We do not hold information on individuals released from Greek prisons under the Paraskevopoulos Law.

Since 2007, the UK has surrendered 49 UK nationals to the US. During the same time period the US has surrendered 11 US nationals to the UK.

All figures are taken from local management information, and have not been quality assured to the level of published National Statistics. As such they should be treated as provisional and therefore subject to change. The figures do not include Scotland, which deals with its own extradition cases.

The procurement of software to produce composite facial images is an operational matter for the police

The department is mandated to use the Crown Commercial Services (CCS) Energy frameworks for the supply of gas, electricity and liquid fuels. The CCS competes the frameworks on the open market and selects the energy providers according to a set of award criteria, normally based on price and quality. The current suppliers of each of these services are as follow:

• EDF (Half-Hourly electricity);
• British Gas (Non Half-Hourly electricity);
• Corona (gas); and
• various suppliers (liquid fuels).

In addition to the Home Office’s main estate, the department is also responsible for running the immigration detention estate, where energy is sourced by the centre operators from various energy providers as part of their outsourced obligations.

In 2018/19, the department emitted 30,336 t/CO2e from energy use, which represents a 58% reduction since 2009/10. This has been achieved by smarter working, building consolidations, and energy efficiency measures such as installation of LED lighting. The department is now focusing on developing a pathway to reducing its remaining emissions to net zero by 2050 or sooner.

Careers guidance is improving steadily across the country following the publication of the government’s careers strategy in December 2017. Schools and colleges are making good progress against the Gatsby benchmarks and showing improvements on every dimension of careers support. That means that young people are getting better information about the labour market, different education and training pathways and access to personal guidance to formulate ideas into a careers plan. Teachers are helping students to link their curriculum learning to future careers.

Through the Baker Clause, the department is improving the visibility and quality of advice on vocational routes by requiring schools to invite other providers to talk to students about the technical qualifications and apprenticeships that they offer.

The Careers & Enterprise Company is making sure that every young person has access to encounters with employers from a variety of sectors, which may include the construction industry. Information on a variety of careers, including construction, can also be found on the National Careers Service website.

The department promotes technical pathways, including for students interested in construction. We recently launched our T level communications campaign, aimed at young people, parents, teachers and employers. A new website (www.tlevels.gov.uk.) includes the function to search for providers delivering T levels from September 2020, including those in Construction (‘Design, Surveying and Planning’).

Apprenticeships available in the sector include Construction Site Engineering Technician, Installation Electrician and Civil Engineering Site Management. Our apprenticeships campaign, Fire It Up, demonstrates that apprenticeships are an aspirational choice for anyone with passion and energy. We have also developed Amazing Apprenticeships, a website and resource portal for schools and teachers.

In addition, we offer a free service to schools through the Apprenticeship Support and Knowledge (ASK) project to ensure that teachers have the knowledge and support to enable them to promote apprenticeships to their students. During the 2018-19 academic year, the ASK programme reached over 300,000 students across 2,368 establishments and from September 2019, it has been extended to include years 7 to 9.

The below table shows level 2 apprenticeship starts in the construction industry sector for the 2015/16 and 2016/17 academic years. This is the latest available data, and it is taken from the ‘Apprenticeships in England by Industry Characteristics’ statistics publication: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/apprenticeships-in-england-by-industry-characteristics.

Notes:

1) All numbers are rounded to the nearest 10.

We also publish apprenticeship starts by sector subject area. The number of level 2 apprenticeship starts for the sector subject area ‘Construction, Planning and the Built Environment’ for the academic years 2015/16 to 2017/18 is shown in the table below, along with starts in the first 3 quarters of the 2018/19 academic year. Data for 2015/16 to 2017/18 are published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/804343/Monthly-apprenticeship-starts-fwk-tool_May-2019.xlsx.

Data for the first 3 quarters of 2018/19 are published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/814997/Apprenticeship-starts-ach-framework-standard-tool_201718_Q3-201819_July2019.xlsx.

Table 2: Level 2 apprenticeship starts in Construction, Planning and the Built Environment sector subject area: 2015/16 to Q3 2018/19

Notes:

1) The data source is the Individualised Learner Record (ILR).

2) In this table, numbers are a count of the number of starts at any point during the period. Learners starting more than one apprenticeship will appear more than once.

3) Apprenticeship starts include all funded and unfunded learners reported on the ILR.

4) For the 2018/19 academic year (reported to date), numbers are counted only for months August 18 to April 19 (quarter 3).

5) All numbers are rounded to the nearest 10.

