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  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many times G4S has been in breach of its contract at Medway STC since it was awarded that contract; for what reasons each such breach occurred; and what fines were incurred by G4S for each of these breaches.

    Andrew Selous

    Since the contract was awarded in 1997, there have been two instances of financial remedies on G4S’s contract at Medway STC, both for failure to comply with procedures. The financial penalties were for a total of £1221.87.707.40. We are examining whether the allegations made by Panorama would constitute a breach of contract.

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  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much companies contracted by his Department to operate (a) detention centres, (b) prisons, (c) young offender institutions and (d) secure training centres have paid in fines in each of the last five years; and what the reason was for each such fine imposed.

    Andrew Selous

    This department does not hold information relating to (a) detention centres as these are managed by the Home Office.

    Information regarding (b) prisons, (c) young offender institutions can be located in PQ answer 24385 which was answered on 4 April 2016.

    Information on (d) Secure Training Centres can be located in PQ answer 26793 which was answered on 9 February 2016.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Ministers in his Department have visited G4S Medway in the last five years.

    Andrew Selous

    In the last five years, available records show that three Ministers have visited Medway Secure Training Centre.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 23 October 2015 to Question 12035, what teaching agency G4S contacted; and what level of security clearance that member of staff was required to hold in order to enter the facility concerned.

    Andrew Selous

    The recruitment agency contacted by G4S was Randstad. The member of staff went through full G4S vetting and clearance before being employed on site. All STC staff, both temporary and permanent, must also undergo background checks and be reviewed and approved by the Youth Justice Board prior to appointment.

  • 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 2016-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much and what proportion the UK contributed to the EU humanitarian and development budget in each of the last two years.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    UK contributions to EU Official Development Assistance (ODA), including development assistance and humanitarian aid, for the last two years was as follows:

    2013 £ million

    2014 £ million

    1,220

    1,144

    British share of overall EU spend is approximately 15%. The UK continues to work hard to ensure EU development aid focuses on the poorest and most fragile countries and that the EU becomes more open and transparent about the challenges it faces in implementing aid projects.

  • Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to ensure children receive education and protection in conflict zones.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    DFID supports international efforts in conflict-affected and fragile countries to assist children and reduce their risks of violence, exploitation, abuse, and neglect. This work is in partnership with mandated protection agencies, including the International Committee of the Red Cross, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, and UNICEF, as well as non-governmental organisations.

    DFID aims to improve learning outcomes, to reach all children in fragile states, and to keep girls in school. DFID supports children overseas to go to school and continue learning even when they are forced from their homes and this includes our flagship £355 million Girls’ Education Challenge that will enable up to 1 million more of the world’s most marginalised girls to benefit from an education of sufficient quality and transform their lives. In addition, DFID is supporting improvements to how the international community provides education in emergencies, including support for the ‘No Lost Generation’ Initiative to provide over 251,000 Syrian children with formal and informal education inside Syria and in the region, allowing them to catch up on lost learning time and sit public school examinations.

    Education and protection will be key themes of the Syria Conference co-hosted by the UK in early February and the protection and education of children affected by natural disasters and conflicts will be addressed at the World Humanitarian Summit in May 2016.

  • Fiona Bruce – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Fiona Bruce – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona Bruce on 2016-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what measures the Government has put in place to ensure that the resettlement programme in Lebanon and Jordan is able to identify the most vulnerable people.

    James Brokenshire

    We work closely with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to identify cases that they deem in need of resettlement according to agreed vulnerability criteria for the Syrian Resettlement Scheme. The scheme was expanded in September 2015 to ensure more of those in the greatest need are resettled in the UK.

    We are working with UNHCR to intensify their outreach and identification activities in the region, including in Jordan and the Lebanon; to encourage and invite all unregistered populations to avail themselves of UNHCR’s services either by directly approaching UNHCR to register with them or by referral via a third organisation.

    We are also working with confessional groups and Diaspora communities here and in the region to maximise their awareness of UNHCR’s global mandate and scope for resettlement opportunities and/or to refer any unregistered person to UNHCR for registration and potential assessment according to criteria.

  • Fiona Bruce – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Fiona Bruce – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona Bruce on 2016-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that vulnerable Syrian refugees in Lebanon and Jordan have access to basic services such as health and education.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    The UK has allocated £304 million in Lebanon and £193 million in Jordan to support Syrian refugees and vulnerable host communities in response to the humanitarian crisis in Syria and the region. Whilst addressing the immediate needs of refugees and vulnerable members of host communities, UK aid is also supporting their longer-term resilience and stability through funding to essential basic services. For example, the UK has allocated over £27 million in Lebanon and £21 million in Jordan to support health related activities such as providing over 229,157 medical consultations in Lebanon and 102,205 in Jordan for emergency trauma and primary healthcare cases.

    As part of the No Lost Generation Initiative (NLGI) the UK is also working with other donors, UN agencies, NGOs and governments in the region to prevent a whole generation being lost to the Syria conflict through long-term negative impacts on psychological wellbeing and lack of access to quality education. In Lebanon, the UK’s total pledge to support education now stands at £80 million, and in Jordan, the UK is providing £15 million over three years to improve the quality of public school education for both Jordanians and Syrians. In addition to this support to the formal sector in Jordan the UK has also providing £3 million so far to support Jordanians and Syrians in informal education.

  • Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps UK is taking to support the education of Syrian refugees in (a) Lebanon, (b) Jordan, (c) Iraq and (d) Turkey.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    The No Lost Generation Initiative (NLGI) is an umbrella initiative that aims to prevent a whole generation being lost to the Syria conflict through long term negative impacts on psychological wellbeing and lack of access to quality education. My Right Honourable Friend The Secretary of State for International Development, Justine Greening, launched the initiative in 2013, working with other donors, UN agencies, NGOs and governments in the region.

    To date, the UK’s total allocation for NLGI across the region is £115 million. As of August 2015, this allocation has provided over 250,000 children with education and over 673,000 children with psychosocial support. The UK will continue to lead international efforts to support the education of Syrian refugees and we are working with host governments in the region, key education partners such as UNICEF and other donors, to develop ambitious targets on education for the Syria London Conference on 04 February to ensure Syrian children in the region have access to quality education and the necessary psychosocial support they need.

  • Fiona Bruce – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Fiona Bruce – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona Bruce on 2016-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government is taking to encourage donors to increase access to accredited quality education for Syrian refugee children in host countries in the region.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    DFID supports education for children inside Syria and the wider region through the No Lost Generation Initiative (NLGI). NLGIis an initiative that aims to prevent a whole generation being lost to the Syria conflict. To date, the UK’s total allocation for NLGI across the region is £115 million. As of August 2015, UK support has has provided over 250,000 children with education and over 673,000 children with psychosocial support. This includes accredited formal and non-formal education. The UK is also working with host governments to ensure non-formal education is gradually accredited by host country governments.

    The UK will continue to lead international efforts to support the education of Syrian refugees. We are working with host governments in the region, key education partners such as UNICEF and other donors, to develop and finance ambitious targets on education. The London ‘Supporting Syria and the Region Conference’ in February 2016 will be an opportunity to push ahead with this.