Author: admin

  • Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the government of Israel on that government’s resettlement programme and the demolition of Susiya and Umm al-Hiran.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The village of Susiya is located in the Occupied Palestinian Territories whilst the village of Umm al-Hiran is located within Israel.

    Our Embassy in Tel Aviv has repeatedly raised our opposition to demolitions with the Israeli authorities, including our specific concerns about Susiya, and urged them to provide a legal route for Palestinian construction. On 18 August, officials from the British Consulate General in Jerusalem, along with an official from our Embassy in Tel Aviv, visited Susiya again to highlight our serious concern and demonstrate our continuing support for the village. We most recently raised Susiya with Defence Minister Lieberman on 24 August.

    The UK has been encouraging the Israeli authorities and Bedouin communities to find a satisfactory solution to Umm al-Hiran, respecting the equality of all of Israel’s citizens in a way which avoids forcible relocations.

  • Rachel Reeves – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Rachel Reeves – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rachel Reeves on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many of his Department’s staff are in receipt of support for private school fees for children whose parents are stationed (a) in the UK and (b) overseas.

    Sir Alan Duncan

    The number of diplomatic officers stationed in the UK in receipt of school fees is 179. The number of diplomatic officers stationed overseas in receipt of school fees is 173. The FCO supports a further 1108 children who are stationed with their parents and educated locally.

  • Ian Murray – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Ian Murray – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Murray on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the Government’s policy is on the renewal of the lease on the Chagos Islands that ends on 31 December 2016; and if he will make a statement.

    Sir Alan Duncan

    The Government supports the US presence on Diego Garcia in the British Indian Ocean Territory, and wishes it to continue. This presence is underpinned by an Exchange of Notes which will roll over automatically for a further 20 years if neither side decides to terminate it before 30 December this year.

  • Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Sri Lankan government on water pollution from the Chunnakam Oil Plant in the Jaffna Pensinsula.

    Alok Sharma

    The British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka visited Jaffna in June and raised concerns about water contamination with the local authorities. He received assurances that they were aware of the issue and were addressing it. They also discussed water quality in general and longer term plans for providing water through desalination.

  • Margaret Hodge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Margaret Hodge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Hodge on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will publish a list of all secondees to his Department from (a) PwC, (b) Deloitte, (c) Ernst and Young, (d) KPMG and (e) other consulting firms in the last three financial years; and what the role was of each of those secondees.

    Sir Alan Duncan

    There have been no secondees to the FCO from any of the named companies, or any other consulting firm, in any of the last three financial years.

  • Patrick Grady – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Patrick Grady – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the government of Kosovo on the extradition of Abbot Laurence Soper.

    Sir Alan Duncan

    My Officials have been in close contact with the Kosovo authorities about this case. Abbot Laurence Soper was deported from Kosovo to the UK on 21 August as he was in breach of his immigration status in Kosovo. He was arrested by the UK Police on his arrival, and is now in custody in the UK.

  • Stuart C. McDonald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Stuart C. McDonald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stuart C. McDonald on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he plans to take to support access for independent monitors to (a) places of detention in Syria and (b) Saydnaya prison.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    I condemn the Asad regime’s arbitrary arrest, illegal detention and mistreatment of tens of thousands of Syrians and call for the release of all those arbitrarily detained, especially women and children, in accordance with UN Security Council Resolutions 2254 and 2268.

    I fully support calls for access for independent monitors to all places of detention in Syria, including the regime’s notorious Saydnaya prison. The Government has sought to keep international focus on this issue, particularly via the UN. We have ensured that detention and mistreatment has featured in successive Syria resolutions of the UN Security Council and Human Rights Council, and will continue to do so. We also regularly raise detainee issues at the Task Forces of the International Syria Support Group in Geneva.

  • Margaret Hodge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Margaret Hodge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Hodge on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many times his Department has used the services of (a) PwC, (b) Deloitte, (c) Ernst and Young, (d) KPMG and (e) other consulting firms in the last three financial years; and what (i) work was undertaken and (ii) the cost to the public purse was on each such occasion.

    Sir Alan Duncan

    DELOITTE
    2013/14:£69,000
    2014/15:£33,000
    2015/16:£121,000

    ERNST & YOUNG
    2013/14:£480,000
    2014/15:£328,000
    2015/16:£181,000

    KPMG
    2013/14:£140,000
    2014/15:£116,000
    2015/16:£132,000

    PWC
    2013/14:£355,000
    2014/15:£377,000
    2015/16:£1,420,000

    Consultants
    2013/14:£1,500,000
    2014/15:£1,600,000
    2015/16:£1,100,000

    All applicable expenditure with these companies is published as part of HMG’s Transparency Agenda at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/foreign-office-spend-over-25000.

  • Ian Austin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Ian Austin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of alternative mechanisms to appraise the use of Orkambi in the NHS.

    Nicola Blackwood

    The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published final technology appraisal guidance on 27 July 2016 which does not recommend Orkambi (lumacaftor-ivacaftor) for treating cystic fibrosis homozygous for the F508del mutation.

    In the absence of positive NICE technology appraisal guidance, any funding decisions should be made by National Health Service commissioners, based on an assessment of the available evidence and on the basis of an individual patient’s clinical circumstances.

  • Chris Leslie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Chris Leslie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Leslie on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will publish his evaluation of the National Stroke Strategy for England and the Government’s approach to outpatient rehabilitation services for stroke survivors.

    David Mowat

    There has been no formal evaluation of the National Stroke Strategy. However there is a continuous evaluation of the quality of stroke care via the Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme (SSNAP). This measures most of the key indicators defined as important in the strategy and findings are freely available on the SSNAP website:

    https://www.strokeaudit.org/

    The Government’s approach to outpatient rehabilitation services for stroke survivors is to encourage clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to commission evidence based care such as early supported discharge and longer term neurorehabilitation. There are some areas where these services are incomplete and NHS England is working with CCGs and the Sustainability and Transformation Plan footprints to address this.

    “