The T level in On-Site Construction incorporates a number of occupational standards, including level 2 Bricklayer. A T level student who chooses the bricklaying occupational specialism will therefore develop many of the skills included in the level 2 Bricklayer apprenticeship. Once the T level qualification has been approved, we will be able to assess more accurately any differences between the competence conveyed by the level 2 Bricklayer apprenticeship and the T level in On-Site Construction.

Under current apprenticeship rules, a T level student would be able to progress to a level 2 apprenticeship if it allows them to acquire substantive new skills and the content of the training is materially different from their T level. The apprenticeship would need to be a minimum of 12 months in duration and involve at least 20% off-the-job training.

Our analysis of the overlap between the approved T level qualification and the level 2 apprenticeship will therefore be important in determining progression options, including eligibility for an apprenticeship at the same or a lower level.

Levy-paying employers in England do not use digital vouchers. Employers that pay the apprenticeship levy use funds in their apprenticeship service accounts to pay for training and assessment and to transfer to other employers

In October 2019, the apprenticeships and levy statistics publication reported that there were 780 transferred commitments that have materialised into apprenticeship starts as recorded on the Individualised Learner Record (ILR) as at 31 August 2019. Of these, 20 (2.7%) were starts in the Construction, Planning and Built Environment sector subject area.

Please note:
1) The figures above are rounded to the nearest 10 and percentage to 1 decimal place.

2) The percentage is derived from unrounded figures.

3) The figures above show only those transfers where a start is taking place on a standard in the Construction, Planning and Built Environment sector subject area. The construction industry sector could include starts on standards in other sector subject areas (i.e. Business, Administration and Law).

We are unable to identify whether a transfer between apprenticeship service accounts was from a levy-paying company to a non-levy paying company as we do not centrally hold data on the size of employer and their industry sector. This means we cannot identify if these transfers of levy funds were to the apprenticeship service accounts of small to medium-sized employers. The Department for Education does, however, periodically perform an analysis linking ILR data to the Inter-Departmental Business Register data (held by the Office for National Statistics) to identify the size and industry sector of employers, with the most recent analysis covering the 2016/17 academic year. Thes statistics are available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/apprenticeships-in-england-by-industry-characteristics.

​We are concerned about the implications of the Paraskevopoulos Law, which allows early release of potentially dangerous convicted criminals in Greece. The European Parliament raised concerns in February this year about the Law's effect on security within the Schengen area.

The Secretary of State has the power to exclude a non-EEA national on the grounds that it is conducive to the public good. An EEA citizen or their non-EEA family member can be excluded or refused admission on the grounds of public policy or public security. Exclusion is normally used in circumstances involving national security, criminality, international crimes (war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide), corruption and unacceptable behaviour, such as glorification of terrorist violence.

The Immigration Rules also provide for the refusal of entry on the grounds of previous criminal convictions or the individual’s character, conduct or associations, on general grounds, regardless of the category in which the application is made.

The Government is committed to supporting parents with moving into work and, as part of this, we increased the level of support for childcare costs from 70 per cent in legacy benefits to up to 85 per cent in Universal Credit (UC). The UC childcare policy aligns with the wider government childcare offer, which includes free childcare hours and tax free childcare and UC claimants can utilise both the free childcare entitlement and UC childcare costs in conjunction with each other for relevant hours. This offer means that reasonable childcare costs should not form a barrier to work.

The UC childcare policy aligns with the wider government childcare offer, which includes free childcare hours and tax free childcare and UC claimants can utilise both the free childcare entitlement and UC childcare costs in conjunction with each other for relevant hours. This offer means that reasonable childcare costs should not form a barrier to work.

Beyond the UC childcare element, claimants can be considered for two additional methods of funding childcare costs: the Flexible Support Fund (FSF) and Budgeting Advances.

Work Coaches can support individual claimants with barriers that may prevent them from moving into employment. Each case is considered carefully on its own merits with financial help available to eligible claimants in advance for childcare. Where agreed, FSF will pay 100% of the upfront childcare costs up to the payment limits set that the claimant incurs between starting work and receiving their first wage.

A budgeting advance is available for one-off urgent financial events for eligible UC claimants, such as upfront childcare, and is repayable over a period of up to 12 monthly instalments. Only one Budgeting Advance will be paid at a time and further advances will be unavailable until the balance of the previous Budgeting Advance is cleared.

