The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keir Starmer on 2015-11-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how the extension of office to residential permitted development rights will be set out in legislative proposals.
Brandon Lewis
The extension of the office to residential permitted development rights will be brought forward as amendments to The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Osamor on 2015-12-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on recent arrests by the Turkish government of members of the (a) Kurdish political opposition and (b) Daesh in that country; and if he will make a statement.
Mr David Lidington
We are closely monitoring all of these and related events in Turkey and the region. The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) continues to kill members of the Turkish police service and security forces. We support Turkey’s right to defend itself against all forms of terrorism. We have been clear that the PKK must cease its violence and the peace process needs to be resumed. The UK stands ready to help in any way it can in this regard. I last raised this with my Turkish counterpart when we met in August.
The Government continues to monitor closely Turkey’s democratic reforms, including as part of the EU accession process, focusing particularly on freedom of expression, respect for the rule of law and minority rights.
We welcome Turkey’s invaluable contribution to the international campaign against Daesh, particularly its agreement for the use of its airspace and airbases, as a member of the Global Coalition committed to defeating it. Turkey has been carrying out military strikes against Daesh since July 2015, and state that they have detained over 2,500 Daesh suspects since 2013, of whom one third are foreigners. Turkey recognises the role that Syrian Kurds have to play in the fight against Daesh, and accepts that Syrian Kurds receive Coalition support.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Owen Smith on 2016-01-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many parents have been exempted from fees and charges for the 2012 child maintenance scheme.
Priti Patel
As at the end of August 2015, there were 3,130 exemptions to Application Fees.
There are no exemptions for collection and enforcement charges.
More details can be found on page 4 of the Child Maintenance Scheme quarterly summary of statistics which can be accessed online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/2012-statutory-child-maintenance-scheme-aug-2013-to-aug-2015-experimental.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-02-04.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the UK’s status as the largest European donor for relief in Syria and Iraq, and for refugee services elsewhere, what progress they are making toward greater burden-sharing within the EU and the European Economic Area in proportion to each country’s income per head.
Baroness Verma
The UK has been at the forefront of the response to the Syrian crisis. To date, we have committed over £2.3 billion, our largest ever response to a humanitarian crisis. As a result of the rise of Daesh, a separate humanitarian crisis has also emerged in Iraq. To date, we have committed £79.5 million to the humanitarian crisis in Iraq.
We continue to play a leading role in encouraging the international community to contribute generously to the UN appeals. At the Supporting Syria and the Region Conference we co-hosted in London on 4 February 2016, leaders came together to pledge more than $11 billion, the largest amount raised in one day for a humanitarian crisis. The money pledged at the Conference will save lives, give hope and give people a chance for the future.
We welcome the generous pledge of $2.5 billion in immediate and long-term funding from Germany at the Conference. Likewise, the EU pledged €915 million for 2016, €1.275 billion for 2017-20 and a further €200 million in concessional finance. Like the UK, Germany and the EU have pledged much more than in previous years.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ivan Lewis on 2016-03-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police officers are on duty each night of the week in each division of Greater Manchester Police.
Mike Penning
The Home Office does not hold the requested data centrally. The deployment of a police force’s available workforce is an operational decision for chief officers, in conjunction with their police and crime commissioners.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lisa Cameron on 2016-03-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will estimate the proportion of rebel ground forces in Syria which could be considered moderate.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
The Prime Minister, the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) stated in Parliament in December 2015 that we assessed at that time that there were around 70,000 non-extremist fighters in Syria, standing up to both the tyranny of the Asad regime and the poisonous and murderous ideology of Daesh. Since the time of that assessment, there have been significant shifts on the ground, particularly as a result of Russia’s military escalation, the majority of which has directly targeted the moderate opposition.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon on 2016-05-03.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to take action against hospital trusts which continue to breach mixed-sex accommodation guidance.
Lord Prior of Brampton
All patients deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, and the Government has made it clear that providers of National Health Service funded care are expected to eliminate mixed-sex accommodation, except where this is in the overall best interest of the patient, or reflects their personal choice.
Since 2010, there has been a fall from almost 12,000 patients in mixed-sex accommodation to 753 reported in March 2016. We will continue to monitor monthly breach data and performance across the NHS in partnership with NHS England. The financial penalty for non-delivery of the operational standard is mandated through the NHS Standard Contract 2016/17, and applies to all providers of acute, cancer and mental health services.
Under the terms of the Contract, where a breach occurs, the commissioner whose patient is affected must levy the financial sanction specified by the Contract. That sanction is £250 for each day that patient is affected by the breach.
Delivering zero breaches for every trust, every month, is unlikely. This is because there will be some occasions where patients are mixed appropriately, even when their clinical care needs do not demand it (for example if a patient is admitted in the middle of the night and the only way to release an appropriate bed is to awaken and move other patients).
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Pendry on 2016-06-15.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what step they are taking to ensure that British businesses in Colombia do not contribute to human rights abuses there.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
Encouraging businesses to respect human rights is a global priority for this Government. We recognise that communities such as indigenous and afro-descendant people and those in isolated rural areas are particularly vulnerable.
The UK National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights sets out how the Government is implementing the UN Guiding Principles. British firms are expected to uphold these principles in their overseas operations, as well as in the UK. It is for each country to implement a National Action Plan to ensure compliance with the Guiding Principles.
We worked closely with the Colombian authorities to develop their National Action Plan, published in December. All companies operating in Colombia, including British ones, should comply with the requirements and guidelines set out in that National Action Plan.
The Minister for Trade and Investment, my noble Friend, the Lord Price of Sturminster Newton, launched a campaign for British businesses to support peace, primarily through respect for human rights, during his visit to Colombia last month. Twenty of the largest British companies operating in Colombia subsequently agreed to align themselves to the Colombian National Action Plan for business and human rights.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2016-09-12.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the current security situation in Afghanistan and the stability of that country.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The security situation in Afghanistan remains challenging. It is the second year of the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces’ (ANDSF) independent operations and their capability continues to gradually improve. The work of NATO’s non-combat advisory mission, Resolute Support, remains critical to this effort. In 2016, ANDSF have faced particular pressure from the insurgency in Helmand and Kunduz. Where significant population centres have been threatened, government forces have repelled Taleban assaults.
At the Warsaw Summit in July 2016, NATO agreed to sustain Resolute Support’s “Train, Advise and Assist” mission through 2017. Donors also pledged around $4.5bn in funding to the ANDSF through to 2020 and reaffirmed NATO’s Enduring Partnership with Afghanistan. This clear signal of international resolve demonstrates our collective commitment to safeguarding the gains made in Afghanistan and to supporting the Government of Afghanistan to deliver security for its citizens.
HMG Ministers will be discussing these issues, and related development issues, with partners at the Brussels Conference on Afghanistan on 4-5 October.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-10-17.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the government of Israel concerning the repatriation of Palestinian refugees fleeing Syria.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
While we have not had any discussions with the Israeli authorities on this specific issue, we continue to be clear with both sides that there must be a just, fair and agreed settlement for refugees as part of a negotiated two-state solution.