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  • Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-07-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the ability of refugees in Turkey to receive international protection in that country.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    Turkey currently hosts over 2.7 million refugees from Syria and around 250,000 from other nationalities. Turkey now hosts more refugees than any other country in the world.

    Turkey has established very detailed legislation setting out a comprehensive international protection system for migrants in need of protection.

    We are monitoring the situation in Turkey very closely following the attempted coup. At this stage there is no indication that the conditions and protections available to refugees have been impacted.

  • Dawn Butler – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    Dawn Butler – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dawn Butler on 2016-07-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what plans his Department has to develop a trade deal with Jamaica.

    Greg Hands

    Until we have left the EU, the UK will remain a member of the EU with all of the rights and obligations that membership entails.

    In due course, Britain will be leaving the EU. This offers us an opportunity to forge a new role for ourselves in the world: to negotiate, in time, our own trade agreements, including with developing countries, and to be a positive and powerful force for free trade. The Prime Minister has established the Department for International Trade to promote British trade across the world and ensure the UK takes advantage of the huge opportunities open to us. The Government is currently reviewing its trade policy. We will engage fully with a broad range of stakeholders, including both governments and business over the coming weeks and months as we prepare for the negotiation with the EU and other international partners.

  • Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-07-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 13 July 2016, to Question 41982, which nations receive direct foreign aid from the UK.

    Rory Stewart

    DFID has now stopped providing general budget support in all countries with the exception of Pakistan. This year DFID only anticipates providing sector budget support in Ghana, Nepal, Pakistan and Zambia.

    We also support partner governments to deliver development objectives in other ways including technical assistance and support to build their core systems. This ensures appropriate safeguards for UK taxpayers’ resources are in place.

  • Stephen Doughty – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Stephen Doughty – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-07-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many civil servants have been (a) transferred, (b) seconded and (c) given cross-departmental roles with which Department’s since the recent changes to the machinery of government.

    Rory Stewart

    Since the recent changes to the machinery of government (18th July 2016) DFID has:

    • Transferred 6 civil servants to other Departments.
    • Seconded / loaned 7 civil servants to other Departments.
    • Engaged 2 civil servants in cross-departmental roles.
  • Stephen Doughty – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Stephen Doughty – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-07-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether she plans to delay or revisit the (a) bilateral aid review and (b) multilateral aid reviews in response to the EU referendum result.

    Rory Stewart

    The Secretary of State is currently considering the outcomes of the Department for International Development’s Multilateral and Bilateral Aid Reviews, ahead of their publication.

  • Stephen Doughty – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Stephen Doughty – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-07-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what mission statements and priorities her Department has had in place in each of the last six years; and what recent changes have been made to those statements and priorities.

    Rory Stewart

    DFID’s mission and priorities have been set out in various publications since 2010 including the “UK Aid Changing Lives” publication, the DFID Results Framework, and the DFID Business Plan. Priorities and progress are updated periodically, including through DFID’s Annual Report to Parliament. Most recently the Government published the “UK Aid Strategy: tackling global challenges in the national interest” and DFID’s Single Departmental Plan.

  • Stephen Doughty – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Stephen Doughty – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-07-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether she plans to (a) amend or (b) repeal any of the international development acts.

    Rory Stewart

    There are no plans to amend or repeal any of the International Development Acts.

  • Stephen Doughty – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Stephen Doughty – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-07-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether she plans to amend the definition of overseas development assistance used by her Department.

    Rory Stewart

    The Government adheres to the definition of Official Development Assistance (ODA) set by the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee (DAC). After several years of complex negotiations, the DAC updated the ODA rules in February 2016 so that they better recognise the challenges to development posed by conflict, insecurity and terrorism, as well as the growing importance of private sector investment. The Government’s priority is to ensure these reforms are implemented effectively.

    As a donor that pursues its national interests by contributing 0.7% of its Gross National Income to ODA, the UK welcomes the DAC’s commitment to keeping ODA relevant and credible.

  • Justin Tomlinson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Justin Tomlinson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Tomlinson on 2016-07-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the existing regulatory regime relating to the will writing industry.

    Sir Oliver Heald

    In 2013 the Legal Services Board (LSB) recommended that will writing be made a reserved legal activity, so that only authorised persons under the Legal Services Act 2007 could provide this service. The Government at that time considered that the evidence provided in the LSB report did not adequately demonstrate that reservation was the best solution to the identified problems in the will writing market, or that other measures had been sufficiently exhausted in seeking to address these problems.

    We will consider any recommendations from the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) when they publish their Legal Services Market Study. The CMA’s interim report published on 8 July made reference to a need to consider possible changes to the current regulatory framework.

  • Mark Hendrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Mark Hendrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2016-07-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which magistrates’ and Crown courts have separate waiting rooms for victims of domestic violence and those accused of assaulting them.

    Dr Phillip Lee

    All Crown Court Centres have separate waiting facilities for victims and witnesses, including victims of domestic violence.

    97% of magistrates’ courts have some kind of separate witness waiting facility. For those courts that do not have this facility, special arrangements will be put in place providing the court is notified in advance.

    There are separate secure facilities for those accused that are held in custody. The accused who are remanded on bail, do not have designated waiting rooms.