The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Whitaker on 2016-04-21.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what happens to horses seized under the Control of Horses Act 2015.
Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Under the Control of Horse Act 2015, if a horse that has been detained for a minimum 96 hours has not been claimed by the owner it may be sold, rehomed with charities or, where other options are not available, euthanised.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Viscount Waverley on 2016-04-21.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many UK Heads of Mission in Arabic-speaking countries speak Arabic.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
In the Middle East and North Africa region approximately 95 per cent of our Heads of Mission speak Arabic or other local languages (e.g. French or Hebrew).
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Viscount Waverley on 2016-04-21.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether the budget apportioned to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is sufficient for the development of the knowledge, understanding and policy sophistication required in respect of the Islamic world.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is devoting considerable resource to strengthening the organisation’s expertise and skills, including geographical, language and other relevant expertise, such as understanding the Islamic world. The opening of the FCO’s Diplomatic Academy last year has given new impetus and structure to this work. There is a growing range of formal and informal learning in London and throughout the FCO network, including better sharing of knowledge internally and increased access to external expertise. We put time and effort into understanding political trends globally including the “Islamic” element of political Islam. Our online Foundation Level course includes a basic religious literacy module. Our diplomatic missions report regularly on trends in political Islam and our research analyst cadre provide in-depth expertise, analysis and links to academics and think tanks. The FCO’s Human Rights and Democracy Department run training courses on religion and foreign policy which serve as a practitioner level religion/foreign policy module for the Diplomatic Academy. We also offer training on contemporary Islam and its role within politics and society in various regional contexts.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Viscount Waverley on 2016-04-21.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether there is still a development case for bilateral aid for India and Turkey; and whether they have plans to end bilateral aid to those, and similar, countries.
Baroness Verma
The UK does not have a bilateral aid programme in Turkey. We help Turkey address the consequences of the Syria crisis and migration challenges as the country hosts the highest number of refugees in the world, by providing support to refugees in Turkey, jointly with international partners.
The UK’s bilateral aid programme in India has changed with India’s development. A middle-income country and major trading partner, India is still home to one third of the world’s poorest people. The UK ceased its traditional aid programme to India in 2015, and our support now focuses on promoting inclusive economic development, both reducing poverty and strengthening UK trade and investment opportunities.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Viscount Waverley on 2016-04-21.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what mechanisms the Department for International Development has in place to monitor the quality and real developmental impact of their aid programmes.
Baroness Verma
DFID has rigorous programme and financial management procedures and systems in place. This government has significantly strengthened these procedures and systems, placing a strong emphasis on ensuring programmes are high quality and deliver value for money and real development impact. Each DFID project is rigorously appraised before approval to establish value for money. During implementation, projects are measured against a robust monitoring framework through mandatory annual reviews to ensure they remain cost effective and are delivering expected outputs, outcomes and development impact. The results of these annual reviews are scored by the managing team and are then monitored through regular management information reports to management and Ministers. We take decisions to exit underperforming programmes and redirect resources into those that deliver poverty reduction and value for money for taxpayers.
DFID is also committed to generating high quality evidence through independent evaluations which look in detail at the impact that our interventions are having and what lessons can be learnt for the future. In addition the Independent Commission for Aid Impact assesses the effectiveness of DFID’s programming.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Viscount Waverley on 2016-04-21.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much funding the Department for International Development transferred to the EU over and above their fixed aid related contribution.
Baroness Verma
The UK makes fixed ODA contributions to the EU budget and the European Development Fund (EDF) each year. In addition to this funding, where DFID doesn’t have the expertise or resources to deliver a major programme itself, it will work locally with partners who can do this including the EU.
As set out in DFID’s 2015 Statistics on International Development publication, in addition to these fixed ODA contributions, DFID provided £20,378,000 to the EU in 2014 for two infrastructure programmes in Africa. These are both helping to promote trade within Africa and boost local economies, building markets that Britain can trade with which is firmly in our national interest.
In both cases the EU is the best partner with the necessary capacity and technical expertise to carry out these large infrastructure programmes. Details of all such bilateral programmes are published on devtracker.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Viscount Waverley on 2016-04-21.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Department for International Development overspent their budget in the last financial year, and if so, for what reason.
Baroness Verma
In 2014-15, the most recent year for which audited accounts are available, the Department for International Development did not overspend its budget.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Rosser on 2016-04-21.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many regional devolution settlements that are (1) agreed already, and (2) currently being negotiated, include the devolution of transport powers; and what impact those settlements will have on local bus services.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
(1) The Government has agreed devolution settlements with 10 English areas. Each of the settlements contained provisions for the devolution of transport powers and responsibilities, from bus franchising to the establishment and management of key route networks, based on the ambitions and needs of each individual area.
(2) The Government is in active discussions with many other areas, however, proposals are developed and led by local areas and the decision to release information regarding the content of these discussions is a matter for the local area to decide, not the Government. As individual negotiations conclude and devolution deals are agreed, local areas may decide to publish the final deal documents on the GOV.UK website.
The Bus Services Bill will enable the implementation of the commitments made in devolution settlements to provide authorities with a greater say over the bus services in their area. It will be up to authorities to determine whether and how they implement changes to the way in which local bus services are provided.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Rosser on 2016-04-21.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the Bus Service Operators Grant in tackling isolation and loneliness in rural communities.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Under the Bus Subsidy Operators Grant (BSOG) system, the Government pays out some £250m a year to bus operators and local authorities to support bus services outside London. BSOG plays an especially important role in protecting services in rural areas as it supports an extra 25 million bus journeys a year in those areas, by helping extend the bus network and allowing operators to charge lower fares. Department for Transport analysis indicates that BSOG has helped extend the rural bus network by 13%, equivalent to an additional 38 million kilometres, providing residents with vital links to local services.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Rosser on 2016-04-21.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what support they are giving to local authorities to ensure that changes to funding for local bus services do not negatively affect (1) young people, (2) the elderly, (3) those suffering from mental ill health, and (4) those suffering from physical ill health.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The majority of public funding for local bus services in England is provided by the Department for Communities and Local Government. However, the Department for Transport also provides around £40m of Grant funding directly to English local authorities for this purpose.
The Total Transport initiative has also provided around £8m funding for 37 pilot projects exploring how local authorities and other agencies can work together to commission transport services more effectively – including integrating NHS non-emergency patient transport.
Authorities should remain mindful of their statutory equality duties, including the Equality Act 2010’s Public Sector Equality Duty, and the effect of proposals on all people with protected characteristics, including those who are disabled.