Blog

  • Philip Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Philip Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2014-04-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what measures are in place to ensure that aid given to foreign countries is used for the purposes intended; and what proportion of such aid not being used for those purposes would result in future aid being denied to that country.

    Justine Greening

    DFID has a number of controls in place focussing on monitoring and evaluation, including both internal and external audits and reports from the International Development Committee and the Independent Commission for Aid Impact.

    DFID has strong internal review processes in place to make sure projects are properly monitored and closed if they are not delivering good results and value for money.

  • Jim Murphy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Jim Murphy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Murphy on 2014-04-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent discussions she has had with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees on the average time taken to register a Syrian refugee in neighbouring countries.

    Justine Greening

    My officials are in regular discussion with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) at both national and regional levels regarding UNHCR’s efforts to protect and assist Syrian refugees. UNHCR have devoted considerable resources to reducing the average time taken for refugee registration. In Lebanon, for example, average registration time has fallen from 80 days to 21 days.

  • Jim Murphy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Jim Murphy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Murphy on 2014-04-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent discussions her Department has had with non-governmental agencies in South Sudan on levels of food provision.

    Lynne Featherstone

    The UK is extremely concerned about the deteriorating food security in South Sudan, and the urgent need to increase the provision of food supplies and livelihoods support to vulnerable populations. The eruption of conflict on 15 December 2013 has sharply exacerbated an already fragile food security situation: 3.2 million people are now at immediate risk of food insecurity and up to 7.2 million are estimated to be at some risk.

    DFID South Sudan is in regular contact with critical non-government agencies operating in the country, both UN agencies such as the World Food Programme (WFP) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), as well as with key non-government organisations, to understand and inform the humanitarian response and to monitor needs and the quality of the humanitarian operation. DFID South Sudan staff have visited displaced communities in Unity and Jonglei States in recent weeks to meet affected people, and international agencies delivering assistance, in order to better understand food security needs.

  • Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-04-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent discussions she has had with the Ethiopian government on her Department’s aid funding; and what recent reports she has received of the violent expulsion of Ethiopian farmers from their land.

    Lynne Featherstone

    DFID ministers and senior officials continue to engage with the Government of Ethiopia on resettlement, including meetings with the Ethiopian Prime Minister, Hailemariam Desalegn, in May 2013, November 2013 and December 2013. These discussions have included encouraging the Government of Ethiopia to follow international good practice on resettlement, implementation of a Grievance Response Mechanism, and monitoring and investigation of and action in relation to allegations of abuse.

    A summary of the findings and recommendations of multi-donor visits, including DFID, to monitor resettlement in Ethiopia will be made available in due course on the Development Assistance Group’s website at:www.dagethiopia.org

    “

  • Jim Murphy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Jim Murphy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Murphy on 2014-04-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to prevent famine in South Sudan.

    Justine Greening

    The UK is the second largest donor to the Crisis Response Plan for South Sudan, and we are working with the UN and other donors to raise the prominence of the appeal, and secure new and increased commitments of funds. DFID has contributed £20.8 million of new humanitarian funding in South Sudan since December 2013. We have also allocated £17 million to support the refugee response in neighbouring countries.

  • Jeremy Lefroy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Jeremy Lefroy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeremy Lefroy on 2014-04-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking at the High Level Meeting of the Global Partnership for Effective Development to ensure that future aid delivery via the private sector follows the Busan Principles.

    Justine Greening

    I refer my Hon. Friend to the answer I gave to Rt Hon. Member for East Renfrewshire (Jim Murphy) on 27 March 2014, Official Report (Col. 390W).

  • Mary Creagh – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Mary Creagh – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mary Creagh on 2014-04-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many drivers who received driving convictions during the two year probationary licence period undertook (a) one, (b) two, (c) three and (d) four or more speed awareness courses in (i) 2010 to 2014 and (ii) 2005 to 2009.

    Karen Bradley

    This information is not held centrally. A motorist is prohibited from taking
    more than one speed awareness course under the national scheme within a 3 years
    period from the date of the offence.

  • Sarah Teather – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Sarah Teather – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Teather on 2014-04-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which prisons are holding individuals solely under immigration powers.

    James Brokenshire

    The prisons detailed below are currently holding individuals in England and Wales solely under immigration powers:

    Ashfield Glen Parva Parc
    Bedford Guys Marsh Pentonville
    Belmarsh Haverigg Peterborough
    Birmingham Hewell Ranby
    Brinsford High Down Risley
    Bristol Highpoint Rye Hall
    Brixton Holloway Stafford
    Bronzefield Holme House Stoke Heath
    Bullingdon Huntercombe Styal
    Bullwood Hall Isis Swansea
    Bure Leeds Swinfen Hall
    Cardiff Lewes Thameside
    Chelmsford Lincoln Usk
    Dartmoor Littlehey Wakefield
    Doncastor Liverpool Wandsworth
    Durham Maidstone Wayland
    Elmley Manchester Whatton
    Erlestoke Moorland Woodhill
    Exeter Mount Wormwood Scrubs
    Featherstone New Hall Wymott
    Feltham Norwich Verne
    Forest Bank Nottingham
    Garth Oakwood

    The prisons detailed below are currently holding individuals in Scotland under immigration powers:

    Barlinnie, Edinburgh, Cornton Vale, Dumfries

    1. All details quoted have been derived from management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change.

    2. The details have been extracted from NOMS and Home Office reports which are taken from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording
    system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

    3. Data generated on 31 March 2014.

  • Sarah Teather – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Sarah Teather – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Teather on 2014-04-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many immigration detainees left the UK through the assisted voluntary returns programmes in each of the last five years.

    James Brokenshire

    For the last five years, the numbers of detainees who have left the UK annually
    through AVR programmes are as follows:

    Year Detainees departing through AVR
    2009 585
    2010 824
    2011 848
    2012 1150
    2013 2081

    The figures provided are sourced from a Home Office management information
    system which is not quality assured under National Statistics protocols and is
    subject to change due to internal data quality checking. Figures provided from
    this source do not constitute part of National Statistics and should be treated
    as provisional.

  • Sarah Teather – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Sarah Teather – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Teather on 2014-04-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reasons she will no longer fund the detention element of the Choices service from 1 April 2014; whether an alternative assisted voluntary returns programme will be made available to immigration detainees; and what assessment she has made of the potential effects of this decision on the number of (a) assisted voluntary returns and (b) enforced removals.

    James Brokenshire

    An assessment of the impact of this change is in train and the range of
    possible alternatives is complex. A full written response on the issue will be
    provided to the Member in due course, and the letter placed in the House
    Library.