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  • Craig Whittaker – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Craig Whittaker – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2015-10-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what risk assessments his Department has conducted on changes to court provision in Calder Valley.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    An impact assessment was published alongside the consultation document, which can be found at: https://consult.justice.gov.uk/digital-communications/proposal-on-the-provision-of-court-and-tribunal-es.

    No decision has been taken to close any court. The consultation closed on 8 October and we are considering all responses carefully.

    “

  • Craig Whittaker – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Craig Whittaker – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2015-10-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what account was taken of local transport links in Walsden, Portsmouth and Todmorden in the consultation on the Provision of Court and Tribunal Estate for both victims and those on trial.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    The consultation proposals included information on approximate travel times for each regional consultation paper.

    No decision has been taken to close any court. The consultation closed on 8 October and we are considering all responses carefully.

  • Thangam Debbonaire – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Thangam Debbonaire – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2015-10-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking at UN summits to ensure strong commitments are made to eradicating gender inequality.

    Justine Greening

    Promoting the rights of girls and women is a top priority for my Department, including at UN Summits. The UK was a leading voice in international negotiations on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for a strong stand-alone goal on gender equality and empowerment of women and girls, as well as gender-sensitive targets throughout the SDG framework.

    My Department and I will continue to make every effort to push for gender equality at other global events, such as the African Union Girl Summit in November 2015 and the Commission on the Status of Women in March 2016.

  • Matthew Offord – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Matthew Offord – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2015-10-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much of her Department’s budget is directed at the root causes of migration.

    Justine Greening

    The root causes of migration are diverse. They include conflict, lack of security and also lack of opportunity or jobs. That’s why we provide help and security for refugees affected by the Syria crisis. When we double our work on jobs and growth, it is not only good for the people and countries we are supporting, it is in our national interest too.

  • Matthew Offord – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Matthew Offord – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2015-10-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of political and economic progress in Somalia.

    Grant Shapps

    During my recent visit in July, I saw the complex challenges that Somalia faces after more than two decades of conflict. Despite this, real progress is being made in reaching a political settlement, tackling the threat posed by Al Shabaab, and rebuilding the economy and the state. Credible elections next year will be a further important step forward. As one of Somalia’s leading international partners, we are doing everything we can to support the completion of the federal map, the electoral process, and the economic development of the country.

  • Matthew Offord – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Matthew Offord – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2015-10-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of the economic recovery in Nepal since the earthquake in April 2015.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    The Nepal government estimates that GDP reduced by 1.5% as a result of the earthquake. Economic recovery has been slow and uncertain.

    Delays setting up the National Reconstruction Authority and unrest in the border area with India, which has closed most border crossings for over 6 weeks, make economic recovery challenging. We are pressing the government to prioritise the post-disaster response.

    The UK is providing up to £35 million for technical assistance to the Government of Nepal to directly mobilise more than £600 million of private investment into growth-boosting sectors, such as export-focused hydropower projects, indirectly generating better-paying jobs for unskilled and low-skilled Nepalese. The UK is also investing in building and maintaining roads to improve access in Nepal.

  • Matthew Offord – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Matthew Offord – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2015-10-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to coordinate development and environmental sustainability agendas.

    Grant Shapps

    The new Global Goals provide a strong new framework for sustainable growth and poverty reduction, explicitly linking the development and environmental sustainability agendas. DFID is integrating environmental sustainability through development policy, research and investment, including investment of Climate Finance via the UK’s International Climate Fund (ICF) which has helped 15 million poor and vulnerable people adapt to the effects of climate change and helped 2.6 million people to access to clean energy.

  • Stephen Gethins – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Stephen Gethins – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Gethins on 2015-10-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to support access of humanitarian supplies and access by aid workers to Taiz City, Yemen.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    Taiz city continues to experience intense fighting, which is making it extremely difficult for aid agencies to deliver humanitarian assistance. Their efforts to access the city and provide relief have been consistently blocked by parties to the conflict over the past month.

    The UK continues to call on all parties to facilitate rapid, safe and unhindered access to all people in need in Yemen. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and support UN and NGO partners’ efforts to deliver humanitarian assistance to Taiz city.

  • Hilary Benn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Hilary Benn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2015-10-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 15 October 2015 to Question 11278, which instances of restrictions on imports to Yemen of humanitarian supplies provided by the UK (a) directly and (b) through the UN are known to the Government.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    The UK does not maintain a list of instances of restrictions on imports of humanitarian supplies. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) publishes regular snapshots on humanitarian and commercial imports to Yemen on its website.

    The UK continues to call on all parties to ensure all reasonable steps are taken to allow access to Yemeni ports for commercial and humanitarian goods, including fuel for civilian use.

  • Hilary Benn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Hilary Benn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2015-10-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 15 October 2015 to Question 11278, what recent conversations she has had with the parties to the conflict in Yemen about facilitating unimpeded and immediate humanitarian access to all people in need in that country.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    The Secretary of State hosted an international meeting on Yemen’s humanitarian crisis in New York on 28 September at which she emphasised that all parties to the conflict should facilitate unimpeded and immediate humanitarian access to all people in need in Yemen. Members of the Governments of Yemen, Saudi Arabia and other Coalition partners, amongst others, were in attendance. The Co-Chairs statement from the meeting can be found here: http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/co-chairs-statement-ministerial-yemen-meeting-monday-28-september-2015.

    The UK is deeply concerned about the humanitarian situation in Yemen. We regularly raise commercial and humanitarian access with parties to the conflict.

    “