2016-09-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which reports commissioned by his Department from external bodies between 1 January 2015 and 31 August 2016 have not yet been published; when each report was commissioned for research; what the nature of the research commissioned was; from which external body or individual person the research was commissioned; what the value was of each such piece of research commissioned; on what date each report was received by his Department; for what reasons the research has not yet been published; and when he plans to publish each report.
Joseph Johnson
The requested information is not held centrally by BEIS and its Partner Organisations.
For research reports, BEIS has committed to both GSS and GSR publication rules – this means GSS publications are pre-announced and GSR publications should normally be published within 12 weeks of completion.
The Contracts Finder government portal provides information about contracts worth over £10,000 with the Government and its agencies, including details of previous tenders and contracts, and future opportunities.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Natalie McGarry on 2015-11-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the cost of providing pension credit was to people in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland, (c) Glasgow and (d) Glasgow East constituency in the most recent period for which figures are available.
Justin Tomlinson
Due to the geographical level of information requested it has been assumed that the question refers to benefit expenditure.
The information on requested is shown in the table below.
Tables show expenditure for Great Britain, not the UK, as expenditure in Northern Ireland is the responsibility of Northern Ireland Executive.
| Pension Credit Expenditure £ million | 2014/15 |
| Great Britain | 6,576.1 |
| Scotland | 587.4 |
| Glasgow (City) | 108.6 |
| Glasgow East (constituency) | 19.1 |
Benefit expenditure information is published and can be found using the following URL:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/benefit-expenditure-and-caseload-tables-2015
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Natalie McGarry on 2016-01-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the humanitarian situation in predominately Kurdish areas of Turkey.
Mr David Lidington
The ongoing violence in the predominantly Kurdish areas of south east Turkey is extremely concerning. The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) continues to kill members of the Turkish police service and security forces in violent terrorist attacks. The Turkish Government has responded by striking PKK targets in Turkey and Northern Iraq. They have also launched large-scale security operations involving curfews in some towns and cities in order to clear them of suspected terrorists.
We are aware of reports of civilian casualties in the region, and a worsening humanitarian situation in certain areas in south east Turkey. The Turkish Government have said that 48 civilians lost their lives in clashes between 23 July and 23 December 2015. They also said that 93,000 people have fled their homes. We also understand that there have been investigations launched against elected officials and politicians. Any such investigations should be undertaken transparently and fully respect the rule of law.
We believe Turkey has a legitimate right to defend itself against the PKK, whose attacks we condemn as we condemn all terrorism. Our thoughts are with the victims of these attacks, and the civilians who have been caught up in the violence. As in any conflict, civilian casualties should be avoided and human rights need to be fully protected. We have been clear, in public and private, that PKK violence must end and we support a return to the peace process, in the interests of Turkey and the region. We stand ready to help in any way we can.
We continue to monitor the situation closely. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge and our Ambassador to Turkey have emphasised to the Turkish government the need to respect human rights, avoid civilian casualties and return to the peace process. I raised these issues with my Turkish counterpart the last time we met in August 2015.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Natalie McGarry on 2016-09-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effect that the Government’s Troubled Families programme has had on meeting its objectives related to underprivileged communities.
Mr Marcus Jones
The Troubled Families Programme has an important role to play in tackling disadvantage and poverty through its focus on families affected by complex, multiple problems in England. The programme encourages services to consider the overlapping nature of problems which families face – tackling the root causes rather than responding to each problem in isolation. It promotes a new way of working, with services coming together – typically through one dedicated worker – working with and understanding the needs of the whole family instead of constantly reacting to their individual problems.
Through the original programme, launched in 2012, over 116,000 families had their lives ‘turned around’ using the criteria of the first programme, with children back in school; youth crime and anti-social behaviour significantly reduced; and over 18,000 adults from troubled families into work. The new expanded programme now aims to support 400,000 families with multiple, complex problems by 2020, and transform for the long term the way that public services work with families facing multiple disadvantages.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Natalie McGarry on 2016-09-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what steps his Department has taken to encourage investment and growth in the number of jobs in Glasgow East constituency.
David Mundell
The UK Government is investing £500 million in the Glasgow and Clyde Valley City Deal, part of £1 billion of public investment that is being taken forward in partnership with the Scottish Government.
The Deal will deliver 3 labour market projects including a £9 million employment scheme that will work with 4000 people in receipt of Employment Support Allowance and assist at least 600 in to sustained work. A £15 million integrated employment programme will work with 15,000 young people (aged 16-24) over the next three years, helping 5,000 in to sustained work.
A new centre for Business Incubation and Development has been established in Glasgow with £4 million of City Deal funding and this is now providing support for growing small to medium sized enterprises.