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  • Sadiq Khan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Sadiq Khan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sadiq Khan on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many recorded incidents there were of no custody nurses being available in police stations when required in each year since 2010.

    Mike Penning

    The provision and commissioning of police custody healthcare services including custody nurses is the responsibility of individual Police and Crime Commissioners, and healthcare staffing levels are an operational policing matter in conjunction with the custody healthcare service provider. Information on these issues is not held centrally by the Home Office.

  • Keith Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Keith Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress has been made in standardising the border control queue measurement system across airports, ferry ports and rail terminals.

    James Brokenshire

    Guidance on how queue measurements should be taken at UK border controls was updated in November 2015, following a review. This standardises the approach required for measuring queues. This guidance will be placed in the House Library.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what proportion of donations to the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisations she expects the UK’s share to be at the end of the 2016 to 2020 funding period.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    Based on pledges made at Gavi’s replenishment conference in January 2015, the UK share of the total budget for Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, from 2016 to 2020 will be 26%. However, I expect that this level may vary according to other donor pledges.

    Since 2000, Gavi has vaccinated half a billion children and saved 7 million lives. The UK pledge of £1 billion for the 2016 to 2020 period, by itself, is likely to vaccinate an additional 76 million children and save 1.4 million lives.

  • Laurence Robertson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Laurence Robertson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Laurence Robertson on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will increase Government funding for emergency food aid to Ethiopia.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    We are very concerned about the impact of the current drought on the food security situation for 18 million people across Ethiopia. Britain is working closely with the Government of Ethiopia and the international community to ensure adequate funding for drought response activities.

    We acted quickly and decisively at the onset of the drought by providing emergency food aid for 2.1 million people in 2015. This year, we have committed £40 million to provide food aid to a further 3.8 million people in April.

    In collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund, DFID is also ensuring that 120,000 severely malnourished children receive treatment in order to recover quickly.

    Our overall funding for the drought to date is £113 million. We are continuing to work with the Government of Ethiopia and other donors to make sure needs are being met. We are monitoring the situation closely.

    UK Aid resilience work with the Government of Ethiopia has helped prepare 10 million people to cope with this drought.

  • Virendra Sharma – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Virendra Sharma – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the (a) policy and (b) other responsibilities are of each special adviser in her Department.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    The Code of Conduct for Special Advisers sets out the role of special advisers and describes the range of activities they may undertake. Copies of the Code of Conduct are available in the Libraries of the House and on-line at

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/468340/CODE_OF_CONDUCT_FOR_SPECIAL_ADVISERS_-_15_OCTOBER_2015_FINAL.pdf

    “

  • Virendra Sharma – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Virendra Sharma – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what her Department’s wellness strategy is.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    DFID seeks to create a workplace where we protect the health, safety and wellbeing of staff, optimise the opportunity to promote a healthy workforce, maintain safe systems of work and proactively support the physical and emotional wellbeing of staff.​ These principles are reflected throughout DFIDs HR Policies and approach to People Management.

  • Andrew Murrison – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Andrew Murrison – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Murrison on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what metrics she uses in monitoring human rights abuse (a) by governments and (b) in countries in receipt of UK aid.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    DFID works closely with the FCO to assess and monitor the civil and political rights context in the countries where it has programmes. DFID draws on the FCO’s annual Human Rights and Democracy Report, which takes international human rights obligations as its starting point, and assesses FCO country specific updates to that report. It takes into account the views of a range of sources including EU and other development partners, and civil society reports.

    DFID provides aid to governments when it is satisfied that they share Britain’s commitments to reducing poverty and to respecting human rights. Before providing aid to a partner government, DFID assesses their commitment to four Partnership Principles. These include a commitment to poverty reduction; respecting human rights and other international obligations; improving public financial management, promoting good governance and transparency, and fighting corruption; and strengthening domestic accountability.

  • Mike Kane – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Mike Kane – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Kane on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department has made representations to the EU on its funding of aid and development projects in Eritrea.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    Between 2013 and 2015 DFID provided UNICEF in Eritrea with £10 million for child and maternal health and the provision of clean water and sanitation.

    In December 2015 DFID provided a further £3 million for nutrition support activities and water and sanitation in areas affected by El Nino in the Horn of Africa through UNICEF’s regional programme, which covers Eritrea.

    Over the past 2 years funding to support primarily Eritrean refugees in Ethiopia totalled £1.6 million and focussed on child protection and related work on anti-smuggling and trafficking.

  • Nic Dakin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Nic Dakin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will publish details of the Global Challenges research fund announced in the Government strategy paper, UK aid: tackling global challenges in the national interest, published on 23 November 2015.

    Joseph Johnson

    I will publish further details of the Global Challenges Research Fund alongside allocation of the Science Budget shortly.

  • Mike Kane – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Mike Kane – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Kane on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much funding her Department has allocated to projects which are primarily aimed at Eritrean nationals in the last three years; and in which countries such projects are based.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    As a member of the European Development Fund Committee (EDF) my Department scrutinises all EDF programming. The National Indicative Programme (NIP) for Eritrea under EDF 11 was considered at the Committee on the 17th of November 2015 and received a positive opinion. Prior to that DFID officials worked with other member states to secure a joint EU and member state approach to linking implementation of the NIP with successful dialogue on human rights.

    We continue to monitor this, both in country and in Brussels, alongside other member states.