The Government is committed to supporting parents with moving into work and, as part of this, we increased the level of support for childcare costs from 70 per cent in legacy benefits to up to 85 per cent in Universal Credit (UC). The UC childcare policy aligns with the wider government childcare offer, which includes free childcare hours and tax free childcare and UC claimants can utilise both the free childcare entitlement and UC childcare costs in conjunction with each other for relevant hours. This offer means that reasonable childcare costs should not form a barrier to work.

The UC childcare policy aligns with the wider government childcare offer, which includes free childcare hours and tax free childcare and UC claimants can utilise both the free childcare entitlement and UC childcare costs in conjunction with each other for relevant hours. This offer means that reasonable childcare costs should not form a barrier to work.

Beyond the UC childcare element, claimants can be considered for two additional methods of funding childcare costs: the Flexible Support Fund (FSF) and Budgeting Advances.

Work Coaches can support individual claimants with barriers that may prevent them from moving into employment. Each case is considered carefully on its own merits with financial help available to eligible claimants in advance for childcare. Where agreed, FSF will pay 100% of the upfront childcare costs up to the payment limits set that the claimant incurs between starting work and receiving their first wage.

A budgeting advance is available for one-off urgent financial events for eligible UC claimants, such as upfront childcare, and is repayable over a period of up to 12 monthly instalments. Only one Budgeting Advance will be paid at a time and further advances will be unavailable until the balance of the previous Budgeting Advance is cleared.

Over and above routine security practices in place for vetted individuals, no further assessment has been made. In relation to the decision to prorogue Parliament, at all times the Government acted in the good faith and belief that its approach was both lawful and constitutional.

With regards to security practices, it would be inappropriate to comment on the compliance of any individual as to their National Security Vetting outside of the proper channels for doing so; these being internal to the security vetting regime. All such channels are confidential in order to ensure the integrity of the process, and the privacy and confidentiality of the subject(s).

The use of specific techniques, within lawful bounds, remains an operational matter for chief constables. We will continue to support the police to ensure they can effectively investigate crime and protect the public.

The Global Tuberculosis Report 2019 provides important evidence on the challenge in tackling tuberculosis as an issue of global public health importance. We remain committed to the global effort and the World Health Organisation End Tuberculosis Strategy. We are proud to be at the forefront of work to prevent, detect and treat tuberculosis, including funding research to develop new treatments to tackle drug resistant tuberculosis. Our commitment to provide £1.4 billion to the latest replenishment of the Global Fund will help provide tuberculosis treatment and care for over 2 million people.

A new tuberculosis vaccine could potentially have a significant effect on reducing tuberculosis deaths, and there is cautious optimism about the results for one potential vaccine, although there is still a very high degree of uncertainty for this high-risk research. DFID carefully considers robust data on specific vaccines before taking a view on its role in tackling a disease, including its relative impact alongside other established interventions.

All government departments are mandated to use the Crown Commercial Services (CCS) Energy frameworks for the supply of gas, electricity and liquid fuels.

The CCS competes the frameworks on the open market and selects the energy providers according to a set of award criteria, normally based on price and quality.

The Department's main building is at 2 Marsham Street, which is operated through the Home Office PFI, which was signed in 2002. The supply of electricity is provided by the PFI provider and Home Office.

The Government supports measures which help to reduce the environmental impact of appliances and earlier this year voted in favour of new EU ecodesign measures which aim to improve both the energy efficiency and resource efficiency of products, for example by requiring them to be more easily repairable.

Although the UK will not be subject to these new ecodesign rules which will take effect after we have left the EU, we intend to consult on new UK ecodesign measures, including both energy efficiency requirements and requirements on repairability.

In the United Kingdom, there are currently arrangements in place for unlicensed medicines to be provided that are either manufactured in the UK or imported into the UK under a notification scheme. The national provisions are set out in the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 (Statutory Instrument 2012/1916). Sponsor companies may set up compassionate use programmes under the direction of a prescribing physician for specific patients.

Where an unmet need has been identified, the Early Access to Medicines Scheme run by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency also provides opportunity for supply of medicines awaiting a licence. These are to be prescribed under the responsibility of the treating physician, supported by a published scientific opinion that has been considered by the Commission on Human Medicines.

The UK-US extradition treaty is fair and balanced. The United States is fully compliant with its obligations under the treaty and it is effective for the purpose of extraditing wanted persons to the UK.

Where someone in the UK is wanted by any country, the courts are able to exercise appropriate scrutiny over any request.

We maintain an open dialogue with the police on how we can share best practice and enable them to more effectively investigate crime. The use of specific techniques, within lawful bounds, is an operational matter for chief constables.