Blog

  • Andrew Smith – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Andrew Smith – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with the European Commission and her counterparts in EU member states on compensation requests to Israeli authorities for EU-funded aid projects demolished by the Israeli authorities.

    Mr Alan Duncan

    DFID and the EU regularly lobby Israel against the illegal demolition of Palestinian homes and infrastructure, and the forced transfer of people in Area C and East Jerusalem.

  • Andrew Smith – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Andrew Smith – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate she has made of the additional costs resulting from Israeli border, access and planning controls to UK-funded development projects in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

    Mr Alan Duncan

    No such assessment has been possible. UK aid helps to finance the Palestinian Authority’s fiscal deficit, which would significantly decrease if Israeli movement and access restrictions in the OPTs were lifted. The World Bank estimates that if Israeli restrictions were lifted in ‘Area C’ of the West Bank alone, the Palestinian economy would expand by more than a third and potentially would not require international donor assistance.

  • Andrew Smith – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Andrew Smith – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what research his Department has commissioned on diabulimia in teenagers and young adults.

    Dr Daniel Poulter

    The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) funded the NIHR Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRC) for South Yorkshire from 2008 to 2013. The CLAHRC carried out a programme of research on young people with Type 1 diabetes including research relating to eating disorders in this patient group. Outputs include papers published in the journal Diabetic Medicine.

  • Andrew Smith – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andrew Smith – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made representations to the Israeli government on extending to UK citizens of Palestinian origin visiting Israel similar concessions to those Israel has offered to the US administration in exchange for Israel’s entry to the US visa waiver scheme.

    Hugh Robertson

    We have not made any representations to the Israeli authorities on this issue.

  • Andrew Smith – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andrew Smith – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with Israeli authorities on discrimination against UK citizens of Palestinian or Arab origin by Israeli border control.

    Hugh Robertson

    Our Embassy in Tel Aviv raises complaints where British nationals appear to have been subjected to differential treatment by Israeli border control on the basis of their race or ethnicity with the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

  • Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his oral Answer of 30 April 2014, Official Report, column 824, what the evidential basis is for the statement that nuclear power is carbon-free.

    Mr David Cameron

    There is a strong consensus in the global scientific community that nuclear energy represents one of the lowest carbon forms of baseload electricity generation.

    The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimates that the life cycle emissions associated with the generation of electricity from nuclear power groups are 16g CO2 per kWh electricity produced. This is very low compared to the equivalent figure for electricity produced by natural gas turbines, which is in excess of 400g CO2/kWh, and similar to the IPCC’s estimate for widespread non-baseload form of electricity generation, such as wind.

    The Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology report ‘Carbon Footprint of Electricity Generation’ states that the operation of the nuclear power station accounts for less than 1% of the total life cycle emissions of nuclear electricity generation.

  • Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if her Department will provide support to the Bright Green Energy Group for distributing solar energy systems to rural communities in Bangladesh.

    Lynne Featherstone

    DFID recognises the important role that the private sector plays in developing and delivering products to increase access to energy in poor countries. DFID make funding available to energy in Africa. This includes the Renewable Energy and Adaptation to Climate Change (REACT) window of the Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund.

  • Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the potential contribution of sustainable lighting systems to development in Africa; and if her Department will collaborate with Solar Aid to provide such systems to communities in Africa.

    Lynne Featherstone

    The UN Sustainable Energy for All initiative estimated that in 2010 only 32% of people in sub-Saharan Africa had access to electricity. There is high potential for household scale systems using sustainable and renewable energy such as solar power to increase access to electricity.

    DFID will match funding for Solar Aid’s SunnyMoney appeal in the Guardian Newspaper. This will fund the distribution of portable solar lights through Solar Aid’s social enterprise ‘SunnyMoney Way,’ in Zambia, Malawi, Kenya and Uganda. Through this project, Solar Aid expect to distribute some 76,400 solar lights benefiting over 400,000 people.

  • Chris Williamson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Chris Williamson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Williamson on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make it his policy that a war widow’s pension is provided for life to those awarded such a pension between 31 March 1973 and 5 April 2005.

    Anna Soubry

    It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

  • Charlotte Leslie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Charlotte Leslie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charlotte Leslie on 2014-05-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to improve road safety for cyclists.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Government takes cycle safety very seriously. In this Parliament we have committed £278m of funding directly for cycling in England; this includes junction safety schemes and traffic free and traffic calmed routes.

    We have also made it easier for local authorities to implement 20 mph zones and other highway measures to support cycle safety, and we encourage them to consider these measures on their highway network.