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  • Roberta Blackman-Woods – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Roberta Blackman-Woods – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roberta Blackman-Woods on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether prisons record whether inmates are registered as organ donors; and what protocols are in place for donation of organs after a death in custody.

    Andrew Selous

    The decision to be an organ donor is for prisoners to discuss with their next of kin and to decide whether they wish to add their name to the National Organ Donor Register. Organ donation by prisoners who are transferred to hospital prior to death may be considered in certain clinical circumstances and providing that it does not affect any coroner investigation.

  • Mary Glindon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Mary Glindon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mary Glindon on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much funding the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) received from the Government in the last three years; for what reasons that funding is provided; against what criteria the decision to fund that organisation was made; and what obligations the ETI places on its member companies with respect to freedom of association and collective bargaining.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    In the last three years the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) has received £1.2m in funding from DFID, through a Programme Partnership Arrangement (PPA). PPA funding supports ETI to improve working conditions for poor and vulnerable people, this includes workers in top tier farms and factories, as well as those in the lower tiers of supply chains (such as women homeworkers, smallholders and migrant workers) who are harder to reach and more vulnerable to exploitation. PPA funding is not tied to specific initiatives or interventions but ETI are expected to meet objectives set out in a robust performance framework, agreed between DFID and ETI.

    PPA funding was based on competitive selection and open to organisations who were regarded as leaders in their field and who could deliver on DFID’s objectives. Organisations were selected following a rigorous assessment and quality assurance process.

    Freedom of Association and collective bargaining is a component of the ETI Base Code and therefore every ETI member commits to taking action to support this right.

  • Imran Hussain – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Imran Hussain – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of dengue fever on the development of developing countries.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    Dengue is estimated to place a heavy socio-economic burden on households, health care systems and governments, particularly during outbreaks; however, country-specific reliable estimates of burden of disease and cost data are limited.

  • Imran Hussain – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Imran Hussain – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with her foreign counterparts on efforts to tackle dengue fever.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    Ministers and officials meet regularly with the Word Health Organisation to discuss a range of health issues including on the management of disease outbreaks. Dengue was discussed during last year’s World Health Assembly (WHA), which brings together the member states to discuss important issues. Senior officials from DFID and the Department of Health participate at the WHA.

    DFID’s health focus is to improve the provision of basic health services for the poorest by supporting health systems strengthening, health worker capacity and access to essential medicines and equipment. Increasing coverage, access and quality will strengthen health services to address all health problems including communicable diseases.

  • Craig Whittaker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Craig Whittaker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what measures she is taking to assist humanitarian agencies in distributing food and supplies to people affected by the conflict in Yemen.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    The UK is the 4th largest donor to the crisis in Yemen and has more than doubled its humanitarian support over the last year to £85 million for 2015/16. We have so far helped more than 1.3 million Yemenis who have been affected by the conflict with food assistance, medical supplies, water, and emergency shelter, as well as supporting refugees and migrants in Yemen.

    We work through International Non-Governmental Organisations and the United Nations agencies, including the World Food Programme who provide emergency food to over 570,000 people, either through direct delivery of food or providing cash or vouchers to enable people to buy food. These distributions are prioritised to the areas of greatest need. We are also funding the UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism to improve the supply of essential commercial goods, including food, into Yemen.

  • Imran Hussain – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Imran Hussain – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what funding her Department has provided to tackle dengue fever.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    The most effective way for DFID to have a sustainable impact on dengue fever and other vector-borne diseases is through our support to vector control, which is very important to protect populations from dengue and other vector borne diseases. Our partners include the Innovative Vector Control Consortium based at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, which is a product development partnership that brings together partners from the public and private sectors to develop new insecticides that can be used to control insects that spread this disease.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the UK contribution has been to the UN’s emergency relief fund for Yemen since its creation.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    The UK has contributed £36.2 million to the Yemen Emergency Response Fund (ERF) since it was established in 2010.

    In 2015 the ERF channelled funds to over 79 projects implemented by UN agencies and national and international NGOs. Through the total resources received from donors in 2015, the Fund has provided critical life-saving assistance to 3.3 million people affected by the conflict in Yemen, including through the provision of healthcare, clean water, sanitation services, food supplies or shelter materials.

  • Mike Freer – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Mike Freer – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Freer on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, which (a) Ministers and (b) officials of her Department plan to attend the UN General Assembly high-level meeting on HIV/AIDS at the UN headquarters in New York in June 2016.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    The UK government will be represented at the UN General Assembly high-level meeting on ending AIDS at the UN headquarters in New York in June 2016. Precise attendance has still to be finalised.

  • Craig Whittaker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Craig Whittaker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to encourage (a) development of oil and mineral production and (b) other economic development within South Sudan.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    Sustainable economic development in South Sudan will require peace and political will from the country’s leaders. This means appointing a transitional government of national unity as soon as possible and implementing the peace agreement signed in August 2015. The UK remains committed to the people of South Sudan. DFID supports livelihoods and basic services for the people of South Sudan alongside life-saving humanitarian support. We support economic development by helping to improve the capacity of key institutions, and through our support to improving the effectiveness and transparency of customs operations. DFID has no plans to support the development of oil and mineral production beyond seeking to ensure a greater degree of transparency in the sector.

  • Imran Hussain – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Imran Hussain – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to the Supporting Syria Conference 2016, to whom and by what mechanisms the Government’s funding pledges at that conference will be made.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    At the London Conference, the Prime Minister announced that the UK will more than double our total pledge to the Syria crisis from £1.12 billion to over £2.3 billion. The UK has already spent more than £1.1 billion in providing lifesaving aid in Syria and the region.