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  • Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-04-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what proportion of the international aid budget has been spent on India in the last five years.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    The table below provides details of total UK bilateral Official Development Assistance (ODA) to India as a percentage of total UK ODA.

    Year

    2009

    2010

    2011

    2012

    2013

    2014

    Percent of Bilateral ODA to Total ODA

    6%

    5%

    3%

    3%

    2%

    2%
  • Hilary Benn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Hilary Benn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-04-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the effect of conflict in South Sudan on the availability of medicines in that country.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    The recurrent shortage of medical supplies in South Sudan is a result of the failure of the South Sudanese Government to take responsibility for the procurement of medicines for their people, against the backdrop of the ongoing conflict.

    The UK, along with donor partners, has agreed a staggered strategy (to December 2016) to prevent a major drugs shortage crisis across the country. In addition, the DFID-led Health Pooled Fund will help in the procurement and supply of essential drugs between 2017 and 2018. This programme will also include the establishment of a robust, South Sudan government-led, system for the future procurement, management and distribution of medicines. The UK continues to advocate for the South Sudanese government to allocate sufficient funds to essential medicines for their people, and demands both the government and opposition to work together to urgently implement the August peace agreement.

  • Jim Fitzpatrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Jim Fitzpatrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2016-04-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Transport on implementing UN General Authority motion A/70 L.44 which reaffirms SDG targets 3.6 and 11.2.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    DFID officials meet regularly with both Department of Health (DoH) and Department for Transport (DfT) officials and work in a co-ordinated manner on international road safety, including UN General Authority motion A/70 L.44.

  • Chi Onwurah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Chi Onwurah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-04-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what programmes her Department funds for the support and treatment of African former child soldiers.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    The Government is committed to ending the recruitment and use of child soldiers and protecting children affected by armed conflict. Minister Shapps met with the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict at the UN General Assembly in 2015 to demonstrate the UK’s engagement on this critical issue. We also support international efforts, for example through the Common Humanitarian Funds and the International Committee of the Red Cross, in conflict-affected and fragile countries in Africa, to assist children, including those who have been members of armed groups, and to reduce the risks of violence, exploitation, abuse, and neglect. In the long-term children are best protected by peaceful, accountable states capable of providing security and justice for all, access to basic services, and meeting the needs of vulnerable groups. Building peaceful states and societies is the overarching framework of our work in countries affected by conflict and fragility.

    We also recognise that education is important in order to prevent the recruitment of child soldiers and reintegrate former child soldiers back into their communities. DFID is one of the biggest bilateral donors to basic education in low income countries, especially in Africa. Between 2010 and 2015 the UK Government supported 11 million children in school across 21 countries; 7.5 million of them in countries considered to be fragile. We have again pledged to support 11 million children with a decent education between 2015 and 2020.

  • Chi Onwurah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the House of Commons Commission

    Chi Onwurah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the House of Commons Commission

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-04-18.

    To ask the Rt. hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington representing the House of Commons Commission, how many representations of Black, Asian, and minority ethnic people there are in the paintings in the Palace of Westminster.

    Tom Brake

    There are four formal painted portraits of Black, Asian and minority ethnic people on display in the Palace of Westminster. The portraits are of Dr Dadabhoy Naoroji, the first Asian MP, Diane Abbott, the first black woman MP, Paul Boateng as the first black Cabinet Minister and Baroness Amos as the first black Leader of the House of Lords.

    The Speaker’s Advisory Committee on Works of Art is committed to reflecting the diversity of the House today, and to recognising those who have influenced Parliament and contributed to its development in a notable way through the Parliamentary Art Collection. The Committee has agreed to give further consideration to the matter of BAME representation in the current Parliament.

  • Vicky Foxcroft – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Vicky Foxcroft – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Vicky Foxcroft on 2016-04-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that Romani people are not being discriminated against in the UK.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    The Government is committed to creating a fair society in which all people, of whatever ethnic origin or background, are able to participate fully in society and realise their full potential. The Government deplores racism in all its forms and is determined to ensure everyone has the opportunity to get on in life, free from harassment and fear. The UK has a strong and well-established legal framework to combat discrimination and hate crime, which protects all individuals, including Roma, from racial and other forms of discrimination, and racially motivated crime. Officials in my Department hold regular meetings with Roma, Gypsy and Traveller organisations to discuss issues of concern to those communities.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-04-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to encourage greater co-operation between police forces in the constituent parts of the UK to better enable them to address online crime.

    Mr John Hayes

    Online crime covers a vast range of criminality; what is illegal offline is also illegal online. However, the internet has enabled crime to be committed in a different way, which requires a different type of approach from Law Enforcement. That is why this Government has committed to spending £1.9 billion on cyber security over the next five years, including for tackling cyber crime.

    The 2015 Strategic Policing Requirement states that ‘capabilities will be delivered locally by police forces but may need to be brought together nationally through collaborative arrangements between forces or with other partners when the threat or risk demand joint working’. In some cases they are combined to provide an ongoing regional resource that provides a national network of capabilities to disrupt serious and organised crime, for example, through the Regional Organised Crime Units (ROCUs).

    The Government has invested over £90 million in ROCUs, over the last three years. In addition to at least a further £20 million in 2016/17, in order to increase and sustain the specialist capabilities required in law enforcement to respond to Serious and Organised Crime including online crime, and to support local forces to investigate online crime in a collaborative way in England and Wales.

    Action Fraud, within the City of London Police also plays an important role in educating and assisting local forces to investigate cyber crime and cyber enabled fraud, with a particular focus on improving the service to victims.

    The National Crime Agency (NCA) operates UK wide and works in close collaboration with all UK police forces and other law enforcement partners, including PSNI and Police Scotland (including through two-way tasking and coordination processes). The NCA leads some investigations, whilst supporting and coordinating others.

  • Jack Dromey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Jack Dromey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jack Dromey on 2016-04-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the contribution of the Minister for Policing, Fire and Criminal Justice and Victims of 10 February 2016, Official Report, column 1594, on the Police Grant Report (England and Wales), how many operational on-duty frontline police officers there were in (a) the latest period for which figures are available and (b) 2010.

    Mike Penning

    The number and proportion of full time equivalent police officers employed in operational frontline roles as at 31 March 2015, the latest period for which figures are available, and 31 March 2010, are provided in the table.

    As HMIC has made clear, there is no simple link between police numbers and crime levels, between numbers and the visibility of police in the community, or between numbers and the quality of service provided.

    Decisions on the size and composition of the police workforce are operational matters for Chief Officers working with their Police and Crime Commissioners and taking into account local priorities. What matters is how officers are deployed, not how many of them there are.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-04-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that terrorists cannot get into the UK from the Republic of Ireland.

    James Brokenshire

    The Government is working with Ireland to better safeguard our citizens from international terrorism by strengthening the external border of our shared Common Travel Area (CTA).

    There is a high level of collaboration on a joint programme of work which includes, investment in border procedures, increased data sharing to inform immigration and border security decisions, interoperable passenger data systems, including the collection and processing of Advance Passenger Information (API) on intra and extra CTA routes, and harmonised visa policy and processes.

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-04-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she has taken to ensure that all police officers are aware of restrictions around the use of drones in public areas and where permits are necessary.

    Mr John Hayes

    The Aircraft Accident investigation Bureau investigation into the collision will be made public. However, the separate, ongoing criminal investigation, and any decision to release the results of the investigation, is an operational matter for the Metropolitan Police, as the investigatory authority.

    Guidance has been circulated to Police Forces to assist them when dealing with incidents involving misuse. A decision on whether to investigate and prosecute is made on an assessment of threat, risk and harm.